Sonos is in trouble. A pricey streaming box won’t help

How the heck did Sonos get here? I’m still in a state of slack-jawed shock considering how Sonos torched its once-sterling reputation with last year’s epic app fail. I’m even more surprised by what Sonos is supposedly teeing up as a Hail Mary. 

The idea of Sonos jumping into video streaming isn’t a new one; as early as 2022, the company was busy on LinkedIn, recruiting experienced video staffers to help with a “home theater project.” Then last September, we learned that Sonos had joined forces with (uh oh) a digital advertising firm to firm up a TV OS for the device. (We’ll get to that in a bit.) 

Now comes word from The Verge that Sonos is “deep into development” on this TV streamer, codenamed Pinewood. Not only could Pinewood be just months away from release, but it might also be Sonos’s “only new hardware due anytime soon,” the publication says. 

This news story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media streamers.

This streaming box, according to The Verge, is just that: a box, in the shape of a “flattened black square and slightly thicker than a deck of trading cards.” In other words, a device that looks like plenty of other streaming players on the market. 

What won’t be like other streaming devices will be the purported price: somewhere between $200 and $400, The Verge says.  

Even at the low end of that range, $199 would be eye-poppingly expensive for a streaming player—the Apple TV 4K, in comparison, tops out at $149, while the high-end Nvidia Shield Pro is still only $180. Could I envision Sonos slapping a $299 or even $399 price tag on the thing? Sure. 

For something that expensive, one would hope for some truly ground-breaking tech inside. Is there?

For its part, The Verge suggests that the Sonos streamer will offer an integrated HDMI switch, allowing users to plug their video sources into the box and alleviate some of the lip sync and other issues that occasionally plague HDMI connections between soundbars and smart TVs.  

Well… OK, that’s a start. More enticing is the possibility that the rumored box will let you build a complete wireless home theater system out of your existing Sonos speakers, rather than relying on a Sonos soundbar like the Arc Ultra.  

One could imagine using a pair of Dolby Atmos-enabled Sonos Era 300 speakers for the left, right, and height channels, a Sonos Five for the center channel, and a couple of Era 100s as rear satellites, not to mention the Sonos Sub for the low- frequency effects (LFE). (You can connect other Sonos speakers to Sonos’s soundbars, of course, with some limitations.) 

So yes, that’s interesting. But then we get to the software, the issue that got Sonos into hot water in the first place. 

(This might be a good time to note that Sonos hasn’t announced anything about its purported Pinewood streaming box. That said, The Verge has been batting a thousand with its Sonos scoops lately.) 

Word has it that the “beautiful” interface on the Sonos device lets you browse titles on all the big platforms, from Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ to Max and Netflix, and that you’ll be able to navigate with your voice (via Sonos Voice Control) and a physical remote (with shortcut buttons for streaming services, a la Roku). 

Well, fine, although most streaming players already offer universal search in one form or another. Here’s what’s more concerning: that Sonos has reportedly partnered with The Trade Desk, a digital ad firm, to develop the player’s OS. 

We haven’t seen this interface in action, but The Trade Desk’s marketing makes much of its “cleaner supply chain for streaming TV advertising” and “ensuring maximum ROI for every advertising dollar,” all while “finding relevant audiences with greater precision,” which sounds suspiciously like tracking. 

To be fair, advertising has become an inescapable part of the streaming landscape, and the more affordable your streaming hardware is, the more aggressively your viewing habits will be studied and sold. But I’d certainly think twice about cracking my wallet for a premium streaming box with software developed in part by an advertising firm.  

I’m sure Sonos users will be leery too, especially after the company fragged itself last year with a botched software update (timed with an ill-advised foray into Bluetooth headphones) that ultimately led to the resignation of its longtime CEO. 

So, what’s the appeal of this (still only rumored) Pinewood streaming player, and who’s going to spend $200, $300, or even $400 for it? I’m stumped.  

“Speakers, bro,” someone wrote in a Reddit discussion about the rumored Sonos streaming box, and I’m inclined to agree.  

Sonos used to be about great speakers, working together wirelessly, with great a great app acting as the glue. Simple! So, how did we get here?