Philips Hue Line Gains New Play HDMI Sync Box 8K

[MacRumors]

Philips Hue parent company Signify today announced two new products for Hue lighting setups, a new HDMI Sync Box and a new pendant light, as well as new software-based features.

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is a successor to the current Hue Play Sync Box that came out in 2019. It is designed to connect to your TV, serving as an interface between the TV and connected set-top boxes, gaming systems, and more. The Sync Box is able to detect content, matching the color of connected Hue lights to what's on the TV.

HDMI 2.1 support has been a major missing feature on the current Sync Box, but the new model adds HDMI 2.1 for use with the PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and other devices that can take advantage of the standard. It supports resolutions up to 8K and refresh rates up to 60Hz for video content and 120Hz for console gaming.

Up to 10 color-capable Hue lights can be synced to the Sync Box, with what's on the screen determining the color. Brightness and intensity can be controlled in the Philips Hue app.

The Philips Hue Ensis light, a new pendant light, can be purchased in the United States as of today. Available in black or white, it is equipped with two lights that can be controlled individually, and it supports both white shades and color. It offers both a downlight and an upper light for different activities.

Along with the new products, Signify is updating the Philips Hue app with four new effects, Cosmos, Underwater, Enchant, and Sunbeam. These animated effects can be used with select Hue lights. There are also now options for changing brightness, speed, and base color, adding more versatility to effect options.

The Hue app is gaining a Do Not Disturb option, which prevents motion sensors from changing the active scene when motion is detected, and the starting and stopping of mimic presence and timers via Hue switches.

Later this year, the Philips Hue app will support the integration of multiple Bridges, so they will no longer need to be set up and viewed separately. Multiple Bridges will be able to be added to a single home, with a unified view that encompasses all of the products in the home.

Prospective Hue customers will soon be able to use the new AR feature in the app to explore Hue lights before making a purchase. Lights can be viewed in actual spaces, and the app can demo realistic lighting environments to provide insight into how a light will look in real life. This feature is set to lauch in fall 2024.

For non-Apple users, Philips Hue Secure cameras are now compatible with Alexa and Google Home, but not HomeKit. Routines can be set up for arming and disarming the Secure system based on a daily schedule, and there is a new Battery Saver option for Battery Cameras.

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is available from the Philips Hue website and from Best Buy as of today. It is priced at $350. The Philips Hue Ensis can be purchased from the Hue website and it is priced at $480.

Article Link: Philips Hue Line Gains New Play HDMI Sync Box 8K

 

[Purrific]

I wish we got the Ambilight TVs over here - my mom in the UK still has one from the early 2000's and it is a wonderful effect. Rather that than the aftermarket solutions we have here. Such a good quality TV as well.

 

[Liquid Galaxy]

I assume this supports VRR? Just purchased one regardless but it will be going straight back if the stability issues from the first box haven't been resolved. Several times a week the picture will just go off then come back on 5-10 secs later, or will go off completely, needing a power cycle to bring it back. Annoying enough when watching TV but when gaming its a whole new level of annoyance!

 

[contacos]

Excuse me but why does a light need any high res resolution, let alone 8K? It's not like you watch actual TV with this? It's just synching light to appear behind your TV? on't get it

 

[shadylane]

Hmmm. Looking to purchase this. Does the box come with the lights or is that a separate purchase?

 

[ooo]

Excuse me but why does a light need any high res resolution, let alone 8K? It's not like you watch actual TV with this? It's just synching light to appear behind your TV? on't get it

You connect your devices through the hdmi sync box which connects to the tv. So if you were playing 4k content and you connected it to the sync box, it would currently reduce the quality. They allow 4 hdmi inputs on the old synx boxes, not sure about the new ones, but I would assume it's the same.

 

[ooo]

Hmmm. Looking to purchase this. Does the box come with the lights or is that a separate purchase?

Lights are separate purchases. The box is a standalone hub that lets you interact with the lights.

 

[iPunish901]

Whew that price. Wonder how much I can sell the og box for? I actually like the sync box, but I don’t have my console connected to it because of limitations.

 

[GIZBUG]

Hmmm. Looking to purchase this. Does the box come with the lights or is that a separate purchase?

For $350 you would think lights are included 😳

 

[CJM]

Well that’s truly a “what can we get away with” price because the only people who care about this are the ones who would pay it. I’d love to know what their signal path is. I guess you have to decode and check the colours and then re-encode it. Still not worth the cost though.

