how to connect a projector and sonos wireless

  • 25 November 2017
  • 8 replies
  • 71538 views

Hello,
I would like to do a new audio-visual setup in my place but I am not sure if this would be feasible and if so how. I am not purchasing the individual sonos nor the projector before I figure out how to do this. Basically

1. I want to use a projector mounted on the ceiling as opposed to a tv to see games, movies etc.
2. I would like to connect my cable box (already connected to a router) and possible an appletv to this projector, but wirelessly
3. I would like to use a sonos system (one with/without playbar) for sound for these (plus for playing music as well)

Is this feasible and if so what would be the appropriate setup? In particular, what kind of projector do I need to get? I get confused over projetors that claim to have wireless mirroring versus those that you can connect a hd wireless connection kits. These kits have a base which you can input other devices. And on the sonos part what should be the best combination?

Basically, I cannot have long wires connecting to my projector (and I have no tv) and a properly synched good sound and picture quality in a wireless manner. Am I asking too much? Any help pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tamer

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

8 replies

Userlevel 1
Sonos 5 has a line in that syncs the other speakers. Will work with most projectors with a headphone port or audio out RCA.
Not really because I cannot run a wire from my projector.
I'm not a fan of using Sonos equipment with projectors. It's just an ugly design to use equipment that isn't made to work in that configuration. I'd be looking at other solutions.
Thanks Bruce for the opinion but the objective here is to avoid multiple systems. Sonos is going to be used mainly for music in my case. The question is related to hooking up additionally a projector instead of a tv and doing this completely wirelessly.
Userlevel 7
Badge +20
Hello,
I would like to do a new audio-visual setup in my place but I am not sure if this would be feasible and if so how. I am not purchasing the individual sonos nor the projector before I figure out how to do this. Basically

1. I want to use a projector mounted on the ceiling as opposed to a tv to see games, movies etc.
2. I would like to connect my cable box (already connected to a router) and possible an appletv to this projector, but wirelessly
3. I would like to use a sonos system (one with/without playbar) for sound for these (plus for playing music as well)

Is this feasible and if so what would be the appropriate setup? In particular, what kind of projector do I need to get? I get confused over projetors that claim to have wireless mirroring versus those that you can connect a hd wireless connection kits. These kits have a base which you can input other devices. And on the sonos part what should be the best combination?

Basically, I cannot have long wires connecting to my projector (and I have no tv) and a properly synched good sound and picture quality in a wireless manner. Am I asking too much? Any help pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tamer


First things first: Beware of using a projector for games as there is a lot of lag!

Baring in mind what Airgetlam has said but if you want to go down this route; the connection to the Sonos system would be best via a Playbar with an Optical connection from your source rather than your projector.

To be honest though, and I am a huge fan of Sonos, for my TV and Movie set-up, I have an AV Receiver and a really good set of home cinema speakers with the wires chased into the walls. This produces a completely different sound and supports DTS HD & X, Dolby Atmos, etc which Sonos don't currently support.
Userlevel 5
Badge +3
Hello,
I would like to do a new audio-visual setup in my place but I am not sure if this would be feasible and if so how. I am not purchasing the individual sonos nor the projector before I figure out how to do this. Basically

1. I want to use a projector mounted on the ceiling as opposed to a tv to see games, movies etc.
2. I would like to connect my cable box (already connected to a router) and possible an appletv to this projector, but wirelessly
3. I would like to use a sonos system (one with/without playbar) for sound for these (plus for playing music as well)

Is this feasible and if so what would be the appropriate setup? In particular, what kind of projector do I need to get? I get confused over projetors that claim to have wireless mirroring versus those that you can connect a hd wireless connection kits. These kits have a base which you can input other devices. And on the sonos part what should be the best combination?

Basically, I cannot have long wires connecting to my projector (and I have no tv) and a properly synched good sound and picture quality in a wireless manner. Am I asking too much? Any help pointers would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tamer


"can't have a long lead trailing to the projector "...... so how are you going to get power there then?

Some parts of what you want to do are feasible. Other bits are messy.

