Next generation Playbar 2018?

There is one other design option regarding the surrounds. Interface a USB interface into the Surround using the current Play 1 or Sonos One and plug the upward firing speaker into it. From there the controls would have to integrated into the upward firing speaker nullify the controls on the Play 1 or Sonos One. That design would still allow the Play 1 and Sonos One to be sold as standard surrounds.

Think about this....

OK...Everyone wants Dolby Atmos. However, designing a Dolby Atmos capable Playbar is only part of the picture. Even if such a Playbar handled the Left/Center/Right channels with at least two built-in upward firing speakers at either end; Sonos would still have to design surrounds with an upward firing speaker in each as well. The current Sonos sub would probably work.

So now next the question becomes does Sonos still support; but scuttles the existing line of speakers in favor of the new Dolby Atmos capable speakers (which will undoubtedly have a higher price point) or do they maintain two distinct line-ups?

Bottom-line....Integrating Dolby Atmos is more complex than adding Alexa to a Play 1 and calling it the Sonos One. :8

There would be a multitude of ways to incorporate Atmos.

They could incorporate upward firing speakers into a new Playbar. Or they could come out with a new speaker that solely provides Atmos (see the new Damson Atmos speaker set). Or they could come out with multiple upward firing speakers where you would buy a pair or two pairs and place them around the room. Or perhaps supporting Atmos and requiring that two or four play 1s be mounted near the wall/ceiling junction. Lots of ways of potentially doing it.

Doesn't the current playbar sort have that capability given it contains an acceleromiter and can be oriented in one of two directions?
If they were to update the playbar they could also change the orientation from 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Not a huge deal in terms of design if they are starting from scratch.

Dolby Atmos comes to Sky Cinema and Sky Store 4K films

Read more at https://www.whathifi.com/news/dolby-atmos-comes-to-sky-cinema-and-sky-store-4k-films#6LgDKQSBpCJRu1h5.99

I've been contemplating for a few weeks to buy a Sonos soundbar to go with new LG oled but have been put off. The sound quality is fantastic which we all know however the overall design and spec looks dated. Please Sonos your competitors are moving forward and are gaining ground and in some quarters have gone past you incorporating Up to date features with comparable sound quality and are overall far better value for money.
I want to part with my hard earned cash but won't commit because it looks like a future proof,stylish well equipped soundbar/play bar isn't on the horizon or is it? I want to be proven wrong.
The overall product range is good but the bar is like an ageing car trying to keep up with new models . Come on step up you would have an enhanced market share if you showed you were imaginative and progressive instead of simply reinventing the wheel as you've done by producing a flat old car in the form of a sound base .You certainly have lost my custom Which I'm gutted about because I had my heart set on owning the play are but it simply doesn't tick the boxes or cut it like it did 4 years ago tech has moved on.

I've been contemplating for a few weeks to buy a Sonos soundbar to go with new LG oled but have been put off. The sound quality is fantastic which we all know however the overall design and spec looks dated. Please Sonos your competitors are moving forward and are gaining ground and in some quarters have gone past you incorporating Up to date features with comparable sound quality and are overall far better value for money.
I want to part with my hard earned cash but won't commit because it looks like a future proof,stylish well equipped soundbar/play bar isn't on the horizon or is it? I want to be proven wrong.
The overall product range is good but the bar is like an ageing car trying to keep up with new models . Come on step up you would have an enhanced market share if you showed you were imaginative and progressive instead of simply reinventing the wheel as you've done by producing a flat old car in the form of a sound base .You certainly have lost my custom Which I'm gutted about because I had my heart set on owning the play are but it simply doesn't tick the boxes or cut it like it did 4 years ago tech has moved on.

In almost the same situation as you. I’ve just bought a LG OLED 65” C7 and need a sound solution. With all of the questions regarding on whether the Playbar will be updated for Apple AirPlay 2 and the dated specs and looks, I’m really struggling to spend the best part of £2000 so I’m waiting to see what pans out. I won’t buy the current offering I don’t think.

