4 ms·

- Bluetooth audio codecs do lossy real-time re-encoding of the audio, affecting the quality

by rogerbinns 10y ago

nalllar 10y ago
and usually introducing quite a bit of latency
- thaumasiotes 10y ago
  Assuming you want to listen to music, latency really doesn't matter much.
  - dredmorbius 10y ago
    I mean, nobody would ever want to use a phone to talk to someone, amirite?
    - thaumasiotes 10y ago
      I certainly wouldn't.
Jaruzel 10y ago
As this is Apple we're talking about - most iPhone users stick with those nasty in-ear buds that come with the phone - it's not like they are going to notice the lossy codec comparatively over the rubbish quality of those buds (or the equally rubbish m4a low bit-rate that iTunes dumps onto the phone). I'll just bet they'll start evangelising about how 'improved' the sound is now that it's no longer over a legacy/obsolete jack. ;)
- rimantas 10y ago
  Your comment contains the most of the rubbish though.
CharlesW 10y ago
> Bluetooth audio codecs do lossy real-time re-encoding of the audio Lossless transcoding is possible too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AptX#aptX_Lossless https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AptX#aptX_Lossless iPhones and Macbooks support aptX now. Surely this isn't just a hardware change — once Apple discloses the details, it won't be at all surprising if aptX Lossless (at minimum) is required for MFi licensing going forward. FWIW, the transcoding you mention isn't a requirement of Bluetooth audio. MP3 and AAC bitstreams could be delivered straight to headphones for decoding there. We don't yet know if that's something Apple is discussing with MFi program members.
- rogerbinns 10y ago
  Yes, there are better codecs than the defaults. Now go to the specifications page for a random popular bluetooth audio device, and see if they even list which codecs are supported. If by some astonishing miracle they do say so, then work out which codec they would use with a random popular mobile device. It is all theoretically possible, but in practise regular folk are going to have a hard time! I looked up recommendations for Bluetooth devices at Wirecutter and then went to the relevant tech specs page: Mentions "bluetooth" (sometimes a2dp) and no more: * https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/wireless_speakers/soundlink_mini_ii.html https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/wireless_speake... * https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Mini-Bluetooth-Speaker-Purple/dp/B00JZVPL72 https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Mini-Bluetooth-Speaker-P... * https://www.marshallheadphones.com/mh_us_en/acton-black https://www.marshallheadphones.com/mh_us_en/acton-black * http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Digital+Media+Receivers/MVH-X370BT http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Digital+Media+Rec... * http://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/kdc-x998/spec.html http://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/kdc-x998/spec.html * http://www.jabra.com/music/jabra-move-wireless http://www.jabra.com/music/jabra-move-wireless * http://www.jbl.com/over-ear-headphones/SYNCHROS+E40BT.html http://www.jbl.com/over-ear-headphones/SYNCHROS+E40BT.html * https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/ueroll2 https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/ueroll2 * http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/x300-wireless-speaker http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/x300-wireless-speaker * http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/specs/ http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/specs/ - the Nexus 6P page doesn't even mention bluetooth Mentions codecs: * http://rivaaudio.com/riva-turbo-x/#specs http://rivaaudio.com/riva-turbo-x/#specs * http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html (Says "aptX bluetooth") * http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Wireless-Speakers/Wireless-Speakers/Zeppelin-Wireless/product-details.html http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Wireless-Speakers/Wireless-Spe...

- Bluetooth audio codecs do lossy real-time re-encoding of the audio, affecting the quality

nalllar 10y ago

and usually introducing quite a bit of latency

thaumasiotes 10y ago
Assuming you want to listen to music, latency really doesn't matter much.
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  I mean, nobody would ever want to use a phone to talk to someone, amirite?
  - thaumasiotes 10y ago
    I certainly wouldn't.

Jaruzel 10y ago

As this is Apple we're talking about - most iPhone users stick with those nasty in-ear buds that come with the phone - it's not like they are going to notice the lossy codec comparatively over the rubbish quality of those buds (or the equally rubbish m4a low bit-rate that iTunes dumps onto the phone). I'll just bet they'll start evangelising about how 'improved' the sound is now that it's no longer over a legacy/obsolete jack. ;)

rimantas 10y ago
Your comment contains the most of the rubbish though.

CharlesW 10y ago

> Bluetooth audio codecs do lossy real-time re-encoding of the audio Lossless transcoding is possible too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AptX#aptX_Lossless https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AptX#aptX_Lossless iPhones and Macbooks support aptX now. Surely this isn't just a hardware change — once Apple discloses the details, it won't be at all surprising if aptX Lossless (at minimum) is required for MFi licensing going forward. FWIW, the transcoding you mention isn't a requirement of Bluetooth audio. MP3 and AAC bitstreams could be delivered straight to headphones for decoding there. We don't yet know if that's something Apple is discussing with MFi program members.

rogerbinns 10y ago
Yes, there are better codecs than the defaults. Now go to the specifications page for a random popular bluetooth audio device, and see if they even list which codecs are supported. If by some astonishing miracle they do say so, then work out which codec they would use with a random popular mobile device. It is all theoretically possible, but in practise regular folk are going to have a hard time! I looked up recommendations for Bluetooth devices at Wirecutter and then went to the relevant tech specs page: Mentions "bluetooth" (sometimes a2dp) and no more: * https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/wireless_speakers/soundlink_mini_ii.html https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/speakers/wireless_speake... * https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Mini-Bluetooth-Speaker-Purple/dp/B00JZVPL72 https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Mini-Bluetooth-Speaker-P... * https://www.marshallheadphones.com/mh_us_en/acton-black https://www.marshallheadphones.com/mh_us_en/acton-black * http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Digital+Media+Receivers/MVH-X370BT http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/Digital+Media+Rec... * http://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/kdc-x998/spec.html http://www.kenwood.com/usa/car/excelon/kdc-x998/spec.html * http://www.jabra.com/music/jabra-move-wireless http://www.jabra.com/music/jabra-move-wireless * http://www.jbl.com/over-ear-headphones/SYNCHROS+E40BT.html http://www.jbl.com/over-ear-headphones/SYNCHROS+E40BT.html * https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/ueroll2 https://www.ultimateears.com/en-us/ueroll2 * http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/x300-wireless-speaker http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/x300-wireless-speaker * http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/specs/ http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/specs/ - the Nexus 6P page doesn't even mention bluetooth Mentions codecs: * http://rivaaudio.com/riva-turbo-x/#specs http://rivaaudio.com/riva-turbo-x/#specs * http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html http://www.peachtreeaudio.com/deepblue2.html (Says "aptX bluetooth") * http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Wireless-Speakers/Wireless-Speakers/Zeppelin-Wireless/product-details.html http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Wireless-Speakers/Wireless-Spe...