What Will It Take to Make Premium TV Sound Enjoyable for Everyone?

More than eight in 10 adults in the U.S. and U.K. (83%) consider audio to be essential or valued in their everyday entertainment experience, and viewers are expecting more from TV audio than ever before. We spoke with Samara Winterfeld, vice president of product strategy at Xperi, to learn how OEMs can respond to these heightened expectations and turn consumer wishes into differentiating product features.

About a third of consumers (31%) would like their everyday audio experience to include more immersive or surround sound. What does this reveal about changing expectations for TV audio?

TVs are getting thinner, but they’re also adding more speakers in various places. Some TVs feature a 5.1 speaker setup, which addresses consumer demand for a more immersive or surround sound experience. That has mixed results depending on what you think you’re going to get and what you actually get. Nothing will be as good as having a separate surround sound system with 5 speakers or more, along with a subwoofer.

While folks would like to have a more immersive audio experience, there are still many barriers to what that really means in practical terms. That said, there are probably more options than ever in the consumer electronics (CE) market to make that vision a reality at several different price points, whether you’re using speakers on a TV, adding a soundbar or wireless speakers, or going all-in with an AVR and a dedicated setup and speakers. However, there are likely still gaps in what products will provide consumers with the best experience, depending on the space they’re in and their budget.

Elements of sound, such as dialogue clarity, dynamic range and surround effects, make an entertainment experience unforgettable. How should industry players think about enabling these experiences more broadly?

Many CE devices today feature various solutions that optimize their sound in the space they occupy, yet most customers never realize these capabilities are available.

The fundamental opportunity here is around discoverability and communication. When settings are challenging to find or are described in overly technical language, even the best technology goes unused.

The good news is this creates a real differentiator for OEMs who get it right. Making features accessible, using plain language that resonates with everyday users, and ensuring those features deliver immediately — that’s where brands can stand out and build customer loyalty.

Some TV OEMs include onboarding videos or tutorials as part of the first-time user experience. During setup, users may be prompted to watch these optional videos to learn more about their device’s features. These onboarding tools have proven highly effective in helping consumers understand and engage with the capabilities of their TVs.

With 41% of consumers seeking better sound quality across all their devices, what does this reveal about the need for improved design, and how can technologies like DTS deliver consistency across devices, formats and environments?

Consumers want great audio experiences regardless of where they are, what they’re listening to, what device they’re using or what’s going on around them.

When you’re talking about post-processing, that’s DTS Virtual:X, DTS Clear Dialogue and our collection of post-processing solutions. Post-processing is like putting a filter on a photo — same picture, but it looks better. Here, it’s the same sound, just clearer and more balanced. There are algorithms and other types of audio processing we apply to make it sound better. Our collection of technologies helps make a device sound as good as possible, regardless of the content played back through it.

Dialogue intelligibility is among the top audio expectations for modern viewers. Why does it remain such a persistent challenge, and what can OEMs do to finally solve it?

The challenge is multifaceted. It has to do with content production, device limitations and the environment in which the consumer is listening. It also needs to take into account the listener’s ability to hear and understand what is being said.

Market feedback indicates this is the number one problem to solve for TV audio. While many have attempted to address dialogue intelligibility over the last few decades, very few have come close to an effective solution — and only DTS has developed technology that consistently delivers results. This represents a real opportunity for OEMs: solving dialogue intelligibility could encourage people to buy another TV or accelerate their upgrade cycle. Most solutions have tried to address this in different ways, with very limited user controls, often buried deep in the settings of a TV. There is a real opportunity here to give the user greater real-time visual controls, using language that resonates with everyday users and making them intuitive to find.

How could solving dialogue intelligibility become a real differentiator?

The potential impact is significant. Enhanced dialogue intelligibility helps manufacturers appeal to premium buyers, stand out in mid-market segments and reach broader audiences—including older viewers and non-native speakers. It can also boost post-sale revenue by keeping viewers more engaged. However, these advantages only materialize with careful, intentional implementation.

If OEMs invest in technology that solves dialogue intelligibility, paired with redesigned settings menus and intuitive language that speaks to everyday users, the competitive advantage is substantial. Easy-to-find controls only matter if they deliver real improvement. When you combine an effective solution with accessible user controls, you create tangible brand differentiation in a crowded market where hardware specs no longer separate leaders from followers. Most consumers expect settings to be buried and confusing, which means the brands that solve this problem will stand out dramatically while building stronger brand equity, increased customer loyalty and potentially accelerated upgrade cycles as satisfied users stay within your ecosystem.

Ultimately, how do you see DTS’s role in making premium sound more accessible to everyday consumers, and why is that important for the industry right now?

At a macro level, people want to be able to have that moment in their day where they can watch their shows and be able to enjoy them to the fullest extent possible, regardless of their environment, the equipment they have, how much they spent on it, what’s happening in their room or their own ability to understand. And it’s not just about hearing, it’s cognitive.

Folks need that space in their day to put down their burdens and engage in a story that helps them reconnect with humanity.

Bringing relief, joy, distraction, comedy or anything that you associate with entertainment — all OEMs understand their responsibility in the home. As one of the leading technology providers in the audio space to OEMs for the last few decades, we deeply understand that we’re here to make their products deliver on that promise as much as possible. That’s really at the end of the day why we do this.

We work with OEMs beyond licensing. Whether it’s identifying what your customers need, solving specific technology challenges or capturing market opportunities you’ve spotted — we can collaborate at whatever level makes sense for your business.

The viewers are ready. The technology exists. Now it’s time to deliver.

Partner with DTS to make premium sound possible.