In addition, BlueTunes ROM integrates FastStream, a low latency high-quality music and voice CODEC which significantly reduces the latency of the audio link to avoid “lip-sync” issues. This is useful when watching video images and listening to audio on a headset or speakers. Standard Bluetooth solutions have a latency of up to 200ms, which restricts their use in real-time applications such as gaming, video or mobile TV.

Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of CSR’s Wireless Audio Strategic Business Unit said, “BlueTunes ROM provides manufacturers with the opportunity to design smaller, lighter, more cost effective and feature rich Bluetooth stereo headsets. With more manufacturers combining MP3 players with mobile phones, BlueTunes ROM allows users to switch easily between music and calls using wireless connectivity. We have incorporated our FastStream and CVC technologies to ensure that headset manufacturers are able to provide their customers best in class, market leading audio quality.”

The combined CSR and SRS product, called PureSpeech, will be available from Q1, 2009 as an option on CSR’s DSP-based BlueCore Multimedia Bluetooth silicon.

The demonstration showed the two Bluetooth low energy devices transferring data to the handset using a Bluetooth low energy advertising packet without any prior configuration or pairing. When a button is pressed on the weighing scales the embedded Bluetooth low energy radio wakes up and sends a short burst of data to the handset. The temperature sensor transmits data continuously. The name and value of both sensors are then simultaneously displayed on the phone. The application automatically updates the display with the new value each time a new advertising packet is received.

The mobile phone handset was modified for the purpose of the demonstration to incorporate CSR’s BlueCore7 dual mode silicon (Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth v2.1), and a Java API and MIDlet application to provide a simple user interface for displaying the information received.

Bluetooth low energy (previously known as Ultra Low Power Bluetooth or Wibree) is designed to be used to transfer simple data sets between compact devices. The technology uses fewer frequencies (3 rather than 32) to make connections compared with standard Bluetooth, resulting in lower power consumption when connectable.

CSR has integrated Bluetooth low energy, eGPS and FM Tx and Rx technologies into BlueCore7 alongside an enhanced Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR radio which delivers +10dBm Tx and -91 dBm Rx. These enhancements help BlueCore7 to extend the overall range and across-body performance to provide better audio quality (think handset on one side of the body and headset on diagonally opposing ear). BlueCore7 allows the Bluetooth and FM radios to work without interference, either independently or together to allow users to stream FM radio from a handset to a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

In April, CSR gave the world’s first public demonstration of Bluetooth low energy technology. Bluetooth low energy (previously known as Ultra Low Power Bluetooth or Wibree) uses fewer frequencies to make connections while retaining the proven robustness of Bluetooth. BlueCore7 is available in QFN and WLCSP packaging and will be in volume production from Q4 2008.

CSR’s ULP Bluetooth demonstrations consisted of two ICs successfully transferring ULP Bluetooth data packets 50-times faster than standard Bluetooth, meaning that the devices were consuming as little as 1/50th of the power. In addition, in establishing the connection, the ULP devices used 1/10th the power required by standard Bluetooth. CSR’s demonstration ICs employed both standard Bluetooth (v.2.1) and ULP Bluetooth radios. CSR calls these devices ‘dual-mode’ because they support both flavours of Bluetooth radio. ULP Bluetooth is a complementary Bluetooth technology that can be used to transfer simple data sets between compact devices and is expected to be able to run for up to ten years on one button cell battery.  The technology was previously known as Wibree.

ULP Bluetooth technology has very low overheads, which makes it much faster to connect devices; this means much less power is consumed. End products based on ULP Bluetooth will therefore have battery standby times measured in years, not just days or weeks. To connect devices in standard Bluetooth, the master device has to synchronize to a slave device by paging a specific device using up to 32 frequencies, it then issues FHS (frequency hopping spectrum) packets, then it polls the slave, before negotiating connections at both the Link Manager and L2CAP layers – all of this essential connection process takes place before actually sending data. Although this overhead is essential for standard Bluetooth carrying more complex data protocols, it does slow down the connection.

When ULP Bluetooth is used, in a wireless heart rate monitor for example, the monitor simply ‘advertises’ itself to the control/reader using just three frequencies (could be a mobile phone or watch) that then connects sends its very short burst of data and then switches off again. This allows ULP Bluetooth to achieve data transfer 50-times faster than standard Bluetooth; less time spent transferring data means the ULP radio spends less time active.