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Thursday, September 3, 2020

LG Backtracks on Promise to Bring AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to Select 2018 TV Models

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LG has "no plans" to update its pre-2019 TVs with AirPlay 2 or HomeKit support, despite giving customers assurances that they would do so this year.

In April, LG indicated in a support document that it planned to add ‌AirPlay‌ 2 and ‌HomeKit‌ support to some of its 2018 smart TVs by October 2020, including LCD models with "SK" or "UK" in the name and OLED models with "B8" through "Z8" in the name.

Shortly after the news broke, however, all mention of LG's plan for the 2018 TVs was mysteriously removed from the support page, and LG remained silent on the matter for months thereafter.

Screenshot showing LG's TV update plans, since removed (Image via HardwareZone)
It wasn't until a little over a week ago when a customer asked LG's official UK Twitter account for an update on when the support would arrive that LG finally admitted it has no intention of fulfilling its promise.

Hi there, LG has no plans to update its pre-2019 TVs with Airplay2 or Homekit unfortunately. Apologies for the inconvenience caused!
— LG UK (@LGUK) August 26, 2020

The development is likely to cause consternation and anger among LG customers, especially anyone who bought a 2018 TV based on LG's update plan, not to mention the almost 22,000 LG TV owners who believed their petition calling for the company to bring the support had resulted in success.

Your company should be ashamed. I’m pretty sure more than 22.000 customers will never buy another product from LG now that we know your products lifespan is well under 2 years. Especially considering you said you would update 2018 TVs on your website and now you erased it!
— Martin charron (@mart1charron) August 30, 2020

‌AirPlay‌ 2 support would have enabled users of the above TV models to stream videos, music, podcasts, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to their LG smart TV, with no Apple TV necessary. With ‌HomeKit‌ support, they would have easily been able to control their TV's power, volume, source, and more using Siri or the Home app on ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac.

Sadly, neither looks like it will now be happening.

Tags: HomeKit, LG, AirPlay 2

This article, "LG Backtracks on Promise to Bring AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to Select 2018 TV Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Philips Hue Line Gains New Gradient Lightstrip, Revamped Hue Iris and More

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Signify today announced a series of new products that are coming to the HomeKit-compatible Philips Hue line of lights, including a new lightstrip, an updated version of the Hue Iris, new low-cost white bulbs, and more, as outlined below.

The Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip is designed to integrate with the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box that connects Hue lights to TVs, consoles, and other devices to match lighting to the content being displayed on the TV set. The Gradient Lightstrip is designed specifically with television sets in mind and it comes in three lengths to accommodate common TV sizes: 55 inch, 65 inch, and 75 inch.

It sticks on the back of a TV set and is able to display color gradients, a first for a Philips Hue product. Prior lightstrips were always limited to a single color and did not support multi-color usage, but the LEDs in the Gradient Lightstrip are individually addressable.

For use with media, the Gradient Lightstrip needs either the Hue Play HDMI sync box or the Hue Sync PC or Mac app, which allow it to match the colors on the TV set for an immersive home theater experience. It features a 45 degree light projection and Signify says the light gradient is "perfectly blended." The Gradient Lightstrip can also work as an ambient lighting option without being synced to a TV through one of the above mentioned options, but it's not the primary function.

The Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip will be available starting on October 16, 2020, but it can be pre-ordered today from the Hue website. The 55-inch version is priced at $199, the 65-inch version is priced at $219, and the 75-inch version is priced at $240.

In addition to the new Gradient Lightstrip, there's a newly revamped Hue Iris that's coming soon. Priced at $99.99, the Hue Iris is a table lamp that offers richer colors, lower dimming, and increased brightness compared to the prior version of the Iris.

The Iris offers up to 570 lumens of brightness when it is used as a white light lamp, and it has a fabric wrapped cord. It comes in limited edition colors that include gold, rose, copper, and silver. It can be paired with a Hue Bridge or used over Bluetooth, and it will be available for purchase on October 19, 2020.

Alongside these two major product releases, Signify is updating the Philips Hue E12 Candelabra bulbs with Bluetooth, and introducing the Globe and Edison Filament bulbs in new larger form factors. The Hue Ensis pendant light is being released in a new black finish, and there's a new small form factor E14 Lustre bulb ideal for smaller lamps.

Signify in the future plans to bring the new gradient lighting technology to additional products in the Philips Hue line, and there's also an upcoming integration with August and Yale smart locks for doing things like turning on the lights right when the lock is activated.

For more information on today's announcements, make sure to check out the Philips Hue website.

Tag: Philips Hue

This article, "Philips Hue Line Gains New Gradient Lightstrip, Revamped Hue Iris and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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