CEVA Bluebud™ Platform Key to Delivering a Differentiated Premium Wireless Audio Experience

CEVA Bluebud™ Platform Key to Differentiating Premium Wireless Audio Experiences for TWS Earbuds, Gaming Headphones, Hearables, Wearables and More

• New Bluebud platform pre-configured package Bluebud-HD features immersive audio, wideband voice conversation, always-on voice assistant, assisted listening and IMU-based contextual awareness, all on the embedded CEVA-BX1 DSP

• SenslinQ software framework and DSP tool suite for the Bluebud platform, simplifying software migration from other processor architectures to the CEVA-BX1 DSP and enabling virtualized DSP programming for application developers

CEVA, the leading global licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies and integrated IP solutions, today announced the launch of Bluebud-HD, a pre-configured software package that expands the software and toolkit portfolio for its successful Bluebud wireless audio platform. Bluebud-HD contains all the audio, voice and contextual awareness software needed for premium TWS earbuds, gaming headsets, hearables, wearables and other smart audio products.

CEVA also announced that it has upgraded its SenslinQ software framework and CEVA-BX1 DSP tool suite for the Bluebud platform, making it easier to add third-party DSP algorithms and easily migrate existing software from other processor architectures. Host CPU application developers can benefit from the OpenAMP API to use the Bluebud-HD feature set in a virtual way, as well as other audio, sound and voice software provided by the CEVAnet partner ecosystem. The SenslinQ framework allows Bluebud customers to integrate all audio, voice and IMU-based contextual awareness workloads on the CEVA-BX1 DSP without the need to embed separate DSPs for wireless connectivity and audio applications, resulting in smaller chip size and lower power consumption.

Market research firm Yole Développement predicts that by 2026, annual shipments of TWS earbuds, hearing aids, smart watches and smart speakers will exceed 1.3 billion units, and high-quality audio will become a must-have feature for many applications such as gaming, AR/VR experiences and 3D sound. By providing the Bluebud wireless audio platform and the accompanying Bluebud-HD software package, CEVA provides semiconductor companies and OEMs with an excellent solution that is both cost-effective and power-efficient, helping them to quickly and easily drive growth in the lucrative high-end audio market and overcome the complexity and expertise involved in combining wireless connectivity and audio capabilities.

Moshe Sheier, vice president of marketing at CEVA, explained: "Since the launch of the Bluebud platform in 2021, this unique platform has attracted tremendous industry attention and has achieved an excellent licensing performance. To further improve, we are now launching the Bluebud-HD package to enable semiconductor companies, ODMs and OEMs to enter the second largest consumer market (after smartphones) in terms of sales volume. By providing the Bluebud-HD package, SenslinQ software framework and CEVA-BX1 DSP tool suite combination, we actively encourage partners and customers using other processor architectures to standardize on the Bluebud platform to reduce the cost, power and complexity of their wireless audio solutions."

Bluebud-HD software package Integrates various optimized high-definition audio, voice and contextual awareness modules into the onboard CEVA-BX1 DSP, which would otherwise be processed on independent DSPs or MCUs without CEVA architecture. CEVA has now upgraded the Bluebud hardware platform to include the latest SIG-certified RivieraWaves Bluetooth 5.3 IP (with classic audio and LE Audio), the CEVA-BX1 audio processor, and all the peripherals required for wireless audio, in a compact, low-power design that can achieve an area of ​​less than 0.5mm2 using a 22nm process.

The Bluebud-HD software package supports audio processing at 96KHz/24-bit precision, meeting many high-resolution audio standards. This fully integrated software package features:

• Enhanced CEVA ClearVox™ to support up to 48KHz sampling rates for ultra-wideband voice calls

• VisiSonics RS3D™ software provides an immersive 3D audio experience

• CEVA's MotionEngine™ Hear software enables accurate head tracking, in-ear detection and tap control

• Personalized hearing adjustments to suit each user's hearing level

• LHDC High Definition Audio Codec

• CEVA's SenslinQ DSP software framework for plug-and-play low-power native DSP algorithms

• Bluebud-HD SDK

Erez Bar-Niv, CTO at CEVA, commented: "Customers using the SenslinQ software framework can implement virtualized DSP applications from the host CPU without having to program the DSP directly, simplifying development and addressing the pain points of wireless audio product development, while enabling the Bluebud platform to be used for more advanced use cases. The Bluebud-HD software solution offers an unprecedented breadth of capabilities such as high-definition audio and voice, personalized hearing, 3D audio and contextual awareness, and meets the requirements of the most demanding use cases from premium audio device manufacturers."

Availability

CEVA's Bluebud platform, Bluebud-HD software package and SenslinQ software framework are available for licensing now.