Samsung and Signify have announced that the Philips Hue Sync app is coming to 2022 Samsung TVs (Q60 and higher) this week, but there’s good and bad news.
The good news is that you’ll no longer have to buy the $500 HDMI Hue Sync box to get your TV to sync with your Philips Hue smart lights, but you will have to pay $130 USD (~$190 AUD) to get the Philips Hue Sync app on your 2022 Samsung Smart TV.
The Hue Sync app will work almost identically to the HDMI Sync box, but it will also work with integrated streaming apps such as Netflix and Disney+ and presumably FTA TV as well. Obviously, it will also work with gaming consoles as well, but automatically read what’s happening on-screen rather than use the HDMI pass through.
I think if you’ve already got Hue Play Bars or a TV Light Strip, then it’s definitely a no-brainer to go ahead and purchase the app, as it’s a lot cheaper than the HDMI box, and you’re not losing out on HDMI 2.1 functionality by going through the pass through box either.
There’s also a number of different modes that you can select using the TV apps including video or game mode, but at the time of writing, the difference isn’t clear.
