Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is an obvious choice when you already enjoy an incredible Home Theater experience and you want to take it to the next level. Easy set up with a slight learning curb.

When it works, it's amazing. I have an LG OLED 4K TV and I use an Apple TV 4K that supports HDR and Dolby Vision. I've used the latest Apple TV and the one before it and it happens on both. I've even tried high bandwidth / data cables. The audio and video cut out and sometimes it just won't display anything. It's not the TV because everything else works. I've even gone down to no HDR or Dolby and stereo sound. It still has issues. Phillips and Apple TV have an issue for sure.

This helps provide the ambient lighting that i need to be more immersed in games, TV and movies

Excellent product, I love to interact with my tv now. Watch movies now is more funny, but you need a extra tool . The Hue Play light bar to work with. I loved.

For anyone who has had Philips Hue lights in their home, you know we’ve been waiting for this product for quite some time, and it DOES deliver, but it’s VERY frustrating to get the end result. I use two Philips Hue Play light bars behind my tv. PROS Discussion: The Hue Sync app allows you to adjust the brightness of the lightbars via the app. They can be dimmer or light part of the room, depending on what you are watching. The other key feature is that you can also adjust the intensity, that is, how fast the lights switch in response to the colors on the tv screen. It is a great feature, because you can adjust it to the content of the movie or game. Even with action movies, there is very little time delay for the color switching. Believe me, it really is amazing to have this product; the way you watch movies hasn’t changed much; the way you see them is honestly, changed. Movies or gaming, the experience is amazing and breathtaking; absolutely immersive. It makes my tv feel like I’m at the theater. When I listen to music, I either stream from my Apple TV, or watch videos. The lights change with what’s on the screen; depending on the source, the music can be captivating, as the lights change with what’s on the tv screen. CONS Discussion: To detect if the tv was on or off, the settings allowed for the connection of a micro-USB between cable between the Sync Box and tv, or by CEC (Consumer Electronics Control). Neither the CEC nor the micro-USB worked reliably / consistently, so I typically had to use the app to start the light syncing process. When I turned off the tv, the Sync Box did not always turn off, however, if left on all of the time, it would alleviate activating light syncing via the app. The Hue Sync app REALLY should have been incorporated into the normal Hue app under the accessories tab, and simply ‘grayed out’ if a Sync Box was not connected. I honestly would have even bought a separate remote for instant changing of inputs. Harmony capability absolutely needs to be incorporated; when I use this Sync Box, I am sacrificing convenience of my Harmony remote, in order to get the theater experience, and I should not have to do that. I might be old school, but when I buy things, I don’t want to run to my computer or iPad in order to download the manual that explains the settings. The adjustments were really not straight forward, and before it worked, it was frustrating beyond belief. HOME SYSTEM: I use the Philips Hue Sync app on my iPhone Xs running iOS 13.2.3, and an iPad running iPadOS 12.2.3. I have a 55” Samsung 4K UHD 8 Series TV for movies, an XBOX One S for gaming, and an Apple TV (4th Gen) for music streaming. I play music through a Denon receiver (5.1 channel surround), and movies / television through my Samsung HW-Q90R Dolby Atmos Sound Bar. I use two Philips Hue Play light bars behind my tv for the cinematic experience. I use an iPad as a central hub to control smart devices (Philips Hue lights, plugs, vacuum, heater / fan, etc.) and home stereo equipment (in conjunction with a Logitech Harmony Hub). I have Gigabit ethernet. I had my components connected via HDMI directly to my television, so to insert the Sync Box was easy (FYI, connect the Sync Box output to your tv’s ARC). You set up the Philips Hue Play light bars using the Philips Hue app in conjunction with the 2nd Gen Hue Bridge, then use the Philips Hue Sync app to set up the Sync Box, select the entertainment area, etc.

I am running 3 of these in my living room with just under 30 lights syncing with the TV... absolutely love it!

Wish it had dolby support, but other than that I love it. I use an HDMI slitter to downscale from Dolby Vision to 1080, still works great

This was an open box purchase. I had another one that died after 3 years so got this as a replacement. Unfortunately, this unit would not power on so returned.

I bought this as part of an overall gift for my daughter. She told me they really like the overall effect.

