Would You Pay $400 For An Android TV Box From One Of The Most Controversial Names In Streaming?
Lil Katz / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Speaker-maker Sonos is reportedly working on its first streaming TV box, codenamed Pinewood
- Pinewood would run Android TV and offer an interface that attempts to unify content from all your streaming services.
- Commensurate with the company’s premium speaker pricing, Pinewood could sell for as much as $400.
When it comes to hardware for streaming video, you’ve got plenty of affordable options on the lower end, but what about the more premium space? We’ve got last year’s $100 Google TV Streamer as sort of the diving line between those cheap and pricy models, and while you could move up to the $150 NVIDIA Shield TV or $200 Shield TV Pro, those are both getting a little long in the tooth. What about some fresh blood? We may just have a new option before you know it, as a report outlines plans for a TV streaming box from Sonos.
You’re probably familiar with Sonos as the once-lauded manufacturer of reasonably premium soundbars and home audio solutions. Not only has competition gotten a lot fiercer in that space from more affordable alternatives, but Sonos made a few big missteps when it came to its apps, seriously harming the brand’s reputation. Now as the company looks to what’s next for it, The Verge reports that it’s developing a streaming box codenamed Pinewood.
Pinewood would run Android TV but focus on what sounds like a bespoke interface designed to collate content from all your streaming subscriptions all in one centralized, searchable spot. You know: Pretty much what everyone, Google included, has been trying to do for years (to varying degrees of success).
The hardware is described as a relatively plain-looking small black box (not unlike the NVIDIA Shield, below), but equipped with a bevy of HDMI connections, which could be key to Pinewood’s role not just as a source for streaming content, but as a hub for your entertainment devices. Low-latency processing could help things like game consoles connect with Sonos speakers with minimal lag. And speaking of speakers (no pun intended), Pinewood could scratch a major Sonos itch by letting users connect multiple discrete Sonos speakers to use as a multi-channel setup, rather than leaning so heavily on soundbars.
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
Admittedly, there’s some potential there. It sounds like Sonos is interested in tackling some issues that should absolutely resonate with consumers — assuming it can actually pull this ambitious effort off. But even if it does, will it be able to do so at a competitive price point? Sonos has never really been known for its affordability, and Pinewood could cost anywhere from $200 up to a near-inconceivable $400.
While companies like NVIDIA have established that people will pay a premium for the best streaming hardware, Sonos is going to have a very high performance bar to clear if it has any hope of convincing shoppers that dropping $400 on Pinewood is a smart upgrade.
Other Pinewood details this report shares include support for Wi-Fi 7, gigabit Ethernet, and the inclusion of a hardware remote. We haven’t heard any specific ETA, other than that Sonos plans to launch the device “in the coming months.”
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