Deezer HiFi, Formerly Deezer Elite, Comes To Chromecast Devices

It wasn't too long ago that Deezer started its march into Google land by integrating with Google Home. Now Deezer is taking that partnership to a new level, though in a slightly different direction. Deezer Elite, which is now being rebranded as Deezer Elite, will be available on Google Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, or any device with "Chromecast built-in", a.k.a. "Google Cast". The catch is that you'll have to pay a monthly fee for that.

So Deezer's announcement is really two things in one. First is the renaming of Deezer Elite to HiFi, with practically the same perks. That basically means, in addition to the Deezer Premium+ features, HiFi subscribers will be able to access music in lossless FLAC format.

The other announcement is probably more interesting to Elite/HiFi subscribers. Soon they will be able to play their tunes on any device that uses Google's Cast technology, from Google's own Chromecast dongles to speakers with built-in Cast support, including those from Sony, Samsung, Yamaha, Bang & Olufsen, Onkyo, Pioneer, AudioPro, and Devialet. And since they're already paying for it, that means they can cast lossless FLAC audio to those as well.

But wait, there's more! If said speaker or audio equipment also happens to integrate Google Assistant, users will also be able to control Deezer HiFi by voice. That will pretty much be the same as the Google Home integration it announced a few weeks back, which means you also get to access Deezer's signature Flow. Except you'll also be able to play your music in high quality FLAC.

A Deezer HiFi subscription costs $19.99 per month, and you'll obviously need a Cast-enabled device, or at least a Chromecast Audio, to take advantage of this new feature. Needless to say, you'll also need a pretty good Internet connection to be streaming FLAC files that are larger than your average MP3.

SOURCE: Deezer