ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Anyone got any interesting experiences with Hue bulbs to share? I don't mean going on a date with a bulb to see The Force Awakens or anything - more do people use them in interesting ways (like spooking your house up at Halloween for example)?
Also, do they last well - surely as expensive as they are the bulbs pretty much never blow - or can they be a nightmare?
I'm potentially going to fill my house with them so up for any thoughts/info!
BeoVision Eclipse 55”, Beolab 18s, Beolab 19s, Beosound 1, Beoplay P2, H3, BeoRemote One IR, BeoRemote One BT, Beoplay S8, Beosound Essence MkII, BeoTime
The Hue bulbs are so versatile that you can do just about anything that you can imagine. Indeed, you can create a scene for holidays -- such as red and green for Christmas or orange for Halloween. Yet, the true beauty comes from creating scenes with multiple bulbs with different hues (pardon the pun). The results can be stunning. For example, a scene to mimic the colors of Autumn or a scene to create the mood of a sunset. This is much more interesting than setting all of the lights to just one color. It truly does change the way you think about lighting. I have about 35 Hue lights now!
In addition to the bulbs, there are free-standing floor spotlights which give nice ambient light to walls and also light strips. You can do some very creative things with the light strips. For example, you can mount them under cabinets, under stair rails, inside book cases, under tables, under sofas, etc. I have a light strip surrounding a wall-mounted Beosystem 4500, not visible but adding ambient color on the wall, that looks spectacular.
I believe that the bulbs are expected to last about 5 years. Something that troubles me is that Hue still has not created a means to REPLACE a bulb so that a new bulb can take the place of an old one in all of the settings. I'm hoping that as time approaches the 5-year mark that Hue will see the need for this so that we won't need to reprogram everything. Hue also has not created a way to back-up all of the settings! Many of us on the API forum have been cautioning Hue that this is really needed. In the early days of the new 2.0 bridge, there was a horrible bug that prevented Apple HomeKit from working. Stupid people at Hue customer service were advising people to do a factory reset of the bridge -- which would lose all of the saved settings (and still did not fix the bug!) Fortunately, the bugs have been sorted, but this really showed the need to be able to back up the settings. When you spend the time to carefully create the light scenes, you don't want to lose that. Something to be aware of is that creating a Scene using the Hue app or API actually loads a copy of that configuration on each and every bulb! This is nice because it prevents the popcorn effect and bulbs not responding to the command.
When you start getting the Hue bulbs, you should take the time to take the API tutorial to understand the JSON coding behind how they work. It really is quite easy. With the JSON coding you can really get "under the hood" and get even more control out of the system. This is how I created a great many custom strings for the MLGW.
You can get really imaginative and create IFTTT recipes for just about anything you can imagine. For example, when your favorite sports team wins, the bulbs can start flashing the team colors. When it starts raining, the bulbs can switch to blue to let you know. If there is a fire or an intruder, the bulbs can start flashing red.
Another suggestion for the Hue bulbs is to take a look at the Isamu Noguchi light sculpture paper lamps.These can range anywhere from $100 to over $1000. The results are gorgeous.
I have 3 hue bulbs and 1 Hue bloom - i rate them, had them a few years and they have been faultless
I would like them to have a bayonet fitting rather than the edison screw
I have been looking for the new bridge but its not available anywhere.
Having more bulbs can actually make your Hue system perform better. The bulbs create a mesh network, relaying the commands to each other, extending and strengthening the network. Also, the more bulbs that you have, the more detailed your colored scene will be, creating pools of color.
@Chris, you certainly didn't offend me. The Beo6 isn't for everyone. Especially if you have just a basic B&O audio/video system. The Beo4 is definitely more intuitive when it can control everything that you need it to control in a basic system. It's when you get into a more elaborate home automation system that the Beo6 really shines. It's rather awkward to press "LIST" " CONTROL" "15" for example on the Beo4. It's also quite hard to remember what you have controlled by all of those CONTROL and LIGHT triggers. However, with the Beo6 you can label those commands, creating virtual buttons that carry out the command in a single press. Also, you can group and arrange the virtual buttons in ways that make sense to you. You can even create sub-screens. If I didn't have a MLGW/BLGW or BeoSound 5, I would probably prefer the Beo4, too.
