It’s been quite a journey for Bluetooth. From a promising technology with an interesting name to a global powerhouse of wireless device networking, Bluetooth has had a massive impact on how wireless devices are designed, built and used.
Bluetooth is now a near-ubiquitous technology that can connect everything from headphones to tablets to motorcycle helmet communication devices to mice. But the technology is still young, with plenty of room to grow, and growth and innovation are exactly what its creators have in the works.
Bluetooth LE Audio is a new Bluetooth standard with a multitude of exciting features that’s slated for release in late 2020. These potentially-revolutionary features will have big effects on the future of Bluetooth communications. Here are five stories that are likely to emerge as Bluetooth LE Audio shapes the technology’s path forward.
Wireless Audio Keeps Improving
Bluetooth connectivity has established itself as a must-have feature in the consumer audio market. Bluetooth SIG, the organization responsible for maintaining the Bluetooth standard, has reported that half of all headphones sold today feature Bluetooth connectivity and that nine in 10 new speakers will ship with Bluetooth functions by 2023.
With the impending release of Bluetooth LE Audio, wireless audio will continue to improve and dominate. One of the biggest innovations contained in this new standard is the ability to have one device send Bluetooth audio data to multiple receiver devices. The improvements made possible by this innovation range from nice extras to essential.
One relatively simple but enjoyable use of this feature is to share audio with friends in your area. Workout buddies can enjoy their lifting and running playlists together, while two people watching a Netflix show on one person’s tablet will no longer have to share earbuds. However, as we’ll see next, this technology also opens up many more significant technological game-changers.
The LC3 Codec Could Save Your Battery’s Life
The current Bluetooth standard still has some issues that make it less efficient and effective than it could be, especially when it comes to now-common uses like Bluetooth headphones and earbuds. Battery life is one such problem that has long vexed wireless headphone users.
The Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) standard has been around since the early 2010s, but it’s only been usable by devices that don’t consume much power, such as fitness trackers. Bluetooth LE Audio will bring a new set of features that will finally allow devices like headphones to run in LE mode, thanks to a new audio codec called LC3.
This new codec substantially reduces the amount of energy that devices such as Bluetooth headphones and earbuds consume compared to the current SBC codec while providing similar audio quality. That means longer battery life for your audio devices so they don’t die in the middle of your train ride home. Plus, it could mean smaller earbuds that can give consumers a good day’s charge while reducing battery size.
A New Generation of Wireless Earbuds
Bluetooth earbuds have exploded in popularity since Apple debuted its AirPods, but they’re also an area in which the current Bluetooth standard has been hard-pressed to keep up. Single-point audio is especially critical for this market, where current models still don’t feature true single-point Bluetooth connections.
Currently, a pair of Bluetooth earbuds actually has to establish a secondary connection between one earbud (which receives the signal from the source device) and the other because they can’t both receive audio from the same source. These secondary connections are sometimes plagued by frequent drop-outs or unacceptable latency.
With the advent of Bluetooth LE Audio, each earbud can finally receive its own crystal-clear signal from the source device. With each earbud synced to the same signal, we can hopefully wave goodbye to unreliable earbud connections and begin a new era of wireless earbud performance.
Revolutionizing Accessible Audio
Bluetooth SIG is also promising exciting improvements in the field of Bluetooth hearing aids and other devices that make audio more accessible for people with hearing loss. The single-point technology that enables you to share a podcast with your friends on the train will also make it easy for hard of hearing people to access audio signals in public places.
Right now, a person with a hearing aid who wants to listen to audio in a public space (like a speech or presentation) has to use their hearing aid to amplify the audio directly. In the process, the hearing aid may capture all kinds of ambient noise that the person doesn’t want.
Instead, an audio setup designed for single-point Bluetooth LE Audio transmission will be able to provide a Bluetooth audio signal that anyone in the space can find via their Bluetooth-enabled device. Rather than a potentially noisy and low-quality audio signal, event organizers can send a high-fidelity Bluetooth signal that streams the desired audio straight to a person’s Bluetooth hearing aid.
Expanded Audio Possibilities
Single-point transmission to multiple Bluetooth receiver devices also offers great opportunities for expanded and enhanced programming for all kinds of locations and events. Any public place where people might want to listen to audio from a single source will soon be fair game. What kinds of applications might we see?
Here are just a few examples. A museum or historical site could offer audio narration by tour guides (particularly useful for designing social-distancing-friendly spaces), or a gym could provide audio workout routines to its members. Movie theaters could offer multilingual audio tracks, sports bars could offer a signal for those who want to listen to the commentary and art galleries could offer multiple carefully-curated playlists to match an exhibit.
That’s not all that’s new in the world of Bluetooth. Other developments, such as the increasing availability of dynamic meshwork communication technologies, are likely to be just as significant. Whatever form the technology takes, wireless audio networking is here to stay, and it will only continue to improve in function and diversity.
Bio – Andrew Moore is the marketing coordinator for Cardo Systems, the world’s market leader in Bluetooth, DMC, and entertainment systems for motorcycle riders. Formally, Andrew was a professional Motorcross racer and has spent the past 12 years traveling on his bike. When he’s not working at Cardo Systems, you can find him mountain biking in the summer and snowboarding in the winter with his two sons.
