The DTS Play-Fi wireless audio ecosystem is growing with the news that German luxury TV maker Loewe and Chinese electronics giant Hisense have both added support for the emerging new sound format.
DTS Play-Fi is a high resolution, wireless format that enables users to stream content between different compatible devices throughout the home. Users can link their home audio products together to play content coming from the TV, keeping all of it in sync with what’s displayed on screen. It enables features including surround sound, whole-home TV audio streaming, high resolution 24bit/192kHz support, multi-room music and can also power application-based wireless headphones.
The format supports a huge number of audio brands, including the likes of Quad, Arcam, McIntosh, Klipsch, Anthem, Paradigm, Sonus faber and Wharfdale. Because it’s a wireless system, no cables are required to connect those company’s audio products to compatible TVs.
Loewe, which is known for making very expensive and classy-looking TVs with advanced features, recently announced it was back in business following years of financial struggles that forced it into bankruptcy in 2019. Following its Phoenix-like rising from the ashes, it has since announced a new series of high-end OLED TVs, plus a high-performing soundbar to accompany them.
Loewe said that by adding support for DTS-Play Fi it will be able to create more differentiated products that the brand is known for. It said it’s planning to launch several “new premium products” in the first half of this year that users will be able to pair with dozens of interoperable televisions, speakers, set-top boxes, soundbars and AV receivers when they go on sale. The company hasn’t provided any indication of what those new products might be, but a new range of OLED TVs, perhaps sporting the latest, brighter panels from LG Display, certainty can’t be ruled out.
“Today’s consumers are looking for comprehensive wireless solutions that can finally eliminate the wiring that clutters traditional A/V systems,” said Loewe’s director of audio Matthias Claus. “Through the inclusion of Play-Fi, we’re able to wirelessly support immersive surround sound configurations for any room while delivering the best possible audio fidelity for our customers.”
Hisense, which announced its support for DTS Play-Fi last week, said that it too is planning to launch a series of products that will take advantage of its wireless multi-room audio and surround sound capabilities. Those products can be expected during the second half of this year, the company said.
Up until now, the only major TV brand to support the DTS Play-Fi spec is Philips, which added support for it on its 2020 Android TVs, including its highly regarded Philips OLED 800 series.
It remains to be seen if other TV brands will adopt the DTS Play-Fi format to bring wireless audio capabilities to their own products. LG Electronics and Bang & Olufsen have both thrown their weight behind the Wireless Speaker & Audio, or WiSA format that makes their TVs work with third-party speakers that are certified as WiSA-ready. Other leading brands, such as Samsung Electronics and Sony, are yet to announce support for either one.
