The easiest way to distinguish the sync box 4K from the sync box 8K is by looking at the back.
Sync box 4K has 4 HDMI input ports starting from the left.
Sync box 8K has a Setup button, Power, and USB connector from the left.
You can also tell if you have a sync box 4K or 8K by its appearance: the sync box 8K has a glossy ring at its top, while the 4K has a matte surface.
With a sync box 8K, all Dolby Vision is compatible with light syncing. *
With a sync box 4K, the following TVs have been tested and found to support Dolby Vision while syncing:
- LG 2017 and newer
- Sony (all)
- Vizio 2018 and newer
- TCL 2018 and newer
- Panasonic (all)
- Philips (all) *
With a sync box 4K, the following HDMI sources have been tested and found to support Dolby Vision while syncing:
- Apple TV 4K (all)
- Fire TV 4K (all)
- Chromecast Ultra (all)
- Nvidia Shield 2019 and newer
- Xbox One S/X (apps only)
Blu-ray players are not compatible with Dolby Vision while using the Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 4K.
* The Sync box is not compatible with Philips Ambilight TVs.
If you have the Hue sync box, you can use the Philips Hue app to control it. The Hue Sync desktop app is only used if you want to sync your lights to a computer screen.
Follow these steps:
You can create an Entertainment area in the Philips Hue app, which illustrates how many lights you have, where and at which height the lights are located, and how your system should use them while syncing.
For the best results, we recommend using several Philips Hue color-capable smart lights. Try Play light bars placed around your TV, a Play gradient lightstrip attached to the back of your TV, and lights such as the Go accent light or Signe floor lamp in and around your seating area.
Yes. The Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box functions as an HDMI splitter and transfer device, meaning that you can connect it to your receiver or soundbar.
If you have an audio receiver or soundbar in your media setup, follow these instructions to enable Music mode:
Setup 1
HDMI media device > Hue sync box > receiver/soundbar > TV
Disable ARC bypass
Setup 2
HDMI media device > receiver/soundbar > Hue sync box > TV
Enable ARC bypass. If Music mode doesn’t work, set your receiver’s audio output to both speakers and TV.
Setup 3
HDMI media device > Hue sync box > TV > receiver/soundbar
Disable ARC bypass
The sync box 4K supports ARC only, while the sync box 8K supports both ARC and eARC. The sync box 4K supports ARC bypass on all inputs, while the sync box 8K only supports it on input 4.
No, because smart TV apps run directly on the TV itself, meaning there is no HDMI device to plug into the sync box. In order for your Philips Hue smart lights to respond to the content on your TV screen, the content must pass through the sync box via an HDMI input via an external device.
If you want to use your smart TV apps, you can use the Hue Sync TV app on compatible Samsung TVs. The Sync TV app is available on 2022 and newer Samsung QLED TVs in the Q60 or higher range (support for Q700 coming soon). If your TV supports the Sync TV app, it will appear when you search for it in Apps. Alternatively, check the product specifications of your TV model on www.samsung.com.
Yes, Dolby Atmos is supported in Pass through for all syncing modes. Light sync for Dolby Atmos content is supported for Video and Game mode, but not for Music mode.
Yes, but your lights will not sync to the screen. 3D content is supported in Pass through mode — your content will display on your TV screen, but your lights will not react.
Yes. HDR10 and HDR10+ are supported in pass through and light sync modes.
The highest resolution and refresh rate for the sync box 8K is 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz.
The highest resolution and refresh rate for the sync box 4K is 4K at 60 Hz or 1440p at 120 Hz.
Restore your Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box to its factory settings with these steps:
Sync box 8K:
1. Press and hold the Setup button on the back of the sync box for 10 seconds.
Sync box 4K:
1. Unplug the Hue sync box from power
2. While the Hue sync box is still unplugged, press and hold the button on the front
3. Continue to hold down the button while you plug the Hue sync box back in to power
4. When you see the LED indicator on the front of the Hue sync box light up, release the button.
Both the sync box 4K and 8K have an LED indicator on the front. The indicator shows different colors for different things:
- No light: Powered off
- Purple: Booting up
- Red: Standby
- White: Passthrough mode (not syncing lights)
- Flashing white: Light sync mode (syncing lights)
- Flashing blue: Wi-Fi setup (this mode only appears during setup)
- Flashing yellow: Wi-Fi error
- Green: Firmware update in progress
- Flashing red: Temperature error
If you can't find your Wi-Fi network when setting up your sync box, try the following:
The sync box 8K uses a different power supply than the sync box 4K, and are not interchangeable.
The cable that comes with the sync box 8k supports HDMI 2.1, which means it supports a higher resolution and refresh rate compared to the cable that is provided with the sync box 4K. The cable that comes with the sync box 4K is HDMI 2.0, and it's not interchangeable.
The Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K support 8k at 60 Hz and or 4k at 120 Hz on all 4 input channels. If you want to use ARC bypass functionality, you'll need to plug it into HDMI input 4.
The sync box 8K supports your HDMI content — and it was designed to continue supporting it well into the future. It syncs with any HDMI device, supporting formats up to 8K at 60 Hz and 4K at 120 Hz. Whether you have the latest gaming consoles, streaming devices, or set-top boxes, the sync box lets your lights react to the action on your TV screen.
Additionally, the sync box 8K also supports HDMI 2.1, whereas the sync box 4K supports HDMI 2.0.
The sync box 8K comes with a 1-meter HDMI 2.1 cable.
Yes! However, any device connected to the Sync box 4K will be limited to the maximum output of that sync box: 4K at 60 Hz and HDMI 2.0.
Yes! However, you can only have one active syncing session at a time.
Hue sync box and ARC setup
Learn more*When a bulb displays "Up to" a certain number of lumens in its specifications, it displays the maximum lumen output of the bulb. It shows how bright the bulb can get at 2700 K (White bulbs) or 4000 K (White ambiance or White and color ambiance bulbs). Learn more about brightness.