The colors displayed on the TV are shown behind the TV when using the Hue Strips. Check out the pic from Star Wars!

They finally made it happen. I’ve been waiting for color mimicking . It makes playing video games submersive.

Love it! Doubles the look of my 82” TV. Great new look.

It is worth every penny. It will drive up to 10 hue lights.

The best product! I love I it! Thanks philips for all!

The Box I got was wacky. Half the time it hooked up to the Bluetooth and was found. Tried about 6 × 2 hook it up to Wi-Fi and it never could hook up. Also the auto detector of the device this is a bit off. If you're having trouble playing cable it helps to press buttons on the cable

Bought Like New open box. Came with no box or directions, all scratched up. Contacted customer service who said too bad, return it. Why say it comes with everything and like new then send me junk?

Product works great. Box just seems like it had one of those refurbish stickers, I purchased a new one.

Philips - Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is a unique, one-of-a-kind product that pushes the boundaries of in-home entertainment. I was a bit apprehensive, reading some negative reviews prior to ordering the Sync Box. I am very glad I did not hesitate to pull the trigger. It is far more enjoyable & easy to set up than I ever anticipated! Set-up is simple: plug in up to 4 devices, such as a Fire Stick, Apple TV, other streaming devices, a Video Game, a DVR, a Receiver, etc. No switching is required; it automatically switches whichever device you turn on. The Sync Box is seamless & responds. It passes 4K through to your TV or monitor. You turn on the TV & your streaming or game devices exactly the same way after adding the Sync Box. It adds NO complication! You choose what type of Hue lights to connect to your TV. I chose 2 Hue Light Bars, one behind the TV, pointing right & the other behind the TV, pointing left. I added a Hue Light Strip behind the TV, across the top. You can add or remove any Hue bulbs you may already own to the Sync Box at any time. The colors are configurable; I found they were ideal right out of the box, with no color tweaking needed. Brightness is fully adjustable & intensity is selectable in 4 levels. You can even set a minimum light level separately for various input devices. This is very useful for gaming, vs. watching a movie. You position each light by simply dragging it across your cellphone screen on the set-up app. The more lights you add, the more fine the detail & the benefit you achieve for positioning the lights to match the TV screen. The colors are absolutely amazing! It literally spreads the TV screen's effective size by opening your senses to a view that is no longer constrained by the confines of a rectangular TV screen. CONCLUSION: The Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is a WOW! product that greatly enhances your viewing experience, whether Movies, Gaming, or even the News! This 5-Star jewel is ready for Prime Time; I highly recommend it.

This compact device syncs your TV content that is playing on your TV from differnt video sources(apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku) with various hue lights(Strip, play light bar, color bulbs) without any latency. The lights will adjust the color and brightness to the content that is being watched to create an immersive experience. If you are invested in hue ecosystem and interested in Bias lighting for TV then this product will not disappoint you. ​ My Setup is as follows: Samsung 82 inch QLED TV wall mounted, Pioneer elite 4k receiver, apple TV 4k, Fire TV Cube 2 gen, Chromecast connected to the sync box with Philips hue lightstrip plus attached to the back of the TV & Philips Play light bar on 2 sides placed vertically at the back of the TV. Also, have 4 hue BR30 white and color ambiance bulbs in the ceiling. ​ This sync up box is a sleek little device that looks similar to old netgear router or apple tv(that is little wider) but with five rear HDMI ports(4 HDMI input and 1 HDMI output). I connected my apple tv, fire tv cube,chromecast, samsung blu-ray player inputs to the hdmi ports of sync up box and connected the hdmi out to the TV's HDMI. ​ Sync box has automatic HDMI switching capabilities so it will adjust when you change the video source. For example, if you're watching your content from fire cube and if you poweup the apple tv, the sync box will automatically switch to that input. Keep in mind this device doesnot support HDR 10+ & Dolby vision videos for lighting effects but the sync box will act as pass through. Once all your video sources are connected to the sync box, its time to pair it with hue bridge using the app . Also, the power adapter that comes with it can connect upto 3 devices in the same adapter and this saves some space on your power outlet if you have it mounted on your wall. It was quite handy for me to connect my 2 hue play light bars & 1 hue strip light.​ You need to download the app Philips Hue Sync app(different from hue app to control bulbs) from IOS app store or android google store and follow the steps to pair the bridge and sync box. It takes few minutes to update the latest and greatest software/firware and once done you can name your hdmi inputs(hdmi 1 as apple tv, hdmi 2 as fire cube and so on) then assign hue lights and setup friendly name for devices. Once you setup your lights placement using the graphical representation on the app, in the entertainment section its time to play lights in action. ​ The Hue Sync app has three adjustable sync modes: Video, Music, Game as icon. Once the sync mode is selected, you can adjust the intenstiy of the light. There are four intensity settings: subtle, moderate, high and extreme. I like subtle intensity when watching movies that way its not too distracting. ​ Overall, this sync box is the best TV bias lighting that syncs with hue lights with low latency and accurate color syncing in the market. Pricing is little expensive at $229 but if you have invested already in hue ecosystem then this is great addition to the home theater experience.​

