Philips Hue’s 85-inch Play gradient TV strip goes on sale in Canada at $209.99, ahead of the U.S.

Philips Hue’s new 85-inch Play gradient strip light, a colour-changing backlight that mounts behind a television, is now on sale in Canada for $209.99. Signify, the company behind Philips Hue, set Oct. 6, 2026, as the Canadian availability date in its fall lineup announcement, and the brand’s Canadian online store lists the strip as new and in stock at that price.

The strip washes the wall behind a TV with a multicolour gradient that can match the movies and shows on screen, using what Philips Hue calls RGBWWIC technology, and can also be used for ambient lighting when it is not syncing, according to the product page. It is installed by cutting it to size and attaching it to the back of the TV with the included brackets. The Canadian listing gives a length of 3,500 millimetres, a two-year warranty, an IP20 rating and a 100- to 130-volt power supply.

The strip does not match on-screen colour by itself. Philips Hue says a synchronization device and the Hue app are required, Gadget N Widget reported, listing the Hue Sync TV app on supported televisions, the Play Screen Sync camera-style device and the Play HDMI sync box as options. The site noted that an HDMI box cannot analyze video from a TV’s built-in streaming apps, because that picture never passes through the box. It also said the strip is designed for televisions up to 85 inches, and that cutting is permanent because the strip is not extendable.

In Canada, the Play Screen Sync starts at $169.99 and the Play HDMI sync box 4K at $209.99, according to Signify. The company says one compatible Play gradient TV strip can connect to either device over Bluetooth without a Hue Bridge, and that adding a Bridge or Bridge Pro allows a larger setup with up to 10 lights.

Canada is getting the strip first. The equivalent U.S. listing shows a price of US$149.99 but is still marked “coming soon” with no confirmed order date, Gadget N Widget reported, adding that the figures are in different currencies and are not a direct price comparison.

The 85-inch strip is part of a wider fall rollout in Canada. Signify lists the Play gradient strip light pro in 65-inch and 100-inch versions from $249.99 as of Sept. 15, the Liane 360° rope light from $559.99 and the Hue x Nanoleaf Wall Light Module at $59.99, with the Signe pendulum and pole lamps from $399.99 and the OmniGlow outdoor strip light from $309.99 due in late October. On the software side, a feature called Custom AI Behaviors, which lets Bridge Pro owners create lighting automations by describing them in everyday language, is due in early October, a Sonos integration is planned for November, and a Back-up & Restore feature is still in development, the company said.

Separately, Signify’s Philips Smart Lighting brand, which runs on Wi-Fi through the WiZ app and is a distinct system from Hue, was due to bring its own Screen Sync with Strip Light kits to Canada in September, according to a Sept. 10 company announcement. The kit for 55- to 65-inch televisions starts at $175.99 and the 75- to 85-inch kit at $185.99.

Sources: Signify Canada news release (Sept. 3, 2026); Philips Hue Canada product page; Gadget N Widget; Signify Canada news release (Sept. 10, 2026).