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Implementing Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast on Linux Systems

147 points by losgehts 1y ago

ensocode 1y ago
This is a big pain point for wireless headsets. Thanks for the post and linux overview of the progress.
charcircuit 1y ago
>On Linux, LE Audio support is implemented through BlueZ for the Bluetooth® host stack and PipeWire for audio routing. Most Linux systems support Bluetooth LEA via Gabeldorsche. Google shipped LEA support in Android 14 and BSP providers offered the drivers needed for it in their Android 14 BSPs.
- ocrete 1y ago
  This Gabeldorsche is really only for Android. BlueZ is used almost everywhere else.
  - charcircuit 1y ago
    Most Linux installs that use Bluetooth with Linux are Android installs.
    - estimator7292 1y ago
      Apart from basically every laptop sold in the last 20 years, yeah
      - ocrete 1y ago
        Android is really its own platform that happens to use the Linux kernel as a shortcut. What we're talking about here is really what used to be called GNU/Linux, so the whole platform that is based on the software developed by the various communities.
        preisschild 1y ago
        I think this is needless gatekeeping. Does it matter if someone uses KDE or GNOME? Systemd or openrc? Musl or glibc? They are all part of the Linux community. I use GrapheneOS for my smartphone and Fedora for my workstation and I consider both to be linux distributions
        gkiagia 1y ago
        [dead]
      - charcircuit 1y ago
        Most Linux laptops are Chromebooks which ship with Android's previous Bluetooth stack (still not BlueZ).
xzjis 1y ago
I commend Collabora's tremendous work on Bluetooth LE audio on Linux and their work in general, but I can't help being frustrated that it's volunteer contributors handling the implementation, while the Bluetooth Special Interest Group makes a ton of profit by licensing Bluetooth yet contributes nothing to implementing the standard on Linux. It's really typical of the "open source" spirit: volunteers are exploited, and the fruits of their labor are harvested as profit.
- lunar-whitey 1y ago
  It would help if BlueZ had any hope of being commercially relevant. The Linux Wi-Fi stack, in contrast, is quite usable.
  - ocrete 1y ago
    You'd be surprised who many products ship with BlueZ, it's everywhere in all kinds of embedded systems, much like the Linux Wi-Fi stack.
    - lunar-whitey 1y ago
      If BlueZ was compelling enough, Android would tolerate it for the same reasons it tolerates the kernel. Nobody really wants to be in the business of writing a BT stack, and yet Android has replaced theirs at least twice. I ask, why?
      - gkiagia 1y ago
        [dead]
unwind 1y ago
This: If you've ever wondered why your music quality drops dramatically when you answer a call on your Bluetooth® headset, you've experienced one of A2DP's key limitations firsthand. Made me feel old ... how are people listening to music while taking a call?
- gkiagia 1y ago
  [dead]

147 points by losgehts 1y ago

This is a big pain point for wireless headsets. Thanks for the post and linux overview of the progress.

>On Linux, LE Audio support is implemented through BlueZ for the Bluetooth® host stack and PipeWire for audio routing. Most Linux systems support Bluetooth LEA via Gabeldorsche. Google shipped LEA support in Android 14 and BSP providers offered the drivers needed for it in their Android 14 BSPs.

ocrete 1y ago
This Gabeldorsche is really only for Android. BlueZ is used almost everywhere else.
- charcircuit 1y ago
  Most Linux installs that use Bluetooth with Linux are Android installs.
  - estimator7292 1y ago
    Apart from basically every laptop sold in the last 20 years, yeah
    - ocrete 1y ago
      Android is really its own platform that happens to use the Linux kernel as a shortcut. What we're talking about here is really what used to be called GNU/Linux, so the whole platform that is based on the software developed by the various communities.
      - preisschild 1y ago
        I think this is needless gatekeeping. Does it matter if someone uses KDE or GNOME? Systemd or openrc? Musl or glibc? They are all part of the Linux community. I use GrapheneOS for my smartphone and Fedora for my workstation and I consider both to be linux distributions
        gkiagia 1y ago
        [dead]
    - charcircuit 1y ago
      Most Linux laptops are Chromebooks which ship with Android's previous Bluetooth stack (still not BlueZ).

xzjis 1y ago

I commend Collabora's tremendous work on Bluetooth LE audio on Linux and their work in general, but I can't help being frustrated that it's volunteer contributors handling the implementation, while the Bluetooth Special Interest Group makes a ton of profit by licensing Bluetooth yet contributes nothing to implementing the standard on Linux. It's really typical of the "open source" spirit: volunteers are exploited, and the fruits of their labor are harvested as profit.

lunar-whitey 1y ago
It would help if BlueZ had any hope of being commercially relevant. The Linux Wi-Fi stack, in contrast, is quite usable.
- ocrete 1y ago
  You'd be surprised who many products ship with BlueZ, it's everywhere in all kinds of embedded systems, much like the Linux Wi-Fi stack.
  - lunar-whitey 1y ago
    If BlueZ was compelling enough, Android would tolerate it for the same reasons it tolerates the kernel. Nobody really wants to be in the business of writing a BT stack, and yet Android has replaced theirs at least twice. I ask, why?
    - gkiagia 1y ago
      [dead]

unwind 1y ago

This: If you've ever wondered why your music quality drops dramatically when you answer a call on your Bluetooth® headset, you've experienced one of A2DP's key limitations firsthand. Made me feel old ... how are people listening to music while taking a call?

gkiagia 1y ago
[dead]