Philips Hue · Lightstrips and TV sync
Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip Installation in London
Updated
The Play gradient lightstrip for TV fixes around the back of the screen and shows several colours along its length at once, following the picture through a Sync Box, the Play Screen Sync or Hue's Sync TV app. Launch reports for the 2026 standard and Pro versions say they can be cut to size and fit TVs up to 100 inches. A vetted JACK pro in London fits it evenly around your TV, hides the power supply and sets up the sync, for a fixed price you see before you book.
In short
Yes. A vetted JACK pro in London can fit a Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip to the back of your TV with no mains wiring, since it runs from its own plug-in power supply. One strip can sync over Bluetooth with the Play Screen Sync or the single-input Sync Box 4K, while more lights, up to 10 in one surround set-up, need a Hue Bridge or Bridge Pro.
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Play Gradient Lightstrip: key facts
- 2026 versions
- Play gradient lightstrip for TV, standard and Pro Source: Notebookcheck: Play Screen Sync, Play HDMI Sync Box 4K and Play gradient TV strips
- Cutting and TV size
- The 2026 versions are cuttable and suit TVs up to 100 inches Source: Notebookcheck: Play Screen Sync, Play HDMI Sync Box 4K and Play gradient TV strips
- Sync without a Bridge
- One strip over Bluetooth, with the Play Screen Sync or the Play HDMI Sync Box 4K Source: Notebookcheck: Play Screen Sync, Play HDMI Sync Box 4K and Play gradient TV strips
- With a Bridge
- More lights need a Bridge or Bridge Pro; up to 10 lights can join one surround set-up Source: Basic Tutorials: Philips Hue at IFA 2026
- Power
- Hue's indoor strips plug into a socket through an adapter; nothing is wired into the mains Source: Philips Hue UK: smart strip lights
- Matter
- Works with Matter when connected through a Hue Bridge; products on Bluetooth only cannot use Matter Source: Philips Hue (US): Hue and Matter
- Sync TV app
- Needs a Hue Bridge; a paid plan, one-time for five years or monthly Source: Philips Hue (US): Hue Sync TV app
Product facts come from Philips Hue's UK product pages and support articles, linked beside each fact; where the UK page is silent, a few come from Hue's other English-language sites and say so. Hue changes its range often, so check the model on your box or order and send it with your request. Last checked 1 November 2026.
How the Play Gradient Lightstrip is powered and mounted
The strip is plug-in from end to end: its power supply goes into a socket near the TV, and the strip itself is fixed around the back of the screen, close to the edges so the light spills onto the wall behind. Because the 2026 versions can be cut, the pro sizes the run to your TV instead of leaving a loop of spare strip hanging behind it, and cuts only once the length has been checked against the screen.
How it goes on depends on how the TV is mounted. On a stand, the strip goes onto the back panel with the TV turned round or laid face down on a soft surface. On a wall bracket there is usually too little room behind the screen to work, so the strip is fitted while the TV is off the bracket, which is why it is worth booking at the same visit as the wall mounting: the strip, its supply and the TV's own cables are then routed together once.
What drives the colours is a separate choice. One strip on its own can follow the picture over Bluetooth from the Play Screen Sync or the single-input Sync Box 4K, with no Hue Bridge. Add Play light bars, a second strip or other Hue lights, or use Hue's Sync TV app, and the strip has to be on a Hue Bridge or Bridge Pro, where up to 10 lights can share one surround set-up. A Bridge is also what lets the strip appear in Matter apps.
