Philips has launched its Hue lighting ecosystem on LG's webOS platform, allowing 2024 LG TV owners to (technically) add Ambilight to their TV. The popular lighting system comes integrated into Philips TVs, however, thanks to the Hue Sync app, you can extend your picture and project corresponding lights onto the wall behind your TV if you have compatible Hue lighting modules.
While Philips offers an HDMI interface box which allows you to plug external devices into it for a synchronised lighting effect, it has some notable drawbacks. While it has recently been updated to support HDMI 2.1 features including 4K/120Hz gaming, it only activates the Hue lights if you play content from an external source.
This Hue app, which has been developed and released by Signify, works with all content, including content streamed from the TV's built-in streaming apps. The Hue Sync App supports a wide range of picture formats, including 8K and 4K resolutions, as well as HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR.
The app itself isn't new; in fact, it launched on Samsung TVs in 2023, however, this is the first time it's come to LG sets.
It's only available for the 2024 TV range for now, and support is expected for LG's 2025 lineup (including the G5 and C5 OLEDs) when that series launches later this year. There is currently no word on the app launching on older models.
Be warned, adding Hue lights to your LG TV won't be a cheap process, as the app costs a whopping €130 / $130 (around £110 / AU$215), or €3/month, with a subscription allowing access on up to three devices. Add in the cost of the pricey lighting modules, and you might want to consider opting for a Philips OLED TV instead.
MORE:
I've fallen in love with Ambilight, but only after changing this key setting
Read our full Philips OLED809 review
As well as our LG C4 OLED TV review
