It’s been a long time coming, but the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box has finally gotten a much-needed upgrade with support for 8K resolution TVs and HDMI 2.1. That’s great news if you’re looking to make your movies more immersive. It means the system will finally play nicely with 4K and 8K content at refresh rates of up to 120Hz. It also makes the box a better option for gaming – something we’ve been longing for.
The only downside is the price: the new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box 8K is listed for $349.99 (around £270 / AU$520). Given that many people found the previous box’s $300 price tag difficult to justify, that could make it an even harder sell.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Philips Hue Sync Box, it’s a device that connects up to four HDMI devices and syncs up to 10 Philips Hue smart lights with the content displayed on your screen. These can include light strips stuck behind your TV, as well as lamps and bulbs elsewhere in the room.
The idea is to ‘soften’ the edge of the screen, making the experience more immersive. It’s the same concept as the Philips Ambilight system, but doesn’t require you to buy a whole new TV.
Other smart ideas
If you’re looking to make your home theater or gaming setup more immersive with ambient lighting, Philips Hue and Ambilight aren’t your only options. There are also several systems from rival brands that use cameras to monitor the content on your TV or monitor, then project matching lights behind it. Our roundup of the best Ambilight alternatives includes a few good options, and the Nanoleaf 4D Screen Mirror system is particularly worth investigating.
These setups are much cheaper ways to get into the action, but if you’re using a camera there can be some lag compared to devices that connect via HDMI, and colors can be affected by reflections on the screen. According to The EdgePhilips claims that the new Sync Box will have no latency at all.
Do those drawbacks justify the cost of the new Hue Sync Box 8K? That’s up to you, but it’s worth weighing up all your options before you drop any cash on it. It’s also worth noting that Philips offers the Hue Sync app for Windows and Mac PCs, which does much the same thing as the Sync Box but for free. If you’re just going to be using it for a single PC connected to your TV, that’s a much better option. We’ll be putting the new box through its paces and giving you a full review soon, so you’re better off waiting until then to make your decision.