Philips Hue Sync App For Windows And macOS Syncs Lights To Music, Movies, And Games

Philips heavily invested into tech that it integrated with some of its higher-end TVs years back called Ambiglow or Ambilight. That tech put a backlight behind the TV that would glow to match the action on screen with light that filled the room. Watch a flick with the Incredible Hulk and your room would glow green. It is slick technology that not only improved immersion in a movie, but the light also helped to bias the eye to prevent flicker from the screen from straining your eyes in a dark room.

Philips is now doing something similar for owners of its Hue lightbulbs with a new app called "Philips Hue Sync" for Mac and Windows. With that app, the user can sync Hue lightbulbs with films, music, and games for what Philips promises is a more immersive experience. The app creates lighting scripts for nearby Hue lights based on screen-grabbed content.

The scripts match lights to the action on your screen. When the content is music the lighting script is based on the beat and type of song on the fly. Presumably, the app does the same thing for films. You also get dynamic lighting effects, presumably meaning flashing and such. App users can further customize the lighting scripts with adjustments to brightness levels, controlling the immersion with settings from subtle to intense, and changing the color pallet.

The app supports up to ten Hue devices that are color compatible. The app syncs to a bridge and users can then set up access the new Entertainment area in the start-up menu. This isn’t all that Philips has coming for Hue lighting fans. In July a new range of outdoor Hue bulbs will land including the Lily used to highlight features in a yard or garden and the Calla that is meant to be placed in the ground to light pathways.