MelActually, this should have been the case by the end of 2019, but finally there is a highly official announcement and probably an update soon: the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box finally gets further improvements. First and foremost concern is the connection to infrared remote controls.
Signify lets us know in a press release:
Soon, any infrared TV remote control (standard and universal) will be able to control the Sync Box, for example, to switch it on and off and switch between HDMI inputs. The Sync Box can be configured via the app to respond to every button on the standard TV remote control or to switch smoothly between several devices via universal remote control – making the Sync Box even more convenient for everyday use in home cinema.
But it gets even more interesting: the Sync Box also gets a connection to the three big voice assistants Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri. Therefore, in the future you will be able to use one of the language assistants to switch the Sync Box on or off, change the light setting or change the input.
As soon as the update is released, I will reactivate my currently out of order Sync Box and give it a second chance.Signify officially mentions spring 2020 as a possible time frame for the release. After all, the update addresses a point that I didn't like at all so far.
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Fabian