What the pro checks first
- The TV's screen size and the shape of its back panel, including curves, ports and the bracket's footprint
- Whether the strip in the box is a 2026 cuttable version, and what its instructions allow
- Where the nearest socket is, with room for the strip's power supply out of sight
- What will drive the sync: a Sync Box, the Play Screen Sync, the Sync TV app or a Bridge
- Whether the TV stands on furniture or hangs on a bracket it has to come off
What the pro does on the Play Gradient Lightstrip
- Strip laid out around the back of the TV first, and cut to the screen only where your version is made to be cut
- Back panel wiped clean and the strip fixed so it sits evenly, clear of vents and ports
- Power supply and cable hidden behind the TV or furniture, with nothing stretched across a walkway
- Strip added in the Hue app and its position around the screen set, so each colour lands on the right edge
- Sync started from your Sync Box, Screen Sync or the Sync TV app and checked on a bright, colourful scene
- For a large TV that has to come off its bracket and go back up, your pro can ask another pro on JACK to help through the Pro2Pro feature
How the Play Gradient Lightstrip installation goes
- 1Photos of the front and back of the TV and the socket area reviewed, with the screen size confirmed
- 2TV turned round on its stand or lifted off the bracket, as the job needs
- 3Strip measured, cut where allowed and fixed around the back
- 4Power supply connected, the TV returned and the strip added in the Hue app
- 5Sync source set up and the strip's position calibrated, then tested with you
Before you book: what to send
- Your TV's make, model and screen size
- A photo of the back of the TV, showing how it is mounted
- The gradient lightstrip version from its box, and what you plan to sync it with
- Whether you also want the TV mounted or moved at the same visit
Should the strip go on before the TV is wall-mounted?
Usually, yes. Once a screen is on a flat bracket, its back is hard to reach. How the two jobs fit together:
- On a flat bracket the gap behind the TV is small, so the strip, its connector and the cable are fitted while the screen is face down
- The power supply goes where it can be reached later, in a socket behind the TV or in a cabinet below, never buried in the wall
- JACK's TV mounting covers fitting your bracket to the wall and tidying the cables, and the strip can go on the same booking for one price
- In a rented flat, the landlord's agreement to drill for the bracket comes first; the strip itself is fixed only to the TV
How is Philips Hue installation priced in London?
A vetted pro prices your Hue job from the products and your photos, and the JACK app shows that fixed price before you book.
Full pricing guide for Philips Hue installationFrequently asked questions
Can you cut the Philips Hue Play gradient lightstrip?
Yes, if it is one of the 2026 standard or Pro versions, which launch reports say can be cut and suit TVs up to 100 inches. If yours is an earlier strip, the pro follows the instructions in its box before cutting anything, because a cut cannot be undone.
Does the Play gradient lightstrip need a Hue Bridge?
Not for one strip on its own with the Play Screen Sync or the Sync Box 4K, which drive it over Bluetooth. A Bridge or Bridge Pro is needed for more lights, for Hue's Sync TV app, and for Matter, since Hue says products connected over Bluetooth cannot use Matter.
Will the strip fit a TV that is already on a wall bracket?
Usually, but the TV has to come off the bracket for the strip to be fitted properly. The pro checks the space behind the screen from your photos, and if the TV is being mounted anyway, the strip goes on during the same visit.
How much does Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip installation cost in London?
It is a fixed price for your Play Gradient Lightstrip, worked out by a vetted pro from the model, a photo of where it is going and what power is there now, and shown in the JACK app before you book. Other devices can go on the same booking for one price. If you would rather pay for time, hourly hire for smart home is typically £45–£95 per hour as a guide.
Often booked together
Play HDMI Sync Box installation
Hue's HDMI box that reads the picture from your sources and drives Hue lights in time with it; the 8K model has four HDMI 2.1 inputs and one output.
Bridge Pro installation
Hue's top hub, listed for 150 lights and 50 accessories: placed and cabled to the router, an older Bridge migrated across, and everything the move drops put back.
More Philips Hue lightstrips and tv sync
Philips Hue lightstrip and tv sync installation
Flux, OmniGlow, Solo and Play strips fitted out of sight, and Hue's Sync Boxes and Screen Sync set up so the lights follow your TV.
All Philips Hue installation guides
Philips Hue installation in London: ceiling lights, downlights, wall switch modules, outdoor lights and Secure cameras fitted by vetted pros. Fixed price first.
Related services in London
Sources
The device facts and rules on this page come from these pages, checked on 1 November 2026.
Jack All Trades (JACK) is an independent London service. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by Signify, which makes Philips Hue and uses the Philips brand under licence, or by Philips. Philips Hue product names are used only to describe the products JACK pros fit and set up; prices are set by JACK pros, not by Signify, and JACK does not sell Hue products.
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