I have a better understanding of the DTS AutoStage hybrid radio platform after interviewing Joe D’Angelo, Xperi’s senior vice president radio, in a joint webcast about the company’s automotive technology initiatives.
That webcast, “The Future of Radio in the Car,” is available on demand, and I hope you can watch it given the expanded role Xperi hopes to play in how radio is delivered and consumed around the world.
DTS AutoStage, formerly called DTS Connected Radio, is intended to help stations compete in the dashboard with “pure play” services like Spotify and satellite.
“DTS AutoStage is really a global connected car platform that enables broadcast radio to collaborate around delivering services to automakers in a direct response to the challenge posed by Big Tech in the car,” he told me.
“We’ve all seen how Big Tech is coming in, they’re taking over the dashboard, they’re taking over audio services. DTS AutoStage is a global response that puts broadcast radio in control of the platform to design new interactive services, to expand functionality, to engage their customers.”
Further, he said, it is free, requiring no capital investment from broadcasters.
Consumers get enhanced content discovery, with “now playing,” live presets and a live guide, voice interaction and expanded visual imagery. D’Angelo calls it “a whole different user experience for broadcast radio.” The emphasis is on helping consumers discover local broadcasts carried by on-air signals.
Xperi’s recent merger with TiVo accelerated developments; TiVo knows about aggregating content with metadata, so it brought useful resources to a similar task involving music metadata.
The first mass market vehicle launch was in the Mercedes S-Class, a car with no fewer than five screens where occupants can consume radio and radio metadata.
“Daimler was very interested in launching hybrid radio, where you take advantage of broadcast radio content and you enhance it with IP-delivered metadata, you enable interaction with radio stations and in some cases provide high-resolution images,” D’Angelo said.
“But they wanted a service that was available and consistent in all the countries where they sell the majority of their vehicles.” He said Xperi spent two years aggregating content from broadcasters, technology platforms and service providers, and now aggregates content from 47,000 stations in 48 countries, with an eventual goal of 75,000 stations and 68 countries.
Watch the webcast and let me know what you think. I’m at [email protected].