A place where some people might overlook installing a Hue bulb is in or near the shower. Replacing the light bulbs that are in or near the shower with a Hue bulb creates a feeling of soothing luxury that you can't imaging living without ever again!
Aussie Michael: I have 3 hue bulbs and 1 Hue bloom - i rate them, had them a few years and they have been faultless I would like them to have a bayonet fitting rather than the edison screw I have been looking for the new bridge but its not available anywhere.
Hue does have B22 bayonet fittings now.
beojeff:Having more bulbs can actually make your Hue system perform better. The bulbs create a mesh network, relaying the commands to each other, extending and strengthening the network. Also, the more bulbs that you have, the more detailed your colored scene will be, creating pools of color. @Chris, you certainly didn't offend me. The Beo6 isn't for everyone. Especially if you have just a basic B&O audio/video system. The Beo4 is definitely more intuitive when it can control everything that you need it to control in a basic system. It's when you get into a more elaborate home automation system that the Beo6 really shines. It's rather awkward to press "LIST" " CONTROL" "15" for example on the Beo4. It's also quite hard to remember what you have controlled by all of those CONTROL and LIGHT triggers. However, with the Beo6 you can label those commands, creating virtual buttons that carry out the command in a single press. Also, you can group and arrange the virtual buttons in ways that make sense to you. You can even create sub-screens. If I didn't have a MLGW/BLGW or BeoSound 5, I would probably prefer the Beo4, too.
beojeff:A place where some people might overlook installing a Hue bulb is in or near the shower. Replacing the light bulbs that are in or near the shower with a Hue bulb creates a feeling of soothing luxury that you can't imaging living without ever again!
Chris Hassell: beojeff: Having more bulbs can actually make your Hue system perform better. The bulbs create a mesh network, relaying the commands to each other, extending and strengthening the network. Also, the more bulbs that you have, the more detailed your colored scene will be, creating pools of color. @Chris, you certainly didn't offend me. The Beo6 isn't for everyone. Especially if you have just a basic B&O audio/video system. The Beo4 is definitely more intuitive when it can control everything that you need it to control in a basic system. It's when you get into a more elaborate home automation system that the Beo6 really shines. It's rather awkward to press "LIST" " CONTROL" "15" for example on the Beo4. It's also quite hard to remember what you have controlled by all of those CONTROL and LIGHT triggers. However, with the Beo6 you can label those commands, creating virtual buttons that carry out the command in a single press. Also, you can group and arrange the virtual buttons in ways that make sense to you. You can even create sub-screens. If I didn't have a MLGW/BLGW or BeoSound 5, I would probably prefer the Beo4, too. I get what you mean - is the Beoremote One a lot better with home automation as you can label all the options on the remote?
beojeff: Having more bulbs can actually make your Hue system perform better. The bulbs create a mesh network, relaying the commands to each other, extending and strengthening the network. Also, the more bulbs that you have, the more detailed your colored scene will be, creating pools of color. @Chris, you certainly didn't offend me. The Beo6 isn't for everyone. Especially if you have just a basic B&O audio/video system. The Beo4 is definitely more intuitive when it can control everything that you need it to control in a basic system. It's when you get into a more elaborate home automation system that the Beo6 really shines. It's rather awkward to press "LIST" " CONTROL" "15" for example on the Beo4. It's also quite hard to remember what you have controlled by all of those CONTROL and LIGHT triggers. However, with the Beo6 you can label those commands, creating virtual buttons that carry out the command in a single press. Also, you can group and arrange the virtual buttons in ways that make sense to you. You can even create sub-screens. If I didn't have a MLGW/BLGW or BeoSound 5, I would probably prefer the Beo4, too.
I get what you mean - is the Beoremote One a lot better with home automation as you can label all the options on the remote?
Oh, Chris. Don't get me started on what a complete piece of rubbish the Beoremote One is. CHUCK IT IN THE BIN! Everything that you love about the Beo4 -- tactile feedback, operating in the dark -- is lost with the Beoremote One. Complete and utter fail by B&O. Clear?
beojeff:Oh, Chris. Don't get me started on what a complete piece of rubbish the Beoremote One is. CHUCK IT IN THE BIN! Everything that you love about the Beo4 -- tactile feedback, operating in the dark -- is lost with the Beoremote One. Complete and utter fail by B&O. Clear?
