Evolution of Bluetooth Classic Audio towards Bluetooth LE Audio: Challenges and Road Ahead
Lalit Kumar Baghel, Radhika Raina, Suman Kumar · 2023
Bluetooth is a short-range, low-power standard for wireless data transmission and is considered as the first choice for short-range audio transmission and related applications. Bluetooth-based wireless audio transmission applications and modern use cases, for example, multi-streaming for better stereo imaging experience, audio broadcasting to a large audience, support for hearing aids, etc., require low latency, low power, and less bandwidth. However, the existing Bluetooth classic (BR/EDR) audio standard is unable to support such requirements. Consequently, the new LE audio is considered as the most viable solution for the next generation of audio applications, which focuses primarily on latency, power efficiency, and efficient bandwidth utilization, which enables doors for multi-streaming, broadcasting, hearing aids, etc. In this paper, we focused on the evolution of LE audio along with the new features, the latest enhancements, and modern architecture. This work presents technical insights on LC3 codec, multi-stream audio, broadcast, and hearing aid. In addition, we discuss the challenges associated with implementing LE audio and possible opportunities created with the advent of LE audio. Later we summarize the challenges and future directions which open several doors for upcoming research in this area.