To use Hue sync you need an entertainment area set up, here you can position each of the Hue play bar lights as they are positioned behind your TV. Streaming content from Netflix and other services from an Apple TV 4K on a 50-inch 4K LG worked well and we had no complaints around picture quality. This all adds up to the Philips Hue line having rock solid reliability and extremely fast response times, which is exactly what I am seeing with the Play Bar. The Hue Play Light Bars come in a pack with two plastic light bars (available in black or white), two vertical stands, two clips for mounting the bars on the back panel of a TV or monitor, double-sided tape and mounting screws, and a power pack.

People familiar with Hue and its apps shouldn't have much difficulty adding the Sync Box to their setups, but anyone else should plan to have some free time available. You'll need to commit to a set size light strip that works for you and your TV – 55-inch, 65-inch, or 75-inch – so if you’re planning to upgrade soon, it's a wise idea to hold off till you know what size you're getting.

The Hue Play HDMI Sync Box makes Hue lights explode from behind your TV and shouldn't fail to pull you into most movies and shows. At first, I paired the Play Bars with a HomeKit remote and had it set to simply change it to a single color. If you change your mind about an Ambilight alternative, you can place them in a different room too and they'll still look great.

A versatile smart light, it makes the perfect accent piece for any living room, entertainment space or media room. If you want your Hue lights to match what's on the screen from your cable box, Apple TV, and Xbox, then each of those has to be plugged into the Sync Box. The double edge sword here is that for people most likely to invest in Hue Play Bar Lights and the Sync Box to enhance their entertainment area, are probably the same ones investing in the highest quality TVs and movie watching. I renamed my new scene “TV Bias” and turned it on and off by flicking a virtual switch in the Hue app.

Once all was said and done, using the Philips Hue Play light bars for static bias TV lighting looked pretty good to my eyes. Just like with all of the Philips Hue line, along with all color lighting in general, the Play Bar struggles to represent one color in particular, which is green. That said, this feature works with any other hue lights and I have used a hue go until I purchased the bars.

I recently began thinking about adding some accent lighting or bias lighting to my desk setup, and despite a plethora of options now available on the market, I just couldn't resist the allure of going back to Philips Hue. With millions of colours from which to choose and countless lighting options, you can turn any living room into a private cinema – all you need to bring is the popcorn!Likewise, I'd love to be able to sync the Play Bars with Netflix movies streamed directly to my TV rather than have to use my laptop as the video source. Our team of Apple experts have years of experience testing all kinds of tech and gadgets, so you can be sure our recommendations and criticisms are accurate and helpful. inches wide, and has a white translucent lens covering, a rubberized base with three mounting holes, and a 78-inch power cable. If you already have a Philips Hue Bridge, the Philips Hue Play makes for a nifty way to add bias lighting to your home theater setup, or (even better) as a responsive bias light for your computer monitor.

Enjoy different styles throughout the year, whether it's the crisp white light reminding you of a spring breeze, the warm white light of a summer sun or the ice-cool daylight of winter. PCMag is obsessed with culture and tech, offering smart, spirited coverage of the products and innovations that shape our connected lives and the digital trends that keep us talking. If you're on a budget though, a Nanoleaf Essentials Lightstrip will also do the job, if not with as much style. The hub requirement applies to not just the smart side of things, but also for simply turning the lights on and off without pulling the plug. Setting up the Hue Play Sync Box is straightforward, but will likely require re-doing you TV's entertainment area in some form.After a few weeks and dozens of movies we didn't see any hiccups or issues with the hardware box or effects it produced. You can operate the Hue light bars just like a Hue bulb, they are completely adjustable just like other Hue lights, so you can set one to blue and the other to green. They give a good clear glow and as said before they are well diffused so there is no sign of any LED’s like on a light strip.