Here are two videos of the Hue play bars in action on an iMac using Hue sync, there is also a Hue Lightstrip in the mix too.

The Routines button takes you to a screen where you can configure Home and Away settings, configure fade on and fade off settings, and set timers to have the lights turn on and off at a specific time of day. I was under the impression that I could actually sync these with my tct, but just like regular Hue products, this is only possible through Hue sync. That's why Philips’ Ambilight TVs– which project onscreen colors onto the wall behind the television – are so appealing, allowing you to enjoy a dynamic light show that syncs up with what you're watching, adding an extra dimension to the coziness of your living room. The plain, thin, design makes the lights look like speakers on my desk and doesn't scream "smart connected lighting", which is exactly what I was trying to avoid.While there's no voice assistant support, at least the presence of a remote means you're not tied to your smartphone at all times, and you can always pass the remote over to your kids without worrying about them tampering with your expensive iPhone. People familiar with Hue and its apps shouldn't have much difficulty adding the Sync Box to their setups, but anyone else should plan to have some free time available.

Perhaps the biggest downside to the Play Bar is that it does require the Philips Hue Hub for just about everything.For this particular setup, I set the light bars horizontally behind my set, which managed to throw a relatively large swath of light on the wall. After a little fiddling, I created a “scene” for the Philips Hue Play light bars that served nicely as a static TV bias light. Since I went with the lights to complement my room lighting and desk setup, I utilized the included stands to place both lights in a vertical position on each side of my monitor. Also, bear in mind you'll need to have a couple of apps installed – Hue and Hue Sync – to work the controls fully, but that's not a tremendous hardship when the results look this good.

If I had a Harmony universal remote with a Harmony hub (I have an older Harmony One IR remote), I could have integrated the Hue Play lights into one of my Harmony “activities. The setup process went smoothly for us and only took about 15 minutes (including a firmware update to the Sync Box) to get everything functioning from start to finish. Compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant is convenient too if you don't want to keep seeking out your phone to control anything. I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor. All of these solutions allow you to adjust things accordingly so that the lights behind your setup can be as bright or as subtle as you like.

Response times and reliability are top notch, and the Hue lineup plays nicely with all of the smart home platforms, keeping things lit up even if you decide to change things up in the future. Like some of Govee's devices, this one will only sync with the music and sounds it hears, so there's no chance of it paying attention to the visuals popping up on the screen.