Philips Hue cuts the price of TV light syncing

Philips Hue is expanding its TV light-sync lineup with cheaper hardware and its first camera-based solution.

The new Sync Box 4K starts at $150, compared with $385 for the 8K model. It has one HDMI input, uses HDMI 2.0 instead of HDMI 2.1, and supports 4K at 60Hz. Both Sync Box models use HDMI to capture visuals from connected devices such as streaming boxes and game consoles.

The Play Screen Sync costs $119.99 and works with any content displayed on the screen, including content from built-in TV apps. It uses a fisheye camera mounted above the screen, along with automatic calibration and color matching. Signify, Philips Hue’s parent company, says the HDMI sync boxes are more accurate, while the camera-based system can work with content the HDMI models cannot access.

All three Hue Sync solutions can now work directly with one Play strip light without a Hue bridge. A bridge can be added later if users want more lights.

Signify also introduced Hue Play gradient strip lights that can be cut to fit more TV sizes. A Pro version with black housing and OmniGlow technology supports TVs up to 100 inches. The 65-inch version starts at $179.99 and will be available September 15. The products were shown at IFA in Berlin and are going on sale right away.