Professional audio compression comes to Bluetooth

Audio Processing Technology has ported its Enhanced apt-X algorithm to CSR's market leading BlueCore5-Multimedia Bluetooth platform.

Audio Processing Technology has ported its Enhanced apt-X algorithm to CSR's market leading BlueCore5-Multimedia Bluetooth platform.

Although demand for mobile audio devices has continued to grow at pace, the proliferation of wireless technology for high-end audio applications market has been constrained by the existing compression standard for Bluetooth, called SBC.

By offering Enhanced apt-X over Bluetooth, wireless audio device manufacturers have access to a high performance solution that not only delivers lower coding delay and higher error resilience but also offers a level of quality indistinguishable from linear/PCM audio.

Stephen Wray, Licensing Business Manager, APT notes: "Music lovers have been crying out for quality audio over Bluetooth".

"By partnering APT's expertise in audio compression and CSR's experience in the Bluetooth semiconductor market we have produced a powerful platform delivering professional audio quality to the mass consumer market".

Wray continues: "Early listening tests amongst industry "golden ears" have proved extremely successful with many remarking on the substantial improvements in quality over existing standards and unable to distinguish between Enhanced apt-X and linear/uncompressed audio".

Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of CSR's Wireless Audio Strategic Business Unit comments: "Our roadmap has been driven by overwhelming market demand for wireless audio products which can offer the same quality as their premium, wired counterparts".

"Given the high regard in which APT is held in the world of professional audio, they were a natural choice for our Extension Partner Programme through which we offer, amongst other features, enhanced audio performance".

APT's apt-X technology is firmly established as the standard for audio transport in the fields of professional broadcast and film post-production.

Now, as regular listeners become ever more sophisticated and demand higher quality on their mobile media players, additional channels of audio and the ability to interact with video, the consumer market is set to benefit from apt-X.

The technology's core strengths of low delay, impressive dynamic range, high error resilience and high audio quality make enhanced apt-X the perfect enabler for wireless headsets, speakers and other applications.

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