Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K review

The sync field avid gamers have been ready for… however has it been definitely worth the wait?

The Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K is a premium improve that brings immersive dwelling theater lighting to a complete new stage. With HDMI 2.1 assist for 8K resolutions and 120Hz refresh charges, it’s tailor-made for lovers in search of top-tier video and gaming experiences. It’s undeniably a hefty funding, particularly contemplating you’ll want further Hue lights and a Hue Bridge, however for these already embedded within the Hue ecosystem and seeking to supercharge their setup, the Sync Field 8K represents an excellent improve.


  • 4 x HDMI 2.1 ports

  • Superb immersive expertise

  • Easy to setup and configure

  • Vastly improved tech


  • HDMI handshake points

  • Costly

  • Does not work with native apps

  • Wants a Hue Bridge

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K: Introduction

Leakier than a moist weekend in Wales, the a lot anticipated next-gen Hue Play HDMI Sync Field lastly landed in September and, because the rumor mill urged it might, added assist for resolutions as much as 8K.

The brand new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K is a serious improve to Signify’s fashionable good lighting accent, designed to raise your own home leisure expertise.

Costing $350 / £300, which is $50 / £70 greater than the unique Hue Sync Field, the 8K choice is designed to harness the ability of the newest gaming consoles and streaming gadgets, with assist for HDMI 2.1, permitting customers to benefit from the highest high quality video and gaming content material with ultra-fast refresh charges.

The likes of Govee and AiDot even have sync packing containers in the marketplace now, at a lot smaller worth factors, however Hue has a loyal group and, as with all its launches, Signify can be hoping individuals are prepared to pay the premium.

Learn on, for our full Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K evaluation to search out out if they need to.

Design and organising

(Picture credit score: The Ambient)
  • 4 HDMI 2.1 ports
  • Wants a Hue Bridge
  • Works with a number of Hue lights

Like the unique, the Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K is a small, black field, about twice the scale of an Apple TV. It’s truly a contact greater at 249 x 183 x 72mm, however if you happen to’re switching it out for its predecessor, it’ll little question slot straight in the place you had it earlier than.

The Sync Field is basically an HDMI switcher, and works by being the command middle for all of your HDMI linked devices – so it will probably inform your lights what your TV is doing.

That signifies that it solely works with HDMI inputs and due to this fact not the native apps or channels in your TV. Hue does provide Samsung TV customers the power to do that with an app although, however that’s separate to the Sync Field.

hue sync box 8k ports hdmi
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

Like the unique Hue Play Sync Field, there are 4 HDMI inputs and one output, so you have got loads of scope to get varied set prime packing containers, consoles and streaming gadgets concerned. Nonetheless, as I’ll clarify in a bit, these HDMI ports are extra {powerful} than these discovered on the unique.

I plugged the Sync Field 8K into the again of my Samsung TV utilizing the HDMI out port after which plugged a bunch of streaming packing containers and dongles straight into the Sync Field’s 4 HDMI 2.1 enter ports; an Xbox Collection X, a Fireplace TV stick, the newest Apple TV 4K and my Sky Stream puck.

If you happen to’ve bought restricted HDMI ports on the again of your TV, it additionally doubles up as a useful extender too, as one turns into 4.

You may set it to modify robotically based mostly on which port is receiving energy… i.e. which set prime field is turned on and streaming, and you too can select a default or change from inside the app.

You may even, if you happen to like, prepare your TV or set prime field to manage the switching component because the Sync Field 8K has an IR receiver on the entrance.

The best way it really works is it takes the sign it receives over HDMI and relays these colours as lights across the display. There’s no want for a digital camera pointing on the display as there may be with some rivals.

hue sync box 8k nature lights
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

As with all issues Hue, nonetheless, it’s not low cost. Other than the field itself, to get essentially the most out of it you’re actually going to need a few of the devoted Hue Play lights in place to create the dramatic environment that you simply’re after.

The likes of the Hue Play mild bars are designed to be arrange round your TV display, and there’s additionally the wonderful  Hue Play Sync Gradient lightstrip, which makes every thing a bit simpler.

For my setup, I’ve a lightstrip across the again of my TV and a Hue Play Gradient Tube above the AV unit for additional results. I additionally experimented with some Bloom lamps pointing sideways however that was overkill.

The Sync Field is definitely suitable with any Philips Hue white or shade ambiance bulbs or fixture, and also you’ll additionally want a Hue Bridge in place too.

All in, you’re a minimal $500 / £500-ish funding. On the earth of dwelling theater nonetheless, that’s pocket change.

When you’ve determined what lights you need included and bought all of them in place, you undergo the leisure space arrange course of within the Hue app.

hue sync box 8k app settings set up
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

It is a pretty technical – however simple – course of that includes telling the app the place the lights are located within the room in relation to the TV and what peak they’re at (floor, TV peak or ceiling).

It’s all performed on an interactive map of your front room and the lights you’re positioning blink so you already know you have got the precise ones. Lastly, the lights blink in sync with the colours at the moment in your TV to point out it’s labored, and you may ask it to self-adjust if it’s not fairly proper.

You need to use as much as 10 lights per leisure space and have a number of areas.

Options

  • Quite a few modes
  • Depth and brightness will be configured
  • HDMI eARC on provide

With the up to date Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K you will get your good lights to sync with any content material in your tv display – so long as it’s piped in by means of an HDMI cable, as talked about.