 

[shoorty0690]

Listen, I love the Hue ecosystem, but I just cannot justify the price of lighting up the back of my TV with Hue. Between the box and the light, I'll be out $600. I picked up a first gen Govee TV light a few years ago and it works great and costed less than $100. Is it as feature rich or accurate, probably not, but I'd say it's 85-90% there at 1/6th the price. And it doesn't require passthrough which is the whole reason the 8k model exists.

 

[CarAnalogy]

For $350 you would think lights are included 😳

Not from Hue. For that price I’ll be surprised if they include a power cord.

I only clicked on the article to see the price, was not disappointed.

I love my Hue lights but my god are they expensive. Especially considering that when one failed after a couple of years I found out they only have a one year warranty.

For their price, to be even remotely comparable to a regular LED light, these things need to last ten years minimum.

 

[philstubbington]

Hmmm. Looking to purchase this. Does the box come with the lights or is that a separate purchase?

Separate. It’s always struck me as an expensive option - I just use the iLightShow app as my use case is for music rather than gaming or movies. Having said that, the app will work in a fashion with those too as it has an option to use the microphone on your iPhone too.

 

[MallardDuck]

And still no hub that can handle > 50 devices.

 

[ChrisA]

Excuse me but why does a light need any high res resolution, let alone 8K? It's not like you watch actual TV with this? It's just synching light to appear behind your TV? on't get it

The box needs to be able to process the video signal. If you have a box that can only understand 1024P and you give it a 4K signal it will not be able to understand it at all. It is not some much about the resolution as about the signal format and how the bits are ordered.

 

[maxfromdenmark]

I bought this Ensis pendant in 2020 as a new ceiling light for my kitchen and it’s absolutely stunning. This can be also used as a lamp above a dining table. It has two light sources: downward and upward both can be used together or independently in various white and colors. My most beloved lamp.

 

[kiranmk2]

Still wishing that Apple apple this to the AppleTV (perhaps with support for any Homekit-enabled lights). I have an LG G-series OLED so the cheaper light strips with cameras (Govee, Nanoleaf etc) don't work for me as the camera can't clip to the screen because there is no gap between the screen and the wall. Looks like it's this or nothing and given the price, it's looking like nothing!

 

[Manatlt]

I assume this supports VRR?

VRR is supported through HDMI 2.1 devices, so yes - this should support VRR as long your TV and the console supports it.

I have the older Sync Box, I'm really debating if I should get it and sell the old box...because finally I'll be able to play my games via the Sync Box.

 

[Nuno Lopes]

Hue Sync box support for HomeKit is very very bad. We can’t use Siri for instance to start or stop dynamic lights. Light Scenes defined in the Hue App cannot really be activated through home kit. And so on.

Have one and is mostly unused because of that.

 

[sychox51]

is there any technical reason this needs to be $350/$500???? govee has a less elegant camera centric option but its also way less expensive. wtf Philips?

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Finally. I got the original box like 6 years ago and it has worked very well except that it causes disconnects from my TVs once I a while which is annoying when playing a game. Hopefully this new one addresses that by better managing changes in frame rates etc.

 

[Manatlt]

is there any technical reason this needs to be $350/$500???? govee has a less elegant camera centric option but its also way less expensive. wtf Philips?

Because other solutions use cameras. This one does not.

Also unfortunately for me, my house is deep in to the Hue system so me getting out of it is difficult. This box is the only solution for me.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

I assume this supports VRR? Just purchased one regardless but it will be going straight back if the stability issues from the first box haven't been resolved. Several times a week the picture will just go off then come back on 5-10 secs later, or will go off completely, needing a power cycle to bring it back. Annoying enough when watching TV but when gaming it’s a whole new level of annoyance!

Yeah this is so annoying when playing a game that didn’t let you pause or is playing against other people.

 

[Manatlt]

Yeah this is so annoying when playing a game that didn’t let you pause or is playing against other people.

One of the two reasons why my PS5 doesn't go through my current Sync Box. Even watching Netflix through it, it is annoying once a while, the connection drops then reconnects after 5 seconds.

Praying this new version fixes this issue.

 

[mattaaron]

lol @ people complaining about the price... if you're in the Phillips Hue ecosystem, you're already paying a premium for it... so why is this price a surprise? It provides (much needed) features over the current that people have wanted for years. It'll probably go down in price to what you'd expect in a year, and even more so after.

Plus there's a ton of alternatives out there that are much much cheaper?