Amazon’s Alexa may have received its biggest boost into audio yet.
DTS announced all Play-Fi-capable audio systems, regardless of brand, will be controllable by an Alexa-enabled device by the first quarter of next year. (Alexa-enabled devices currently include the Amazon Echo, Dot, Tap, Fire TV and the new Fire TV Stick.)
Brands participating in the Play-Fi ecosystem include Aerix, Anthem, Arcam, Definitive Technology, Integra, Klipsch, Martin-Logan, McIntosh, Onkyo, Paradigm, Phorus, Pioneer, Polk, Rotel, Sonus Faber and Wren Sound Systems.
DTS is also working with Play-Fi partners to bring far-field Alexa capabilities to Play-Fi speakers through the Alexa Voice Service. Compatible speakers will include a set of built-in far-field microphones, enabling voice control, and are slated to be available in 2017.
DTS Play-Fi technology enables lossless multiroom wireless audio streaming from locally stored music on a mobile device or PC, as well as from a variety of music services, including Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, Amazon Prime Music, iHeartRadio, Deezer and others. Users can create “zones” in their homes and stream different music to different rooms from a single device. It operates over Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Powerline, and other IP-based networking.
