Philips announces new connected LED downlights, spot lights & Disney-branded StoryLight
Philips on Tuesday announced a new trio of bulbs joining its family of connected LED Hue bulbs: the BR30 downlight, GU10 spot light, and Disney Imaginative Lightning StoryLight.
The new Hue BR30 is designed for North American homes with ceiling downlights or flood lights. This allows the new Hue bulbs to be screwed into accent lighting, spot and downlight fixtures for more personalized lighting options.
Like the original A19 Hue bulbs, the BR30 model delivers over 16 million ways to color users' homes when controlled through Philips' official iPhone app. The BR30s also sport high-quality tunable white light with up to 80 percent energy savings when compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.
Its counterpart for Europe is the Hue G10 spot light, suitable for recessed spot light fixtures with depth over 85 millimeters.
The new bulbs can be bought individual to add to an existing system, or in a three-pack with a Hue bridge, which is required to connect and control the bulbs to a user's home wireless network.
Finally, Philips on Tuesday also announced a new expansion of the Hue lineup with Disney, branded StoryLight. The new bulb accessories features similar features to the recently released LivingColors Bloom accessory, which can be plugged in and placed anywhere without the need for a light socket.
StoryLight brings Hue into childrens' bedrooms and pairs up with a dedicated, separate application taht connects colored lights to the narrative of specially created Disney e-books.
"The future of light is digital, and building on our 122 years of heritage in lighting, we are leading the way by offering people a new way to experience light way beyond just 'on/off' or dimming that they've been used to until now," said Filip Jan Depauw, Senior Director, Philips Lighting.
"By expanding the hue family, both in terms of bulb types, availability and features, we want to give more people the opportunity to use light more actively and meaningfully in their everyday lives and to create personalized experiences which provide so much more - light that can actually enhance how you live. With hue we provide you with the tools to personalize your lighting just the way you want it and wherever you want it, so that now you really can light your life."
Philips Hue bulbs are available through Apple retail stores, Apple's website, and through authorized resellers such as Amazon. The BR30 downlights are now available for purchase in North America, while the GU10 spot lights are available in Europe. Philips Hue StoryLight is also available in North America, the U.K., Sweden, and the Netherlands.
Earlier this year, Philips also launched its new LightStrips lighting option, offering stick-able LED strips that do not require a standard light socket. The LightStrips come as a 6.6-foot LED strip that can be cut to size, and placed in unique locations with an adhesive backing.
The new Hue BR30 is designed for North American homes with ceiling downlights or flood lights. This allows the new Hue bulbs to be screwed into accent lighting, spot and downlight fixtures for more personalized lighting options.
Like the original A19 Hue bulbs, the BR30 model delivers over 16 million ways to color users' homes when controlled through Philips' official iPhone app. The BR30s also sport high-quality tunable white light with up to 80 percent energy savings when compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.
Its counterpart for Europe is the Hue G10 spot light, suitable for recessed spot light fixtures with depth over 85 millimeters.
The new bulbs can be bought individual to add to an existing system, or in a three-pack with a Hue bridge, which is required to connect and control the bulbs to a user's home wireless network.
Finally, Philips on Tuesday also announced a new expansion of the Hue lineup with Disney, branded StoryLight. The new bulb accessories features similar features to the recently released LivingColors Bloom accessory, which can be plugged in and placed anywhere without the need for a light socket.
StoryLight brings Hue into childrens' bedrooms and pairs up with a dedicated, separate application taht connects colored lights to the narrative of specially created Disney e-books.
"The future of light is digital, and building on our 122 years of heritage in lighting, we are leading the way by offering people a new way to experience light way beyond just 'on/off' or dimming that they've been used to until now," said Filip Jan Depauw, Senior Director, Philips Lighting.
"By expanding the hue family, both in terms of bulb types, availability and features, we want to give more people the opportunity to use light more actively and meaningfully in their everyday lives and to create personalized experiences which provide so much more - light that can actually enhance how you live. With hue we provide you with the tools to personalize your lighting just the way you want it and wherever you want it, so that now you really can light your life."
Philips Hue bulbs are available through Apple retail stores, Apple's website, and through authorized resellers such as Amazon. The BR30 downlights are now available for purchase in North America, while the GU10 spot lights are available in Europe. Philips Hue StoryLight is also available in North America, the U.K., Sweden, and the Netherlands.
