Mac Mini + Smartthings + Logitech Harmony + Philips Hue

Developer Programs Writing SmartApps
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Ok, here’s a wild idea that suddenly came to mind… if anyone finds a way of developing it…

I’ve got a mac mini connected to my amp and my flat tv.

I’ve also got (obviously) the smartthings hub set up at home.

And I’ve also got the philips hue system and a logitech harmony home control remote…

would there be any way of linking the four together so that via an app in the mac we could have a kind of ambilight system?

Any takers?

Am I crazy?

Thanks!

2

Not exactly Ambilight as you still have no way of knowing what colors are being displayed on the TV, but many cool integrations can be done with the SmartThings, the Mac, Hue, and much more using HAM Bridge. Not sure about Harmony as last I checked they don’t expose their API.

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Thanks for the answer! I was thinking of something along the lines of:

  • Firing “Watch TV” mode on the smartphone/smartwatch
  • That would turn off the main lights, but keep the lamps near the tv on (with hue bulbs, also thinking about the hue strip)
  • have the mac turn on an app that would analise the Elgato TV stream, also in the same machine and send the colours to the bulbs/strip…

Sounds “doable”?

4

There are some android/iOS apps that do this currently. I wonder if you could tie into those?

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rockawaylabs.huey&hl=en

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I’ve got Huey for android but the Mrs doesn’t want a smartphone or some other device pointed at the TV 24/7… lol! That’s why I was looking into integrating it into the mac system… I also saw the raspberry version… was considering it too… I dunno yet which way I’ll go…

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This may be an option for you. I have not tested it since I do not have any Hue bulbs, but it’s worth a shot

7

Possibly. Does Elgato’s software support analyzing the colors in its stream? If not, what app would you use to do this, and is it AppleScriptable?

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That’s exactly what I’m talking about… does anybody here know how to do it? analyze the mac’s screen and send the info to the Hues… I’m no programmer… I just have the crazy ideas! lol!

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Youza!!! I’ll give it a shot this weekend! Kinda sorta what I was looking for! Awesome!

Thanks!

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There is a Kodi plugin that I use, and it works fairly well. You’ll only get the effect for material played through Kodi, so no Xbox or Playstation love. Still, it syncs better and is more practical than Ambihue or anything requiring a camera IMO.