Beo 5 and Beo 6 are still the best remotes to get as they are by far the most flexible.The Beoremote one looks nice but that's all... it's worse to the Beo 4 from an ergonomical view and it does feel much cheaper.As the Beo 5 / 6 allows flexible configuration of B&O AND 3rd party controls you have the best of both worlds and it works much better than Logitech Harmony remotes.But it needs some work and is a little bit more complicated than the Harmony solution.Believe me, if you have trouble or questions regarding the Philips HUE and B&O world, Jeff is the man to ask!
Chris Hassell:Anyone up for defending the Beoremote One perhaps?
In the end the BeoRemote One is quite good. It is lighter but still has weight to it. It doesn't have a flimsy hard plastic part on the bottom like Beo4 so it feels great in your hand. And you don't have to fiddle with the small joystick anymore - even if it is quite fun I never got the point of it. I like the shape and design of it, how it feels and how it works and how easily you can personalize it to your preference. The "bad" things:• The color buttons are hard to see in the dark (these are the hardest buttons for me to use in the dark, but I rarely have to)• Button distance is not the same, but they are grouped so you easily press right any way. • Aluminum scratches quite easily but my remotes still look very nice. (Beo 4 also scratches and the color wears of over time etc).
Beolab 50, Beolab 8000 x 2, Beolab 4000 x 2, BeoSound Core, BeoSound 9000, BeoSound Century, BeoLit 15, BeoPlay A1, BeoPlay P2, BeoPlay H9 3rd Gen, BeoPlay H6, EarSet 3i, BeoVision Eclipse Gen 2 55", BeoPlay V1-40, BeoCom 6000 and so much else :)
Michael:I have seven Beo4 and two BeoRemote One (one silver/one silk). Mainly use BeoRemote One's at home. Still use a Beo4 at my office. Having gotten used to the remote over soon two years I actually like it and have since I got it. It's lighter but not too light and feels luxurious thanks to the aluminium body and design. It's also very flexible and I like that the display lights up. My friends use it easily (which was not the case with Beo 4). Beo4 is clunkier and quite dated with the one row display (that does not light up) that you can't personalize very much (or easily) and rubber buttons that [have a better spacing but] is quite mushy to press. It gets dirty easily and dust sticks to the rubber making it harder to keep fresh. The black coating on the Beo4 sides sometimes wear out over time as well giving a more polished look than matte, and to keep the matte black looking great you'll have to clean regularly. It does look great, especially for being with us for such a long time - thats something special! I really like Beo 4 but it is not better than BeoRemote One. In the end the BeoRemote One is quite good. It is lighter but still has weight to it. It doesn't have a flimsy hard plastic part on the bottom like Beo4 so it feels great in your hand. And you don't have to fiddle with the small joystick anymore - even if it is quite fun I never got the point of it. I like the shape and design of it, how it feels and how it works and how easily you can personalize it to your preference. The "bad" things: • The color buttons are hard to see in the dark (these are the hardest buttons for me to use in the dark, but I rarely have to) • Button distance is not the same, but they are grouped so you easily press right any way. • Aluminum scratches quite easily but my remotes still look very nice. (Beo 4 also scratches and the color wears of over time etc).
TWG:Beo 5 and Beo 6 are still the best remotes to get as they are by far the most flexible. The Beoremote one looks nice but that's all... it's worse to the Beo 4 from an ergonomical view and it does feel much cheaper. As the Beo 5 / 6 allows flexible configuration of B&O AND 3rd party controls you have the best of both worlds and it works much better than Logitech Harmony remotes. But it needs some work and is a little bit more complicated than the Harmony solution. Believe me, if you have trouble or questions regarding the Philips HUE and B&O world, Jeff is the man to ask!