I have spent hours researching soundbars and come back to Sonos each time for flexiability and integration but the issue remains design and spec. I have the same LG and when you place the Playbar in front of the set if table mounted it blocks the sensor and you loose about an inch at the bottom of the screen. Even though it has an IR repeater for your remote it still creates issues. I was in John Lewis at the weekend taking a closer look and my view hasn’t changed it’s a brick with very few options compared to the competition and is very poor value for money given the competition. Now they have integrated Alexa into the Ones both myself and the sales rep I spoke to believe it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the range follows and they increase the specs of their products across the range......fingers crossed like you I’m waiting if not I will go with another manufacturer.

I have spent hours researching soundbars and come back to Sonos each time for flexiability and integration but the issue remains design and spec. I have the same LG and when you place the Playbar in front of the set if table mounted it blocks the sensor and you loose about an inch at the bottom of the screen. Even though it has an IR repeater for your remote it still creates issues. I was in John Lewis at the weekend taking a closer look and my view hasn’t changed it’s a brick with very few options compared to the competition and is very poor value for money given the competition. Now they have integrated Alexa into the Ones both myself and the sales rep I spoke to believe it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the range follows and they increase the specs of their products across the range......fingers crossed like you I’m waiting if not I will go with another manufacturer.

Same... my head is frazzled with researching this to death.

I’m planning on wall mounting so blocking isn’t an issue. Did you get the definitive answer as to whether the C7 Magic Remite will work correctly with Playbar? I’ve read so many threads on here but there’s no definitive answer as to how the volume selection works and if it’s extremely slow.

We might finally get a new one. Including HDMI 2.1. .

The guy who posted the topic on reddit soon deleted it after it was posted possibly because he actually wasnt allowed to post it?

If you click on his profile you'll find posts where he do everything in his power to make the post "less likely" and told people it was false. I think he fucked up revealing sensitive information. (since Sonos is too private about their releases and upcoming stuff)

Rumoured source:

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PMYMBHFS8QoJ:https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/7vm79v/leak_the_next_sonos_sound_bar_will_have_hdmi/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=dk

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1517993468

Discuss.

We might finally get a new one. Including HDMI 2.1. .

The guy who posted the topic on reddit soon deleted it after it was posted possibly because he actually wasnt allowed to post it?

If you click on his profile you'll find posts where he do everything in his power to make the post "less likely" and told people it was false. I think he fucked up revealing sensitive information. (since Sonos is too private about their releases and upcoming stuff)

Rumoured source:

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:PMYMBHFS8QoJ:https://www.reddit.com/r/sonos/comments/7vm79v/leak_the_next_sonos_sound_bar_will_have_hdmi/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=dk

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1517993468

Discuss.

I know Sonos is a private company when it comes to releasing information. I don’t know if any of this is true but it has made me stop and wait. I was ready to order a HomePod and a Apple TV today. I will now patiently wait and see if this happens. I hope so. It would solve my only complaint with Sonos.

Copied from my post in the other thread:

I found this quote in the cached version of the post to confirm what I've been thinking for a long time:

(talking about receivers)... not only must they have licences for a bunch of audio codecs (Dolby Atmos, DD, DTS X, DTS-HD etc), they also need to distribute video, supporting Dolby Vision, 4K, HDR10. The licences for these are quite expensive and it seems there’s more and more each year that they need to support, particularly for video. They then need to support Bluetooth, AirPlay, DLNA, multiroom...and all at the same price point from the year before.

I see that as an obstacle for Sonos as well. And will continue to do so. Paying for these licenses for each codec (and I believe some of them are per speaker used, not just for the device interpreting the data) will be a challenge.

And the implementation with eARC (in HDMI 2.1) will present a confusion for the consumer buying the product. We'll see a bunch of increased "it doesn't work the way it was advertised" posts from people who don't understand the system. I have to wonder how many TVs will be able to be firmware updated to this. Probably not many. Something to be thinking about when replacing my current sets.

I predict the need for a "Can my TV be updated to HDMI 2.1" thread :)

Assuming this guy is right. But it's also an eloquent post explaining the backstory about the optical connection.