Will Sonos support Google Cast for Audio?

The impression I get (no inside knowledge) reading between the lines of what they are able to say is that they are working on google cast. It makes sense since they worked with Google to cast from google play. Also Google cast makes a lot more sense then AirPlay since it appears to be much more universal then just working on Apple devices.
Upstarts like the HEOS - they can just announce or say they are going to do things... then not have to hear people ask them how long because they don't have a public forum.  I see lots of companies promising things and not delivering.  Sonos takes the don't announce until it is ready approach (and maybe they go a little too far with that I'm sure we will all say).  Of course we don't have to run a company that every time they announce something you have competitors trying to copy them.  I mean look at HEOS.  They are attempting to copy absolutely everything Sonos - its not even funny!  And I admit they have the advantage of being able to put bells and whistles with the Sonos replica latest hardware (their software just hasn't in any way caught up to or even in ballpark of Sonos - at least for my needs).  And they still had to fire sale dump a bunch of units in order to get some traction recently.  Still see no user discussion, questions, internet chatter about them.

I can't believe YouTube casting is far off - since we already have Google Play casting (of course on android only).  Apple - Air Sonos works well.

Well, the first new devices supporting Google Cast are now shipping... LG's got a round of speakers and soundbars that have Cast support, ranging from soundbars and individual room speakers, to a portable speaker that will become available in May.

Your move, Sonos...

http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/14/lg-music-flow-speakers-google-cast/?ncid=rss_truncated

here's the fall back (Airplay) method: chromecast -> HDMI audio extractor -> SONOS line-in

I am not really sure that i share the excitement for Google Audio Cast like Sonos does.

Similar like Chromecast, Google implements it on application base which leaves adoption up to app developers. This is not much different then Spotify's proprietary Connect protocol, but one could argue that Google has a higher trust level amongst consumers compared to Spotify.

To make this a standard it would have to be implemented on OS level, which Google intentionally avoids as other OS platforms like iOS, OSX and Windows would potentially benefit.

If Google would been interested on a standard implementation they continued the development based on Miracast / WiDi standards which already supports Audio over HDMI with a multi codec stack.

It all comes down to gaining market shares and forcing users to fully adopt to the Android / Chrome environment.

I think the best thing about Google cast for audio is that it creates competition. The announced LG speakers are about $10 less than Sonos. Competition will drive prices down and challenge the companies to improve their products.

I think the best thing about Google cast for audio is that it creates competition. The announced LG speakers are about $10 less than Sonos. Competition will drive prices down and challenge the companies to improve their products.

I agree. Monopoly-like or highly dominant positions are not conducive to speedy innovation or best consumer value and inevitably cause businesses to rest on the laurels somewhat compared to how they'd behave if they didn't enjoy such a dominant position.

The competition from Google Cast should be very good news. In particular, this is not one product set from one manufacturer, but an enabling technology available to any manufacturer or app developer, which could open the market right up if it gains traction.

For Sonos, being a single product-line business, it could be a case of innovate or wither. Sonos has great products and a great brand. Google Cast means that the product side may shortly be under sustained and credible attack; I hope Sonos doesn't just rely on its outstanding brand to shore its business up, but instead looks to maintain its lead in the product area.

Sonos has proven itself to have very smart management so I'd be optimistic about its future, but no one's perfect, everyone can make mistakes - consumer electronics and software can be a very unforgiving business where stumbles can be terminal, so Sonos'll need to be on top of its game 🙂

I think the best thing about Google cast for audio is that it creates competition. The announced LG speakers are about $10 less than Sonos. Competition will drive prices down and challenge the companies to improve their products.

I agree. Monopoly-like or highly dominant positions are not conducive to speedy innovation or best consumer value and inevitably cause businesses to rest on the laurels somewhat compared to how they'd behave if they didn't enjoy such a dominant position.

The competition from Google Cast should be very good news. In particular, this is not one product set from one manufacturer, but an enabling technology available to any manufacturer or app developer, which could open the market right up if it gains traction.

For Sonos, being a single product-line business, it could be a case of innovate or wither. Sonos has great products and a great brand. Google Cast means that the product side may shortly be under sustained and credible attack; I hope Sonos doesn't just rely on its outstanding brand to shore its business up, but instead looks to maintain its lead in the product area.

Sonos has proven itself to have very smart management so I'd be optimistic about its future, but no one's perfect, everyone can make mistakes - consumer electronics and software can be a very unforgiving business where stumbles can be terminal, so Sonos'll need to be on top of its game :)
well said RDog - lets hope this will get sonos to innovate a bit more and speed up on their rollout of new products and features. Hopefully even make some u-turns on those they have marked as 'not planned' (DTS, Spotify Connect...)

It's been four months since the official response from Sonos. Could we please get another response confirming or denying the future implementation of cast for audio? Personally I'd like this as I would like to connect podcast apps, continuing playback when I get home by just connecting to the Sonos.

It's been four months since the official response from Sonos. Could we please get another response confirming or denying the future implementation of cast for audio? Personally I'd like this as I would like to connect podcast apps, continuing playback when I get home by just connecting to the Sonos.
Agreed!!  I have been wanting to cast audio playing on my phone or laptop to a nearby speaker to get full use of this premium audio equipment I purchased from Sonos.  The speakers on my phone and laptop are terrible, and I'd love to be able to quickly cast the audio of a Netflix stream or YouTube clip from my device to my speakers.