2023 Will Usher in a New
Era for Wireless Audio

Auracast™ Broadcast Audio in Public Venues

Auracast™ will enable public venues and spaces to deliver better audio experiences that will increase accessibility and enhance occupant and visitor satisfaction. “Auracast™ broadcast audio is well positioned to become an advanced, new assistive listening system that will be significantly easier and lower cost to deploy while offering higher audio quality and greater privacy, improving audio accessibility and promoting better living through better hearing,” said Nick Hunn from WiFore Consulting.

This new Bluetooth^® capability holds the potential to improve existing use cases and establish new applications within public venues and spaces, from augmented/assistive listening to multi-language support and beyond.

Auracast™ broadcast audio will offer venues that deploy public address (PA) systems – such as transit centers, lecture halls, conference centers, houses of worship, and more – an enhanced audio experience by enabling visitors to receive the PA audio directly into their own Auracast™ enabled Bluetooth headset or hearing device. When used in this manner, Auracast™ broadcast audio will function as a high-quality, low-cost, next-generation assistive listening system (ALS), increasing accessibility and improving the visitor experience.

“Audio quality innovations can benefit everyone, while also improving communication access to those with hearing loss,” said Barbara Kelley from the HLAA. “Having choices in technology to meet the varying needs of people with hearing loss is critical. The advent of technologies like Auracast™ broadcast audio has the potential to give people who wear hearing aids and cochlear implants an important new option for hearing access in their everyday lives.”

And, as a secure, cost-effective, and hygienic alternative to handing out infrared, FM, or wired headsets to those in need of translation services, Auracast™ broadcast audio lets visitors use their own Auracast™ enabled Bluetooth earbuds or hearing device to listen to simultaneous interpretation services without the need for any additional devices or complicated infrastructure.

How It Works

An unlimited number of in-range Auracast™ receivers will be able to join an Auracast™ broadcast from a nearby Auracast™ transmitter.

Auracast™ transmitters (e.g., smartphones, TVs, PA systems, etc.) will broadcast advertisements, notifying Auracast™ assistants (e.g., smartphones, smartwatches, etc.) that there is an Auracast™ transmission available in the area. The advertisement includes a name, whether the transmission is secured or open, and other information about the Auracast™ transmission.

Auracast™ assistants scan for these advertisements and provide a user interface (UI) to enable users to select an Auracast™ transmission, similar to the UI commonly used to connect to Wi-Fi networks in public spaces.

Once an Auracast™ transmission is selected, the Auracast™ assistant informs the Auracast™ receiver (e.g., headphone, earbud, hearing aid, etc.) how to join the Auracast™ transmission.

Learn More About Auracast™ Broadcast Audio

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) launched a new microsite to help developers learn what they need to know about developing their Auracast™ products and solutions and to provide public locations with important information about how Auracast™ broadcast audio will benefit their location and visitors.

Check out more Auracast™ resources.