Earlier this year, Philips also launched its new LightStrips lighting option, offering stick-able LED strips that do not require a standard light socket. The LightStrips come as a 6.6-foot LED strip that can be cut to size, and placed in unique locations with an adhesive backing.
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Since AppleInsider is not too keen on posting very many pictures...
http://www.slashgear.com/philips-hue-adds-br30-and-gu10-bulbs-plus-disney-storylight-05304202/
The Disney ones seem like they could sell very well.
These take some time to turn on which is really dumb. I think their CPU has to boot up before turning on the light. When they do come on, they are great but expect a second or two of darkness when you flip the switch.
I thought you were supposed to leave the power applied to the bulbs at all times and control them via the app.
Somehow I don't think there will be a stampede of people ready to pay $200 for a 3-pack of light bulbs.
Somehow I don't think there will be a stampede of people ready to pay $200 for a 3-pack of light bulbs.
I think you'd be shocked, actually. Lightbow has multiple users that have blown over $1,000 on their Hue setups, but the crazy part is, you can now do as much with Hue (assuming you buy a 3rd party app or two) as you can with some home automation setups that cost ten times as much. When the original iPod and iPhone came out, people complained about the price, but keep in mind there's a sizable early-adopter tech community. Hue is reasonably priced for what it is today, and next year when more competition (LIFX, ilumi, etc) hit the market, things will get cheaper.
Be that as it may, I'm now waiting for my own text to be justifiably picked apart :-)
Somehow I don't think there will be a stampede of people ready to pay $200 for a 3-pack of light bulbs.
While I agree with you, because most people don't want to spend substantial money for light bulbs, it's penny-wise and pound-foolish. Assuming that the BR30s last even longer than traditional BR30s, that can easily be 10 years. I renovated my kitchen 20 years ago and I'm only on my second set of bulbs.
But more important than that, you have to look at the energy savings. If you have 5 100 watt BR30s, let's say, in a kitchen that are on five hours a day, that's 2.5KW hours per day. At about 35 cents per KW/hr delivered (which is what I have to pay in NYC) that's 87.5 cents per day or almost $320 per year. With a 75% energy reduction (and they're claiming "up to 80%), you would save $239 per year using five bulbs. Over ten years that $2390 or $478 per bulb, assuming they last that long.
These are about beauty. The price seems reasonable if the colors they make really make one feel better. It goes beyond novelty. I've seen how an exact color can be chosen using an iOS device and these bulbs will duplicate it. The technology is amazing. I want a set.
While I agree with you, because most people don't want to spend substantial money for light bulbs, it's penny-wise and pound-foolish. Assuming that the BR30s last even longer than traditional BR30s, that can easily be 10 years. I renovated my kitchen 20 years ago and I'm only on my second set of bulbs.
But more important than that, you have to look at the energy savings. If you have 5 100 watt BR30s, let's say, in a kitchen that are on five hours a day, that's 2.5KW hours per day. At about 35 cents per KW/hr delivered (which is what I have to pay in NYC) that's 87.5 cents per day or almost $320 per year. With a 75% energy reduction (and they're claiming "up to 80%), you would save $239 per year using five bulbs. Over ten years that $2390 or $478 per bulb, assuming they last that long.
Excellent point that people tend to forget. Not only do I want dimming capability but I also want to put bulbs in and know they're going to last long and save me money.
After having my Hue now for 5 months I really couldn't go back to the old manual way of flicking light switches. I'm ready to start building a Mac mini based Indigo system and lighting is first thing I want to maximize.
Rumor has it that the next light will be the smaller MR10 size of which 4 are in an array on the ceiling above my Fireplace just waiting. I love being able to switch between bright light with a blueish cast or a nice warm yellow. Frankly unless you are throwing a party you won't really have a need for colors like Green, Purple and deep Blue. They are nice to demo but I find so many other colors to be soothing.
We are one of cheapest LED retailers operating in Europe and are providing energy-efficient lighting solutions for the consumers. The spot lights can be bought individually which can be easily retrofitted with any lighting fixture or a ten-pack one.
Thanks for this post. Using LED spot lights is appropriate as it provides the perfect ambience and helps in accentuating the decor of one's place. Being Eco-friendly in nature, they are also helping in reducing the electricity bill.