Share your audio, unmute your world, and hear your best — all of this is made possible by the newest innovation from Bluetooth® technology, Auracast™ broadcast audio.
Alongside the full specification release of Bluetooth LE Audio, the boundless potential of Auracast™ broadcast audio has made a significant impact upon the entire industry. Last month, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) collaborated with several member companies to host The Auracast™ Experience at CEATEC 2023 in Shanghai, China and Tokyo, Japan. The Auracast™ Experience events offer attendees the opportunity to experience Auracast™ broadcast audio first hand.
Visitors participated in several simulated scenarios: arriving at an airport for an international conference, navigating the airport terminal, and listening to keynote speeches at a public venue, all of which were enhanced by Auracast™ broadcast audio for sharing audio, unmuting, and listening at exceptional audio quality.
Similar to past events in Spain and Taiwan, participants here also had the opportunity to personally experience the entirely new broadcasting capability enabled by Auracast™ broadcast audio. Attendees were provided with Auracast™ compatible earbuds and a smartphone with an Auracast™ app for scanning, receiving, and playing Auracast™ broadcasts (in the near future, seamless bring-your-own-device usage will be increasingly accessible as more devices become compatible with Auracast™ broadcast audio).
While the smartphone and earbuds are paired, the smartphone is not actually the source of the audio. The audio source, the Auracast™ transmitter, is separate, and participants were able to select and receive various Auracast™ broadcasts through the app, akin to choosing from available Wi-Fi networks. With the smartphone in hand and earbuds on, visitors began their Auracast™ journey.
Unmute Silent Public Televisions
The event began with a hands-on experience, using Auracast™ broadcast audio to unmute silent TVs in a public setting. Participants visited an area designed to resemble the sports bar of an airport. In such bars it is common for multiple muted TV monitors to show various sports at once, but customers are unable to hear the commentary over the roar of the crowd. TVs equipped with Auracast™ broadcast audio deliver audio as Auracast™ transmitters, and event visitors were able to use the Auracast™ app on their smartphones to select the TV of their choice and listen via their Auracast™ compatible earbuds, then switch to the audio of another TV by selecting a new broadcast, without even a moment’s delay.
And this experience is not limited to sports bars. As the guide explained, possibilities include unmuting silent TVs in hospital waiting rooms, in gymnasiums, on trains, and more.
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Enjoy Personal Audio Sharing at the Airport Without Missing Announcements From the Public Address System
After experiencing the Auracast™ equipped TVs, visitors then moved on to a re-creation of an airport boarding gate. There, they had the opportunity to experience how we will soon be able to share our audio with friends and family using Auracast™ broadcast audio. While waiting in the airport lounge with colleagues Dave and Lori, Dave asked them to join him as he watched a movie on his laptop, while Lori invited them to listen to music via her smartphone.
Participants received simultaneous invitations via the Auracast™ app. They scanned the available Auracast™ broadcasts and selected the one they wanted to hear, entering a password provided by the device’s owner. This allowed the audio being shared by Dave and Lori to stream directly into their earbuds.
During these personal audio sharing scenarios, only those who had the necessary passwords were able to participate, ensuring privacy while allowing more people to enjoy the same audio at once. Traditionally, the concept of sharing audio from a single source involved sharing the headphones themselves. With Auracast™ broadcast audio, however, you can listen to shared audio through your own headphones, making shared music much more accessible, even if you’re not physically close enough to share someone’s headphones.
Furthermore, by using the Auracast™ app on your smartphone to scan and receive Auracast™ broadcasts related to your boarding gate, you can receive important information being shared over the public address system directly into your personal headphones. Even while enjoying movies or music, if the airport’s announcement system is Auracast™ compatible, you can opt to receive those announcements directly and never again worry about missing important flight information.
Next on the tour, facilities like auditoriums can also add Auracast™ broadcast audio to their existing sound systems. This allows audiences to listen to high-quality, in-house broadcasts via their own Bluetooth®️ headphones or hearing aids.
Listen to Lectures at the Best Possible Sound Quality and in Multiple Languages
Finally, participants arrived at the lecture hall at the conference. You are never guaranteed a seat with ideal audio clarity, but with Auracast™ broadcast audio, participants were able to listen at the optimal volume to suit their needs via the highest audio quality possible on their own earbuds, regardless of where they were located.
If multi-lingual options are offered by the venue, participants can choose their preferred language.
Auracast™ broadcast audio also includes support for hearing aids and, combined with traditional hearing assistance measures, the result is a vast improvement in audio accessibility for all. This is particularly important as populations age, increasing the number of individuals experiencing hearing loss.
Retrofitting Existing Devices With Auracast™ Broadcast Audio
At The Auracast™ Experience, participants were also introduced to a USB dongle that can easily transform existing hardware, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, into Auracast™ transmitters. This means you can adopt Auracast™ broadcast audio without having to wait for new Auracast™ equipped transmitters to be released.
Participants at the event expressed surprise and high expectations for the new use cases that could become a reality via Auracast™ broadcast audio, sharing how they eagerly await the adoption of this technology by consumer devices and public spaces.
The experience of unmuting, sharing audio, and listening in the best possible sound quality as seen at The Auracast™ Experience is soon to become a part of everyday life, and a future where everyone can enjoy a richer audio experience through Auracast™ broadcast audio is right around the corner.
Learn more about Auracast™ broadcast audio.
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Auracast™ Broadcast Audio
Auracast™ broadcast audio will deliver life-changing audio experiences that will enhance the way you engage with others and the world around you.