Sonos App on TV?

iPad + AppleTV --> AirPlay (Mirror)

Your iPad display is mirrored to the TV for all to see - sparking conversations when someone is browsing for the next track. Control is still via the iPad, of course, not the TV remote, but the iPad touch interface is better than button mashing when trying to search, scroll, etc.

When nobody's using it you can leave the display on either the default screen (displays zones & grouping, play queue and music sources) or the enlarged album art screen (current track, timeline, play mode, etc.).

Constraints:

• iPad battery life
• iPad display / lock timout

When unlocking the iPad, if you don't want everybody to see your password as you type it in, double-click the home button and turn of AirPlay mirroring whilst you unlock.

Of course, having an iPad that everyone is free to use (no keyboard lock) is best if you can do that. One that isn't connected to your e-mail account, PayPal, iTunes store, etc. 🙂

It also means buying an iPad AND AppleTV, for which I have no use whatsoever. That's a pretty big outlay.

I'd even rather pay Sonos for another device to output to TV than do that... :rolleyes:

Well of course another option is if you have an HT PC connected already... then you just put the desktop controller on that machine..... Or output a laptop to the screen.... Which I've done before.....

One of the things I've seen about the tv apps.... unless it's one of the "big" things... netflix, hulu, iplayer, etc... they don't all seem to make it on the various hardware.... Now maybe that's partially regional lockouts... So I wonder what restrictions that imposes? To me, it feels like early days of android, with lots of variability between devices, OS, configurations, etc... but worse.... since functionality on tv's doesn't even have the common thread of google....

iPad + AppleTV --> AirPlay (Mirror)

Your iPad display is mirrored to the TV for all to see - sparking conversations when someone is browsing for the next track. Control is still via the iPad, of course, not the TV remote, but the iPad touch interface is better than button mashing when trying to search, scroll, etc.

When nobody's using it you can leave the display on either the default screen (displays zones & grouping, play queue and music sources) or the enlarged album art screen (current track, timeline, play mode, etc.).

Constraints:

• iPad battery life
• iPad display / lock timout

When unlocking the iPad, if you don't want everybody to see your password as you type it in, double-click the home button and turn of AirPlay mirroring whilst you unlock.

Of course, having an iPad that everyone is free to use (no keyboard lock) is best if you can do that. One that isn't connected to your e-mail account, PayPal, iTunes store, etc. :-)

My thoughts exactly. You forgot one thing, though, you could always enable Guided Access on the ipad after launching the Sonos app and voila your party mates are locked into one app and your privacy is protected! The perfect solution for the OP and the Apple TV does so much more. Worth the small investment, for sure!

Well, not really.

It's hardly a small outlay if you don't need anything the AppleTV offers and don;t have an iPad :)

I already have a home server with NAS, can stream movies direct to my BluRay player for watching on TV and have movies on demand through the cable supplier.

It really is a situation that could be easily enabled by having an App on the TV (or BluRay player) for Sonos, given that nearly all of these are network connected now.

The connected home using a TV as the hub is starting to become reality now, it;s certainly something that Sonos should be looking into imo, not something we should be trying to find a kludge workaround for.

The ideal would be to select Sonos on my AV amplifier and use its HDMI switching to see the Sonos controller on the TV. A Sonos Bridge with an HDMI output would be even better - I'd much rather pay money for that than for an AppleTV

The ideal would be to select Sonos on my AV amplifier and use its HDMI switching to see the Sonos controller on the TV. A Sonos Bridge with an HDMI output would be even better - I'd much rather pay money for that than for an AppleTV

Now you're talking! I have a Sonos Connect which feeds my AV amp via a digital optical output for when I want to listen to music on a hi fidelity system (all of my music via Sonos is Apple Lossless). Although I have a NAS set-up as well and the AppleTV (1st and 3rd Gen), I have found the Sonos Connect to be by far the superior experience.

If the Sonos Connect were to be upgraded with an HDMI output that would be awesome.

I have to say, though, that a $99 AppleTV is not much of an outlay when you consider what you've paid for the Sonos system. My two cents on that.

Well, not really.
The ideal would be to select Sonos on my AV amplifier and use its HDMI switching to see the Sonos controller on the TV. A Sonos Bridge with an HDMI output would be even better - I'd much rather pay money for that than for an AppleTV

Hum.... embedded controller software on a zp.... that could be a challenge for sure. When you think about it, you'd have to make sure that when you upgrade the firmware, and controller together.... keeping in sync with all the other "legacy" controllers, etc..... That could be a tall order to do.... well....

Even though, I have the connect (zp90) on the receiver... I find that I use one of the phones, ipad, android, whatever is available to control both the sonos, and the receiver, vs, being limited to the room.... Much more flexibility in my mind.....

A vesa cable for video out/in.... and a wireless keyboard and mouse sound like a cheaper, more versatile option to me....

I don't see how any of that helps with output to a TV to display album art and to allow everyone in the room to see what's going on?

A smart tv app is perfectly doable, but it does require a willingness on Sonos part to talk to the TV manufacturers or even just do the research, There's actually a Samsung TV apps developer forum: http://www.samsungdforum.com/support/beginningforsmarttv

The obvious (to me at least) platform for an on-TV contoller is Windows Media Centre. It supports plug-ins and is already oriented to a-v control. It doesn't need to play the sound as the playbar or other ZP will handle that.

Of course that assume you have an HTPC connected to the TV.

I don't see how any of that helps with output to a TV to display album art and to allow everyone in the room to see what's going on?


So think of it like this.... most flat screens have a standard video input which is the same connector for an external monitor.... Or some video cards output hdmi.

If you temporary connect a PC device, you have the full screen content available on the tv. You can then open the desktop controller, and album art, queues are all available. It's like having a temporary HT PC connected. So you'd have full control.

That's where a wireless keyboard would be not bad either, cause you could control from anywhere in the room. Of course, you could always still use "other" controllers, and just use the PC connected to the tv for display.