Airplay 2 questions

I can see the possibility that the Airplay 2 compatible speaker not being grouped would make it eligible for playing another stream at the same time as a non-Airplay 2 speaker. I doubt it could process two streams at the same time, thus the ability to simply process the Airplay 2 stream to pass off while simultaneously playing its own stream is not possible. Any logical gymnastics needed to work around this shortcoming really boils down to requiring them to be grouped.

I would tend to agree, but I’m waiting to see what actually gets released. Speculation is fun, of course, but I think we are a little early in the process to be upset. The simple fact is we don’t really know the particulars yet.

I can see the possibility that the Airplay 2 compatible speaker not being grouped would make it eligible for playing another stream at the same time as a non-Airplay 2 speaker. I doubt it could process two streams at the same time, thus the ability to simply process the Airplay 2 stream to pass off while simultaneously playing its own stream is not possible. Any logical gymnastics needed to work around this shortcoming really boils down to requiring them to be grouped.
I guess we'll have to wait and see. However, a Sonos device (e.g., a CONNECT) sending its Line In input to another Sonos speaker, while simultaneously playing another stream itself is (network bandwidth aside) essentially the same thing, and this is possible with quite aged Sonos hardware.

[...] I guess we'll have to wait and see. However, a Sonos device (e.g., a CONNECT) sending its Line In input to another Sonos speaker, while simultaneously playing another stream itself is (network bandwidth aside) essentially the same thing, and this is possible with quite aged Sonos hardware.
No, it isn't the same thing. Airplay2 will be Direct Control, whereas other streams (including LineIn) are being fetched from their particular source.

I have a narrow hallway in my home that runs almost from the front to the rear of the premises. Off this hallway are three separate rooms... Kitchen, Lounge and Dining Room.

Each main room has an echo Dot and the older 'legacy' Sonos speakers (Play-1/Play3/Play-5 (gen1) mostly stereo paired etc).

If 'room grouping' is going to be necessary for AirPlay-2 Support, I will probably move my (one and only) 'Sonos One' Speaker into the narrow hallway and then decide to group each of the main rooms with it, that’s as and when an AirPlay-2 source is needed in one (or more) of those main rooms.

I may even leave the volume of the Sonos One in the narrow hallway set to 'mute' or 'low to still use the built in 'Alexa' in the hallway.

I’m sure these things may work for the AirPlay-2 implementation being described by the recent Sonos document, but it initially seems a bit of a 'waste' for my latest Sonos device... it is almost reducing it to a line-in type source, like we used to see with the old Apple Airport Express plugged into a Sonos line-in port.

Will Sonos really be implementing AirPlay-2 support in this way?

It feels like I’m getting a 'state of the art' voice controlled wireless music system in every single main room, that will also apparently sync perfectly with video on all my iOS devices for very little further monetary outlay and all because I have added the Sonos One Speaker and a few Amazon Echo devices to my legacy Sonos system.

If this eventually proves to be true, I’m certainly not going to complain, but I’m not sure if I am missing, or misreading something in the recent press release?

Interesting times and I can’t wait to see how this new AirPlay-2 development in the pipeline pans out.

I think the integration is going to be more like the Playbar/Playbase audio input vs. the Play:5 type input.

Playbar/Playbase - you actually have to be playing the audio on the playbar/playbase itself so the speaker does the active decoding in order to group and play to other speakers in the house

Play:5 method - where the input on the Play:5 is a completely separate input completely independent of the Play:5 itself. Where you can use that input a source for any speaker.

I think in the case of Airplay its going to have to be like the Playbar/Playbase method where the speaker is actively decoding and therefore has to be playing the stream.

- Delay wise your going to have at least the 70ms Sonos network delay. Don't know if their decoding will add much more to that.

- For the person above who was misled to believe the Play:1s would work on their own .... definitely weren't told complete information - as Sonos from DAY 1 has said that most likely the Sonos One would be required (having the Play:5 gen 2 and playbase added to that list was a bonus).

- I have heard people say Sonos over the years should have added a AIRPLAY hub that could be hooked to system. Well I would say if they ever did it would have probably cost at least $199. So really you can get a Sonos One for $199 and just treat it as your Airplay Hub (with the advantage of heck having a speaker built in). You could even go to the extreme of calling it "AIRPLAY" - turn down the volume on it ..... and then just group speakers as you want to it to get your airplay signal.

- - - and of course if you have a Mac computer there is still the AirSonos method of having the Airplay server part run on the Mac and then serving to any Sonos device (including Play:1s).

[...] I guess we'll have to wait and see. However, a Sonos device (e.g., a CONNECT) sending its Line In input to another Sonos speaker, while simultaneously playing another stream itself is (network bandwidth aside) essentially the same thing, and this is possible with quite aged Sonos hardware.
No, it isn't the same thing. Airplay2 will be Direct Control, whereas other streams (including LineIn) are being fetched from their particular source.
Ok, but once the AirPlay 2 stream is 'in' the Sonos system via a device such as a ONE, why isn't it up to Sonos how it then distributes the stream to one or more Sonos devices -- just as it does with a Line In input?

You may somehow have knowledge that I do not of how Sonos is approaching this, but there is nothing impractical about the architecture I am describing.

We actually don’t know which method it will be as my post above. My assumption is it will require processing that therefore means the speaker must be actively playing.

The line in support on connects and play/5 were designed as such hardware wise. This of course will be different

Yes it may be impractical InThat what your describing means the Sonos One would have to be able to process the airplay stream at the same time as a second stream to play to itself (of your talking same way line ins work). That is why I doubt it will work that way and the Sonos One will have to be playing the stream ( it that it’s volume has to be up and physically hearing)

I can see the possibility that the Airplay 2 compatible speaker not being grouped would make it eligible for playing another stream at the same time as a non-Airplay 2 speaker. I doubt it could process two streams at the same time, thus the ability to simply process the Airplay 2 stream to pass off while simultaneously playing its own stream is not possible. Any logical gymnastics needed to work around this shortcoming really boils down to requiring them to be grouped.

That's the only reason I can think of, also. A Sonos One can process one stream at a time, and so it can't relay a stream to a Play:1 and also receive a second one itself. At that point, if they had hypothetically allowed the One to relay a stream to the play:1... then it would be very confusing to the user who couldn't then send a stream to the One. So then, like you say, the logical solution is for Sonos to require the grouping of speakers.

If that's the case, then that's a shame, because I really have no desire to Airplay more than one audio stream at the same time. I just want a 2-second solution to play something (like a youtube video, something that I can't already do via the existing apps and methods). If that's the reason why, then the common use scenario that people like me want (quickly Airplay to any speaker on the system) would be prevented because a less-common and not-possible use scenario (airplay more simultaneous feeds than the Sonos system has compatible speakers) would then be confusing to the user.