Earphone party time! With Auracast, a single smartphone will be able to play to any number of Bluetooth headphones in the vicinity at the same time. — dpa
BERLIN: Being able to transmit music or information to many listeners at once has many advantages – just think of radio.
With that in mind, the Bluetooth Special Group (SIG), which is responsible for developing the radio standard of the same name, has now fleshed out its plans for spatially-limited audio broadcasts to theoretically any number of Bluetooth headphones or speakers.
The new function is called Auracast and the specifications will be published in the coming months, but when the first smartphones, notebooks, TVs and stereos with Auracast functionality will hit the market is difficult to estimate.
Once the devices do arrive, they’ll be able to share their sound wirelessly with Auracast-enabled headphones, speakers or hearing devices in the vicinity.
The Bluetooth SIG sees potential for Auracast not only in private environments, but also in public spaces.
The technology could, for example, make audible on headphones what was previously silent, such as the sound from TV sets and displays at train stations, airports, gyms, restaurants or waiting rooms.
In addition, audio transmissions or announcements that previously could only be heard over loudspeaker systems could also be received directly with Auracast-enabled Bluetooth headphones, for example, at conferences or in the cinema. – dpa
