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Bluetooth Low Energy Audio

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In this blogpost I will give a brief overview of the new Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Audio features enabled by the recently released Bluetooth 5.2 Core Specification.

Previous BLE blog posts

We have previously written two blogposts containing information about BLE and the use cases enabled by it. Go read them to get the background of BLE and the state of it up until Bluetooth 5.1.

Adding audio to Bluetooth LE

By adding the functionality to stream audio using the Bluetooth Low Energy radio the Bluetooth SIG allows audio streaming for less power consuming devices with hearing aids as the main focus. Some hearing aids have since before been running Bluetooth but in those cases often using external hardware or proprietary protocols and profiles. Now the interoperability and ease of implementing has been greatly improved.

Other than improving Bluetooth audio in hearing aids there are multiple other use cases for the new LE Audio:

  • Better support for ”True Wireless” allowing separate streams to each device (e.g. right and left ear). Previously this required proprietary solutions or only one of the earbuds being connected to the audio source (phone) which in turn would relay the audio packages to other earbud.
  • Allowing more Bluetooth sinks (headphones) to be connected to one source at once, e.g. letting you share the music you listen to with a friend.
  • Expanding the already existing broadcasting functionality (see Erik’s post about BLE) with also being able to broadcast audio streams. This could be used for traffic announcements in a train station, guiding tours at museums and a lot of other use cases!

LE Isochronous Channels

The new features described above are solved largely by a new addition to the Core Specification called Isochronous Channels. The way these channels are specified allows for multiple time synchronized Isochronous (audio) Streams within what is called an Isochronous Group. This makes sure that e.g. the correct audio packets are rendered at the correct times and discards packets which are no longer valid.

Connected Isochronous Streams

Variants for both Connected and Broadcasted Isochronous Streams/Groups have been added to the specification, to allow for all the new kinds of functionality for LE Audio. In the image above the arrows visualizing data directions are bi-directional between the master and the slaves, which is true only for Connected Isochronous Stream. Compare to the uni-directional arrows in the image for Broadcast Isochronous Group/Streams below:

Broadcast Isochronous Streams

For implementation details of the Isochronous Streams and Groups, refer to the Core Specification linked to at the bottom of this post.

New audio codec: LC3

Bluetooth LE Audio will use a new codec called LC3 (Low Complexity Communication Codec). According to tests performed by Bluetooth SIG, the new codec perform better audio quality at lower data rates than the current standard audio codec for Bluetooth BR/EDR called SBC. The promising test results would allow for using a lower bitrate while keeping the audio quality. A lower bitrate means less data sent and received using the radio enabling a lower power consumption.

See graph below for comparison in audio quality between LC3 and SBC from the study done by Bluetooth SIG. The rating is based on ITU-R BS.1116-3. The vertical numbers indicate the perceived difference in audio quality compared to the original source:

  • 5: ”Imperceptible”
  • 4: ”Perceptible, but not annoying”
  • 3: ”Slightly annoying”
  • 2: ”Annoying”
  • 1: ”Very annoying”

Bluetooth Codec Comparison

See Chapter 4: Test Method in the test methods document ITU-R BS.1116-3 for more details regarding how the tests have been performed.

Diving deeper

If you are interested to learn more about the new features in Bluetooth 5.2 (including Isochronous Channels), see Bluetooth 5.2 Feature Overview. To get even more into the details, the complete Core Specification is there for you.

 

// Johannes Jansson, Software Developer

IoT… as a Business Approach.

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We are living in a turbulent world where competition is becoming hyperturbulent. New and existing companies must take the job seriously of continually initiating and adjusting to the new Industry 4.0. Internet of Things (IoT) technology is causing an immense disruption across many industries with the pace of change increasing every day. However not everything is related to high tech connected solutions or state-of-the-art technology developments, IoT business is more than that.

 

Cutting edge technology…just one more player.

We all take for granted that our TV is connected to the internet, our smartphone communicates with our watch, the smart indoor heating system always delivering the perfect temperature (especially in the freezing Swedish winter) and so on. Yes, Internet has given unlimited access to data and technology for most of the world’s population. But technology is not the only main player to develop an IoT business and monetize from its benefits.

 

The innovation should not be only in technology, it should also consider the development of a new business model and delivery method of IoT services for other organizations and end-customers. Technology can give us a lot of possibilities of creating innovative solutions, but if we cannot materialize it into a business, then a great business might stay as a great design only. IoT business encompasses additional critical players, that together create the perfect match to embark into the “IoT journey”.

 

The center of attention on technology for IoT services means that the business aspects are often overlooked. Successful IoT services are built on a premise of a clearly defined service offering complimented with operational and business models. There is a tendency to treat each of these views in isolation, but effective IoT services onboard these models in parallel.

 

Cultural (tech) fact: 

Did you know that the concept of a smart IoT device was introduced back in 1982? It was with a modified Coke machine at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburg, USA) becoming the first Internet-connected appliance. This Coke machine had the ability to report its inventory and whether newly loaded drinks were cold.

Image result for modified Coke machine

The Business of IoT.

I remember a conference where the speaker said: “If you haven’t started in the IoT, you are already late”. That is not completely accurate. IoT will be “alive” for a long time and we need to take advantage of this with new IoT services, ideas and business models. You will never be too late with innovative ideas and IoT offers a vast of possibilities.

 

The basic components around a business are: a good product, a reliable business model and customers. For the latter, we have and plenty of them (at least in terms of connected devices). Intel, for instance, projects a device penetration to grow from 2 billion in 2006 to 200 billion by 2020, which means to nearly 26 smart devices for each human on Earth. Others, as Gartner who is taking smartphones, tablets and computers out of the equation, estimates 20,8 billion connected devices by 2020.

 

Hence we need to understand the business aspects of the disruption caused by IoT and how to take advantage of the coming opportunities.

 

Technology is only one of many tools to be used to develop successful, profitable and sustainable IoT business. There is literature explaining different aspects to consider when developing IoT services to create successful IoT business; but I would like to mention two that I consider the most important:

 

  • Ecosystems:

    In simple words, for IoT to reach its full potential, it will require several ecosystems and currently “non-cooperating” industries to work together to maximize business.

 

  • IoT as a Service (AaS):

    Or as “pay-as-you-grow” model in which customer pays proportional to the usage of the service. This enables initial low investment, scalability and cost controlling.

 

IoT business is not about technology solely, it is a series of multiple aspects to consider that must be attended in parallel. Many of the IoT projects/business are condemned to fail as profitable business if people within the organizations do not consider business relevant aspects as important as technology development during the entire lifecycle product management.

 

Best regards,