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Anyone tried out the Philips Hue HDMI Sync Box yet?

Posted on 7/10/20 at 8:46 am
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 8:46 am
Seriously considering adding this to my home theater/gaming setup in the near future.

Just curious if anyone has it and what you think about it?
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 8:51 am to
i was tempted but its kind of pricey and i don't have enough hue color bulbs in my main tv room right now to get the full effect.

if i bought it i'd end up probably buying another $200 in light strips and other lighting too.
Posted by CarRamrod
Spurbury, VT
Member since Dec 2006
57426 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 8:59 am to
whats this i read about the round hue hub not working?
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 9:09 am to
Oh for sure. It is pricey. I was getting ready to put in the new colored recessed lights in my living room anyway. I would probably end up buying 4 light strips for the TV as well.
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 9:10 am to
quote:

whats this i read about the round hue hub not working?



The Gen 1? It is being phased out I think.

LINK
This post was edited on 7/10/20 at 9:11 am
Posted by Kracka
Lafayette, Louisiana
Member since Aug 2004
40757 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 9:37 am to
quote:

Anyone tried out the Philips Hue HDMI Sync Box yet?


What does it do? HDMI splitter?
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:09 am to
quote:

whats this i read about the round hue hub not working?
you still have one?

hit ebay or mctiger who probably has about 20 of the square ones lying around.

yeah they discontinued the round hub but you should be able to pick up the square one easily for $20
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:10 am to
quote:

What does it do? HDMI splitter?

HDMI pass through that 'inteprets' colors and stuff for video you are playing and attempts to make the room lighting mimic whats going on.
Posted by CarRamrod
Spurbury, VT
Member since Dec 2006
57426 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:15 am to
quote:

you still have one?

hit ebay or mctiger who probably has about 20 of the square ones lying around.

yeah they discontinued the round hub but you should be able to pick up the square one easily for $20

well yea.. haha

should i go for the 2nd gen or the 3rd. i dont want to buy the 2nd gen then they discontinue that one.
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:17 am to
quote:

What does it do? HDMI splitter?



Things like this.

And this
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:20 am to
quote:

should i go for the 2nd gen or the 3rd.
news to me there's a third

i think you'd be fine w/ any square hub since they all support homekit & form the backbone of most people's hue systems.
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:27 am to
quote:

news to me there's a third



From the article I linked...

quote:

A rep on social media also noted that “there is currently no scheduled end of life for the V2 bridge” and no plans in development for a successor, so your purchase should be safe for years to come. Plus, the newest Hue bulbs support Bluetooth, so they don’t need a hub for home control.
Posted by tigersmanager
Member since Jun 2010
7294 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:27 am to
Damn that thing is way overpriced
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 10:37 am to
One thing I can't seem to find an answer to...

The Hub has a Max of 50-55 lights.

The Sync Box says it supports 10 lights.

I am wondering if the 10 lights on the sync box count towards the 50-55 lights on the hub.
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 11:01 am to
quote:

Damn that thing is way overpriced
first exposure to hue?
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 11:02 am to
quote:

The Hub has a Max of 50-55 lights.

i'm definitely at the max but not b/c of hue; because of ikea candelebra bulbs and those old shitty GE link bulbs. i've found the hue to be the best at keeping them running even when they drop off, hue will find them and reconnect them.

quote:

am wondering if the 10 lights on the sync box count towards the 50-55 lights on the hub.

shouldn't. i think thats just the limit they put on the hdmi controller and you'd likely just pick 10 from the ones already paired for use w/ the syncbox.
Posted by mctiger1985
Baton Rouge
Member since Oct 2009
3693 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 11:25 am to
I have the sync box with 6 of the hue play lights on my tv. Bought it when Best Buy had it for $200 with $50 giftcard. Probably still paid too much. It obviously won't work if you use the TV smart apps. Also, doesn't handle some of the newer video formats I think.

The sync box doesn't actually contain the lights, it still communicates with the bridge, so it wouldn't double the lights.


Unlike CAD, I don't hoard most things, so I only have 1 spare hub and that's for when I soon reach the hub limit. I have a 4 bulb set, but that's spoken for currently. If something changes, I'll let you know. There is no 3rd gen hub.
This post was edited on 7/10/20 at 11:33 am
Posted by SG_Geaux
1 Post
Member since Aug 2004
77927 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 11:32 am to
quote:

Also, doesn't handle some of the newer video formats I think.


They recently added Dolby Vision which is what I was waiting on and now considering it.


I have an 85 in TV on the wall and a 6 foot long cabinet underneath for my gear. I also have two 4.5-5ft tower speakers.

I was considering...

A light strip on the back of each speaker - 2
A light strip along the back of the cabinet - 1
A light strip on the top and each side of the TV - 3
Recessed colored lights in ceiling - 4

That would make 10.

But my speakers are 2.5 feet from the sides of the TV, so not sure if that might be overkill.

If I used Play Lights I would definitely need at least 4. Two on top of TV and 1 on each side if not 2 on each side due to the size.
This post was edited on 7/10/20 at 11:50 am
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
77935 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 11:45 am to
quote:

Unlike CAD, I don't hoard most things


most of my stuff has been ebayed or put into use. i'm just a little slow...
Posted by guedeaux
Tardis
Member since Jan 2008
13608 posts
Posted on 7/10/20 at 11:46 am to
Damn that is pricey.

There are cheaper and more robust alternatives, although probably not as easy to set up if you are already tied into the HUE ecosystem.

For example:

1. Hyperion.ng on a Raspberry Pi for a TV
2. Prizmatic on a Windows PC
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