When I wall-mounted my Philips Ambilight TV and connected it to Hue bulbs, many people questioned that move. Surely, being bathed in coloured light that matched the action on the screen would be annoying? “It’s just a gimmick”, they said.
Despite the scepticism of my contemporaries, I’ve been using the Ambilight+Hue system for years – so long, in fact, that support was dropped in 2023 because Philips and Hue were by that point owned by different companies.
Ambilight makes TV more immersive, it adds ambience and it makes movie nights just a little more special. As is said in a recent Philips TV review, it’s a big differentiator. Other people don’t have this in their home – that’s as true of Ambilight as it is the extension of that coloured light through the room.
That’s why AmbiScape immediately caught my attention: because this turns the dial for Ambilight fans, taking that experience into a new dimension.
What is AmbiScape?
AmbiScape is an expansion of Ambilight technology that allows the control of compatible smart colours bulbs, very much like the previous Ambilight+Hue system. Now, however, it’s controlled by Matter (a universal smart home standard), so it’s not limited to a single brand (Hue) as it was before.
Philips has said that it will work with Wiz, Nanoleaf, Hue and Ikea E27 bulbs, but more will come in the future. Importantly there has to be a latency of less than 0.5 seconds so that it’s a cohesive experience.
There’s a new user interface on compatible televisions and at first glance, it looks like a more considered and controllable system than the previous iteration. To be fair, Ambilight+Hue was a pain to setup and a pain to change, so the new system should be popular.
IMAGE CREDIT: PHILIPS
What’s the catch?
The catch is that it’s only designed to work with four bulbs. That might raise a question, but it’s worth considering how many bulbs you have in a room. I currently have two and that floods the room with light – unless you’re working with a really large space, you’ll probably be fine.
The other catch is that AmbiScape is only on Philips’ 2026 models, so if you’ll want it, you’ll have to buy a new TV. It will be supported on Philips 8000 Series and above, including all the OLED models and the Mini-LED 981.
Philips has a full range of OLEDs and RGB Mini-LED for 2026
That leads us nicely into Philips new models for 2026. The range is topped as before by the OLED+ models, the 911 and 951. The OLED+ 951 is the new flagship for serious buyers, featuring the latest WOLED Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 OLED panel. The OLED+ 911 sits alongside, with an integrated 81W Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
IMAGE CREDIT: PHILIPS
These models will offer the best picture quality, with the 951 coming in 65 and 77-inch sizes and not landing until September 2026. The OLED+ 911 comes in sizes from 48 to 77-inches and will go on sale in June – prices are still to be confirmed.
Taking a step down is the OLED 811 in a full range of sizes from 42-inch to 77-inches, but with a OLED_EX panel, so a step down. All the TVs above will support Dolby Vision 2 Max, but the OLED 761 – the cheapest in the range – won’t.
In an interesting move, all of Philips 2026 models are moving to Titan OS, which used to be limited to the cheaper end of the scale while Google TV was offered on premium sets. That change isn’t a bad thing: Titan OS offers a full set of streaming services and features, will offer a more bespoke experience for European viewers and in the UK supports Freely – which Google TV didn’t.
It’s a comprehensive new line-up for 2026, with a full range of TVs, but for me, the excitement is in the extension of Ambilight into a bigger experience. I love the Ambilight setup that I currently run, but I’ll be looking to update to a new Ambilight model (probably the OLED 811 because of the sizes it offers) and switching to a more modern AmbiScape experience.
