The fun part of the setup process is deciding which Philips Hue lights you’d like to use, and where. The $130 Philips Hue Play light bar two-pack is an almost essential ingredient to any Hue Play HDMI Sync Box setup. Getting the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, which resembles an all-black Apple TV with five rear HDMI ports, not only takes some doing, it also involves a fair amount of planning, both in terms of how you’d like to set up your lights and also depending on your preferred AV setup. If, on the other hand, an array of syncing lights around your TV sounds awesome, read on. If the idea of pulsing lights synced to your TV screen sounds way too distracting, then the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box probable isn’t for you. static TV bias lighting debate here, but in the end, it all comes down to taste. You can read more about the responsive vs. Many videophiles and professional video creators prefer a bias lighting setup that’s far more subtle, typically resulting in a dim halo around the screen at a precise color temperature that boosts the perceived contrast of the screen while reducing eye strain.
Of course, there’s a school of thought that says such “responsive” TV bias lighting is more distracting than immersive, and that it can distort the picture on your screen. The more accurate and precise the syncing is, the more immersive the experience. The whole idea behind the HDMI Sync Box is to boost the immersion of whatever you’re watching by precisely syncing your surrounding Hue lights with the picture on your screen.
The kind of TV “bias” lighting that the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box enables isn’t for everyone. ‘Responsive’ versus ‘static’ TV bias lighting That said, those who are already invested in the Hue ecosystem (which is, in our opinion, tops when it comes to smart lighting) won’t feel the sting quite as badly. So yes, getting the Sync Box up and running from scratch could be a pricey proposition, given that the components I just ticked off would set you back $410.
You’ll also need a Hue Bridge Remove non-product link, which goes for about $50, not to mention an arsenal of Hue lights, including (at least) the $130 Hue Play light bar two-pack Remove non-product link. The HDMI Sync Box itself costs $230, and that’s only for starters. The effect is impressively immersive given the Sync Box’s color accuracy and low latency, although you’ll have to deal with a somewhat complex setup process, not to mention the lack of a physical remote or any support (yet) for third-party universal remotes.Īnother issue is cost. Indeed, this device does precisely what it says: It syncs the images on your TV screen with your Hue lights by processing the video signals that arrive through your home theater’s HDMI cables. Not everyone wants pulsing lights around their TV screen while watching videos or playing games, but if you do, the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box is currently the best way to make it happen.
0 kommentar(er)
