STACK #235 May 2024

TECH FEATURE

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LET THERE BE SURROUND LIGHTING You’ve got the big screenTV happening, so why not add some ambience to enhance your viewing or gaming. Look no further than Philips Hue Play smart lighting. Words Bec Summer There’s surround sound, but did you know that surround lighting is also a thing? Essentially a visual extension of your TV, this cool smart lighting setup sits behind the TV and detects the light emanating from the screen during a movie or game, and then bathes the walls around the TV with the corresponding colour. To add surround lighting to a home theatre setup you’ll need the Philips Hue Play Smart Light Bar, Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip, Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, and Philips Hue Bridge V2.0.

A smart TV is not just for entertainment, as connection to the internet opens up a world of functionality, from checking socials on a big screen to using theTV as a hub for viewing and controlling connected smart home devices. Words Scott Hocking S mart TVs have revolutionised our viewing habits, putting all the popular streaming apps and free-to-air TV channels into one user-friendly dashboard. And there’s no more doorbell and watch the pizza delivery arrive while you’re watching a movie, and view live video from security cameras in greater detail on a big, high-resolution screen. GET SMART WITH YOUR NEW TV

need to fiddle with settings to get a great picture – the TV does all of that for you. You can cast photos and videos from your smartphone onto the big screen, listen to a playlist or podcast on the TV’s soundbar, and browse the web or check socials using the remote (sometimes fiddly) or with a voice command. Most smart TVs have an inbuilt virtual assistant like Alexa or Google that will adjust or mute the volume, change channels, search for your movie of choice, and turn off the TV when it’s bedtime. When integrated into a compatible smart home ecosystem, your TV becomes a hub for directly controlling compatible smart devices like security cameras, locks, and smart lighting. You can access the live feed from a video

Samsung TV owners can use the SmartThings app to transform a compatible Samsung TV into a smart home hub for easy control of connected smart home devices, or turn a supported Galaxy smartphone into a TV remote. So, get smart and set a routine to fire up the coffee machine, get the robot vacuum moving, and start the dishwasher – all without moving from the couch!

The light bars can sit either side of the TV (like speakers) or be mounted on the rear along with the lightstrip. The sync box is the go-between, with four HDMI ports to connect external devices like a game console or 4K Blu-ray player, while the Bridge lets you control the speed and brightness of the lighting using a smartphone app. Surround lighting is beamed at a 45° angle onto the wall behind the TV, and the multiple light zones will accurately reflect the different colours of a movie scene or game, creating an even more immersive experience.

Teaching an old TV smart tricks You can easily smarten up an old TV provided it has an HDMI port. Simply plug in a media streaming device like Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV Stick, or Apple TV, and voila, all your favourite streaming apps are ready to go from one handy interface – with voice control to boot! All on a TV that predates the smart tech revolution.

16 MAY 2024

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