Philips Hue Play Screen Sync

We have been using the Philips HUE Camera Sync in combination with the Philips HUE Play Gradient Lightstrip on our 65-inch television for about a week now. The installation was quick and easy. Once both are mounted on the television, our TV can no longer be placed flush against the wall. As a result, you look directly at the LED strip from the side of the television. This is distracting and noticeable, because you walk past the television into the living room. The camera, which is placed in the center above the screen, is very prominent, especially on a sleek, almost bezel-less television. The cables for the camera and the LED strip are quite short, meaning you cannot hide them properly or need an extension cord. While the light does create a warm atmosphere, it sometimes reacts with a slight delay. Also, the colors sometimes jump across the screen so quickly that it looks like a fairground in the house. There also often seems to be a deviation where an orange/red color is displayed that does not match the image. This occurs remarkably often. For us, therefore, this is unfortunately not a good addition to our home.

I use Camera Sync mainly while gaming. The colors move nicely along with the image and add extra atmosphere to the room. The installation went reasonably smoothly, although I had to check some settings before everything worked properly. You do need compatible Hue bulbs. A nice addition to an existing Hue set, but less appealing if you are just starting from scratch.

The installation of the Philips Hue Sync Camera is not complicated in itself, but mounting it can be tricky if your television does not have the right shape. With my television, the camera did not fit well on the edge, so I had to fabricate something myself to mount it securely. Once installed, it is nice to see how the lighting behind the television reacts to the colors on screen. This works reasonably well, especially in the evening. However, during the day, when a lot of sunlight falls on the screen, the colors are frequently misidentified. It is also unclear to me whether synchronization stops automatically when I turn off the television, as the manual and the explanation in the app provide little clarity on this. For this price, I had expected a more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing overall solution.