When the glittering Times Square New Year's Eve Ball descends to mark the beginning of 2014, the "1" and "4" will be illuminated for the first time in ever- changing colors using 207 of the revolutionary and programmable hue bulbs from Philips. A global TV audience of over one billion viewers will see the LED bulbs, with more than 16 million color options each, colorfully ring in the new year as people tune in for the iconic celebration. The "2" and "0" will maintain Philips' outdoor rated BR30 LED bulbs

2014 Design for the New Year's Eve Ball by Philips Lighting (photo courtesy: Philips)

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New Year's 2014 marks the 14th consecutive year that Philips Lighting has served as the official lighting partner to the world- famous Times Square New Year's Eve– produced by the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment. The bulbs being used in the "1" and "4" come from the innovative Philips hue line, which is the first personalized LED lighting system that allows users to control their home lighting directly from an iOS or Android device
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"We have been partnering with Philips since 1999 to light the Times Square Ball, which is now the largest crystal ball in the world illuminated by Philips LED technology and a universal symbol of celebration," said Jeffrey Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment. "We look forward ringing in the New Year again with Philips bringing that same innovation to 2014!"

The new Philips hue BR30 downlight bulbs, were released last month and share the same Philips LUXEON LEDs as the Times Square Ball, which itself has 32,256 LEDs and uses less energy than two standard wall ovens."Light, color and cutting-edge technology are what people think of when they think of Times Square, especially in recent years as more and more tech firms have come to Times Square," said President of the Times Square Alliance Tim Tompkins.

"It's great to be working with Countdown Entertainment and the Times Square Alliance to extend our software-based systems from the Ball to the numbers this year," said Bruno Biasiotta, President and CEO of Philips Lighting Americas. "Just like the Times Square Ball, the hue system offers 85 percent energy savings compared to traditional incandescent technologies and offers a unique app-based and flexible lighting experience.”