The Optoma WHD200 for around £250 is a ruddy expensive way to get around running a £30 HDMI cable so that picture gets to your projector. You're going to have a receiver box (and its associated power supply) strapped to the ceiling too, but at least it works with minimal lag, or so it's claimed: 1ms. The transmitter box has two HDMI inputs, so you can hook up two sources and do a simple A/B switch between them. The WHD200 can be used with any make/model of projector that supports HDMI up to 1.4. It does not work for 4K UHD HDCP2.2

If you don't yet own a projector then there are a couple of all-in-one solutions where wireless receiving is built in. The Epson EH-TW6700W typically sells at around £1300, so can still be thought of as entry-level, but it includes wireless transmission as standard. Nice features are the horizontal and vertical lens shift. Minus points are a lack of finesse in the picture that would pitch this machine at more the £700-£800 mark if it was judged against its peers for picture quality. Thank goodness then for heavy discounting, because without it this £1600 rrp projector would look like a very expensive wireless solution.

If you need 4K compatibility then the Epson EH-TW9300W has pseudo-4K and wireless transmission. It's not a true 4K UHD res projector though. It's native 1080p with an optical eShift filter. £3300rrp


That's your vision options sorted. Next is sound.

Sonos is brilliant and I love it for streamed music - and fingers crossed they'll get the software sorted soon after breaking it in a major way - but if there's an Achilles heel then it's in signal handling. This is both in terms of physical inputs and in format decoding. So, just as UKMedia suggests, I would think very carefully about going down the route of a proper AV receiver and adding stereo speakers and a sub if you don't want the whole 5.1 surround sound deal. You can always add a Sonos Connect to Sonos-ify any Hi-Fi or AV system which has a line input.

If you're watching the pennies then the Yamaha RX-V381 is currently cheap-as-chips as it's an outgoing model. Yamaha makes fine AV receivers, even the budget ones, and this one is no exception. The features are on par or better than its peers (4x HDMI in with 4K UHD, 2x coax, 1x Optical, 2x analogue, USB, 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth, 5x70W power, auto set-up wizards with room mictrophone) but what sets Yamahas apart IMO is the sound quality and the creature comforts.

Yamahas seem to dig more out of the source sound than their similarly-priced rivals. Whether its faithful surround sound or 2ch music, Yamahas just sound better. The other feature which is surprisingly useful is the Scene Preset function. A single button press recalls a specific input and your preferences of sound processing for 4 different memories. It's the perfect antidote to techno-fear.

The Yamaha wouldn't be embarrassed partnering with 5.1 AV speakers at £400-£600, but given the pricing it's more likely to be partnered with something in the £150-£300 price range. If it was me, and my interest was mostly TV and movie streaming then either the Canton Movie 75 package @ £250 or the Wharfedale DX1 SE package would be top of my list.

Although AV receivers are typically partnered with multi-channel speaker packages, they can be configured to run with anything from stereo speakers upwards. That means a decent pair of bookshelf- or stand-mount- speakers could be enough for really great Hi-Fi sound as well as a tonne of fun with AV. My first choice would be Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (£249). They're large enough that they produce decent bass that would better the alternative of a £150 sub with £100 pair of bookshelf speakers in fidelity and scale. The Yamaha/Monitor Audio combo would, IMO, quite easily outclass a Playbar or a pair of Play 5's for less than half the money.

The AV solution doesn't have it all it's own way, of course. Making in Sonos compatible pushes the budget up by £350 or so for the Connect. Even so, I'd still have the AV system with either speaker option and a Connect rather than a Playbar.
Thanks Lucid AV for the detailed response. The projector is going to be mounted on the ceiling, next to a power outlet. so no issues there. the rest of your recommendations i need to check out. the best solution i could find so far seems to be uying a projector like benq2000 with its compatible wireless kit wdp02. this kit has a base that takes 4 inputs to connect different devices and has an hdmi out which can then be split and fed into a sonos speaker system.
Tboyaci: How did your projector set up tune up with Sonos?