Avid Contributor I

Chromecast functionality

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
May 25, 2019
164 replies
76568 views

Why is Sonos lacking the Chromecast functionality, which basically every 100€ WiFi speaker has. It makes it impossible to use YouTube music ( you have to open the Sonos controller and control it from there instead of just pressing the cast button) and it makes using the Google Assistant unnecessarily cumbersome. You have to specify the speaker after a voice command instead of being able to simply set Sonos as a default speaker. That not enough, it also makes it impossible to cast all audio to Sonos. Sonos always talks about being open and support all platforms, yet after waiting a year longer than Airplay 2 users (which got supported as soon as the service got released), we get a shitty, half-assed service lacking basic functionality. Sonos basically incentivizes people to switch to Google Home Max et al, to use get the full capability from the services.

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M

marco69

Lyricist I

Hi,

I would really like to be able to use my chromecast with my sonos. Please lesson to your customers.

Thanks

Marc France

M

mashton

Trending Lyricist I

I also want Chromecast support on Sonos.

My use case is very simple:

BBC Sounds, the audio and radio app of the BBC, has no native Sonos support. The only way to listen to its content on Sonos is by streaming from my phone, which is Android.

Currently I do this with a Chromecast audio plugged into a Sonos port. It is clunky and annoying to set up the BBC Sounds app, the Sonos room grouping and the Google Home volume, so that I can listen to a radio episode on one of my eight Sonos zones.

Shameful that BBC and Sonos have not implemented a native player. Shameful that Sonos have not implemented Chromecast.

Please do one or the other!

J

John B

Shameful? Is there a universal human right to have every bit of functionality you want on a product?

Sonos cannot implement BBC Sounds unilaterally. They have chosen not to implement Chromecast.

This is not a moral matter. Your choice of words is ludicrous.

106rallye

Unfortunate would be better….

J

John B

Unfortunate would be better….

I think the suggestion that Sonos should be ashamed because they have taken a decision not to add a particular feature is worse than ‘unfortunate’. It makes it an issue of moral responsibility, and I cannot think of that as anything other than ludicrous. (Even more so, in the case of BBC Sounds, which must require input from the BBC, which may or may not be forthcoming.)

Sonos make a product with a particular feature set. They fix a price. People buy it if they think it is worth the money, and they will buy something else if tat meets their needs better within their budget. If Sonos have got this wrong then they will suffer in the bottom line. But it is not am issue of moral responsibility, which is implied by the word ‘shameful’.

M

MrSqueezles

Lyricist I

What is happening here? I'd rather not join the vocabulary discussion.

AirPlay and Chromecast are proprietary protocols. Google created a flexible, lightweight solution based on open source technology, the Chromium browser. I can play 1080p video and surround sound from a ~6 year old dongle hanging off the back of my TV that's just slightly bigger than my thumb. I didn't look up whether I'd be able to cast to my new Arc because with this kind of a price tag and Google Assistant and AirPlay, it should be a given.

M

Mixtur

Lyricist III

fact is - sonos needs also chromecast support, otherwise it’s wasted money for the buck for most android users and we better switch to other brands

Sonos offers pretty much every major streaming services streamed directly without the use of chromecast, airplay, or any other mechanism in between. They also offer Tune In and their own Sonos radio as a means of accessing hundreds (thousands?) of radio stations. I think you might be overstating the necessity of chromecast support for android users.

Using a proprietary app as a front end is a really bad idea. I tried YouTube music today for instance, and while I can access the same material the user interface is poor in comparison. Also, how will they be able to keep up with all new features etc long term? I also tried with YouTube but that obviously didnt work. Adding Chromecast would be a much nicer and long term solution, as we can use the apps we already have and like.

J

John B

fact is - sonos needs also chromecast support, otherwise it’s wasted money for the buck for most android users and we better switch to other brands

Sonos offers pretty much every major streaming services streamed directly without the use of chromecast, airplay, or any other mechanism in between. They also offer Tune In and their own Sonos radio as a means of accessing hundreds (thousands?) of radio stations. I think you might be overstating the necessity of chromecast support for android users.

Using a proprietary app as a front end is a really bad idea. I tried YouTube music today for instance, and while I can access the same material the user interface is poor in comparison. Also, how will they be able to keep up with all new features etc long term? I also tried with YouTube but that obviously didnt work. Adding Chromecast would be a much nicer and long term solution, as we can use the apps we already have and like.

YouTube apart, which apps do you want to use?

Mellogs

Lyricist I

Why is Sonos lacking the Chromecast functionality, which basically every 100€ WiFi speaker has. It makes it impossible to use YouTube music ...

Sonos was my life.... until Apple killed Youtube (video) on Gen 2 AppleTV, mid-way through Melbourne lockdown. Wasted a little cash on the new Google TV Chromecast... useless. thanks to lack of integration with any of my five Play 1, One or Symfonisk speakers. I won't be upgrading to a smart-erTV or purchasing a Beam anytime soon (thank you COVID).

I basically purchased a Sonos One with Google Assistant that won't ‘allow Google TV Chromecast to function as per its name. “Smart”? :thinking: . The only winner here was the NSA who are probably profiling the bejesus out of me and my stop-words