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Does anybody know, Is it possible to get high-quality two-way audio (e.g. Zoom, Skype) over Bluetooth on Linux?

by neolog 6y ago

DenseComet 6y ago
I believe this is an issue with the Bluetooth codecs. The higher quality codecs use bandwidth dedicated to the mic to also transmit audio signals, and cannot be used for two-way communication. If you actually look at the active codec while just listening to audio, compared to the codec used when also transmitting mic audio back, you will see that they are completely different.
- boomboomsubban 6y ago
  I think you just need to tell Pulse to use a different profile. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth_headset#Switch_between_HSP/HFP_and_A2DP_setting https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth_headset#Switc...
  - the_pwner224 6y ago
    Pulse already automatically switches the profiles. The issue is that the good codecs are available in the A2DP profile which is sound output only. Pulse will automatically switch back and forth from the HSP profile when an application starts/stops using input from the headset mics, but in HFP you don't have access to the high quality codecs. Exact same thing happens on Windows and Android and on Apple devices. The only case where your linked command would be necessary is when depending on your Bluetooth devices & adapters the headset connects and then for some reason registers as HSP instead of A2DP - so you manually switch it back to A2DP to get HQ audio.
    - boomboomsubban 6y ago
      I was confused as like you said Bluetooth voice quality is fairly universal. There is a patch to enable faststream in pulseaudio, but it sounds like very few adapters support it
rektide 6y ago
There's been a massive massive amount of effort being poured into profile support in hopefully the next major PulseAudio release. It should change everything, make it good.
- marcodiego 6y ago
  Links? Also, I'm curious if this will also improve pipewire.
  - boomboomsubban 6y ago
    https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/361592/ https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/361592/ I'm not familiar with pipewire but it sounds like it runs alongside pulse, so should work.
    - marcthe12 6y ago
      Pipewire is actually the successor to pulse. Its already works as Jack replacement and can do video. Pulse is still in progress.
      - rektide 6y ago
        to answer the q though, this work on bt codecs in Pulse won't directly help PipeWire but the leading the way effect is here: figuring out how to switch codecs & otherwise manage the device (how much bluez (linux's bt daemon) interaction is required, i wonder?).
      - neolog 6y ago
        Can Pipewire do high-quality voice calls (Skype, Zoom) over Bluetooth on Linux?
        boomboomsubban 6y ago
        Bluetooth is currently basically unable to do high quality voice calls.
raihansaputra 6y ago
I'm on a Mac, but if your hardware/setup suits it this may work. On Chrome/Zoom I set the mic to be from the on-board from the laptop and the sound output to be the bluetooth device. The audio profile then will change for the bluetooth to high-quality instead of the headset profile.

Does anybody know, Is it possible to get high-quality two-way audio (e.g. Zoom, Skype) over Bluetooth on Linux?

by neolog 6y ago

Does anybody know, Is it possible to get high-quality two-way audio (e.g. Zoom, Skype) over Bluetooth on Linux?

I believe this is an issue with the Bluetooth codecs. The higher quality codecs use bandwidth dedicated to the mic to also transmit audio signals, and cannot be used for two-way communication. If you actually look at the active codec while just listening to audio, compared to the codec used when also transmitting mic audio back, you will see that they are completely different.

boomboomsubban 6y ago
I think you just need to tell Pulse to use a different profile. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth_headset#Switch_between_HSP/HFP_and_A2DP_setting https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Bluetooth_headset#Switc...
- the_pwner224 6y ago
  Pulse already automatically switches the profiles. The issue is that the good codecs are available in the A2DP profile which is sound output only. Pulse will automatically switch back and forth from the HSP profile when an application starts/stops using input from the headset mics, but in HFP you don't have access to the high quality codecs. Exact same thing happens on Windows and Android and on Apple devices. The only case where your linked command would be necessary is when depending on your Bluetooth devices & adapters the headset connects and then for some reason registers as HSP instead of A2DP - so you manually switch it back to A2DP to get HQ audio.
  - boomboomsubban 6y ago
    I was confused as like you said Bluetooth voice quality is fairly universal. There is a patch to enable faststream in pulseaudio, but it sounds like very few adapters support it

rektide 6y ago

There's been a massive massive amount of effort being poured into profile support in hopefully the next major PulseAudio release. It should change everything, make it good.

marcodiego 6y ago
Links? Also, I'm curious if this will also improve pipewire.
- boomboomsubban 6y ago
  https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/361592/ https://patchwork.freedesktop.org/patch/361592/ I'm not familiar with pipewire but it sounds like it runs alongside pulse, so should work.
  - marcthe12 6y ago
    Pipewire is actually the successor to pulse. Its already works as Jack replacement and can do video. Pulse is still in progress.
    - rektide 6y ago
      to answer the q though, this work on bt codecs in Pulse won't directly help PipeWire but the leading the way effect is here: figuring out how to switch codecs & otherwise manage the device (how much bluez (linux's bt daemon) interaction is required, i wonder?).
    - neolog 6y ago
      Can Pipewire do high-quality voice calls (Skype, Zoom) over Bluetooth on Linux?
      - boomboomsubban 6y ago
        Bluetooth is currently basically unable to do high quality voice calls.

raihansaputra 6y ago

I'm on a Mac, but if your hardware/setup suits it this may work. On Chrome/Zoom I set the mic to be from the on-board from the laptop and the sound output to be the bluetooth device. The audio profile then will change for the bluetooth to high-quality instead of the headset profile.