Audio Video News

DTS announced yesterday it’s working with Amazon to bring the Alexa Voice Service to its Play-Fi whole-home wireless audio ecosystem, which is now supported by 16 audio brands.

Beginning in early 2017, listeners will be able to use an Alexa-enabled device, including the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Fire TV, to play and control music on one or more DTS Play-Fi-enabled speakers in the home, regardless of brand.

DTS said it is also working with some Play-Fi partners to bring far-field Alexa capabilities to DTS Play-Fi speakers through the Alexa Voice Service in 2017. These devices would integrate advanced voice-recognition technology to enable speakers and other devices to be controlled via voice commands even when the user is on the other side of a room and even in noisy environments.

More than 30 DTS Play-Fi-enabled speakers, soundbars, and receivers are available from Aerix, Anthem, Arcam, Definitive Technology, Integra, Klipsch, Martin-Logan, McIntosh, Onkyo, Paradigm, Phorus, Pioneer, Polk, Rotel, Sonus Faber, and Wren Sound Systems.

DTS said new products and firmware updates enabling the Alexa service will roll out to DTS Play-Fi products starting in early 2017.

DTS Play-Fi apps (Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire) enable lossless multi-room wireless streaming from smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs over an existing home Wi-Fi network. Supported music streaming services include Amazon Prime Music, Deezer, iHeartRadio, KKBox, Napster, Qobuz, QQ Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, Spotify, and Tidal in addition to streaming thousands of Internet radio stations and personal music libraries.

Play-Fi also supports audio/visual synchronization when streaming audio from YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video, and other video sources via a Microsoft Windows PC. The A/V sync feature is enabled by the DTS Play-Fi HD Driver, which costs $14.95.

The Play-Fi standard also supports wireless 5.1 surround sound, which is expected to start rolling out late this year.

For more information, visit play-fi.com.