- The Philips Hue Sync TV app is set to be supported on 2024 LG TVs
- The app has been supported on Samsung TVs since 2022
- Connected Philips Hue lights sync up with movies, games and more
Update 30/01/2025: This article originally stated that the Philips Hue Sync app was available on TVs now, but it has been brought to our attention that this is not the case. The app has a suggested release date on compatible LG TVs of ‘Early 2025’. This article has been updated to reflect this.
The Philips Hue Sync TV app is set to be supported on LG’s latest TVs, starting with most 2024 models, enabling support with Philips Hue lighting systems. The app will be available on LG TVs in ‘Early 2025’ worldwide and will cost $129.99 (roughly £103 / AU$205 directly converted).
Signify, manufacturer of Philips Hue, announced at CES 2025 that LG TVs carrying webOS 24 onwards, including some of the best TVs of 2024 such as the LG C4 OLED TV, will support the Philips Hue Sync TV app, with a planned release date of ‘Early 2025’. This allows Philips Hue lighting (one of the best smart light systems around) to be connected to the TV and synced up with pictures on screen. The Hue Sync app has been available on compatible Samsung TVs since 2022.
Once you’ve connected a Philips Hue Bridge (available for $49.99 / £49.99 / AU$99) and your choice of lighting, such as the LED Gradient Strips for TV (roughly $129.99 / £189.99 / AU$409), you can then purchase the Hue Sync app, priced at $129.99 (roughly £103 / AU$205 directly converted) to sync the Hue lighting system to the TV.
The Hue Sync app will include support for HDR formats such as Dolby Vision (which is absent from the Samsung TVs that the Hue Sync app currently supports) and 8K resolution.
In the UK and Europe, Philips’ Ambilight TVs, which act as an almost built-in version of the Hue Sync app and Hue lighting system, are available, with models such as 2024’s Philips OLED909 OLED TV serving as a particular highlight. These sets are unfortunately not available in the US, so the Hue lighting is the closest alternative US-based users can get.
Ambilight but at a cost?
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Ambilight here at TechRadar, with both the Philips OLED809 and OLED909 from 2024 earning four-and-a-half stars out of five in our reviews. Plus, we’re eagerly anticipating getting our hands on the flagship Philips OLED959, which looks set to shake things up in the OLED world.
So it’s good news that the Philips Hue Sync app is expanding to LG TVs as more people get to experience the joy of Ambilight-style viewing, which adds an entire layer to your movie viewing or gaming experience – but it does come at a cost.
When you add up the cost of the Hue Sync app itself, the Hue Bridge and Hue lighting (say the LED strip for TV mentioned above), you’re looking at a total cost of over $300 / £400 / AU$600, which is a substantial amount to add in to your budget if you’re looking to factor in the Hue system and Sync app in to your new TV spending.
The Hue Sync app is a cheaper alternative to the Hue Sync HDMI box, which is priced at roughly $249 / £229 / AU$399, but it’s worth noting that the Hue Sync app is a license tied to one TV so if you want to upgrade your TV, you’ll need to buy the license again, whereas the Hue Sync Box itself is transferable between TVs.
Despite this, any time more people get to experience the Ambilight-style viewing that we here at TechRadar enjoy (several of our writers have Ambilight sets as their own personal TVs) then it’s a thumbs up from us. If you have an LG TV with webOS 24 installed and can stretch your budget, it might be time to look into Philips Hue.
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