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Tiffany Bobcats photo
United States of America, New Orleans
1 Level
492 Review
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Review on Philips Hue Bluetooth Gradient Ambiance Smart Lightstrip 2m/6ft Base Kit with Plug - Multicolor Strip (Apple Homekit + Google Home Compatible), White, 570556 by Tiffany Bobcats

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Efficient but expensive.

Hue products are bulletproof modern LEDs and their price reflects this. This is a capable light bar from Hue, and as you'd expect from Hue, it does certain things that no other light bars can currently do. Key strengths are: 1) Works with direct Bluetooth or through a Hue hub. It doesn't require a Hue hub to work. 2) Has the ability to blend the color of light and the level of light output along its length (hence the name "gradient"), working with a maximum of three colors. Watch the product video to see what I mean - it shows it better than I can describe here. 3) Connect to an HDMI Hue hub for use as a suitable color shifting backlight behind your TV. (But the HDMI box is pricey at over $200.) 4) Works with Alexa and Google Home (if you own or own a Hue hub). The hub allows you to use some of these features. Not all are available with Bluetooth control. Now a few negatives besides the price: 1) Short in price. 2) Thick. It's a thick bar of light, possibly due to the translucent coating, which I believe serves to soften the glare from the individual LEDs, making the gradient effect more attractive. Conclusion: This is a prohibitively expensive light bar. If you're not sticking with the Hue system, or want a unique gradient effect (which is admittedly pretty cool), you can check out other manufacturers who will sell you a thin light bar of similar length for $50. comes to mind as an option I'd look into if you're not tied to Hue or this band's gradient effect. Lastly, if you want to use your lightstrip to match your TV lighting, only Hue sells an HDMI converter box for their strips, so you need a strip like this and you need to buy an HDMI box, but you'll have a system get that is not available from any other manufacturer.

Pros
  • Price
Cons
  • Compatibility