- [Instructor] Did you know you can automate
your Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box with Google Assistant?
(light upbeat music)
In my last video, I covered off how to create
custom Google Assistant Routines.
Routines are great for creating a set of instructions
for Google Assistant in your connected home.
It enables you to trigger a number of actions
using only a single command.
However, not all third-party devices
that can be connected to the Google Assistant ecosystem
can be controlled by a Routine.
Philips Hue is arguably one of the biggest partners
for Google, so it's a shame that flagship devices
aren't natively supported by default.
In this video, I'll explain how you can get
the Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box to work
with Google Assistant Routines.
If you're not already familiar with Philips Hue,
it's a category of smart lights and devices
that can be controlled wirelessly via an app.
Their products include light bulbs, light strips,
and a number of different lighting fixtures
and accessories for indoor and outdoor use.
You can find more information on Philips Hue
via the link in the description.
The Play HDMI Sync Box was released in 2019
to extend the Hue line of products,
this time with a focus on home entertainment.
The device is designed to be connected
between your entertainment system, video game console,
or Blu-ray player and your TV.
It translates the incoming signal and converts it
into information that will control the light color
and intensity of your Hue lights in real-time.
This creates a deeply immersive experience while
watching movies, TV shows, playing video games,
or watching music videos.
What's more, the device splits up the incoming signal
corresponding to the quadrants of your TV screen
to match the positions of your lights in your room.
You can configure the app to correspond
with your environment near your TV and those lights
will match the colors and brightness
of the images on your screen.
You can connect up to four devices via the HDMI inputs
and control the input, intensity, brightness,
and type of playback via the official
Philips Hue Sync Box app.
The process to start using your Sync Box
can require up to four different actions.
You need to turn on your TV, change the HDMI input,
turn on your lights if not already on,
and activate the Sync Box.
While you could split this into four commands
for your Google Assistant,
it's much more convenient to use a Google Assistant Routine.
The Hue Sync Box isn't natively supported.
You are able to connect the Hue lights and devices
to Google Assistant but the Sync Box itself
isn't one of the listed devices you can select
when setting up Routines.
There is a workaround though,
which I'm going to walk you through now.
After you already connected you Sync Box
to Google Assistant.
In the app, go to Settings and then Voice Assistants,
and tap on Google Assistant to find a handy,
if limited, shortlist of example commands.
Unless you've renamed your Sync Box,
the default commands will all work
with your Google Assistant.
Make a note of the command Hey Google, start Sync Box.
To start creating your routine, open the Google Home app
and tap your profile picture.
Then tap Assistant Settings.
Scroll down to Routines.
Tap New, then tap Add Starter.
Then tap Add Voice Command.
I personally like it's movie time.
Then tap Add Action.
Then tap Communicate and announce.
Tap Say Something.
I like to have a little fun and have Google Assistant say,
"Brilliant, I'll get the lights and turn on the TV."
- [Speaker] Brilliant, I'll get the lights
and turn on the TV.
- [Instructor] Tap Add Action and Adjust Home devices.
And chose the Hue lights in the same room
as the Sync Box and TV and tap Done.
This next step is optional,
but you can also have the Routine control
your Google Assistant-enabled TV.
Tap Add Action and scroll down to Try adding your own.
You can then write out Turn on the Google TV
or use whatever name you've decided to call your TV.
Now, you want to add the action
that will turn on your Sync Box.
Just like the TV command, you can tap
Add Action and then Try adding your own.
Now write out the phrase from the Sync Box app
you noted before, replacing the name as necessary,
if you renamed your Sync Box.
Finally, tap Save and now your Routine is set up.
As seen from the steps to set up the Sync Box,
you can also make variations of this Routine to control
other Google Assistant-enabled devices.
There are a number of other devices available
on the market that can be added to Routines
by using the Try adding your own action,
such as your sprinkler system,
robot vacuum cleaner, and more.
For more help on setting up Google Routines,
check out my last video with this link.
As ever, if you made it this far and found the video
interesting and informative,
it'd be great if you were to Like it.
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about the connected home and personal technology.
♪ You're walking ♪