Philips Ambilight Hue

Recently I bought an philips hue bridge. Goal: to experiment with it.

I am in no way affiliated with Philips, Funai, TPV or any other TV brand. The names used here are reserved by them - they can even request me to stop using the names (and I would then fill them with dots so everyone knows what names do I refer to but the names wouldn't be used).

I found that the things are not well described. Just some marketing crap, some movies... nothing that would really provide actual information about the technologies.

Introduction - marketing mumble-bumble

Philips created a product to extend picture from your TV to the ambient light. You can use light that matches the picture (movie) you are watching.

It also created a series of products, and bulbs. You can control them using "some devices" (more about it later).

How does it look? It looks nice. Is it a revolution? I wouldn't say so.

How can you use the technology? It is proprietary, expensive and not well documented. Likely you would first waste much money before getting it working (ask other people to waste less).

TV

Are philips TV's made by philips? NO.

As far as I read the TV's were made by Funai but now are made by TPV. Philips just allows them to use its brand.

Can every philips TV work with ambilight or hue? NO.

Only more expensive philips TV's have pre-installed LED's on the behind.

I think that LED's replacement could be difficult. And the LED's behind philips TV's are burned quite quickly in my opinion.

Do every philips TV with ambilight works the same way? NO.

Philips Manufacturers allowed to use Philips brand create TV's in many ways. Using many operating systems. You have high chance that the software is doscontinued and it won't work any more.

Are the SmartTV's a good replacement of computer? NO.

SmartTV's (including the one from Philips) often use cheap hardware and proprietary software (based on free open source software and likely against the license). No documentation, limited waranty and support. And usually too slow to open web pages. With amount of ads and malware recently opening a web page could lead to device crash :) I have seen this many times already.

Operating systems in TV's

So far I tried a few. LG operating systems (and WebOS) seems really nice. Any TV using Android TV feels good (though it is not the same as Android OS). Samsung... I really hate the eManual button on the remote. But Samsung has good software except that (though I wouldn't count on anything good after they end support for your device). Philips... just works any don't expect anything more.

Hue

HUE is a name Philips use for some of their lighting related products. Often those allow user to set hue (color) and brightness of the light. Some of them are additionally marked "smart" and can be controlled remotely.

HUE devices marked as smart can be controlled in several ways (see Connectivity). They often require you to buy an extra device called hue bridge. Hue bridge is something that allows your devices to communicate (ambilight tv, hue bulbs, Chinese internet and more). So extra costs.

Do I need Philips HUE bridge? NO, unless you wish to control the HUE devices remotely.

Philips HUE bridge

There are currently 2 bridges as far as I know. First is round one. I have the square one (so the second and newer version).

Square bridge must be connected to network (and internet) using network cable. WiFi won't work. It has 2 buttons: one on the top (to confirm pairing) and one to reset the device if needed. It must be also connected to the same WiFi. In my case this means VLAN for a single access point port and single WiFi network.

Does Philips HUE bridge support non-Philips devices? NO.

Connectivity

Devices can connect using many technologies. Some most common:

• WiFi - wireless network. Usually only the one operating on 2.4GHz is supported.
• Bluetooth - wireless communication system. Works on the same 2.4GHz frequency and can cause interferences.
• Zigbee. A network where devices connect together thus increasing range. Same 2.4GHz frequency (thus interferences). Is better as it creates a mesh of devices (more reliable, better coverage and range). Not supported by phones or laptops - you need an extra bridge to use it. Like Philips HUE bridge or another one.
• Zigbee Light Link (LL). This is the only one supported by Philips HUE bridge.