Any Hue Sync users out there? Hue Sync Box issue

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This has nothing to do with HE at all, but there are a lot of knowledgable people out here so...

I have a hue sync box connected to an LG TV and a Roku box. It has been working fine for a while, ever since Hue told me you actually can only have one active Hue sync box per Hue hub. A few days ago I noticed that the sync box would sync for a few minutes and then stop.

What has changed? Well, there's the tricky part. I had someone in to install a Sonos sound bar and subwoofer, though removing it has no effect on the problem and I can't see the correlation since he didn't change anything to do with the sync box or the Roku. I also did an upgrade to my Unifi APs, but I'm pretty sure it worked fine after that. I downgraded the AP to which the Hue is connected just to make sure. I've tried different Rokus, different HDMI cables, even a new sync box - the problem persists. I've tried creating a separate VLAN that only exists on one AP and switch port, and I've put the synx box and the hue hub on that test VLAN. I have two other synx boxes working on the same VLAN (different APs and switches though) . I have not tried swapping the Hue hub but otherwise it seems to be working just fine. I also disabled the Hue Sync device on HE just in case that was doing something. I even did a factory reset on the Sync Box and the Roku.

Hue support has tried but they're running out of ideas, and so am I.

Any suggestions?

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cant remeber which one altho one of the HDMI ports is sololy for sound when using sound output to something other than the TV

when id had simlar problems ... hue box ... LG TV ... Yamaha with dolby atmos ... i ended up playing around with other HDMI ports passthough on or off ... sadly the hue sync box was pushed out to fast ... still waiting for the firmware that will fix all :roll_eyes:

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Thanks... I have tried all sorts of combinations. Have a brand new HDMI cable on order today. Maybe that will do the trick.

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Does that tv use ARC to control the sonos?

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It does, yes... but the ARC HDMI connection does NOT go through the sync box.

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Shouldn't it sit in between the arc port and the sonos as passthru in order to receive sound to change the light patterns?

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Yes, if I wanted to enable music sync. But in my case it's just video sync. So it should work fine as is. But it's a good thought! Keep 'em coming.

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8

ok, so the sync sits between the tv input and the roku? Hmm... Got it. Dumb question, have you tried factory resetting the sync box?

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Never a dumb question. I've tried factory-resetting the sync box and the roku. I've tried a known working sync box from another room, and I've tried a brand new out of the box sync box. And another Roku. There are two other working sync box / hue hub pairs working in different parts of the house.

I am wondering if the HDMI cables I have tried are not of sufficient quality and I have a new one coming today. I don't know why this would be the case since it was working at one point and not much has changed... but who knows... maybe the older cable is more subject to interference or something.

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Make sure the cable 2.1 compliant as well

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11

Hey Brad...
Seems like I have the same problem as you. The lights will sync for a few minutes then stop. It started when I swapped out my old 1080 plasma for a LG OLED C3. Like you, I also have a Sonos sound bar. Anyway, I changed the cables from 1080P to 4K high speed cables from all my sources to the sync box. (cable box, Roku stick, and DVD player) I needed a long 25 foot cable to get from the sync box to the TV. I bought a 25 foot high speed active HDMI cable to connect to the TV.
I've been working with Phillips support people on this problem. Today I did a little swaptronics. I removed the 25 foot active HDMI cable that connects the sync box to the TV and replaced it with my old 1080P cable. Now the syncing works fine. I'm not sure if it's because I was using an active HDMI cable or not. Makes no sense to me. I do know that active cables change the medium from copper to fiber then back to copper on the TV end which is good for longer cable runs.

I wrote back to Phillips support and told them what I found but haven't heard back yet. I can't keep using my old cable with a 4K TV. I will let you know what they say.