4 ms·

I think a lot of the comments here could be attributed to the terrible Bluetooth software stacks that are around (Car head-decks, Android (all versions), Window

I think a lot of the comments here could be attributed to the terrible Bluetooth software stacks that are around (Car head-decks, Android (all versions), Windows 8-10 default stacks). I've got a brand new Plugable BT4 dongle that barely works in Win 10 because Broadcom haven't updated their suite so it relies on the default 10 drivers - you can't have a HFP and A2DP service running at the same time so a headset with speakers and mic won't work.

klagermkii 10y ago
At what number of terrible Bluetooth software stacks does one start wondering if there isn't something fundamentally wrong with the specification that makes it so incredibly hard to get right? It's been bad from day one with Widcomm and later Bluesoleil on Windows. Mac OS X for years had a Bluetooth where after a couple of hours of using the DUN profile it would need a reboot, on an otherwise nicely reliable operating system. Mice on Bluetooth have never worked as smoothly, reliably, or as well as just using a proprietary protocol like Logitech Unifying. It's not that I necessarily think it's an unsolvable problem, it's just that after a decade with so many multiple implementations that can't get it right I feel Bluetooth itself has to bear some responsibility.
- x0x0 10y ago
  bluetooth is an extended public alpha I so can't wait for phones to drop 3.5mm jacks so playing music can become an infuriating ritual too
gtirloni 10y ago
I have the same issue with a Philips SHB7150 headset. Music will play okay using A2DP (with occasional stuttering and pitch changes) but all Skype calls automatically revert to HFP (extremely bad quality). So the device has what looks like a decent microphone that is completely destroyed by Bluetooth (where in the stack this happens, I don't know).
- gman99 10y ago
  >all Skype calls automatically revert to HFP (extremely bad quality) While it's true that audio quality over HFP is a lot worse than A2DP, note that A2DP is designed for cases where latency is not an issue, you want stereo audio, and there is no microphone audio to carry the other way. (i.e., designed to listen to music) If you want low latency mono-audio to the headset + microphone audio back to the host, there is no choice except to use HFP. Note that if your headset (and your host device) supports HFP1.6, then it should support wideband speech/HD voice and the difference should not be so drastic.
  - voltagex_ 10y ago
    The problem is finding both the host (dongle/chipset/card) and client (headphone/speakerphone/headset) that support the correct versions. Most of the time the information isn't listed anywhere, and Windows certainly doesn't expose it by default.

klagermkii 10y ago

At what number of terrible Bluetooth software stacks does one start wondering if there isn't something fundamentally wrong with the specification that makes it so incredibly hard to get right? It's been bad from day one with Widcomm and later Bluesoleil on Windows. Mac OS X for years had a Bluetooth where after a couple of hours of using the DUN profile it would need a reboot, on an otherwise nicely reliable operating system. Mice on Bluetooth have never worked as smoothly, reliably, or as well as just using a proprietary protocol like Logitech Unifying. It's not that I necessarily think it's an unsolvable problem, it's just that after a decade with so many multiple implementations that can't get it right I feel Bluetooth itself has to bear some responsibility.

x0x0 10y ago
bluetooth is an extended public alpha I so can't wait for phones to drop 3.5mm jacks so playing music can become an infuriating ritual too

gtirloni 10y ago

I have the same issue with a Philips SHB7150 headset. Music will play okay using A2DP (with occasional stuttering and pitch changes) but all Skype calls automatically revert to HFP (extremely bad quality). So the device has what looks like a decent microphone that is completely destroyed by Bluetooth (where in the stack this happens, I don't know).

gman99 10y ago
>all Skype calls automatically revert to HFP (extremely bad quality) While it's true that audio quality over HFP is a lot worse than A2DP, note that A2DP is designed for cases where latency is not an issue, you want stereo audio, and there is no microphone audio to carry the other way. (i.e., designed to listen to music) If you want low latency mono-audio to the headset + microphone audio back to the host, there is no choice except to use HFP. Note that if your headset (and your host device) supports HFP1.6, then it should support wideband speech/HD voice and the difference should not be so drastic.
- voltagex_ 10y ago
  The problem is finding both the host (dongle/chipset/card) and client (headphone/speakerphone/headset) that support the correct versions. Most of the time the information isn't listed anywhere, and Windows certainly doesn't expose it by default.