Power conditioning
- Identify the breaker feeding the media wall outlet. If shared with HVAC / kitchen / bathroom heater, request a dedicated 15A circuit pull. The shared-breaker noise is the actual audible source, not the conditioner.
- Install Furman PST-8D — Series Mode Protection (doesn't degrade like MOV), LiFT line filtering, 8 outlets in two banks (digital / analog isolation). NOT a regenerator class — not measurement-justified at your gear tier per ASR.
- Bank assignment: Analog → Denon, KC62, one spare. Digital → S95F, Sync Box, Strato V, VRROOM.
- PC RTX 5090 — separate UPS / conditioner. Different load characteristics; would over-subscribe the PST-8D.
Acoustic treatment
Don't buy panels speculatively. Priority order, measurement-justified at each step:
- Floor-to-ceiling blackout drape on the right glass slider. Single highest-ROI action — eliminates the dominant specular reflection for the right LS50 Meta. Reversible, no wall anchors needed.
- Run REW + UMIK-1 measurements (or import MultEQ Editor data). Look for modal peaks above 10 dB at 60-120 Hz before buying anything else.
- If modal peaks confirmed: GIK Acoustics bass traps in front corners.
- If R-channel HF artifact visible: GIK Acoustic Art Panels (front wall above credenza, custom photo print option).
- Ceiling cloud (GIK Amplitude) — only if HF feels "live" after the slider drape. Most rooms don't need this.
Skip: speculative bass traps without measurement, decorative acoustic foam, full wall paneling, audiophile room correction services beyond Audyssey + GIK consultation.
Hue Sync Box scenes
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Entertainment Area composition | Gradient Lightstrip + Play bars + floor lamps only (exclude ceiling) |
| Entertainment Area 3D positioning | Hue app → Home → Entertainment areas → [area] → Edit → 3D grid. Drag each light to its physical position (left/right, front/back, height). The sync algorithm samples the screen region corresponding to each light's 3D position — wrong placement gives spatially incorrect colors (e.g., left light gets right-screen sample). Gradient Lightstrip is treated as multi-zone; each segment gets its own regional sample. |
| Minimum Brightness floor | 10-15% — Hue app → Sync Box device page → Settings (gear icon) → Entertainment area → Minimum brightness. Default is 0%. |
| Power Save | Never. Path: Philips Hue Sync app → Settings → Power Save → Never. Prevents Sync Box from sleeping during long paused sessions. |
| CEC power-state detection | On. Path: Philips Hue Sync app → Sync Box Settings → "Use CEC to detect your TV's power state to switch the Hue sync box on or off accordingly." Controls auto-wake/sleep with TV. Without this enabled, the Sync Box must be activated manually each session. Confirmed functional with Samsung TVs. |
| Sync mode — Video vs Game (per input) | Set per input in the Hue Sync app main screen. Video Mode: hue, saturation, and brightness all ease in/out with the Intensity slider — designed for cinema/streaming content with deliberate color shifts. Game Mode: hue and saturation respond at maximum speed regardless of Intensity; Intensity only affects brightness. Colors are more saturated overall. Use Game Mode for PS5 and Switch 2 inputs; Video Mode for Kaleidescape, Apple TV, and Switch 2 in movie sessions. Wrong mode (Video for games) produces laggy, washed-out sync. |
| Intensity | Moderate (movies), High (action), Subtle (TV); Intense default for Game mode — drop to High if PS5 titles produce excessive flickering. |
| Enhanced HDMI Compatibility | On. Path: Philips Hue Sync app (separate from the main Hue app) → Settings → HDMI area → Enhanced HDMI Compatibility toggle. Critical for Apple TV 4K + Dolby Vision — resolves DV handshake failures. Note: this setting lives in the Sync app, not the main Hue app. |
| Auto-activation Routine | Hue app → Automations → trigger "Sync Box turns on" → activate "Movie Mode" scene. Caveat: the Sync Box does not natively emit state-change events that Hue Routines can subscribe to. "Sync Box turns on" trigger may not function as a Hue Routine trigger. Alternative: Apple Shortcuts → HomeKit command. |
Hue Sync Box — Restart sequence when sync stops working
Community-validated order to clear CEC/EDID re-negotiation failures (applies to ATV + Sync Box + S95F chain):
- Power off source via remote.
- Power cycle Sync Box — Philips Hue Sync app: Settings → Restart, or unplug the box.
- Power cycle TV (full power off, not standby).
- Power on TV — wait for full boot.
- Power on Sync Box — wait for solid LED indicator (not blinking).
- Power on source device.
- If source is Apple TV: use Settings → System → Restart (not remote power off/on — remote toggle does NOT fully reinitialize HDMI).
Note: For persistent sync failure after the above sequence, perform a full Sync Box factory reset: remove from Hue app + hold reset button 15 seconds + re-add.
Open items — Tom action
Sources
power_and_acoustic.md hue_sync_scene_config.md hue_sync_box_deep_menu.md hue_sync_box_port_verification.md