Sonos TV could be a winning combination of a Roku and an AV receiver
A Sonos patent, filed on December 14 last year, suggests that the company’s plan to develop a streaming box to rival Roku and Apple TV could also have multiple HDMI ports, presumably for connecting external devices such as sound bars, game consoles, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray players. Ray players and so on.
A recent analysis of the Sonos TV patent has been released via Lowpasswhich discussed how to connect the all-in-one media box to one of the best TVs with just one HDMI cable.
While it hasn’t yet been officially confirmed by Sonos, which makes some of the best wireless speakers around, this new device could hit the market in late 2024/early 2025 and cost around $150-200 as an earlier report from Bloomberg true is. Sonos TV will reportedly include apps from streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus, and will also support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.
If the patent’s multiple HDMI ports eventually make their way to the device, the Sonos TV could potentially sync audio with an entire sound system and act as a kind of A/V receiver. The single connection is also reminiscent of the One Connect Box found on some Samsung TVs – such as one of the best OLED TVs around, the Samsung S95C – which allows multiple external devices to be connected to a box that is then plugged in . by connecting a single cable to the TV, so everything stays tidy.
It’s also suggested that Sonos TV may have a new control app, similar to the ones the speakers and soundbars use for setting and adjusting settings, instead of a remote. It appears that Sonos is in favor of a second screen control method instead of a remote control, as the patent reportedly says that “using a smartphone (…) is much easier than navigating a conventional television menu.”
Another big part of the patent explores a ‘Friends & Family’ feature that will allow users to follow each other and make movie and TV show recommendations, adding yet another layer to the Sonos TV device.
Interestingly, there is also mention of the Sonos TV without an app store. The patent suggests it would leave that up to app management and streaming app updates to control the device itself, replacing the built-in app stores found in other streaming devices from Amazon, Roku and Apple .
It’s worth emphasizing at this point that this is all speculation, as nothing has been officially confirmed by Sonos. This information was gathered from a pending patent application, meaning there will likely be significant differences between this application and the final product. But if Sonos manages to pull off the Sonos TV, what does this mean for the future of home theaters?
Sonos has always been about connectivity and smart streaming. The ability to control the speakers in different parts of a house by linking them in one app was one of its strongest features.
Digging deeper into the patent, it looks like it now wants to do this with the video side as well, further integrating devices into one seamless control app. If Sonos can really take a more cable-organized approach, similar to Samsung’s One Connect, while Also as a streaming unit, this could truly be an all-in-one solution.
The more you read into the patent, the more it starts to sound like some kind of A/V receiver. The Sonos TV looks to go beyond a simple streaming box and become more of a home entertainment hub system that will allow users to connect all their devices to one box, which will then distribute sound evenly across the TV, Blu-ray, soundbar and other devices . so all from one cable, but Also be a media center for all streaming apps like an Amazon Fire Stick or Roku Stick.
There’s not much on whether the sound from the Sonos TV box itself could then be passed on wirelessly to surround speakers, but in theory this would solve any sync issues. If this could be achieved, the Sonos TV would truly be an all-rounder.
It’s fun to speculate about this, but I repeat: none of this is confirmed or official and the Sonos TV could be a completely different product. However, if all of the above succeeds, it is unlikely that it will be only $ 150-200…