WiZ HDMI Sync Box launches for less than half the price of Philips Hue HDMI Play Box

After appearing in a leak last month, the WiZ HDMI sync box has now been officially announced. The HDMI sync box arrives as a more affordable alternative to the Philips Hue HDMI sync box (available on Amazon for $249.99). For those who don't know, both WiZ and Philips Hue brands are owned by Signify, the dutch-based company formelry known as Philips Lighting.

The WiZ HDMI sync box is available in two options, both of which come with TV backlight. There's a model for 55'' to 65'' TVs which is priced at $89.99 in the US and €89.99 in Europe while the other is made for 75'' to 85'' TVs and costs $109.99 in the US and €109.99 in Europe.

The HDMI sync box has a single HDMI input port (the Philips sync box has four) that connects to your streaming stick, set-top box, or game console which allows it to directly read the content being played on the TV and then mimic the colors on the screen. It also has an integrated microphone that captures audio being played and syncs the lights to it.

Owners will be able to choose from four pre-set light modes such as cinematic, relaxation, vibrant, or rhythmic. They also have control over the brightness, color saturation, and intensity and can set the device to auto-switching which allows it to automatically start once it receives a signal from the connected HDMI device. In addition, owners will be able to control the sync box with the WiZ app, voice assistant (Google or Alexa), or the WiZ remote control.

The WiZ HDMI sync box supports HDMI 2.0 devices, up to 4K 60Hz, and HDR 10+ or Dolby Vision. While it comes with its own backlight, it is also compatible with other WiZ color-capable lights that support both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There isn't a limit to the number of lights a user can connect as the only thing that matters is that they are all on the same Wi-Fi network.

WiZ has also announced gradient light bars and gradient floor light that work with the sync box. The latter is a pair priced at $59.99/€59.99 while the floor light costs $89/€89.99. The lights can display up to 16 million colors and are compatible with Matter.

Signify says the WiZ HDMI sync box and the gradient lights will be available to buy this month globally.