Quarantines fuel home entertainment boom

United States-based DTS, a leading high-definition audio solutions provider and a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi Corp, is looking to tap into new business opportunities in China, betting big on the country's promising home entertainment market.

Christopher Lang, general manager of Xperi Corp Greater China, said that with the country's ongoing efforts to promote 4K and 8K televisions and 5G network coverage, a growing number of consumers will choose to update their home entertainment devices, including purchasing large-screen displays.

"We already foresee that rising new trend and opportunity, and we are committed to offering consumers, especially movie fans, a new level of high-quality immersive experiences at home," Lang said.

He highlighted the growing trend of consumer demand for high-quality content and experiences, saying a growing number of younger consumers are more inclined to pay for new services than their parents.

"DTS hopes to offer consumers such immersive experiences to enjoy high-quality experiences at home," Lang added.

DTS is also ramping up support for the IMAX Enhanced program, which was launched in partnership with IMAX. It is the only way to experience IMAX's signature picture, sound and scale outside of a movie theater, combining IMAX digitally remastered 4K HDR content and DTS premium audio delivered through high-end consumer electronics and streaming platforms.

In China, Tencent Video Aurora TV has officially become the first streaming platform to provide IMAX Enhanced content.

While many industries have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese partners of DTS have been working hard to maintain steady growth during the contagion.

"We will seek partnerships with more studios to continuously release new IMAX Enhanced titles in the coming year, including local movie studios," Lang added.

With blossoming internet technologies, consumers are increasingly seeking out better audiovisual experiences and new ways of enjoying home entertainment, said Zhang Hong, senior vice-president and chief technology officer of CCData.

"It is foreseeable that large-screen devices with intelligent systems will see better market prospects in the near future," Zhang said.

He added that the COVID-19 pandemic is unleashing a new era of change, as a very large number of people who find themselves stuck at home will embrace home-based entertainment.

"Even now as people gradually return to work, they are likely to continue these habits. And the younger generation born in the 1980s and 1990s is willing to pay for these pastimes, including watching movies and TV series."

To better cater to the younger generation, DTS is also seeking new cooperation opportunities in the gaming industry.

"We have the capability to help improve gaming experiences via partnerships with gaming hardware manufacturers," Lang added.

In fact, DTS has already worked with leading gaming headphone brands such as Logitech to offer high-end gaming headsets, gaining huge followers among gamers.

"Gaming is also one of the key directions we'll attach greater importance to in the future. It may still take a long time for us to seek new partnerships and offer more gaming products to cater to gamers' specific needs for high-quality hardware products," he said.