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

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
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.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Now With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 was finally widely released to the public on Monday, September 16. The update is available in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple shared a complete list of new features and changes last week. Note that Apple...
iOS 18 Apple Account Name Feature 2

RIP, Apple ID

Tuesday September 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
The "Apple ID" era is officially over. The transition from "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" went from a rumor to an official announcement to something that has now been fully completed. As of this week, the account.apple.com website is fully updated with Apple Account branding. "Apple ID is now Apple Account," the page says. "You can still sign in with the same email address or phone...
M4 Mac mini Black Ortho Cooler

Apple Leaks New Mac Mini With 5 USB-C Ports

Monday September 16, 2024 11:40 am PDT by
Apple has seemingly leaked the rumored next-generation Mac mini with five USB-C ports, according to a code change within Apple software that was discovered today by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The code refers to an unreleased Mac mini model with an Apple silicon chip and five ports, which lines up with a previous report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman that said the next Mac mini will be ...
m4 iPad Pro Horizontal Feature Purple and Blue

Apple Pulls iPadOS 18 for M4 iPad Pro After Bricking Complaints [Updated]

Tuesday September 17, 2024 11:24 am PDT by
Apple stopped signing the iPadOS 18 update for the M4 iPad Pro models, which means the new software is no longer available to be downloaded and installed at the current time. The update appears to have been pulled following complaints from some iPad Pro owners, who found that the update bricked their devices. There are reports on Reddit from iPad Pro users who had an interruption in the...

Top Rated Comments

steeevo Avatar
56 months ago

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.
Do you have an iphone in your house?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DeepIn2U Avatar
56 months ago
I have no idea what this device does??
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
beanbaguk Avatar
56 months ago
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.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scotttnz Avatar
56 months ago

I have no idea what this device does??
It synchronises hue smart lights with the picture on your TV. So the colour of the lights matches what is on the screen. I might have to get one if this update works as advertised.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Woyzeck Avatar
56 months ago
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.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oneday_harvey Avatar
56 months ago

Anyone have this to comment on its worth?
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.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)