Sound advice

In the third in a series of articles in association with Sony, we ask experts in their field to answer your questions and queries on product- and technology-related issues. This month, Matt Coupe, Sony UK’s senior product manager for sound, tunes in to the world of wireless streaming

Q: Is there a growing trend for listening to music wirelessly in the home?

A: Absolutely. Throughout 2011, there has been a shift in the number of people who are accessing their music collections wirelessly to listen to in the home.
This is not a new proposition, but we’ve seen real momentum in this space and the number of people who are using wireless technologies for music in the home is catching up with those who listen to their music on the move.
Traditionally, a hi-fi would sit in the lounge and be the primary music player at home, but the ability to stream music means that discreet devices can sit in different rooms and can be easily accessed.

Q: What sort of wireless products and technologies are proving popular?

A: There are three key ways people are accessing their music wirelessly. Firstly, using wi-fi as the enabler, DLNA devices can sync up and share content with each other. This is an open industry standard and consumers can look at the packaging of devices such as hi-fi, docks, TVs and other consumer electronics devices for the DLNA logo to find compatible products.
Secondly, AirPlay is proving popular with those consumers who are using Apple devices and have bought into the Apple eco-system. AirPlay allows users to stream music and video to Mac/Apple TV/ speakers via an access point. The third way to listen to music wirelessly at home, which is proving popular, uses a technology that has been around for a long time and has the advantage of being on many CE devices – Bluetooth.
If a consumer has their music collection on their phone, laptop, PC or tablet, they can easily set up a Bluetooth connection with any one of the increasing number of Bluetooth speakers and docks and away they go.

Q: What are the main consumer benefits of listening to music wirelessly?

A: Ease of use is the primary customer benefit. The days of searching out a CD case and then finding that the wrong CD is inside are hopefully behind us now.
Penetration figures for portable music devices are very high which means that consumers are used to accessing their music collections wirelessly and it is a natural extension for this to move into the home.
We’re finding that customers are also excited about controlling music in different rooms in their houses from one device, which is a great option when having a party or when different members of the family want to listen to different tunes.

Q: Can you please help by explaining terms such as streaming and ‘The Cloud?’ What do you they actually mean?

A: The Cloud refers to content (in this case music) being saved to an online location and the ability to access from any device that has access to the internet. This might be a phone, a hi-fi, a dock, a tablet or a laptop – basically whatever is the most convenient

method for the end user.
If the device that the user wants to use to play the music is not network-enabled, then streaming may be an option. A good example of this is when someone has all of their music collection on their

phone and wants to send to a speaker that is Bluetooth-enabled, but not networked.
By pairing the two devices via Bluetooth, which is one of the settings on most phones, the user can choose which songs that they want to play and away they go.

Q: How can I best set up and demonstrate wireless music products in-store?

A: Letting the customer listen to their own music is key here. There is a perception that setting up a wireless music system in the home is difficult – store staff need to be able to disprove that myth.
The best way to do so is to take the consumer through the process with their own music. Letting potential customers know that they are welcome to bring their phones, tablets or laptops into store is a necessary step and will facilitate more people coming through the door.
Displays need to be set up in a way that allows staff to demonstrate them effectively. Having a wi-fi network available for customers to use is a big benefit and staff can then advise on the best free apps that are available (like D-Sappli) to control music and enable multi-room listening.

Q: What kind of accessories can I sell with wireless audio products?

A: There are a number of accessories that can be sold with wireless audio products – basically any devices that can either store or be used to access digital music files or access the internet on the move.
This might be a smart phone, a Walkman, a tablet or a laptop. Portable storage is also very useful for transporting and backing up files, so an external hard disk drive, a USB flash drive or even a high-capacity SD card could be good attachment sales.
A sales person can also help a consumer to pick the right headphones to suit their needs.