Specification Under Development Will Enable LC3plus High-Resolution Codec in Bluetooth LE Audio

The Bluetooth LE Audio set of specifications, introducing the LC3 codec as the mandatory option for wireless audio streaming, is an important evolution compared to the current default SBC codec. Nevertheless, unlike the current Bluetooth Classic A2DP profile that specifies optional audio codecs, LE Audio didn't offer any options. A recent article in the Fraunhofer IIS blog confirms that a new specification is under development to allow support for the LC3plus high-resolution audio codec.

The LC3plus codec, co-invented and licensed by Fraunhofer IIS, has received the Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification logo issued by the Japan Audio Society, following an extensive objective and subjective testing process. This shows that LC3plus High-Resolution meets the criteria set by the Japan Audio Society, in particular the support of a 96kHz sampling rate, at least 24 bits per audio sample, and the ability to reproduce frequencies of 40kHz and above.

This year, I was really looking forward to meeting with the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, and discuss their projects for the USB4 Specification, the really big, gigantic update story on that front (at least in consumer electronics) since CES last year. The USB-IF announced the publication of the latest and greatest USB4 specification in September 2019, offering a major update to the USB architecture that complements and builds upon the existing USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 architectures. This article was published originally in The Audio Voice 264 newsletter, February 6.