The new Philips Hue lightstrip mounts to your TV and syncs with what’s on-screen

A new Philips Hue lightstrip is on the way, and this one is meant to be mounted to the back of your TV where it can flash and glow along with whatever’s on-screen. The Hue line has a number of lightstrips already, but this new one — called the Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip — can display different colors across different segments of the strip, whereas the old ones were limited to a single color. That’s supposed to allow for a much more immersive effect when mounted to your TV.

You’ll need to buy some extra gear in order to make this lightstrip work, though. It requires a $60 Hue Bridge and the $230 Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box if you want to use it on your TV, or the Hue Bridge and the Philips Hue Sync app if you want to use it on a computer monitor. Mounting pieces are included in the box.

Image: Signify

Signify, which makes the Hue system, has been pushing forward with lighting that integrates with entertainment for years now. The idea is to make movies, TV shows, and video games more immersive by having lighting in the room and around the screen that mirrors whatever’s happening. I’ve only seen a limited test of the tech: it definitely works, but my initial impression was that it might become distracting if the lights changed too quickly.

The gradient lightstrip will be available in lengths meant to fit TVs from 55 to 85 inches and sell for $200 to $240. It’ll go on sale on October 16th in the US.

Image: Signify

In addition to the new lightstrip, Signify is announcing a few other new products and updates today. The Philips Hue Iris — a lamp meant to illuminate a nearby wall — is being updated with richer colors, brighter output, and new finishes. It’ll sell for $100, though new metallic finishes will cost more. Both the white and color versions of the Hue E12 candelabra bulbs are being updated with Bluetooth as well. The updated Iris will go on sale on October 19th, while the updated bulbs are available right away.