While Google’s latest smart speaker is priced affordably, it’s positioned to compete at a higher tier. With that comes the expectation of more features to offer a differentiation, and the Nest Audio might get the ability to be used as a “home theater sound system” for content playing on the Chromecast with Google TV.
Unused marketing copy for the Nest Audio was spotted today in Google Search. It appears in the description of the Google Store product listing.
With Chromecast & Google TV Nest Audio becomes your home theater sound system.
The company’s latest streaming dongle is referenced as turning the Nest Audio into a “home theater sound system.” Such a setup would presumably let users set the speaker as the default output for whatever video is playing on a connected Chromecast with Google TV.
With the Nest Audio already featuring stereo pairing, as well as general Cast grouping, users could create a surround sound system with relatively cheap speakers. It’s unclear what limitations Google would impose in terms of how many devices could be used.
Given the close affiliation between sound and video on Chromecast-enabled devices, this has been a common feature request. Users especially demanded such a capability for the Google Home Max given its soundbar-esque form factor.
Apple is about to add a similar capability to the $299 HomePod and Apple TV with 4K. It adds a significant feature to the Siri device late in that product’s lifespan.
The marketing copy that mentions this capability does not appear live on the Nest Audio’s Google Store page. One possibility is that the feature was planned for the September 30th event, but not finished in time. References were removed as a result, but not in all places.
One person noticed that the line is near identical in the UK, but localized so that “home theater” becomes “home cinema.” This suggests that planning was further along. Meanwhile, Google sells a “Home of Entertainment Package” that includes two speakers, the streaming device, and Nest Hub Max.
With Chromecast and Google TV, Nest Audio becomes your home cinema sound system
Given the updatable nature of Google’s Assistant speakers, it could very well come with firmware OTAs. We’ve reached out to Google for comment.
Author: Abner Li
Source: 9TO5Google