Plug this small, smooth field into your TV, sync it up along with your Hue lights and sit again and benefit from the dwelling theater/immersive gaming expertise of your goals as your lights magically sync with something you want.

hue sync box 8k ports back
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

The Hue Sync Field 8K upgrades its HDMI ports to 2.1b with HDCP 2.3, and boasts compatibility with HDR10 8K video at 60Hz, good for film buffs seeking to stream the very best decision content material, in addition to 4K at 120Hz for avid gamers utilizing next-gen consoles just like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X.

Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos are all supported.

Bluetooth connectivity is now 5.0, and the USB port has been upgraded to USB-C. The gadget additionally boasts improved energy effectivity, with decrease standby and most energy consumption.

As talked about, it really works with a vary of Hue bulbs – you configure the structure within the Hue app – however the perfect expertise (for my part) is whenever you throw a Hue Gradient Lightstrip into the combination.

There is no such thing as a distant as a result of it robotically switches between inputs, assuming you have got an HDMI-CEC suitable set (which, in case your TV is lower than 10 years previous, you in all probability do). It’s also possible to press the button on the entrance to manually change.

Port 4 is an HDMI-eARC port, which helps you to hook up any sound bar or you may allow an ARC bypass if you want to join the Sync Field between an AV receiver and the TV.

I even have my Sonos Arc going straight into the eARC port of my TV so didn’t have to do that however, as with the unique, I did expertise some HDMI handshake points with the Sync Field.

Some days, we’d simply don’t have any sound on our TV. An influence cycle reset within the right order sorted this, however it was nonetheless annoying. I feel that is extra a Sonos eARC problem greater than a Hue downside, however it’s one thing to pay attention to.

Fortunately, different points I had with the unique Sync Field – primarily 4K points with sure apps by means of Apple TV – are all sorted with these super-powerful HDMI 2.1 choices.

There’s voice management with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri (by means of Siri Shortcuts, there’s no direct HomeKit compatibility with the Sync Field).

Voice instructions you should utilize embody beginning/stoping mild sync, switching inputs, altering modes (from sport to video), switching depth, and adjusting brightness. I discovered it simpler to create a Film Time Alexa Routine that set every thing precisely how I prefer it with one easy command.

In use and efficiency

The excellent news is that there’s no want for a separate app any longer, Signify rolled the Sync Field choices into the common Hue app final 12 months, so no extra leaping between two apps.

With the power to fantastic tune how your lights reply, from refined to intense, together with three modes – Video, Music and Sport – the app makes it tremendous easy to stand up and operating very quickly.

hue sync box 8k app settings
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

For individuals who like to fine-tune their expertise, the Hue app affords full management over brightness and depth, permitting for customized setups tailor-made to particular person preferences.

As soon as the Hue Sync Field is setup and also you’ve bought all of it “synced up” along with your lights and set-top packing containers the precise expertise of utilizing Sync is fairly freaking superior. My first check film was the the newest Avatar nonsense, which is a reasonably horrible film, however appeared incredible with the additional Hue lighting.

hue sync box 8k avatar blue lights
(Picture credit score: The Ambient)

We additionally did the complete Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy with the children on successive weekends and the sunshine definitely added an enormous wow-factor for us all.

The Field emulates the colours on the display, shifting across the room in time with the motion and lighting results of the film completely seamlessly, and there was no lag in any respect. The lights dance, change shade, flash, dim and brighten in good concord with what’s on the display.

Nonetheless, in some situations the brilliant, flashing lights will be distracting. I discovered that relying on what we had been watching, adjusting the depth was important.

On the highest depth you actually discover the lights reducing out and in and whirling round you – good for the blockbuster motion films, however not a lot for lighter motion issues like Poor Issues.

For these situations, I favor to have the brightness set at round 60% and the depth set to stage 2 of 4 of the depth scale. I discover this makes for an excellent atmosphere for issues like nature documentaries, with the colours and shades shifting naturally with the motion, as demonstrated beneath…

Clearly, for extra a extra intense viewing expertise, you may simply whack the brightness and depth to the utmost stage and it actually is kind of staggering simply how immersive and {powerful} the impact is, on the visuals on display.

Gaming at 120Hz with 4K can also be fairly wonderful, though – once more – maybe overkill for sports activities titles and retro platformers.

Watching common TV with Sync on – similar to information and sports activities – isn’t an incredible expertise although. Something with advertisements in simply turns into actually jarring and brilliant, even on the refined setting.

Last ideas

Sure it’s expensive and no, you don’t actually need one, however the Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K is a whole lot of enjoyable. Doubtless it enhances a viewing expertise and you may tailor its settings your coronary heart’s content material within the app.

If you happen to’re already closely invested within the Hue ecosystem it’s a straightforward improve, though the unique Sync Field continues to be on sale for a less expensive price-tag, so be sure you want all of the bells and whistles of the 8K mannequin earlier than splashing the money.

How we check

After we publish our critiques, you may relaxation assured that they’re the results of “dwelling with” long run assessments.

Good gadgets normally dwell inside an ecosystem, or a spread of merchandise that – supposedly – all work in concord. Subsequently, it’s not possible to make use of a tool for per week and ship a verdict.

As a result of we’re testing good dwelling package all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a specific good machine compares to alternate options that you may additionally be contemplating.

Our critiques are complete, goal and truthful and, in fact, we’re by no means paid on to evaluation a tool.

Learn our information on how we check to study extra.

FAQs

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Field 8K: Specs

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