StreamUnlimited Aims to End Immersive Audio Setup Frustration

VIENNA – January 05, 2026 – For years, the dream of a truly immersive home theater has come with a frustrating reality: a mess of wires, strict speaker placement rules, and complex calibration routines. At CES 2026, Vienna-based system integrator StreamUnlimited is showcasing a new reference platform designed to finally eliminate that friction, potentially making high-fidelity spatial audio a simple, flexible reality for the masses.

The company today announced a production-ready streaming audio system that combines two key technologies: Dolby Atmos FlexConnect and NXP Trimension ultra-wideband (UWB). The goal is to allow consumers to place wireless speakers anywhere in a room—regardless of perfect symmetry or distance—and have the system intelligently adapt to deliver an optimal Dolby Atmos experience. This move positions StreamUnlimited not as a consumer brand itself, but as a crucial enabler for the major electronics companies looking to simplify the next generation of home entertainment.

The Promise of 'Stupid Simple' Surround Sound

Dolby Atmos has become the gold standard for immersive audio, with widespread support across films, music streaming services, and video games. However, setting up a traditional multi-speaker Atmos system at home has remained a challenge for many, requiring precise placement of speakers to match specific channel layouts.

Dolby first addressed this with the announcement of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect in August 2023, a technology designed to make surround sound "stupid simple." FlexConnect allows a central device, typically a TV, to wirelessly connect with satellite speakers. The system then uses built-in microphones to listen to calibration tones and acoustically map the room, optimizing the sound for the speakers' actual locations rather than their ideal ones. Early adopters like TCL began integrating the technology into their 2025 TV and speaker lineups, but StreamUnlimited's new platform signals a broader, more accessible future.

"Immersive audio is no longer just about sound quality; it's about intelligence, adaptability, and removing setup friction," said Markus Rutz, CTO of StreamUnlimited, in the company's announcement. "We've architected this platform to give brands maximum freedom in system design."

By providing a complete, end-to-end reference system, StreamUnlimited offers manufacturers a faster path to market for FlexConnect-enabled products. This is particularly timely, as major players like LG are heavily promoting FlexConnect at CES 2026 with new soundbars and wireless speakers, underscoring the growing industry momentum behind this user-friendly approach.

The Magic of Intelligent Mapping with UWB

While Dolby's initial implementation of FlexConnect relies on acoustic measurements, StreamUnlimited's platform adds another layer of precision by integrating NXP Trimension ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. UWB is a short-range radio technology known for its ability to provide highly accurate, real-time location data, with precision down to the centimeter.

Instead of just listening, the system can see where each speaker is in three-dimensional space. During a one-step setup process, the UWB-enabled system automatically and instantly maps the room's geometry and the exact position of every speaker. This data allows the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect renderer to adapt immediately and more accurately to the physical layout, minimizing user interaction and potential errors from acoustic interference.

The platform also introduces an optional "sweet spot" tracking feature. Using UWB radar, the system can detect the listener's position in the room and optimize the audio experience specifically for that spot. This moves beyond a one-size-fits-all room calibration to a truly personalized sound field. Recognizing potential privacy concerns associated with location-tracking technology, StreamUnlimited has wisely made this feature fully configurable. The company stated that the function can be disabled or omitted entirely by manufacturers to align with brand positioning, regional regulations, or user privacy expectations.

An Enabler for the Entire Audio Industry

StreamUnlimited's announcement is less about a single product and more about the underlying architecture that will power countless future devices. As a system integrator, the company provides the software solutions and hardware modules that brands like LG, TCL, and others use to build their consumer-facing products.

The new reference platform is powered by the company's proprietary StreamSDK, a comprehensive software development kit that comes pre-certified for virtually every major streaming service and protocol. This includes Spotify Connect (with its lossless tier), TIDAL, Qobuz, Amazon Music HD, and AirPlay. Crucially, it also handles the rendering of all leading immersive audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Sony 360 Reality Audio, and MPEG-H, whether streamed from a music service or passed through from a TV.

This all-in-one approach significantly reduces development time and costs for consumer electronics manufacturers. Instead of building these complex software stacks from scratch, they can license StreamUnlimited's production-ready solution, allowing them to focus on hardware design, acoustics, and user experience. This strategic position as a "silent enabler" allows innovation to proliferate across the market more quickly, benefiting consumers with more choices and faster access to cutting-edge features.

Crafting the Adaptable Home of Tomorrow

The combination of flexible speaker placement and intelligent, automatic calibration showcased in StreamUnlimited's platform is part of a larger trend toward more adaptable and integrated smart homes. The technology frees home entertainment systems from the rigid constraints of the past, where the furniture had to be arranged around the speakers. Now, the audio system can be arranged to fit the furniture and the aesthetic of the living space.

This flexibility is a key driver in the evolution of home audio, moving away from dedicated, single-purpose home theater rooms and toward multi-functional living spaces where high-quality entertainment is seamlessly integrated. The ability to add, remove, or reposition speakers on the fly without a complicated recalibration process means a system can evolve with a user's needs—starting with a soundbar and two rear speakers and perhaps later adding more for a fuller surround experience.

The immersive audio ecosystem is rapidly expanding beyond the living room, as seen elsewhere at CES 2026. Innovations like Pioneer's SPHERA bringing Dolby Atmos to car stereos and HAVIT's SPACE series offering spatial audio in headphones demonstrate a massive consumer appetite for three-dimensional sound. By providing the foundational technology that makes the home-based version of this experience more accessible and user-friendly, StreamUnlimited is not just launching a new platform; it is laying down a critical piece of infrastructure for the future of audio.