Chris Hassell: Michael: I have seven Beo4 and two BeoRemote One (one silver/one silk). Mainly use BeoRemote One's at home. Still use a Beo4 at my office. Having gotten used to the remote over soon two years I actually like it and have since I got it. It's lighter but not too light and feels luxurious thanks to the aluminium body and design. It's also very flexible and I like that the display lights up. My friends use it easily (which was not the case with Beo 4). Beo4 is clunkier and quite dated with the one row display (that does not light up) that you can't personalize very much (or easily) and rubber buttons that [have a better spacing but] is quite mushy to press. It gets dirty easily and dust sticks to the rubber making it harder to keep fresh. The black coating on the Beo4 sides sometimes wear out over time as well giving a more polished look than matte, and to keep the matte black looking great you'll have to clean regularly. It does look great, especially for being with us for such a long time - thats something special! I really like Beo 4 but it is not better than BeoRemote One. In the end the BeoRemote One is quite good. It is lighter but still has weight to it. It doesn't have a flimsy hard plastic part on the bottom like Beo4 so it feels great in your hand. And you don't have to fiddle with the small joystick anymore - even if it is quite fun I never got the point of it. I like the shape and design of it, how it feels and how it works and how easily you can personalize it to your preference. The "bad" things: • The color buttons are hard to see in the dark (these are the hardest buttons for me to use in the dark, but I rarely have to) • Button distance is not the same, but they are grouped so you easily press right any way. • Aluminum scratches quite easily but my remotes still look very nice. (Beo 4 also scratches and the color wears of over time etc). Thanks for the thoughts - appreciated. I just wish it had that "I could really pound meat" feel the Beo4 has!
Michael: I have seven Beo4 and two BeoRemote One (one silver/one silk). Mainly use BeoRemote One's at home. Still use a Beo4 at my office. Having gotten used to the remote over soon two years I actually like it and have since I got it. It's lighter but not too light and feels luxurious thanks to the aluminium body and design. It's also very flexible and I like that the display lights up. My friends use it easily (which was not the case with Beo 4). Beo4 is clunkier and quite dated with the one row display (that does not light up) that you can't personalize very much (or easily) and rubber buttons that [have a better spacing but] is quite mushy to press. It gets dirty easily and dust sticks to the rubber making it harder to keep fresh. The black coating on the Beo4 sides sometimes wear out over time as well giving a more polished look than matte, and to keep the matte black looking great you'll have to clean regularly. It does look great, especially for being with us for such a long time - thats something special! I really like Beo 4 but it is not better than BeoRemote One. In the end the BeoRemote One is quite good. It is lighter but still has weight to it. It doesn't have a flimsy hard plastic part on the bottom like Beo4 so it feels great in your hand. And you don't have to fiddle with the small joystick anymore - even if it is quite fun I never got the point of it. I like the shape and design of it, how it feels and how it works and how easily you can personalize it to your preference. The "bad" things: • The color buttons are hard to see in the dark (these are the hardest buttons for me to use in the dark, but I rarely have to) • Button distance is not the same, but they are grouped so you easily press right any way. • Aluminum scratches quite easily but my remotes still look very nice. (Beo 4 also scratches and the color wears of over time etc).
I have seven Beo4 and two BeoRemote One (one silver/one silk). Mainly use BeoRemote One's at home. Still use a Beo4 at my office. Having gotten used to the remote over soon two years I actually like it and have since I got it. It's lighter but not too light and feels luxurious thanks to the aluminium body and design. It's also very flexible and I like that the display lights up. My friends use it easily (which was not the case with Beo 4). Beo4 is clunkier and quite dated with the one row display (that does not light up) that you can't personalize very much (or easily) and rubber buttons that [have a better spacing but] is quite mushy to press. It gets dirty easily and dust sticks to the rubber making it harder to keep fresh. The black coating on the Beo4 sides sometimes wear out over time as well giving a more polished look than matte, and to keep the matte black looking great you'll have to clean regularly. It does look great, especially for being with us for such a long time - thats something special! I really like Beo 4 but it is not better than BeoRemote One.
In the end the BeoRemote One is quite good. It is lighter but still has weight to it. It doesn't have a flimsy hard plastic part on the bottom like Beo4 so it feels great in your hand. And you don't have to fiddle with the small joystick anymore - even if it is quite fun I never got the point of it. I like the shape and design of it, how it feels and how it works and how easily you can personalize it to your preference. The "bad" things: • The color buttons are hard to see in the dark (these are the hardest buttons for me to use in the dark, but I rarely have to) • Button distance is not the same, but they are grouped so you easily press right any way. • Aluminum scratches quite easily but my remotes still look very nice. (Beo 4 also scratches and the color wears of over time etc).
Thanks for the thoughts - appreciated. I just wish it had that "I could really pound meat" feel the Beo4 has!
