As the Vienna, Austria-based engineering group has demonstrated repeatedly, cutting-edge audio innovations can be implemented, but it is also critical to create convenient development solutions that allow brands and manufacturers to bring products quickly to the market, generating user adoption and market momentum. Audio networking is clearly making its way into the homes and residential integration. Having pioneered Dante applications for advanced integration, StreamUnlimited was now able to expand a broader implementation simply based on the AES67 interoperability standard.
With native support for high-resolution sampling rates, StreamUnlimited's new multiroom implementation is engineered for the highest fidelity streaming to meet the expectations of high-end-grade performance. By building on the AES67 standard, it offers broader interoperability options with professional and residential networked audio environments, including the ability to integrate with other existing features.
"This next generation takes multiroom further, empowering our partners to deliver higher-resolution audio and adapt to applications ranging from premium residential setups to demanding professional audio environments," says Markus Rutz, CTO of StreamUnlimited.
Since Dante audio networks are essentially AES67 compatible, there was already some market experience in home networking integration that leverages the technology for multiroom applications and automation control in the residential installation market. AES67 allows integration with many other IP-based audio systems over Ethernet for broader interoperability. To bring an AES67-based solution to the broader consumer market, StreamUnlimited implemented key advancements that started with native hi-res playback and support for advanced sampling rates, and expanded the solution with both Ethernet and Wi-Fi support to support flexible deployment.
Integrated into StreamSDK, built on StreamUnlimited's comprehensive stack for simplified integration and faster time-to-market, this generation of multiroom is now available for a large range of applications, not just for commercial-grade use cases, but also for premium and high-end consumer audio setups. Whether embedded in consumer devices, installed in commercial venues, or integrated into hybrid setups, it enables manufacturers to deliver intuitive, high-performance multiroom functionality.
The solution that StreamUnlimited will showcase at CEDIA (more oriented towards professional integration) and at IFA (the largest show in the world oriented towards the consumer) enables whole-home synchronization for seamless music playback across multiple speakers or rooms, creating a unified audio experience throughout the home. It can also be integrated with smart home systems to activate predefined audio scenes (e.g., "morning routine," "movie night") with specific source, volume, and zone configurations, and easily controlled via the leading automation ecosystems.
Users can seamlessly manage sources and zones via custom-branded apps or voice platforms for a user-friendly, hands-free experience, while commercial deployments can be managed with independent source routing, allowing streaming different audio content to distinct zones, ideal for commercial environments like spas, gyms, retail stores, and cafés. Centralized control with local override allows staff or users to control local playback, while keeping centralized management for brand consistency or scheduled content delivery.
According to StreamUnlimited, this new multiroom solution is ideal for mixed-system integration. It allows using AES67 compatibility to connect consumer-grade speakers with professional audio systems for hybrid applications, such as showrooms, AV systems, and studios. And it also supports complex configurations for custom-install, CEDIA-grade smart homes, or commercial AV installations, with full control over stream routing, priority, and synchronization.
StreamSDK Lite
StreamUnlimited also recently announced the availability of StreamSDK as a Linux container, driving the Multi-Stream Audio solution and StreamSDK Lite. Multi-Stream supports multiple independent audio streams through a single hardware module, improving audio distribution across residential, commercial, and hospitality environments. Manufacturers now have the flexibility to choose between a complete hardware-software solution or StreamSDK Lite, a software-only option that allows brands to integrate advanced streaming capabilities into their existing hardware setups faster than ever before.
"Multi-Stream simplifies audio setups by eliminating the need for multiple audio processing units. This approach streamlines both installation and maintenance, offers scalability to fit any space, and significantly reduces hardware costs. As a result, our system is more efficient and cost-effective for our customers," explains Peter Sumega, Director High End & CEDIA at StreamUnlimited.
StreamSDK Lite encapsulates StreamSDK features into a Linux container, allowing companies to seamlessly integrate advanced streaming capabilities into their existing hardware setup. Traditionally, such integration requires extensive customization, which is costly and time-consuming. StreamSDK Lite simplifies this process, enabling quicker and more cost-effective upgrades for existing systems with streaming capabilities.
Multi-Stream Audio technology optimizes centralized audio systems, enabling efficient management and distribution of sound from a single control point across multiple locations. Each location can independently choose its audio stream, enhancing the system's versatility and making it ideal for residential and commercial environments.
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