Airoha Technology Unleashes
the Potential of LE AudioLE Audioの可能性を解き放つAiroha Technology

Why does AIROHA choose Bluetooth technology as the primary technology for wireless audio system solutions?

Bluetooth^® technology covers a wide range of data transfer, audio streaming, and positioning applications and is equipped with flexible, easy pairing, and connection functions. Its diverse capabilities and applications boast a mature ecosystem that is beneficial to the expansion of the IoT application market. Moreover, 100 percent of smartphones, PCs, and smart TVs in the market have built-in Bluetooth capability, and, therefore, we have chosen Bluetooth as our core technology.

Bluetooth LE Audio, with its specifications finalized, has the advantages of low energy consumption, low cost, and a mature and widespread ecosystem over other wireless communication technologies. The energy consumption of Bluetooth LE Audio is only 10-20 percent of that of Wi-Fi.

Adopting Bluetooth LE Audio helps us to develop more additional functions, such as AuracastTM broadcast audio, for our mid- and high-end TWS products. Moving forward, AuracastTM broadcast audio will be in AIROHA’s full-range of products.

What are AIROHA’s views on the future applications and development of Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast^TM broadcast audio?

The Bluetooth SIG announced the completion of Bluetooth LE Audio specifications, which is the most important milestone in the Bluetooth^® audio industry in the past decade. Market demands for Bluetooth LE Audio technology have consequently emerged. As one of the first companies to qualify Bluetooth LE Audio products, AIROHA’s R&D team is fully dedicated to proposing total solutions, such as introducing a software development kit (SDK) with the most optimal efficiency, ultra-low energy consumption, and rich resources. By integrating comprehensive capabilities needed for different Bluetooth application markets and further simplifying the R&D of Bluetooth connections between different devices, we can expedite the launch of more end products and create new audio experiences for users.

Auracast ^TM broadcast audio, the most significant innovation in the Bluetooth LE Audio feature set, is the industry standard for one-to-many audio playback, which will massively change the audio service model of existing dedicated earbuds. Auracast^TM broadcast audio improves the convenience and experience of users and reduces the cost of service to providers; it will inspire more innovative applications and scenarios. For example, museum tours no longer need to rent dedicated headsets, and visitors can receive audio indoors while wearing their own Bluetooth headsets with Auracast™ broadcast audio. Other venues, such as public gathering places, stadiums, concerts, and even corporate events, can also rely on this feature to provide personalized and innovative services that will dramatically change the consumer experience and service model of a company.

In addition to supporting Auracast™ broadcast audio, Bluetooth LE Audio also offers two major benefits: improved sound quality and low latency. In the past, true wireless stereo (TWS) Bluetooth enabled earphones were limited by size, weight, and battery capacity, making it difficult to balance hardware requirements and audio performance. According to the Bluetooth SIG, the LC3 codec introduced by Bluetooth LE Audio can transmit audio at half the bit rate of traditional SBC without compromising sound quality. Besides, Bluetooth LE Audio reduces the latency problem by 70 percent. Therefore, in the foreseeable future, LC3 will become the standard high-quality and energy-efficient Bluetooth audio codec.

With the continued increase of Bluetooth bandwidth and improvement of low latency, it is expected that more Bluetooth audio applications for IoT devices will emerge in the future.