Philips - Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip 65" - Multi

[Employee of bestbuy] I previously used a standard Philips Hue light strip behind my TV and was initially hesitant to upgrade to the Gradient Lightstrip due to the higher price. But after installing it, I was instantly impressed — the difference is night and day. Watching TV and movies now feels far more immersive, with the dynamic color transitions adding a whole new level of atmosphere. Even when the TV is off, setting a lighting scene transforms the room with smooth, flowing colors. If you're on the fence, I highly recommend making the switch — it’s absolutely worth it!

Bought this to go behind my 65” OLED TV, and man - it works great! I bought it used - excellent condition, and the only complaint is that some of the adhesive was already used, but it was easy to just buy some cheap 3M adhesive foam to replace the factory Philips stuff. One recommendation to have this working perfectly: I highly recommend installing your Hue Bridge as close as possible to your “Hue Play Entertainment Area” it makes a colossal difference.

I was expecting to return this because I didn't think it would fit. It's meant for 55" TVs. However I saw some other folks online that managed to get it to work. Philips says in their instructions that you should place the mounts 2-3 inches from the sides of the TV, however doing so on the 48" OLED would cause the light strips to stick past the bottom of the TV a few inches. The included mounting solution seems to be working well so far. Initially I bought 3 Hue Play Bars to work with the Hue HDMI Sync box. I didn't care for the mounting solution they provided and really needed to get 3 more to get the visual affect I wanted for the distance my TV is from the wall. This lighstrip accomplishes the same without leaving any gaps and since it doesn't stick as far out from the TV does a better job getting the light on the wall behind it. My picture below might suggest it sticks out past the side of the tv, but it doesn't. While you can see the light strip if you step a few feet to the left or right of the side of the TV, this doesn't bother me as I'm not viewing it from these angles. The design of the back of this OLED does provide a bit of a problem with the bump out on the sides in the middle. However with careful placement I'm confident the lightstrip isn't going to move. It might be helpful to order a couple more mounting brackets used for the side or top to go on those bump outs. I tried double sided sticky tape but it had trouble adhering to the rubberized surface of the back of the lightstrip. For me, the backlighting reduces some eyestrain watching in a dark room. Though hyperspace extending past the edge of my tv is pretty cool. App control is easy, thought I did add control for the Hue HDMI Sync box to my Harmony remote and added easy buttons to the touch screen for adjusting the brightness and intensity so I don't have to grab my phone to turn it on.

Quite honestly the best purchase I’ve made for my home entertainment! It is a pricey investment, especially when you factor in that you will also have to purchase the Bridge and Sync Box and/or the app. Please be aware that you will need these to make the entire thing work which becomes a $500+ investment. If you have it, it is worth every penny! The lights are powerful without being overwhelming, and seamlessly transition to whatever you’re watching. Complex colors are matched and makes your entire wall blend with the screen while making the image on the screen just pop. Setup is quick and easy (and I’m a clumsy oaf) and troubleshooting rare issues is intuitive. PLEASE BE WARNED: a 2022 TV IS required. Otherwise you will be limited to the Hue lights only syncing to your entertainment accessories (Blu-ray player, video game system, AppleTV, etc.). Also everything is controlled via local Wi-Fi + Bluetooth. If you do not have Wi-Fi + Bluetooth this product is not for you.

Installed the these lights (w/ sync box) to my 65” Samsung (1080p) TV. This upgrade has been the biggest “wow” factor added to the home theater which also includes videophile caliber Blu-ray player (Oppo) and 5.1 surround sound. The “surround” lighting provides an extra level of immersion to your shows, movies, sports & video games (commercials are even awesome to watch!!). You will get spoiled really quick once your eyes get used to these lights. It’s always tough going up to the bedroom TV after watching a movie or show with these…. Almost hard on your eyes not having the ambient lightning. We have demo’d these to a few of our house guests since purchase and they are all awestruck never even aware something like this ever existed. The sync box works flawlessly. I haven’t experienced any lag or other hiccups from the video signal pass thru since installation. The mounts for the lights were easy to put on and as long as you clean the back of the TV with alcohol wipes you shouldn’t have any issues with them sticking to the surface. Getting the bridge & sync box communicating with one another is just a matter of downloading a couple apps to your phone and entering in your WiFi password. This is not a cheap upgrade, but once you take the plunge and see the result, I don’t see anyone having a regret of purchase. 5 star upgrade! I can’t recommend highly enough!!