Bluetooth® Stack Launches Next-gen Audio Streaming

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Oct 18, 2022, 04:00 ET

New Low Energy Audio functionality enables more audio use cases and improved audio quality

BERLIN, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OpenSynergy announces the release of its Bluetooth® stack, Blue SDK v7, implementing entirely new Bluetooth profiles that enable advanced audio streaming over Bluetooth Low Energy. A new codec, called LC3, makes it possible to stream audio over Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), providing improved audio quality at roughly half the bitrate compared to the traditional Bluetooth audio codec. Additionally, highly synchronized audio streams can be shared across multiple receiving devices via Multi-Stream Audio and Broadcast Audio. Blue SDK v7 is ready for immediate integration.

MULTI-STREAM AUDIO

Multi-stream audio allows for multiple, highly synchronized audio streams between an audio source device and one or more receiving devices. For example, a single smartphone can send an independent stream of the Left channel to one Bluetooth speaker and independent steam of the Right channel to another Bluetooth speaker. Both speakers work together as a single system to play stereo audio.

BROADCAST AUDIO

Broadcast Audio enables an audio source device to broadcast one or more audio streams to many receiving devices. This new topology is referred to as "Audio Sharing." It is useful for broadcasting audio within public venues as well as sharing audio from the same audio source device with friends. For example, an in-car entertainment system can broadcast the same audio to a large group of passengers that are all wearing headphones, providing the driver with peace and quiet or the flexibility to take a phone call over the built-in sound system.

Completely new Bluetooth profiles, such as Telephony and Media Audio Profile (TMAP), define interoperable support for both telephony and media audio compared to the Classic Audio profiles such as A2DP for media streaming, AVRCP for media controls, and HFP for telephony. This is in contrast to the profiles in the Classic Audio architecture, which cover many functionalities redundantly. The new profile architecture for LE Audio consolidates functionality into smaller underlying profiles that can be reused across use cases. Additionally, LE Audio and the new LE Dynamic Power Control can reduce power consumption and optimize signal strength.

"LE Audio significantly enhances the user experience of Bluetooth audio streaming by improving audio quality, reducing latency, and adding the ability to easily share audio," said David Baum, Director of Wireless Technologies Competency Center at OpenSynergy. "Our implementation of LE Audio will continue our legacy of excelling where open source and consumer-grade Bluetooth stacks fall short. It is a continuation of our commitment to providing the outstanding flexibility, robustness, and interoperability that our users have come to love about Blue SDK."

Blue SDK is one of the market's most mature and feature-complete Bluetooth stacks. Over the years, it has been informally known as the iAnywhere stack and Extended Systems stack, approaching nearly 25 years of development by the same core development team. This deep protocol knowledge and expertise continue to make Blue SDK the preferred choice for demanding industries such as Automotive, Medical, and Industrial. The implementation of LE Audio marks a major milestone in carrying forward a long legacy of excellence into next-generation Bluetooth devices.

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by OpenSynergy is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

About OpenSynergy

OpenSynergy provides embedded software products for the next generation of vehicles. Its hypervisor and communication products pave the way for an integrated driving experience.

The automotive virtual platform COQOS Hypervisor SDK integrates a mix of real-time applications and open-source solutions on powerful domain controllers. It supports a large bundle of features corresponding to the virtualization standard VIRTIO, creating maximum flexibility: guest operating systems can be used and reused on different Systems on Chips.

The automotive leading Bluetooth® stack Blue SDK is one of OpenSynergy's communications platforms. It is the reference Bluetooth® implementation for many OEMs around the world.

OpenSynergy also provides engineering services to support the customization of its products.