Philips HuePlay HDMI sync box 8K

The media could not be loaded. I love Hue lighting, well worth the money and I would invest in the whole system for the best experience

This hue lighting box makes controlling your lighting system super easy and really convenient. I absolutely love having a lit up TV area because it really immerses me in the movie I'm watching - that's my absolute favourite thing about this. You do need to get the bridge and the hue lights separately, but I already had those so it was just about switching everything over to run on the hue box, which was a really simple process. I will admit, the entire setup is very expensive, just for some lighting, but it completely changes how you view movies or listen to music, it adds a massive atmospheric element to your experience, which really does immerse you and make things that much better, so for me it's actually worth every penny.

this is a very clever and capable smart lighting sync box to control your lighting based on input from hdmi sources.It requires a hue bridge (you are controlling hue lights so if you dont have one it's a bit of an odd choice anyways) and if you are used to setting things up in that ecosystem you should have no issues with the setup which i found very straightforward to get up and running.build quality is very good and what you'd expect from hue and for a device of this price.it's limited in a couple of ways though which i think do impact/limit its suitability for a lot of people and reduce it to quite a fairly specific use case to come close to justifying its hefty price.for me the main shortcoming is not really its fault but is a common setup in most houses these days and that's most signals on a smart tv don't come from outside of the screen so you can't run the signal through this to be able to pick up the lighting information to control the lights. this is if you use external media sources only.for that reason i think it's main audience will be gamers who are connecting their gaming pcs and consoles through the device and running lighting for their gaming/living room setups and with it's ability to accept high end source signals/specs at high resolution and refresh rates that's where it will truly shine.for the right setup this is the bit of kit to really make it shine and can probably find a way to talk yourself into accepting it's high price to do so. otherwise its probably not really the right choice for you.

Capable of delivering an amazing experience but you need Hue lights and a bridge already to use.What the box does is translate video signals into light controls so that your mood lighting matches the screen and with well positioned lighting delivers a whole-room experience to your home cinema.It's easy to set up and supports pretty much any current HDMI output whether it be a BluRay, cable or games console.The flat black box is minimalist and stylish, blending casually into the background of your setup.

This is great, if you have invested in hue lights and have the bridge already, this allows you to sync all your lights with your TV inputs. I have always admired Philips TVs that have ambilights build in the back but we have an LG one but now with this box we can experience the same effect with our own brand TV. The box acts as a sync box between your inputs and TV. It reads the HDMI signals and translates this to colours which then sync with your hue light setup. It is very easy to set up, the box is small and discreet and everything can be controlled from the app. The app has lots of preset scenes too and you can customise your setup. Everything also works with Alexa.This newer model supports HDMI 2.1 which means it is future-proof and works with newer devices such as the PlayStation pro which supports up to 8k and 120hz refresh rates. If you want perfect mood lighting to match your viewing then this is the gadget to get.

Mediocre.I’ve been considering a Hue Sync Box for years but could never justify the price. After months of debating—especially since the 8K version was released—I finally gave in.On paper, the Sync Box is fantastic if you already have the compatible lights set up. After testing it, I found the light show impressive and really enjoyed it while streaming movies.Having invested in an LG OLED TV, I had fine-tuned the settings for my PS5 and Amazon Fire Stick 4K Max. However, the biggest downside is that since the Sync Box only has one output, the TV sees all connected devices as a single input. This means individual picture and sound settings for each device are lost.I couldn’t find a way to apply different settings to each HDMI input on the Sync Box, which is a major flaw for something marketed as high-end. Because of this, I’m returning it for a refund.I’d recommend saving your money—while it looks great, it’s not practical. I’ll just stick with the Hue lights I already have and leave it at that.

I have used similar devices to this in the past. The last one I used cost me £70 for the box, which supported 4K, 120Hz, HDR, and included an LED strip for a 75-inch TV. It worked great for many years. Then, there's this. It's overpriced. This is only the box; the LED strips cost over £100. It seems this device and ecosystem are for people with more money than sense. I can't recommend it sadly, it doesn't work well enough to justify the price.

PROS-works with my older (non-smart) TV-adds to the immersive experience of movie watchingCONS-it’ll only work with external media sources only: you have to run your media sources from outside, through this box, and then to the TV, in order for this box to pick up colour cues-I didn’t realise I’d have to also pick up a “huge bridge” to make this work with my hue lights-very priceyMY STAR RATINGS:1* substandard, mostly cons2** barely acceptable, cons outweigh the pros3*** meets the basic requirements, cons balance the pros4**** good product, pros outweigh the cons5***** exceptional, all (or almost all) pros