Philips Hue to Launch Brighter Bulbs and Expand Filament Range

[1961templar]

I got on the Hue train pretty early (around 2012) and I’ve had a day’s problem with them. Even those original bulbs still work well.

Cheaper, similar alternatives such as Ikea’s Tradfi are all over the market now but I’m extremely reluctant to replace something that’s worked so well.

I’m moving house this month so I can see a few more bulbs and lights being purchased.

My sole wish is that Philips/Signify would release some kind of product that could replace UK-standard lighting faceplates and allow smart lights or dumb lights to be controlled directly.

Samotech make some UK-standard lighting faceplates that work well. They add a little bulk but they do make it easy to access the original light switch if you ever need to re-set your Hue bulb.

 

[Tech198]

What are they planning to do "bind you" ?

In comparison, those Lube Cubes can go 1500 lumens on full brightness.. The difference is people "stay" in a room fr an extended period.

I'll need to wear my sunnies.

 

[Takeo]

I started out with LIFX… way back when it was just a kickstarter campaign. I loved the brightness and colours. They were 1000 lumens from day 1 (now 1100). But after years of connection problems I eventually gave up on them and switched to Hue. I hate how dim and dull the hue bulbs are compared to LIFX but they have been 100% rock solid for years and years. Never once… in YEARS… had one single dropped connection. Not once. With LIFX is was a weekly affair. Pure torture. So I’m overjoyed that hue will FINALLY be offering a brighter bulb!

 

[MacGekko]

Those are just white bulbs without color or even color temp control. These new ones they're teasing are full color bulbs.

I tried the actual bulb you linked, but the lack of color temp tuning made me return them. They were super bright (almost too bright, honestly), but the color temp they use wasn't one my wife could stand.

I still can't find a led bulb to replace this one: https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-Classic...-Fixture-Halogen-Light-Bulb-4-Pack/1000373293

Every led bulb for the bedroom I have tried has been too harsh or just off in some way, I know they are getting closer to matching a traditional bulb, $100 for one bulb would be worth it if it could match the old ones.

 

[Hammerd]

About time! I was tired buying splitters to squeeze 4 bulbs per socket..
But PLEASE PUT WIDGET BACK

 

[Hammerd]

Tried hue but ended up returning the whole setup because of it’s absurd price and lack of high CRI and broad spectrum. They have good connectivity but the light optics are terrible.

Valid point, and the CRI is only 80 at 2700K. Let alone other shades of yellow/white

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

why? Did they all break at the same time?

No, there's a new version. That's what this article is about.

 

[apples_arrogance]

Since those are not smart bulbs (as far as I can tell) their relevance to this discussion is marginal.

I understand. But can you elaborate what is preventing the dubai lamp technology from being available in the Hue Series? The smart aspects are software controls, right? So not sure why this should not be possible.

 

[mw360]

I understand. But can you elaborate what is preventing the dubai lamp technology from being available in the Hue Series? The smart aspects are software controls, right? So not sure why this should not be possible.

The ’technology’ inside them is more politics than science, which should have been obvious from the press release. They have 4x the number of LED elements, running at 1/4 power. At lower power all LEDs are more efficient. This arrangement gives more lumens per watt but obviously makes them significantly more expensive to make. Can a Hue bulb fit 4x the number of LEDs inside? Would consumers pay the price for 4x the number of LEDs inside? If it weren’t for the exclusivity deal and their mandatory use in certain Dubai buildings, would they be economically viable? Probably not, which is why nobody else is using the same trick elsewhere in the world.

 

[apples_arrogance]

The ’technology’ inside them is more politics than science, which should have been obvious from the press release. They have 4x the number of LED elements, running at 1/4 power. At lower power all LEDs are more efficient. This arrangement gives more lumens per watt but obviously makes them significantly more expensive to make. Can a Hue bulb fit 4x the number of LEDs inside? Would consumers pay the price for 4x the number of LEDs inside? If it weren’t for the exclusivity deal and their mandatory use in certain Dubai buildings, would they be economically viable? Probably not, which is why nobody else is using the same trick elsewhere in the world.

Not sure I can follow. Everything is politics. The bulbs are actually very cheap and I am sure people in western countries would buy at scale. Fitting the multiple filaments into the bulb is a solved problem. Using much less power makes those bulbs a lot more economically viable than bulbs currently available.

 

[mw360]

Not sure I can follow. Everything is politics. The bulbs are actually very cheap and I am sure people in western countries would buy at scale. Fitting the multiple filaments into the bulb is a solved problem. Using much less power makes those bulbs a lot more economically viable than bulbs currently available.

What I'm saying is that the free market hasn't produced an equivalent product because without making them compulsory like in Dubai, they won’t sell as well as you think. It's the law in Dubai that made them a commercially viable product, not what's inside them. You have to include 4x the number of internal parts, to save the consumer about $1 per year. Nobody's rushing to do that on commodity bulbs, so there's little chance of it coming to bulbs that are already $50. It's not like waiting for a bluetooth update or the price of chips to come down, it's literally waiting for 4 to equal 1.