Hue Sync Box adds support for Siri control alongside Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content

Signify is releasing a new update to bring Siri voice control and support for HDR content to the Philips Hue Sync Box.

The Hue Sync Box has four HDMI inputs that allow you to connect various AV devices. The Sync box will then analyze the HDMI signal and recreate what is on-screen, using the Hue lights in your home. If an explosion happens on screen, your living room lights will illuminate in yellows and oranges for a more immersive experience.

The most recent update, available now, brings support to control the box via Apple's Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. That means you can ask Siri to start syncing your lights, to stop, to turn the box off, and to change the HDMI input.

Additionally, this updates brings support for IR remotes as was promised at CES 2020. You can use a Harmony universal remote or you can control it from any button on your existing remote. Many remotes have "favorites" or other buttons that go unused and now the Sync Box can learn those buttons so they can be used to change inputs or power it on and off.

This update also brings support for HDR content, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+ content. Your Hue lights can now sync to those while the signal is passed through to your TV.

The Philips Hue Sync Box works with your existing Hue lights and is available now on Amazon for $229.

6 Comments

braytonak 16 comments · 13 Years

About 4 years ago

Based on my own experience with the Hue Sync Box I can’t suggest anyone buy one, at least not with an Apple TV 4K and a basic 1080p TV. It fails to start syncing, forgets the hub it’s linked to, stutters and delays lighting changes, won’t connect to the app, and when it’s in a really bad mood it will turn the picture to digital snow or simply not pass a connection through.

When it works, it’s nice. It does add depth to the experience. But it is NOT worth the price.

razorpit 1793 comments · 17 Years

About 4 years ago

braytonak said:

Based on my own experience with the Hue Sync Box I can’t suggest anyone buy one, at least not with an Apple TV 4K and a basic 1080p TV. It fails to start syncing, forgets the hub it’s linked to, stutters and delays lighting changes, won’t connect to the app, and when it’s in a really bad mood it will turn the picture to digital snow or simply not pass a connection through.
When it works, it’s nice. It does add depth to the experience. But it is NOT worth the price.

Never had any of those issues. You try replacing your HDMI cables?

esummers 952 comments · 15 Years

About 4 years ago

razorpit said:

braytonak said:

Based on my own experience with the Hue Sync Box I can’t suggest anyone buy one, at least not with an Apple TV 4K and a basic 1080p TV. It fails to start syncing, forgets the hub it’s linked to, stutters and delays lighting changes, won’t connect to the app, and when it’s in a really bad mood it will turn the picture to digital snow or simply not pass a connection through.
When it works, it’s nice. It does add depth to the experience. But it is NOT worth the price.

Never had any of those issues. You try replacing your HDMI cables?

Yes, likely a cable issue. I was having these same issues with Dolby Vision falling out of sync. Dolby Vision requires no signal loss or it may fall out-of-sync and your picture will look awful until at least the next scene since it includes scene specific metadata. Adding two HDMI cables is going to degrade the signal further. Make sure to use cables rated for Dolby Vision and HDR. The specs need to be higher even if running at 1080p.

emoeller 588 comments · 17 Years

About 4 years ago

I was gifted one of these when they first came out last year. It was a bear to set up even though I only use it with one device (a 4K LG OLED TV with AppleTV 4K). Once it was set up it worked well, except that when movies came on in letterbox the lights were muted. Speculating that the Sync Box only samples near the four corners. Another issue that came up was if the internet went down, so did the Sync Box - video continued to work such as streaming movies from my iTunes on iMac. Can't imagine why the Sync Box would need an internet connection?

Overall I like it and would recommend it to someone with a high end TV and who was invested in Phillips Hue products.

I've just updated the Hue Sync app I think having Siri shortcuts is going to be very useful.