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Your Samsung TV now offers Philips Hue smart light control for $3 month
Do you love your Philips Hue smart lights? If you do, part of why could be that you enjoy controlling your lights to your heart's desire and can choose a mood, color, and pattern for their display. Now, Samsung SmartThings is announcing a new subscription tier for its integration with Philips Hue that syncs nearby smart lights to the content displayed on a TV.
The Philips Hue Sync TV app can be unlocked for a $130 one-time fee, but the company now offers a subscription model for $3 a month.
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Philips Hue users with a Samsung 2022 or newer QLED TV of the Q60 category or higher have had access to the Philips Hue Sync TV app for Samsung TVs since January 2023 -- for that $130 fee. The app synchronizes your Philips Hue lights to match the colors displayed on your TV via software without having to install extra hardware around your TV, as you must do with the Nanoleaf 4D and the Govee Envisual. However, those options are cheaper than $130 and come with an included light strip.
"We are excited to continue our collaboration with Philips Hue to bring these transformative features to life," said Mark Benson, head of SmartThings US. "This partnership underscores our commitment to delivering seamless and innovative solutions that enrich the lives of our users, making their smart home experiences more immersive and enjoyable."
If you already have a Philips Hue smart light setup and would like to synchronize these lights with what is displayed on your TV, you'll still have the option to unlock the Philips Hue Sync TV app for a one-time fee of $130, but now you get the alternative to pay a $3 monthly subscription.
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Samsung SmartThings and Philips Hue also announced a partnership that gives users greater control of the Philips Hue Sync TV app through the SmartThings mobile app. Users can adjust the brightness of their Philips Hue smart lights, switch between preset modes, and stop or start the light sync shown on their Galaxy mobile device.
"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with SmartThings to empower users with greater control over their entertainment experiences," said Jasper Vervoort, business leader of Philips Hue at Signify. "The integration of Philips Hue Sync TV App into the SmartThings ecosystem allows users to create immersive multi-device entertainment routines, enhancing their smart home experiences like never before."
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The Philips Hue Sync TV app will extend to additional countries, including Brazil, Hong Kong, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The monthly subscription price for these countries will also be $3 USD/EUR, while the one-time fee remains $130 USD/EUR.