We’ve been using our Philips Hue lights to elevate our Halloween game since 2015, each year embracing the newest hardware… this year we bring it inside the home and enlist the aid of the scariest of scary movies (check out last year’s post here: High-Tech Halloween Shines a Creepy Hue). The new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box from Signify synchronizes Philips Hue lights with whatever is playing on your television, enabling you to create immersive, room-filling media experiences. Installing the sync box between any HDMI device (streaming device, cable set-top box, video game console, or Blu-Ray or DVD player), and your TV, will create surround lighting that is directly related to the colors shown on-screen.
We were sent a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box for the purpose of this review and set it up with our existing Hue-enabled living room (of course, all opinions are our own). Connecting HDMI devices to the Sync Box was simple (the box allows up to four) and connecting to the dedicated Philips Hue Sync Mobile application allowed quick access to the setup process. We connected the four lights in our living room, including a pair of Philips Hue Signe Table Lamps (Amazon Affiliate link), plus two more in adjacent spaces to really make movie night an immersive experience. Incredibly, users can sync up to ten (10!) color-capable Philips Hue lights with whatever content is being played.
An alternative to the Signe Table Lamps would be the Hue Play White & Color Ambiance Smart LED Bar Lights (Amazon Affiliate link) which come in black or white shells and a number of different kits.
People love to escape the pressures of everyday life by getting lost in their entertainment. We are proud to present the new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box and give them a simple way to make that possible. Philips Hue users can now easily connect the color-capable lights in their room with their home entertainment systems, taking their movie- and TV-watching, listening and gaming experience to a completely new level.
— Jasper Vervoort, Business Leader, Home Systems & Luminaires, Philips Hue at Signify
Once everything is connected, the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box automatically switches between the different HDMI devices depending on which one is being used, simply powering on the video game console switches the correct input.
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box has its own dedicated Philips Hue Sync Mobile app, so you can quickly control and personalize the light experience. You can fine-tune brightness, as well as the speed and intensity of the light effects. You can automate your device even more by configuring the default settings, making it even easier to use on an everyday basis with your entertainment system. In addition to enhancing your home entertainment, you can use your color-capable Philips Hue to enjoy all of the functionality the Hue ecosystem offers, including away from home control and ambiance creation.
The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is available for $229.99 at meethue.com and BestBuy.com (direct links).