Bluetooth continues to expand with new specifications and features, and Auracast seems even useful with many modern usage scenarios.
Bluetooth connections are currently one-to-one. The wireless headset connects to the phone. The phone connects to the vehicle. Remote control for some complex electronic device. Bulbs at a hub.
And even if some devices support multiple bluetooth connections at the same time (your phone connects to your headphones and your watch at the same time, for example), in practice each connection is independent in most cases.
Enter the scene Auracast. Auracast is thought of as a many-to-one connection, like a broadcast. A Bluetooth transmitter will broadcast… something—music, announcements, whatever—via Bluetooth Auracast to anyone who connects to that transmitter.
First, signing in will be simple. It will be done in a very similar way to connecting to a wifi hotspot, that is, you will see a list of Auracast “emitters” in the phone area and choose which one to connect to.
It will also be possible to establish connections by scanning a QR code, and NFC will probably be thrown into the equation somehow for speed, so that you just touch something with your phone to connect.
And here comes a lot of usage scenarios for Auracast. Here are some simple and useful ones:
There are TVs in public spaces (airport, mall, etc.) that only display images because the sound is turned off. The same televisions could, however, transmit the sound via Auracast to Bluetooth headphones so that those interested can also have the audio signal, not just the video one.
Translation systems in foreign languages or guided tours. Current systems include some kind of headset that actually receives a radio signal from the human that translates in real time the speech from a conference or the information given by a guide to a group of tourists. Radio transmission can be affected by interference, especially in crowded areas, and the audio quality is not very good. Enter Auracast, when you can simply connect to the “hotspot” of the foreign language you want or your guide and get a much better sound in your headphones.
Announcements for public spaces. A good example is also of an airport. Many airports give up reciting flights through the public announcement system and it becomes the task of passengers to look at the screen in order not to miss boarding. With Auracast, a dedicated channel (or several, for various foreign languages) could operate throughout the airport to periodically recite flight information. When you’re interested in them, you connect momentarily, listen to what interests you, and move on.
Even better silent disco apps. Bluetooth does a very good job of reducing interference through good frequency and modulation management.
Many clever things can be done.
Now, obviously wireless headphones can’t connect to such an Auracast transmitter, as they have no interface to choose from. For this in the standard appears the term Auracast Assistant, which is actually your phone. The phone will mediate the connection between the transmitter and the headset. After “gluing” them, the headphones receive their own signal from the transmitter, thus freeing the phone from charging.
It will, of course, be a while before we see this in practice. However, Romania is not a country where such solutions can be quickly implemented, we have neither large airports nor palaces or museums where there are thousands of tourists of all nationalities every day. But we see what appears. Meanwhile, just the other day Samsung has announced that it will implement Auracast for certain TV models with Buds 2 Pro headphones.
2023-09-06 03:24:21
#Auracast #extension #Bluetooth #standard
