The need for better audio accessibility is greater now than ever before. According to the World Health Organization, half a billion people currently need audio accessibility, and 2.5 billion people are projected to have some degree of hearing loss by 2050.
“Hearing and understanding speech in various environments can be a daily struggle for people with any degree of hearing loss,” says Barbara Kelley, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America. “Audio quality innovations can benefit everyone while also improving communication access to those with hearing loss.”
Existing ALS Challenges
While current assistive listening system (ALS) technologies, such as inductive loops, have been providing great benefit to people with hearing loss, they suffer from a number of challenges that have limited their deployment, including poor quality, high cost, and lack of privacy.
With loop systems, deployment is expensive and labor intensive. Venues that want to provide assistive listening have been scared off by the price of installation. Non-loop assistive listening solutions are typically not convenient for the user. It usually means picking up an FM or infrared receiver at the venue since they are not standardized. “Currently, there is just no way to equip all the possible places offering live audio with telecoil systems,” said Jeff Solum from Starkey.
To help overcome the challenges associated with current ALS technologies, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) worked closely with the hearing aid industry to define and introduce the next generation of assistive listening system technology, Auracast™ broadcast audio.
FEATURED INNOVATION
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.
Audio Accessibility for All
Auracast™ broadcast audio will 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. Overcoming the challenges of traditional ALS solutions using a familiar, proven technology ubiquitous in most consumer audio devices will provide the added benefits of enabling broader deployment and increased availability of ALS for people with hearing loss.
According to Nikolai Bisgaard from the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA), Auracast™ broadcast audio will enable easier listening of audio in venues where noise can prevent a quality experience. “For instance, TV monitors in public areas are normally muted, and you must read the transcribed text in ticker lines,” said Bisgaard. “With Auracast™ broadcast audio, you will be able to pick the sound directly in your hearing instruments, headsets, or earbuds and listen without disturbing other people.”
Thanks to Auracast™ broadcast audio, more venues will be able to easily deploy assistive listening. “Being able to place an RF audio gateway based on the new Bluetooth® LE standard just about anywhere there is a power source and an audio source is a complete game changer for people with hearing loss,” said Solum. The applicability of these systems will also expand to consumers with all levels of hearing health.
“Having choices in technology to meet the varying needs of people with hearing loss is critical,” says Kelley. “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.”
FEATURED INNOVATION
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.
The Bluetooth SIG Demonstrates New Audio Use Cases Enabled by Auracast™ Broadcast Audio
Recently, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) partnered with several Bluetooth® member companies, including…
Auracast™: Broadcast and Share Audio Seamlessly
Join a walk through of the Auracast™ Experience showcased at MWC 2023 to see…
Audiology Meet Auracast | HearTech2023
Auracast™ broadcast audio is a new Bluetooth® capability that will deliver life-changing audio experiences.…
The Auracast™ Experience Goes Global
Earlier this year, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), in collaboration with several Bluetooth®…
3 Bluetooth Innovations That Will Have Major Market Impacts
A globally recognized standards body, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) supports industry-leading companies…
ABI Snapshot - 2023 Bluetooth Market Update
The Bluetooth® Market Update, released annually by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), highlights…
New Audio Streaming Market Forecastsオーディオストリーミング市場に関する最新予測
Building on nearly 25 years of innovation, LE Audio enhances the performance of Bluetooth® audio,…
Tour The Auracast™ Experience
Get an exclusive tour of The Auracast™ Experience, an immersive demonstration showcasing how Auracast™…
How to Share Your Audio with Auracast™ Broadcast Audio
Get an insider look at a recent demonstration highlighting how Auracast™ broadcast audio will…
2023 Bluetooth® Market Update
Featuring new market insights and industry forecasts from ABI Research and other analyst firms...
The State of Sound: Soundbites
In this Soundbites edition, we focus on the role of Bluetooth® LE Audio in…
How Auracast Broadcast Audio Technology Will Help You Engage With the World and Those Around You
Bluetooth SIG’s Ken Kolderup shares why you should be excited about LE Audio, and…
Low Energy Audio – Incoming Call Over Media (Multi-Device)
This document uses a Message Sequence Chart (MSC) to explain the Bluetooth® LE Audio…
Snapdragon Sound Drives Premium Sound Experiences In Audio Technica’s Latest Wireless Earphones
Audio Technica is one of the world’s most recognized audio brands with a mission…
Bluetooth® Core Specification Version 5.4 - Technical Overview
This feature overview summarizes and explains the updates introduced in Bluetooth®️ Core Specification Version…
The Switch from Bluetooth® Classic to Bluetooth® LE Audio
Bluetooth isn’t just for wireless speakers — audio providers are expanding Bluetooth use cases…
LE Audio: The Future of Bluetooth® Audio
ABI Research outlines how the arrival of LE Audio is set to transform the Bluetooth audio ecosystem and the impact it will have on Bluetooth® audio market forecasts.
Sizing the Opportunity for Auracast™ Broadcast Audio in Public Locations
Featuring data and research from Strategy Analytics, this report helps readers and decision makers…
Bluetooth audio’s biggest upgrade in years is coming soon to headphones
We’re on the cusp of a new generation of wireless headphones that are more…
Bluetooth SIG Announces Auracast™ Broadcast Audio, Allowing Unlimited Audio Sharing to Earbuds, Speakers or Hearing Devices
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the trade association that oversees Bluetooth® technology, today…
Auracast is coming to Bluetooth, boosting movement, inclusion, and participation for hearing device users
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), the standards mover and shaker for the short-range…
Introducing Bluetooth® LE Audio
Now available for free digital download, get your copy of this in-depth, technical overview of the LE Audio specifications.