Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip for PC - Your Monitor Without Borders

I thought it would prove to be just a gimmick.

When I reviewed the Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip I honestly thought, "Who really needs this? What's the point of flashing lights behind your telly? How would that enhance your viewing experience? Won't it just be distracting?"

As it turns out, I was wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong.

Rather than installing the Lightstrip on my TV, reviewing it, then immediately deactivating it and removing it as I expected to, it's still firmly in place, doing its thing.

I love it.

As I discussed in my initial review, I was blown away by how well it worked - how immersive my TV-watching experience became. Not just for blockbuster movies with explosions and lasers and car chases and aliens but surprisingly, watching things like sport means the green of the pitch now extends far beyond the edges of my screen, effectively making me feel like I'm really part of the action.

Sounds good, right?

So why wouldn't I want to replicate the same experience for my PC monitor?

The Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip for PC is basically the exact same device as the TV version - just shorter. In fact, it comes in three sizes; one for 24-27-inch monitors, one for 32-34-inch models and an extra long version for those absolute gaming tragics out there with a triple monitor setup.

I was sent the mid-size model for review, which theoretically is too long for my 24-inch monitor. I say theoretically because technically you're supposed to install Hue Lightstrips in a kind of upside-down U-shape, with the strip running along the top and down each side. So what about the bottom edge? Presumably, Philips would prefer you to use a separate Play Light Bar (or two) at the base - and indeed that is how I have things set up for my TV.

In this case though, as I had plenty of extra Lightstrip to work with, it was a simple matter to continue each end around another couple of corners to aim some of it at the base of the monitor - check out my video below to see exactly what I mean. This is one of the things that makes the Philips Hue device worth every penny of its premium price tag; ease of installation. 

There are plenty of mounting brackets included in the box and these stick on securely with their 3M adhesive backing. What's more, there's no real knack for inserting the Lightstrip into place on the mounts - you just shove it in there and it holds firm.

The real question here was would the effect still work; would Hue be able to figure out my slightly modded configuration?

To find out, I needed to download the Hue Sync desktop app; this is the software that tells the Lightstrip which colours to display where and when. It's also the reason you don't need the separate Hue Sync Box to run this version of the Lightstrip, just the Hue Bridge - a small white box that acts as a central wireless hub for all your Hue devices, connecting them by proxy to your home Wi-Fi network.

This is good news if you're on a budget; the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is a rather eye-watering NZ$494.96 - and that's on special. This is required to connect external sources to your TV for that version of the Lightstrip to work. In the case of the PC model, your computer does the heavy lifting instead, so the NZ$109.95 Hue Bridge is the only necessary added extra.

Upon launching the Hue Sync app, it'll search out your Hue Bridge, then assuming your PC or Mac is on the same network, you just press the connection button on the Bridge when prompted.

At that point, you're pretty much good to go.

You can create a separate zone for your PC-based Hue lights and there are many, many tweaks and settings at your disposal; not just the brightness and intensity of the synchronisation but also options like starting the sync automatically with certain apps and games, syncing with audio as well as video, optimising the sync response to either video or gaming content... it's a tech nerd's paradise of customisation.

Or, if you're basically lazy, like me, you don't have to go near hardly any of that stuff - just toggle syncing on and enjoy the show.

Interestingly, I found the results of my somewhat oversized installation just as effective as my previous television viewing experience; with the lighting on the wall behind my monitor matching the on-screen action precisely, I've found this to be about the closest thing to a 3D experience you can get.

You even have to option of adding other Hue bulbs in the ceiling or perhaps in lamps behind you if you really want to create a visual equivalent to surround sound.

Just as with the TV version of this device, I've been impressed and excited by how much more immersive my gaming experience has become - fires, laser shots and explosions now seem like they're happening in the room too - not just on the screen. And just like the TV, streaming video content now spills over onto the surrounding surfaces.

Starting at NZ$299.95, (plus the Hue Bridge if you don't already have one) this isn't a cheap addon but there's a reason for that; I've tried other smart lighting solutions and so far Philips Hue is easily the best designed and most reliable.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip for PC.