DTS, Inc. has announced several new additions to the DTS Play-Fi whole-home wireless audio ecosystem, including new hardware partners and...
DTS, Inc. has announced several new additions to the DTS Play-Fi whole-home wireless audio ecosystem, including new hardware partners and compatible audio component products, new and expanded music services, and an enhanced user interface. This expansion increases the Play-Fi ecosystem’s industry-leading selection of audio products to 30 different offerings. Company executives will be available to discuss this news and provide demos at CEDIA 2015, Oct. 14-17, in Dallas.
DTS Play-Fi technology provides listeners the freedom and flexibility to stream their music wirelessly in high-quality lossless audio from smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop PCs over an existing home Wi-Fi network to any number of speakers throughout the home. Play-Fi is a platform that allows products from different brands and manufacturers to interoperate seamlessly, giving consumers an optimized whole-home streaming experience without the constraints of a single brand system. The technology enables wireless audio streaming from the world’s most popular music services, Internet radio stations and personal music libraries on any supported product.
“These announcements clearly demonstrate the momentum that Play-Fi technology has in the industry, and the attractiveness of being part of this growing and open ecosystem,†said Dannie Lau, general manager, Play-Fi, at DTS, Inc. “We are proud to have made these enormous strides towards our goal of partnering with the leading brands in the business to provide consumers with compelling choices and the best streaming experience possible. These new products, partners and services are terrific additions to the Play-Fi platform.â€
New Play-Fi Audio Partners and Components   Â
MartinLogan: Crescendo X ($999.95) and Bravado ($699.95) wireless speakers, Motion Vision X five-channel soundbar ($1,699.95) and Forte ($599.95) two-channel amplifier. Available in Q4 2015.
McIntosh Laboratories: MB50 Media Streamer. Will be shown at CEDIA. Available in Q4 2015.
Paradigm: PW 600 ($599) and PW 800 ($799) speakers. PW AMP ($499) amplifier. Available in Q4 2015. PW Link ($349) pre-amp with ARC will be available in early 2016.
Definitive Technology: W Studio Microbar multi-room soundbar ($899). Now available.
Polk: Omni S6 high-performance wireless speakers ($349.95). Now available.
Wren: Compact V3US wireless speaker, available in standard ($399) and as a portable, battery-powered speaker ($449). Available in January 2016.
Arcam: Leading UK-based audio company will be developing Play-Fi products in the coming months.
New and Enhanced Play-Fi Streaming Music Services
TIDAL: The innovative music and entertainment service has been integrated directly into the DTS Play-Fi mobile apps. Streaming now on iOS, and launching on Android later this month, TIDAL’s one million subscribers in 45 countries will be able to stream CD-quality music throughout the home from a selection of more than 35 million songs.
Spotify Connect: Multi-room capabilities are now supported by DTS Play-Fi, giving Spotify Premium subscribers the ability to set up two or more Play-Fi speakers as a Spotify group, such as “Downstairs†or “Outside,†and stream to that group, with the music perfectly synchronized, directly from within their Spotify app.
Rdio and Rhapsody : Both popular services, already available in the DTS Play-Fi Android app, are set to stream on iOS. Rdio is launching now, and Rhapsody will be available later this month.
New Play-Fi Home Automation Integration
Fusion Research: DTS has partnered with award-winning Fusion Research to incorporate Play-Fi connectivity into a new solution for the custom installation market. The Fusion Play-Fi Server ($999) launching at CEDIA 2015 allows DTS Play-Fi audio components to be easily integrated into and controlled by the most popular connected home systems, including Crestron, Control4, RTI and URC.
New Play-Fi Software Enhancements
Audio/Video Synchronization with Windows PCs: DTS Play-Fi now supports true audio/visual synchronization when streaming audio from YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, or any other video source to a Play-Fi speaker from a Microsoft Windows PC. Play-Fi is the only multi-room streaming platform to offer lip-sync accurate synchronization with a video source, and the only whole-home platform with operating system-level integration compatible with every application and streaming service. The A/V sync feature is available for existing and new purchasers of the premium Play-Fi HD Driver ($14.95). All Play-Fi Windows software has also been updated to support Windows 10.
Enhanced Play-Fi App: The Play-Fi mobile apps have been significantly enhanced with a brand new design and clean, bright user interface. Users will have streamlined access to basic and advanced controls, a new “switch†feature to easily transfer music from one speaker to another, and built-in coaching points and help throughout the app. The new design is available now on iOS, and will be available later this year for Android.
Benefits of DTS Play-Fi Technology
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