I agree with you Chris. There's something quite comforting knowing that if there is an intruder in a BeoHome invasion, I can take him out easily with a quick swat of the Beo4!
I suspect that clubbing a home intruder with a BeoRemote One would just make him laugh.
In cinema comparisons:
Beo4 = Katharine Hepburn
Beo6 = Audrey Hepburn
BeoRemote One = Gwyneth Paltrow
Chris Hassell:To be honest - I more see the Beo4 as the way I'm going to go after winding my wife up too many times. If so my gravestone would say "he went the way he wanted". Beoremote One would not do the job properly and just not be quite as satisfying! I think that's why she doesn't like it either.
Beoremote One would not do the job properly and just not be quite as satisfying! I think that's why she doesn't like it either.
Somewhat like Gwyneth Paltrow!
Chris Hassell: TWG: Beo 5 and Beo 6 are still the best remotes to get as they are by far the most flexible. The Beoremote one looks nice but that's all... it's worse to the Beo 4 from an ergonomical view and it does feel much cheaper. As the Beo 5 / 6 allows flexible configuration of B&O AND 3rd party controls you have the best of both worlds and it works much better than Logitech Harmony remotes. But it needs some work and is a little bit more complicated than the Harmony solution. Believe me, if you have trouble or questions regarding the Philips HUE and B&O world, Jeff is the man to ask! I am more than making use of Jeff's very kind knowledge sharing . Does anyone think the Hue bulbs have much competition at the moment?
TWG: Beo 5 and Beo 6 are still the best remotes to get as they are by far the most flexible. The Beoremote one looks nice but that's all... it's worse to the Beo 4 from an ergonomical view and it does feel much cheaper. As the Beo 5 / 6 allows flexible configuration of B&O AND 3rd party controls you have the best of both worlds and it works much better than Logitech Harmony remotes. But it needs some work and is a little bit more complicated than the Harmony solution. Believe me, if you have trouble or questions regarding the Philips HUE and B&O world, Jeff is the man to ask!
Beo 5 and Beo 6 are still the best remotes to get as they are by far the most flexible. The Beoremote one looks nice but that's all... it's worse to the Beo 4 from an ergonomical view and it does feel much cheaper. As the Beo 5 / 6 allows flexible configuration of B&O AND 3rd party controls you have the best of both worlds and it works much better than Logitech Harmony remotes. But it needs some work and is a little bit more complicated than the Harmony solution. Believe me, if you have trouble or questions regarding the Philips HUE and B&O world, Jeff is the man to ask!
I am more than making use of Jeff's very kind knowledge sharing .
Does anyone think the Hue bulbs have much competition at the moment?
:-) The OSRAM Lightify system is compatible with HUE (and they have compatible plugs, too!):http://led.osram.com/led_com/lightify/index.jsp
For Led light strips there are great adapters from the german company "Dresden Electronic" which are HUE compatible, too:https://www.dresden-elektronik.de/funktechnik/solutions/wireless-light-control/?L=1
TWG::-) The OSRAM Lightify system is compatible with HUE (and they have compatible plugs, too!): http://led.osram.com/led_com/lightify/index.jsp
Chris Hassell:I got a starter pack of Hue bulbs today - really well put together product hey! Already been doing some playing with IFTTT, can't wait to get the BLGW next week Shame IFTTT can't pickup the motion detecters in Nest products like we've said before @beojeff - guess they think it's a privacy issue.
Shame IFTTT can't pickup the motion detecters in Nest products like we've said before @beojeff - guess they think it's a privacy issue.
Congratulations! Don't waste too much time creating recipes for IFTT directly with Hue. Wait until you get the BLGW. The BLGW will give you MUCH better control with IFTTT. For example, you'll be able to say "Alexa, trigger Tahitian Sunset" and the BLGW will act as a bridge to trigger that Hue scene through a macro. Oh yeah, you'll want to get an Amazon Echo next! For now, browse the scenes on the Hue site and start downloading some. You'll get instantly inspired!!
Chris Hassell:Hi all, with Hue basically being a ZigBee system is it possible to get other products to join the show? We seem to have a lot of lamps with the small screw thread which Hue don't have.
