Philips Hue is expanding its partnership with Samsung SmartThings, giving users more control over how their smart lights “interact with their home entertainment systems.” To achieve this, Philips is launching a major update to its Sync TV app, which introduces a handful of new features. Philips is even changing the software’s subscription model to make it more financially comfortable.
From the top, people can adjust settings on select Samsung TVs via the app, without pausing a movie or show. This includes instantly changing different lighting modes and choosing when to start or stop content syncing.
Additionally, users can create “multi-device automations.” These are smart home profiles that work with your Samsung TV instead of keeping the screen isolated from everything else. Samsung says you can sync the lighting fixtures with “other smart home devices to enhance the TV viewing environment.”
Select 2024 Samsung TVs also receive a music mode that causes the lights around your screen to respond to the audio being played. For example, dance beats ensure that the fixtures pulsate to the rhythm. If you look at the official image, it looks like you are adjusting the intensity level.
According to the Philips Hue announcement, “Samsung Q60 series or higher QLED TVs manufactured from 2022” will support the upgraded Sync TV app. The availability of Music Mode is a little different. As we mentioned, it will first appear on “compatible Samsung TVs from 2024.” Later this year, the feature will be expanded to “compatible 2022 and 2023 Samsung TVs.” It is still unclear exactly which compatible TVs these are.
New subscription model
In addition to the patch, Philip Hue is launching a new subscription model for Sync TV, where you can pay $2.99 per month and connect the app to up to three individual Samsung displays at once. Before that, people could have a one-time fee of $130 to connect the app to one Samsung TV. But that’s it, until recently there was no monthly option.
It is unknown if the subscription model will be available worldwide. Samsung states in its post that the price will be €2.99 across Europe, but did not mention other countries. Speaking of global regions, the app will launch in several new countries, including Brazil, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
Like the feature update, Philip Hue’s updated Sync TV subscription will be released later this spring. While we still have you, check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best Samsung TVs for 2024.