Fraunhofer IIS Licenses Comprehensive MPEG Audio Codec Suite to NXP Semiconductors

Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, the inventor of mp3 and primary developer of the xHE-AAC and MPEG-H Audio standards, announced that NXP Semiconductors has licensed Fraunhofer’s MPEG audio SDK. The complete software package covers four generations of audio codecs, from legacy MPEG Layer-1/2/3 to the next-generation MPEG-H 3D Audio standard and the AAC codec family, including xHE-AAC. NXP will incorporate these codecs in home entertainment product development, from set-top boxes and soundbars to smart speakers.

Cadence Design Systems announced that an implementation of the Low Complexity Communications Codec (LC3) that is part of the next generation Bluetooth LE Audio specification, is available now for Cadence Tensilica HiFi DSPs and has even been delivered to a lead customer. LC3 provides higher audio quality at lower bandwidth and affords developers greater flexibility in making tradeoffs between audio quality, power consumption and other features for a more optimal user experience.

Synopsys collaborated with Fraunhofer IIS to release an implementation of the LC3 codec, part of the next-generation Bluetooth LE Audio specification. The new LC3 codec is optimized to deliver high-quality audio and voice playback in battery-powered devices incorporating ARC EM and HS DSP processors, and expands Synopsys' DesignWare Bluetooth Low Energy IP offerings and the portfolio of DesignWare ARC audio codecs and post-processing software.

At CES 2020, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announced the upcoming release of LE Audio, the next generation of Bluetooth audio. Two years on the making, Bluetooth LE Audio will enhance the performance of wireless audio, add support for hearing aids, and introduce Audio Sharing, a new use case with the potential to once again change the way we experience audio and connect with the world around us as Bluetooth did when it cut the cord 20 years ago to create the wireless audio market.