Philips Hue Play Good Wall Washer Overview

Philips Hue launched the Play Wall Washer again in June and is seemingly designed to interchange the Play Lightbar.

It is a multi-purpose ambient gentle, however it’s going to probably be well-liked with these desirous to create ambient lighting results for TVs, and this is able to be an ideal addition for the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field.

Purchase From Philips Hue

Associated Opinions

Specification / Options

Unboxing / Design

The Wall Washer single-piece aluminium development feels substantial at roughly 700 grams, offering confidence in long-term sturdiness.

The general look of the Wall Washer is unremarkable however inoffensive. It’s designed to sit down dealing with your wall, so all you actually see is a black or white tubular-shaped object.

On the entrance facet, the Wall Washer has three distinctive LED sections, which look a bit odd when confronted at you, however you shouldn’t ever see them.

Three small rubber toes on the bottom guarantee secure positioning on easy surfaces. The toes present adequate grip for typical utilization eventualities.

The ability lead runs out below the LED facet, which appeared odd at first, but it surely makes hiding the cable simpler when it’s wall-mounted.

The included energy adapter stays unchanged from earlier Hue generations. I might like it is model like this adopted USB-C to supply some extra flexibility, plus the ability adaptor is kind of cumbersome for a low powered machine.

Set Up

Integrating the Wall Washer into your Hue system is identical as most Hue merchandise. I went into the settings so as to add a brand new gentle, scanned the QR code, waited for Hue to search out it, then chosen the sunshine and assigned it to a room.

Putting in the Play Wall Washer is simple in case you are already within the Hue ecosystem. Utilizing the Hue app, scan the lamp’s QR code, the sunshine is routinely detected, and after assigning it to a room, it’s prepared for speedy use. When you wouldn’t have a Bridge, pairing by Bluetooth can be doable, although this limits entry to superior automation and results.

The sunshine have to be plugged in, so proximity to a socket is important. Setup took only some minutes, and the lamp was shortly built-in into bigger scenes with my different Philips Hue lights, together with ground lamps, gentle strips, and bulbs throughout a number of rooms.

The angle and place are key to reaching the perfect impact. I used to be solely despatched one Wall Washer, however a two-pack would probably be higher for many eventualities. For a TV setup, I’d ideally have two wall washers on both facet of the display to realize the perfect gentle unfold, avoiding darkish shadows above or under the TV when used together with nook lamps and light-weight strips.

For my scenario, I used the Wall Washer in two totally different locations. I began with utilizing it behind a speaker in my workplace, with it offering a pleasing ambient gentle. I’m very delicate to gentle, so I want to keep away from any shiny lights pointing instantly at me, so this set-up is right for me.

I later moved the wall washer behind my TV. It’s in all probability not the best location, however it’s the greatest compromise for a single machine.

Efficiency

Brightness and Gentle Distribution

The Wall Washer’s 1,035-lumen output delivers genuinely spectacular outcomes throughout various lighting eventualities. In utterly darkish environments, the machine offers adequate illumination for comfy navigation while sustaining the oblique, non-glaring traits important for ambient lighting functions.

Gentle distribution patterns exceed expectations, significantly when positioned 20-30 centimetres from goal partitions. The three-LED association creates easy protection extending from ground stage to typical ceiling heights, with depth remaining remarkably even throughout the projection space. This efficiency represents a transparent enchancment over Gentle Bar configurations, which regularly create hotspots and uneven protection patterns.

The ColorCast expertise’s effectiveness turns into obvious when biking by means of color transitions. The place competing merchandise show seen banding or abrupt color modifications, the Wall Washer maintains easy gradients even throughout speedy color biking. This technological benefit proves significantly invaluable throughout TV synchronisation, the place frequent color modifications might in any other case create distracting visible artifacts.

TV Synchronisation Efficiency

Testing with the HDMI Sync Field reveals the Wall Washer’s capabilities in house leisure functions. Latency stays imperceptible throughout regular viewing, with color modifications monitoring on-screen content material precisely throughout various content material sorts. The three-zone configuration permits extra nuanced color illustration in comparison with single-zone alternate options, creating extra plausible ambient results.

Nevertheless, the Wall Washer’s vertical orientation limits optimum positioning choices for TV setups. Not like horizontally mountable Gentle Bars, the Wall Washer should stand upright, proscribing placement to surfaces beside or behind viewing positions. This limitation usually necessitates buying a number of models to realize complete room protection, considerably growing complete system prices.

The gradient impact works significantly effectively with panorama content material – nature documentaries, movies with outstanding sky components, and related materials profit from the vertical color transitions. Content material with predominantly horizontal color components might not showcase the Wall Washer’s capabilities as successfully.

Ambient Lighting Functions

Past leisure functions, the Wall Washer excels as a basic ambient lighting answer. The flexibility to dim to extraordinarily low ranges while sustaining color accuracy makes it appropriate for bed room functions, significantly as a wake-up gentle different to devoted merchandise just like the Twilight.

Wake-up automation sequences display the ColorCast expertise’s sophistication. Gradual transitions from deep pink by means of orange to shiny white create convincing dawn simulations. The three-zone association permits delicate color variations that improve the pure impact past what single-zone gadgets can obtain.

Temperature vary spanning 2000K to 6500K offers versatility for various instances of day and actions. Cool white output at most brightness proves adequate for informal studying when positioned appropriately, although the Wall Washer shouldn’t be thought-about a activity lighting answer.

Value and Different Choices

Purchase From Philips Hue

The Philips Hue Play Good Wall Washer is offered as a person unit for £170 or a two-pack for £299.

Merchandise from the Hue vary, which you will use for related functions, embrace:

• Play Gentle Bar for £120 for a two-pack
• Play Gradient Gentle Tube compact for £170
• Play Gradient Gentle Tube massive for £190
• Iris Desk Lamp for £95
• Signe Gradient Ground Lamp for £280

There aren’t actually any like-for-like different choices, however Govee has some night time merchandise that paint partitions with gentle, together with:

• Govee Uplighter Ground Lamp for £150
• Govee Torchiere Ground lamp for £98

General

The Philips Hue Play Good Wall Washer is one other welcome addition to the Hue product lineup. When used with a TV, I might say I undoubtedly want it to the older Gentle Bar, as it’s simpler to place, considerably brighter, and produces higher lighting results with a wider gentle unfold.

As all the time with Philips Hue, the Wall Washer has a premium price ticket for what you’re getting, however I’ve but to make use of a sensible house lighting ecosystem that comes near Philips Hue.

General, in case you are already invested in Philips Hue and are in search of a formidable ambient lighting expertise, then the Wall Washer is a wonderful selection and is ideal for TV and gaming setups.

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the Editor and Proprietor of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Keen about all issues expertise, my experience spans from computer systems and networking to cellular, wearables, and sensible house gadgets.

As a health fanatic who loves working and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related expertise, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My various pursuits enable me to deliver a novel perspective to tech running a blog, merging way of life, health, and the newest tech traits.

In my tutorial pursuits, I earned a BSc in Data Methods Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior research additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the expertise curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has constantly ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many high expertise blogs within the UK. With my dedication to expertise and drive to share my insights, I purpose to proceed offering my readers with participating and informative content material.