CSR announced that JVCKENWOOD has chosen CSR’s aptX® codec for use in its in-vehicle infotainment systems. The aptX codec is already prevalent in many Bluetooth® enabled mobile devices to support CD-like audio quality in a multitude of consumer electronics devices. This high-quality Bluetooth stereo audio will now be replicated in the car. JVCKENWOOD will integrate aptX into 13 of its automotive infotainment products, including navigation and DVD systems.
Consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices to bring their favourite audio content into the vehicle and they expect to be able to stream it to the head unit without compromising on audio quality. The move to use aptX in automotive infotainment products represents the further growth of the codec’s ecosystem and its proliferation into new markets. Traditionally Bluetooth as an audio content transport mechanism has struggled to fulfill all the key requirements for automotive OEMs, delivering audio quality below that of in-vehicle CD and radio due to the destructive nature of the default A2DP codec used. aptX enables CD-like wireless audio when streaming content from a mobile device to the head unit. By offering lower latency than other streaming methods, it also enhances rear-seat entertainment applications, such as watching movies and playing games. aptX offers latencies of ~35 ms as opposed to ~150 ms for A2DP streaming, which eliminates any lip or action-synchronisation issues.
In order to fit within the Bluetooth ‘pipe’ and transmit wirelessly, audio needs to use a bit rate reduction technique. aptX audio technology uses a non-destructive solution to ensure the audio is transmitted over Bluetooth’s available bandwidth. It replicates the entire frequency of the audio, maintaining CD-like audio over the Bluetooth connection and ensuring that users can hear everything as the artist originally intended.
In order to support the expansion of the aptX ecosystem in the vehicle CSR is offering aptX support in all of its latest connectivity devices including the CSR8350 and CSRC9300. The BlueCore5 MM chip is another example of a fully AEC-Q100 device which can support aptX streaming in the vehicles of the future.
