Low-Latency Gaming and Hearing-Aids - Next Drivers for Bluetooth Low Energy and LE Audio

Bluetooth LE Audio is creating exciting new product development opportunities! Typical audio latency with LC3, and additional capabilities for robustness, extremely low delay, and high-resolution audio with LC3plus are important drivers to encourage manufacturers in the transition. In this article for The Audio Voice, Morag Agmon (CEVA) why your next Bluetooth products need to support LE Audio and why latency is a core driver in gaming and hearing aids applications.

CEVA unveiled Bluebud, a highly-integrated wireless audio platform aimed at standardizing DSP-enabled Bluetooth audio IP for fast-growing applications, including True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds, hearables, gaming headsets, smartwatches and other wearable devices. The solution fully supports Bluetooth 5.2 and LE Audio design and is ready to support brands in the transition from Bluetooth Classic.

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.

ON Semiconductor will showcase a wide range of innovative technologies for smart home, connected buildings and personal connected devices at CES 2020. Powering portable voice-controlled applications will be the latest LC823455 ultra-low-power audio processor, supporting high-resolution audio processing. This highly integrated SoC, featuring an Arm Cortex−M3 Dual Core CPU and proprietary 32−bit DSP Core (LPDSP32) wit support for high−resolution 32−bit/192kHz audio.

To enable the development of more consumer-friendly earbuds, Microchip Technology announced a compact Bluetooth audio System-On-Chip (SoC) that features proprietary Wireless Stereo Technology (WST) for earbuds to improve RF stability and high-fidelity audio quality. The Bluetooth 5-compliant SoC allows compact designs and enables entirely wire-free earbuds with balanced battery life and high-quality sound.