Sonos Set-Top Box Is Coming To Challenge Apple TV 4K But It Could Be Pricey

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Sonos has plans this year to launch a video streaming box and sources say that it could cost a pretty penny. It promises to be a one-stop shop for all your entertainment streaming services and needs, which is par for course in this category. However, the box also promises to be an HDMI switcher with passthrough capability AND (here's the big one) unlock the ability for owners to use individual Sonos speakers to create a surround sound setup, dropping the need for the prerequisite Sonos soundbar.

Codenamed "Pinewood," sources say that the square-shaped streamer box is going to be as thick as a deck of cards, have gigabit Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, plus will be packed with features. The features better be (very) good because pricing is expected to be somewhere between $200-$400. Even at the low end, Pinewood will be up against something like the very good NVIDIA Shield Pro; that's not to mention cheaper, well-established ones from Apple and Roku.

Nonetheless, final development of the Sonos box seems to be in full swing. When it arrives the device will seek to unify streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Max, etc. under a "beautiful" interface. Users will be able to initiate Sonos Voice Control to launch services, search, and so on, likely from a mic within the included remote control.

Perhaps the biggest hey-now moment is that Pinewood will also serve as an HDMI switcher with passthrough, which means folks can connect external devices (like gaming consoles and VR goggles) to the box. If the assumed size of Pinewood is correct, we could be looking at two, maybe three HDMI ports. According to The Verge, the box will be able to transmit lag-free wireless audio, effectively erasing any perceivable audio delay between TV audio and Sonos speakers.

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Pinewood needs to content with cheaper competitors like the Nvidia Shield TV Pro.

In the case of home theater setups, one of the most head-scratching things that Sonos has continued to do is require its soundbars to serve as the central hub. Thus, if users want to create a surround sound or Atmos speaker group, they can't just pair a few Sonos speakers (like the Era 100 or Era 300) and subwoofers together; the soundbar has to be the main control piece. Joy of joys, however, Pinewood could put a stop to that, although we'll find out soon enough which products will be supported.

There's no word on what the UI will be like, but we hope it's not as buggy as the Sonos app that started the company's woes last year. It'll probably look good and be easy to use, although we doubt that it'll be as customizable as Android-based systems. Speaking of which, we have to reiterate that Pinewood NEEDS to be very good and buttoned down in order to succeed. After all, there are plenty of already more-than-competent players out there, such as the $130 Apple TV 4K, the $79 Roku Ultra, and the aforementioned $180 NVIDIA Shield.