Date: 08/10/2020

Imagination and Packetcraft offer Bluetooth LE audio solution using LC3

Imagination Technologies and Packetcraft have partnered in developing Bluetooth Low Energy audio solution using the new Low Complexity Communication Codec (LC3). This solution involves Imagination's iEB110 hardware and Packetcraft's host stack which targets applications such as broadcast audio, high quality multi-stream audio and hearing aid support. The solution is created in such a way that it can be integrated into system on chip (SoC).

The new LC3 codec form better than Sub-Band Codec (SBC) and also provides quality audio than SBC at half the data rate and reduced power consumption.

Gerry Conlon, Executive Vice President, Ensigma, Imagination said "By combining Imagination's Baseband Controller and RF with Packetcraft's host stack and advanced solution for LE Audio, customers can license and rapidly design state-of-the-art Bluetooth Low Energy 5.2 SoC's, enabling the shortest time to first revenue available on the market today."

John Yi, CEO, Packetcraft, says; "Together we are able to bring a world-class hardware and software offering to the market. Our Bluetooth version 5.2 qualified host stack has already been licensed to multiple customers developing LE Audio products. This partnership provides customers with a solid foundation for their technical needs and offers an incredibly flexible solution for the next generation of Bluetooth audio."

Bluetooth v5.2 specifications enables high quality audio over Bluetooth Low Energy which in turn creates new use cases.

iEB110 includes RF, controller software and Bluetooth Low Energy host stack and supports advanced Bluetooth 5.1 features such as Angle of Arrival/Angle of Departure (AoA / AoD) allowing sub 1m location and tracking accuracy, Bluetooth v5.0 features such as LE long-range operation for extended indoor and outdoor coverage, and LE-2M PHY for higher throughput and reduced power consumption.

Packetcraft's Bluetooth 5.2 qualified host stack is designed to be efficient in memory, CPU, and power, and for portability to different CPUs, radios, and operating systems. Packetcraft's host stack supporting LE Audio is available today to its enterprise customers.