I bought this on sale for $200, with an additional $50 gift card from Best Buy. I've been a fan of Philips Hue lights for a while now and getting the lights to react to the pictures on the TV is something I've wanted since day one. This device does just that. The Good I have three Hue lights in my living room, a light strip behind the TV and two lamps. I love how the lights react to certain zones on the TV. The light strip changes according to the colors on the middle of the TV, and the lamps react to the colors on the their respective lower corners of the TV (left lamp is tied to bottom left corner of TV) I'm waiting for a sale to add additional lights to the room. Light changes are quick and with the app you can adjust the brightness and intensity of the effect. You can also set it to react to sound so that the lights change color based on the sounds. Initial setup is pretty quick and straightforward. Playing games on the PS4 Pro is awesome. It really adds to the immersion. You can forget that the lights are on, but then something happens on screen, an explosion or a flash of light, and your whole room lights up and it's really cool. The Bad The Hue Play seems to be extremely picky about which HDMI cords it likes. When I initially setup the device, I used the short HDMI cable included to connect the Hue Play to my Roku Ultra and the image kept cutting out and flickering. I changed the HDMI and didn't have any problems. When I tried my PS4 Pro, the signal would drop randomly, the screen would go black and it would take a few seconds before the picture came back. Didn't have any issues with my Sony 4k disc player. I changed the HDMI I was using with the Roku to my PS4 and didn't have any problems with the signal dropping on the PS4, but when I went back to the Roku, random signal losses. I tried about 4 or 5 HDMI cables I had, and I even bought a brand new one, and only found one that would work, and it wasn't even the new one. I exchanged the Hue Play thinking, hoping, I got a dud, but the issues were the same with the new unit. So for now, I have three devices connected and I have three HDMI cables it likes. I hope by the time I want to add a 4th device there's and update that addresses this issue, or at least I'm lucky enough to find another HDMI that works with it. With my Sony 4k disc player I do get Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos pass through, but the color effect doesn't work right. It does change a little but the colors aren't accurate and usually stayed white, only changing in brightness. When I watch a 4k movie I'm not too concerned with adding the Hue color changing effects so I'm fine with it not working. I'd rather have Dolby Vision. As far as watching movies with the Hue Play, for me, having the lights in the room react when watching regular movies and TV shows didn't add a lot of wow factor. The colors are usually more muted and didn't impress much. Animated movies, however, look great. The vivid colors on screen look awesome when you have the same colors around the room. The same goes for playing video games. So I usually only enable the Hue Play when watching animated movies and playing games. I did watch the Taylor Swift concert on Netflix and the light effects were really cool there too, probably the most impressive, immersive experience yet. I'm using a sound bar along with this setup and I go back and forth between turning it on and off. If we're just watching something on OTA TV, it's usually off, and on when playing games or using Roku. This causes some issues with not getting sound when I switch the sound bar on sometimes and sometimes I have to turn everything off and on again to get it working. Not a huge problem, but worth noting. Conclusion All in all, it will impress you. I mainly use it when playing video games and with the occasional movie. I don't know if it's worth the regular price of $230, especially with the issues I've had and the fact that I don't use it daily. But, it does add to certain viewing experiences greatly and for $150, I'm mostly happy with it.