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Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box Gains HDR10+ and Dolby Vision Support, Plus Siri Voice Control

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The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is receiving a major update today, introducing much-desired features like HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support.

Designed by Signify as part of the Philip Hue line of lights and accessories, the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is designed to let Hue users sync their lights to their home entertainment systems.

philipshuesync.jpg

One of the major complaints about the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box when it launched in September was its lack of support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. With the Sync Box, Hue users were able to watch HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content thanks to passthrough support, but there was no way for it to detect content to create lighting effects.

That's changed in the new update, and with compatible televisions, the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box now works with both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

Today's update also brings Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice control, allowing Hue Sync owners to use voice-based commands to power the Sync Box on or off, start or stop light syncing, switch from audio to gaming or video mode, and switch HDMI channels.

For those who prefer to use infrared TV remote controls or the Harmony universal remote, the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box can now be configured to work with these devices. It can be set to respond to any button on the remote using the Hue Sync mobile app.

Updating the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box requires opening up the Hue Sync app, going to the Settings section, and selecting the install software update option.

The Hue Play HDMI Sync Box can be purchased from the Philips Hue website for $230.

Article Link: Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box Gains HDR10+ and Dolby Vision Support, Plus Siri Voice Control
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/05/28/philips-hue-sync-box-dolby-vision/
I have the windows app and it works pretty good. If you have a home theater PC you can do this for free and skip the $230. Or at least try it first this way to see if you like it.

I find its great for BBC stuff like Human Planet, Planet earth, Oceans, Blue Planet, etc. For action movies its sometimes a bit weird.
 
I’ve bought one when they come out. If you enjoy painting your room in light and have the bulbs I’d say it’s well worth it. It’s a great way to enjoy a more immersive experience. Obviously though is just lighting the room with the colours of your TV screen so keep your expectations in check. It’s not an everyday thing for me. It’s better for movie night or a stand out show like Picard. Not for everything your watching all night.
 
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I would genuinely love to have one. Just not at this price. Perhaps I'm being a little obtuse, but to me this is massively overpriced and should retail for half this cost. I've experimented in the past with a Raspberry Pi which cost just £50, but it's messy and removed it, and now it runs as a home automation server.

For $120, I'm game. For $230, my life is just as good without it.
 
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I am into most things with modern technology. I have tech everywhere and loads of hue bulbs but mostly have them white and only change to colour if im having a party. I have tried watching a movie with the lights changing from the hue lightstrip behind the tv and other lights but i feel like it distracts you from what you are watching especially when it goes out of sync.

I have tried the lights with music using ilightshow which syncs with spotify and works well, the developer is really helpful and you can message him directly from the app if you have any problems or questions. I think the hue bulbs are excellent, never had a problem with them in 4 years. Great having dim lights during the night and coming on when you arrive home if its dark. Im not a fan of the phillips sync box
 
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Woyzeck said:
I‘ll never understand why so many people don‘t hesitate to place an internet connected microphone into their private rooms. That‘s risky on so many levels.
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What kind of risk you are talking about? I hear privacy privacy and once again privacy but what does it really mean
Probably if you are "normal" no one is interested in your life.
 
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I used synch for my desktop and my laptop. It's nice and cool and very easy to get used to - eventually you end up ignoring the light show when you watch a movie.
If the price would be less than half, it would probably be worth it. It's ridiculously expensive for what it does and it's not worth the cost.
 
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I always hoped Signify/Philips Hue would have ust made this as an app for the appleTV. I would have bought that, even at 50 or 100 dollars. I now have an extra box behind my tv. IT works well, as all the hue stuff does. For movies it might be more distracting then anything else. When playing music over appleTV it is a nice feature since it is way beter at actually syncing and coloring with the music then the other available apps (e.g. Hue disco etc).
 
What a pointless device. Philips home automation dept have run out of ideas it would seem?
I love Hue and have a ton of their bulbs, switches, motion sensors, etc around my home but this makes little commercial sense to me.
[automerge]1590655326[/automerge]
Woyzeck said:
I‘ll never understand why so many people don‘t hesitate to place an internet connected microphone into their private rooms. That‘s risky on so many levels.
Click to expand...
You mean like the phone in your pocket?
There is an element of trust here and while I wouldn’t have an Amazon or Google device I accept the risk with Apple, misguided or not.
Regular security updates and curated/vetted store are a big factor.
 
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Oneday_harvey said:
I bought it a month after and came out and I used it for about 2 weeks. The hue sync suddenly loses signal maybe every 20mins and it takes about 5-10 secs to come back up, so if playing Xbox or watching a movie you’ll have to wait. So for now it’s an expensive paper weight.
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has it since it came out and never had this problem....
 
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Ooh I have one of these the Hey Siri support isn't as interesting as the support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

This is a pricy box but its well built and works really well from setup to use I have no problems.to get the most out of it, it's dependant on your light/room setup to get the best out of it and the media you consume.

There are a few more software changes I would have liked to have seen instead of Siri support but its nice to see they didn't need to launch a new box for these features gives me hope that this box won't be made redundant for a while.
 
beanbaguk said:
I would genuinely love to have one. Just not at this price.
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TJ82 said:
They should update the price. I'll buy it at £100.
Click to expand...
I also think it's a cool idea but not sure I'd even stretch to £100. I guess part of the reason for the price (apart from "people will pay what we tell them to pay") is that it has to decode the HDMI signal with all the often proprietary and copyright stuff in it, requiring licence fees etc. If someone could make a verson which worked well by simply pointing a cheap camera at the TV screen and working out the colours then I may be interested.

I think there are iPhone apps that do this - or maybe they just use the mic to adjust the lights in rhythm to whatever music is playing? I don't remember. Anyway, I usually turn all the lights off when watching a film with a small candle somewhere for atmosphere. That's my pauper version :)
 
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