At the CES show, Xperi is talking about the evolution of DTS AutoStage and how its technologies can support growing consumer interest in advanced entertainment options for the car.
For instance the company is demonstrating a gaming prototype for DTS AutoStage, which launched as an audio platform for connected cars but subsequently started pushing into video capabilities and now gaming.
Xperi’s message at CES is that consumers increasingly view their vehicle as a “third space” and that they want more than “a jumble of apps on their dash … more than a mirror of their smartphone.”
It plans to incorporate digital games into DTS AutoStage including audio, casual and console/core games that are personalized and designed for safe use. It highlights the ability of the platform to do software and feature updates over the air.
Meanwhile the DTS AutoStage Video Service — “powered by TiVo,” which is also owned by Xperi — delivers free video including live TV, news, sports and movies from various partners. BMW recently rolled out the service in 5-Series vehicles in the United States, Great Britain, South Korea, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and soon in Japan. Customers in the compact class have also had access in vehicles with BMW Operating System 9 in conjunction with BMW Digital Premium since the end of 2023, and more BMW vehicles are pending.
Meanwhile, Xperi said, Ford Motor Company is incorporating DTS AutoStage into some North American vehicles, starting with the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus.
The third space
In support of its services in these areas, Xperi published a brief report emphasizing the growing importance of the vehicle as a “third space,” an environment where people can relax or unwind.
It conducted a consumer survey that produced some interesting findings, including an unexpected one about AM radio.
What consumers desire from entertainment in the cabin is becoming more complex, it says. “Consumers want more from their dashboard, valuing rich, comprehensive, personalized and discoverable content, including video.”
It found that in-dash video, including TV and on-demand streaming, is particularly important among younger demographics and that it can help drive car sales.
“Automakers would do well to heed that over two-thirds of their most important demographic (across all those aged 17–44) say that having high-quality video capability in the dashboard/screens would positively influence their vehicle purchase choice,” according to a summary.
“But survey takers were also clear that radio remains the essential anchor for the dashboard, especially among the younger cohort who will drive what the next generation of in-vehicle entertainment will look like. … Consumers, overall, agree (60%) that AM radio, which offers emergency/weather disaster updates, local content, community news, sports and live, real-time traffic reports, is an indispensable part of their vehicle’s dashboard. Interestingly, it is most important to those 17 – 44 than to those 45 and over.”
The survey by Censuswide was done in the fall, collecting input from 1,000 U.S. consumers who own or lease a vehicle.