Indeed. There are some third-party bulbs that will also work with Hue. I don't know much about them, though. Phillips Hue had shut out those bulbs, but because of a huge outcry from users they re-opened the bridge to allow non-Hue bulbs again.
Have you taken a look at the Hue lightstrips? You can get pretty creative with those.
beojeff:Indeed. There are some third-party bulbs that will also work with Hue. I don't know much about them, though. Phillips Hue had shut out those bulbs, but because of a huge outcry from users they re-opened the bridge to allow non-Hue bulbs again. Have you taken a look at the Hue lightstrips? You can get pretty creative with those.
Eclipse 65V1-32Beosound M5Essence MK2BLI
In fact i think i will sell my LC2 that i have with a terrible hallgen bulb in my bedroom to replace with some LED Hue lighting.
I can use the V1 to pass commands to the BLGW and even access home control on the screen.
All we need now is a nice wireless keypad that can have different words printed on the buttons
In my place (And this room) 95% of the bulbs are Hue bulbs in their various forms. I can go from a bright white to a mix of whites, blue, pink etc depending on the content of the TV I am watching. Hue Bulbs are one of my favourite tech purchases of all time. Both the hardware and software is very reliable.
I highly recommend them.
--
BeoLab 18's. Beolab 3's. A8. A9. A2. H7.
Seanie_230:God I love this hue stuff it doesn't half integrate really well since you can import scenes etc. Today I purchased the White ES bulb and new new dimmer switch which is really much nicer than the hue tap. I think this might be the way forward for cheap simple automated lighting for me. BLGW - Rekindling the love of ML
Seanie_230:Hi Chris You have given me some inspiration with the right for right lamp left for left lamp etc. Question from me have you worked out how to step up in brightness and down in brightness ? Is it possible to change the brightness of each bulb independently in your bedroom? Where are you getting bulbs for £20 BLGW - Rekindling the love of ML
Seanie_230: Today I purchased the White ES bulb and new new dimmer switch which is really much nicer than the hue tap.
Seanie_230:Hi Chris Check out the new hue dimmer switch http://www.diy.com/departments/philips-hue-automated-dimming-switch/1266382_BQ.prd?gclid=Cj0KEQjw4827BRDJvpbVuKvx-rIBEiQA2_CzsI8KJvCLYmyfL_uSfQvGCg9HpRxsKBT-hS0s7hmNDG0aAtSY8P8HAQ&ppc_type=shopping&ecamp=SEAPLA1266382_BQ&ss_kwcid=AL!3454!3!%7Bcreative%7D!%7Bmatchtype%7D!%7Bplacement%7D!%7Bnetwork%7D!%7Bproduct_partition_id%7D!%7Bkeyword%7D&CAWELAID=120147360000498558&CAGPSPN=%7Bifpla:pla%7D%7Bifdyn:dyn%7D&CAAGID=%7Badgroupid%7D&CATCI=%7Btargetid%7D&ef_id=VOd7lwAAAIStr0RI:20160629155745:s It's pretty good
Check out the new hue dimmer switch
http://www.diy.com/departments/philips-hue-automated-dimming-switch/1266382_BQ.prd?gclid=Cj0KEQjw4827BRDJvpbVuKvx-rIBEiQA2_CzsI8KJvCLYmyfL_uSfQvGCg9HpRxsKBT-hS0s7hmNDG0aAtSY8P8HAQ&ppc_type=shopping&ecamp=SEAPLA1266382_BQ&ss_kwcid=AL!3454!3!%7Bcreative%7D!%7Bmatchtype%7D!%7Bplacement%7D!%7Bnetwork%7D!%7Bproduct_partition_id%7D!%7Bkeyword%7D&CAWELAID=120147360000498558&CAGPSPN=%7Bifpla:pla%7D%7Bifdyn:dyn%7D&CAAGID=%7Badgroupid%7D&CATCI=%7Btargetid%7D&ef_id=VOd7lwAAAIStr0RI:20160629155745:s
It's pretty good
This new dimmer switch is pretty cool. And with apps like iConnect HUE, each button can be programmed with 4 functions which translates to up to 16 functions.
I don't have a BLGW, but I purchased a Hue Bridge and a few bulbs and a Bloom. I'm contemplating a Tap and a couple of dimmers, but want to plan what / how I'm going to have things arranged before pulling the trigger on the switches.