Next-Gen Bluetooth LE Audio to Help Hearing-Challenged Consumers
LAS VEGAS -- The next generation of Bluetooth, LE Audio, adds support for hearing aids and has broadcast audio for audio sharing, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group announced at CES. Specifications that define LE Audio are expected to be released throughout first half 2020, it said.
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The European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association contributed to improve the audio experience for hard-of-hearing consumers, said Stefan Zimmer, EHIMA secretary-general. “Within a few years most new phones and TVs will be equally accessible to users with hearing loss.”
The latest Bluetooth will soon support two operation modes: LE Audio, operating on the Bluetooth Low Energy radio, and Classic Audio, operating on the Bluetooth Classic radio, said the group. LE Audio will continue to support development of the same audio products and use cases as Classic Audio, while introducing new features to improve performance and enable new ones, said Bluetooth SIG.
Multistream audio support enables transmission of multiple, independent synchronized audio streams between a smartphone and one or more audio devices, said Bluetooth SIG. Developers will be able to use the feature to improve performance of true wireless earbuds with stereo imaging, voice assistant integration and smoother switching between multiple audio source devices, said Nick Hunn, chief technology officer of WiFore Consulting and chair of the Bluetooth SIG hearing aid working group.
Another new feature, Bluetooth audio sharing, can be personal or location-based. With personal audio sharing, people will be able to share their Bluetooth audio experience with others around them, from a smartphone, for instance. Location-based audio sharing will enable public venues such as airports, bars, gyms, cinemas and conference centers to share Bluetooth audio that augments the visitor experience, said the group.
Location-based audio sharing will enable consumers to select audio being broadcast by muted TVs in public venues, said Bose’s Peter Liu, a member of the Bluetooth SIG board. Theaters and lecture halls will be able to share audio to help visitors with hearing loss and provide audio in multiple languages, Liu said.
The new Low Complexity Communication Codec (LC3) provides high quality at low data rates, allowing developers to make better design tradeoffs between audio quality and power consumption, said Bluetooth SIG.
Listening tests show LC3 will provide audio quality improvements over the SBC codec included with Classic Audio, “even at a 50 percent lower bit rate,” said Manfred Lutzky, head of audio for communications at Fraunhofer IIS. Developers can create products with longer battery life or, in cases where current battery life is sufficient, “reduce the form factor by using a smaller battery.”