If you want your smart lights to match your TV, you're going to need to know how to get this device set up right

So you've decided to take your entertainment system to the next level with smart lighting accompaniments. Immersive sound is one thing, but the Philips Hue Sync Box creates an immersive lighting experience when you're watching TV or playing games on your TV. It enables your smart lights to color-match whatever you're watching by setting up entertainment areas in the Philips Hue app. It works with everything from standard Hue bulbs to a full-on gradient lightstrip, allowing you to customize your entertainment area in a way that will elicit some serious "oohs" and "aahs" from anyone you invite over.

As you can imagine, enabling this kind of innovative technology is not as easy as flipping a switch. While Philips Hue is notorious for easy setup, getting the Philips Hue Sync Box to provide your home with the immersive lighting experience you've been promised will take a few steps. Fortunately, we're here to walk you through the process, step-by-step, so you can watch your favorite movies and shows in their full multicolored glory.

The Philips Hue Sync Box won't do anything by itself. If you want to enjoy this color-matching magic, you'll need more than this tiny black box to get it done. Fortunately, the Philips Hue ecosystem of compatible smart lights is incredibly vast, so you pretty much have your pick when it comes to getting your entertainment area set up.

Here are a few things you'll need before you can set up your Philips Hue Sync Box:

Smart lights. It may seem obvious, but you'll need at least a few smart lights to get the full experience of the Philips Hue Sync Box. They should be positioned in somewhat prominent locations near the TV, so you can actually tell the difference from scene to scene. In earnest, standard Hue bulbs won't add too much to your experience, but a gradient lightstrip will take your viewing to the next level.

Philips Hue Bridge. Like most Philips Hue products, the Sync Box needs the Hue Bridge to function properly. Hopefully, you already have a few Philips Hue bulbs at home, and the Hub is nestled securely by your router, but if not, you can get one in most Philips Hue Starter Kits or on its own.

HDMI-connected streaming device. The Philips Hue Sync Box is equipped with four HDMI ports, which is how it matches your lights to whatever you're watching. Subsequently, you'll need some kind of HDMI-connected streaming device—like a Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick, or any gaming console—to get it to work effectively for your entertainment system.

Entertainment Areas. In the standard Hue app, you'll need to create at least one Entertainment Area, which you'll later connect to in the Hue Sync app once you're finished with setup. This allows you to place and customize what kind of immersive lighting your various smart lights will utilize. It opens the door to a lot of customization, so be sure not to overlook this key step before getting started.

While the setup for the Philips Hue Sync Box is a bit longer, don't be intimidated. The company really does take ease of use seriously, providing instructions bordering on hand-holding to make sure you can get your lights ready and raring. Just follow the steps below, and you'll be on your way:

And that's all she wrote! Now, you should be able to access the Hue Sync app and see the screen below to start syncing your content to your smart lights.

The app allows lots of customization, including brightness and intensity, depending on what you need it for. We recommend steering clear of the Extreme setting, as it can get a bit jarring. Still, overall, we highly recommend checking out a Philips Hue Play Gradient Lightstrip to utilize this tech if you can afford it.

Conor Cawley is the Senior Writer for Tech.co and an avid defender of all things Android. His expertise in tech has been on display in Forbes and he has participated in events with SXSW, Tech in Motion, and General Assembly. He's also a stand-up comedian in Chicago who can't pronounce the word "colloquially." Twitter: @ConorCawley