LG is teaming up with a company called Summit Wireless Technologies in order to make its 2019 lineup of OLED and high-end LCD TVs “WiSA Ready”.
WiSA stands for Wireless Speaker & Audio, and refers to a specification for both hardware and software that enables the wireless delivery of 24-bit, 48kHz/96kHz digital audio with support for up to 8 channels, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.
Despite making its debut way back at the 2013 CES show, WiSA technology hasn’t seen much adoption in the TV industry up until this point, even though it's supported by established speaker brands including Bang & Olufsen and Klipsch. The lack of adoption is all the more mysterious when one considers the growing consumer interest in wireless audio in general, which is being spurred by devices such as Amazon’s Echo speaker and an array of Bluetooth speakers on the market.
But WiSA technology is ideal for home entertainment as it delivers a key advantage, allowing consumers to setup a completely wireless surround system composed of different branded products of their choosing. A WiSA Ready TV would therefore eliminate the need for some to buy a specialised soundbar – the popularity of which suggests there’s a huge demand for better quality sound than most TVs can deliver.
Its for this reason that Summit Wireless Technologies’ partnership with LG is so exciting. LG’s TVs are rated as some of the best that money can buy, after all, and the brand is rightly one of the biggest sellers in the world. Now, with WiSA being supported in all of its high-end models, LG is giving the technology and its ecosystem a much-needed push that will lead to far greater awareness of its benefits.
LG’s WiSA Ready TVs promise to deliver “low latency, seamless speaker synchronization and hi-fidelity sound” through any WiSA-certified intelligent speaker, the companies said.
“WiSA Ready TVs and certified speakers are guaranteed to work seamlessly out of the box to deliver wireless multi-channel audio capabilities and authentic concert-quality sound that dramatically increases the enjoyment of movies and video, music, sports, gaming/esports, and more,” the press release continued.
The deal should also give makers of WiSA-certified speakers a shot in the arm. After all, anyone who does shell out several thousand quid to buy an LG TV next year will surely want the best audio experience to go with it, and using WiSA-certified hardware looks to be one of the easiest ways of achieving that.
