According to the Bluetooth SIG, Bluetooth LE Audio was designed to improve wireless audio performance via the use of a more efficient audio codec (LC3), adds support for hearing aids, and introduces Auracast broadcast audio and audio sharing, two new Bluetooth capabilities that will enhance the way users engage with others and in social environments.
Today, audio devices depend upon the use of Bluetooth Classic radio, also referred to as Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR), a low power radio that streams data over 79 channels in the 2.4GHz unlicensed industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) frequency band. Supporting point-to-point device communication, Bluetooth Classic is mainly used to enable wireless audio streaming and has become the standard radio protocol behind wireless speakers, headphones, and in-car entertainment systems. The Bluetooth Classic radio also enables data transfer applications, including mobile printing.
As the names suggest, Classic Audio operates on the Bluetooth Classic radio while LE Audio operates on the Bluetooth Low Energy radio. The Bluetooth Core Specification was enhanced in December 2019 to enable delivery of audio over Bluetooth LE, including the new LE Isochronous Channels feature. LE Audio will not only support development of the same audio products and use cases as Classic Audio, it will introduce a new set of features that promise to improve their performance as well as enable the creation of new products and use cases.
Bluetooth LE Audio builds on the 20+ years of industry experience and technology developments to enhance the performance of Bluetooth audio. It's main highlights are the introduction of the new Low Complexity Communications (LC3) Codec, originally developed by the Fraunhofer Institute, also the source for the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) technology and more recently the more advanced open standard LC3plus codec that combines support for high-resolution audio with low delay.
The new specification announced in September 2020 defines the use of LC3 audio codec, chosen for its robust low-power implementation possibilities - extremely suitable for hearing-aid applications, although not yet evolving towards the possibilities enabled by the LC3plus codec or similar technologies already available. The new set of LE Audio Specifications that are now finally released define the missing elements in the original 2020 framework, with the last one being the Public Broadcast Profile (PBP) which defines global, interoperable support for broadcast audio use cases such as public address systems and televisions.
"Today is a proud day for the Bluetooth SIG member community," says Mark Powell, CEO of the Bluetooth SIG. "Our members overcame the many challenges placed on them these past few years to complete the largest specification development project in the history of the Bluetooth SIG. LE Audio extends the boundaries of what’s possible for the wireless audio market, including the introduction of Auracast broadcast audio, a new Bluetooth capability that promises to deliver life-changing audio experiences to consumers, bringing friends and family closer together and making public locations more accessible and enjoyable for all. I can’t wait to see the innovation LE Audio brings."
The Bluetooth SIG also announced that qualification for Bluetooth products seeking to add support for LE Audio is now enabled. Initial consumer products supporting LE Audio, including those with Auracast broadcast audio, are expected to come to market in the coming months, and the Bluetooth SIG anticipates LE Audio product availability to ramp up for the 2022 holiday season and end of the year.
"In addition to introducing new features to Bluetooth audio, LE Audio offers a new, flexible architecture that provides an ideal platform for future wireless audio innovation, and work within the Bluetooth SIG is already underway to bring additional LE Audio features and capabilities to market," the Bluetooth SIG states.
The full list of LE Audio specifications is available on the LE Audio Specifications page of the Bluetooth website.
Formed in 1998, the Bluetooth SIG is a not-for-profit trade association that oversees Bluetooth technology, supported and supporting more than 38,000 member companies, shipping and estimated 5 billion products each year.
www.bluetooth.com/le-audio
