Philips hue with multiple triggers based on status of Sony TV possible?

Hi guys,

I have two Philips Hue Iris and a Sony 60w605b.
Now I would like to do the following:

If I turn on the TV and if it is after x pm, then the lights should switch on.
If I turn off the TV, then the lights should switchs off after x minutes.

Is that possible and if so, how?
Thanks!

It’s very possible, but the main question is how are you controlling the TV, because typically SmartThings is unaware of a/v equipment.

Some possibilities:

  1. through a smart power strip that the TV plugs into, although not everyone likes to cut power to their TV this way ($60 or so depending on exact device chosen)

(edited to update after @tgauchat 's comment below that you could just monitor the TV power draw this way, not actually cut it off, which is much easier on the equipment.)

So this option will be the cheapest, although it may require some custom code to use the energy monitoring option. There are usually community members happy to help with this.

  1. through the Harmony Home Hub universal remote. There is an official, although beta, ST and Harmony integration. ($99 to $150, depending on sale price) This will be easy to set up, but is more expensive than the power receptacle device.
  1. through the global cache ITach IR controller (hardware). You still need a software bridge. Some people use HAM bridge, some use Roomie Remote. ($99 or so for the ITach, typically another $40 or less for the software piece)

This gives you the most versatility, but is the most complex and probably the most expensive option.

There may be other options depending on the exact model of TV.

@kevintierney has a related model television and @scottinpollock has done a lot with A/V equipment integration, one of them may have more thoughts.

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@Johannes_Mattes…

Use a sub-$50 Appliance Module outlet, most new models have power usage monitoring (Watts). When the watts go up above a certain threshold, you know the TV has been turned on… In other words, no need to actually turn the outlet on and off (especially a bad thing for projectors).

Let me know if you’d like more details or help with the SmartApp… Might just map a Virtual Switch that “flips on” when it detects the TV is on…

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Thanks for the advice. I live in Germany - is this a problem (socket compatibility, availability/shipping)?

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That’s a great question.

The general answer is that despite the past few years of innovation growth in HA being largely based in the USA, more and more start-ups are originating in Europe, and multi-nationals in the US market have no reason to withhold expansion of their markets. Consumer product certification is a little tougher in Europe I believe (CE requirements?).

Import is not likely to be fruitful.

A good Community FAQ would be handy to address our international friends and identify regional solutions.

Let’s figure out what products are available for your market that will get you started…

There are several sockets made that would work (Aeon Labs covers that market for example), but do you already have a SmartThings hub? Only a few were made to Euroean zwave frequencies for the original kickstarter backers, the current version is US frequency only.

Almost impossible to get a plug with European voltage and US Zwave antenna.

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This FAQ already exists, feel free to add to it.

Also, just wanted to mention that in my personal opinion there has been a great deal of Home Automation innovation coming from Europe, at least as much as from the U.S. in the same time frame.

Philips is the obvious example. That’s a Dutch company. Full name “Royal Philips of the Netherlands.”

Zwave itself is a European-originated protocol.

And then of course there’s Asian companies (S*****g :wink: ).

So I’m not seeing HA as a US-driven technology. Just sayin’…

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I have the Philips Hue bridge. I don’t think I want to have a hub for each device/family of devices in my home, that would be a bit much.

Ideally, an app would monitor the TV (not by power usage but since it is connected to my router, there should be a way to query a status signal?) and tell the Philips Hue bridge to turn on/off the lights.

SmartThings apps run in the SmartThings cloud and require a SmartThings hub to register a user ID and grant access to the home control network. So you have to have the SmartThings hub to use the SmartThings apps.

But I’m sure there are similar solutions from other companies that you could find, perhaps some that work directly with WiFi and won’t require additional devices. The place to look for those would be the Sony forums for your country. Or other European home automation sites.

Hey Johannes,

Just to let you know, we’re having a UK developer call on May 19th . This would be a good time to bring that this integration up on the call, and see how we can assist.

Cheers.

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