Once upon a time, people with hearing loss had a lot of difficulty hearing in public places that were important to their lives, such as airports, conference centers, theaters, and places of worship.
Whether you attended a lecture or religious service, for example, you may have felt that the voice of the speaker at the front of the room blended too much with whispers or other background sounds. So, what was supposed to be a sermon may have sounded like muddled noise.
Or had you arrived at an airport, the sounds of people milling about may have melded with the public address (PA) announcements, making it tricky to interpret important information such as flight changes or delays.
Even a simple trip to the movies may have been spoiled by muffled audio or background chatter.
Thankfully, assistive listening systems came into the picture.
Assistive listening systems (ALS) are technologies that make it easier to hear speech in environments that would otherwise pose difficulties for people with hearing loss.
Common in places like lecture halls, airports, and theaters, ALS transmit sound to receivers in hearing aids, helping people with hearing loss to hear more clearly amidst background noise, poor acoustics, or distance from the speaker.
And the most groundbreaking of these ALS technologies is now emerging as the next-generation connectivity standard—Auracast™ broadcast audio.
Let’s explore how Auracast came to be, how it works, and how you will increasingly be able to benefit from it in public places using Edge AI hearing aids.
Hearing loop precedes Auracast with “personal loudspeaker” technology
Before there was Auracast, there was hearing loop (sometimes called “inductive loop”) technology—an effective ALS solution still widely used in public locations today.
What is hearing loop technology? A form of hearing assistive technology, hearing loop is a hidden wire system or zone installed in a room, which allows hearing aids to directly receive sound from a sound source such as a microphone (in a lecture hall, for example).
How hearing loop technology works
In order for the transmission to work, each hearing aid must be equipped with a telecoil (also known as T-Coils), or magnetic sensor that receives the electromagnetic signal from the hearing loop. This allows the wearer to better hear the person who is speaking into the microphone, or the audio source at a cinema.
So, in properly equipped public venues like airports, theaters, sports arenas, transportation stations and so on, telecoils essentially allow a hearing aid to act as a personal “loudspeaker” for the public sound system.
While hearing loops continue to be a helpful hearing assistive technology, there have been some drawbacks. As the Auracast website states:
“While current assistive listening system (ALS) technologies, such as inductive loops, have been providing great benefit to people with hearing loss, they suffer from a number of challenges that have limited their deployment, including poor quality, high cost (of installation), and lack of privacy.”
These limitations prompted the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) to team with the hearing aid industry to “define and introduce the next generation of assistive listening system technology”—Auracast broadcast audio.
Auracast addresses hearing loop limitations with greater accessibility
Becoming increasingly available in wireless devices and public domains, Auracast broadcast audio takes ALS technology a significant step further to provide even more accessibility to people of all hearing levels.
Whereas hearing loops rely on electromagnetic fields to transmit audio to hearing aids, Auracast utilizes the power of Bluetooth® technology to stream audio directly to devices such as hearing aids, earbuds, or headphones. And it’s easier than ever to access.
Check it out:
How Auracast works
Let’s say you’re on the stair-climber at the gym, and you’d really like to hear one of the TVs hanging from the facing wall. According to Auracast’s website, all it takes is three simple steps to hear this audio through Auracast:
1. Auracast begins a broadcast
The Auracast transmitter begins an Auracast broadcast, which provides your smart device such as a smartphone, smart watch, smart TV, hearing aid remote, etc., with information about the broadcast, along with one or more audio streams (in the event of right/left devices).
With regards to hearing TV audio at the gym: Auracast would let, say, your smartphone know that the audio for “Gym TV #1” is accessible to hear.
2. Smart device transfers broadcast info to hearing aids
The smart device scans for Auracast broadcasts and then provides you with an interface where you can select an Auracast broadcast to join.
So, similarly to how you would select the wi-fi network of your gym, you would be able to select the Auracast broadcast of “Gym TV 1” (from a potential list), to listen to.
3. You choose an Auracast broadcast
After you select the Auracast broadcast, the smart device provides your hearing aids (or headphones, earbuds, etc.) with the information it needs to join the broadcast.
This can include the name of the broadcast, the channel you might be listening to, the language you might be interested in, and more.
From there, you could stream that gym TV audio directly to your hearing devices, without missing a beat (or a step on the stair-climber).
What are some of the benefits of Auracast?
Auracast makes audio easily accessible, and here is what that means for hearing aid wearers in public locations:
Stay informed on important information
It’s essential to stay up to date on information that can affect you, particularly in places with public address (PA) systems such as airports, train stations, conference centers, and so forth. You’ll never have to miss another announcement, thanks to Auracast and the ability to “tune-in” to PA audio—directly through your hearing aids.
No more silent screens
Gone is the boredom of staring at silent TVs or monitors in places like waiting rooms, restaurants, or airports. Auracast allows you to stream the audio from these electronics straight to your hearing aids for a more enjoyable experience.
And it goes without saying you’ll get even more satisfaction out of movies or plays in theaters. Through Auracast, you can delight in high-quality sound without missing a line.
Learn more on tours
Immersing yourself in cultural, historical, and educational tours in places like museums, concert halls, or historical venues, is now even easier with Auracast. Select the tour broadcast and listen to it through your hearing aids—every step of the way.
Support for different languages
For public places that facilitate translation services, such as conference centers, Auracast even allows hearing aid wearers to listen to audio in their preferred language.
Edge AI hearing aids are Auracast-ready—thanks to LE Audio
Starkey is unwavering in the pursuit of future-forward connectivity for everyone. That’s why we designed our Edge AI hearing aids with built-in Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio—the latest Bluetooth technology that allows the hearing aids to access Auracast audio broadcasts.
So, besides benefitting you with the next-generation connectivity standard for public places everywhere—your Edge AI hearing aids will be able to pair more easily, connect more quickly, provide a more robust stream, and gain higher-quality audio all around.
(LE Audio also allows for universal connectivity between your Edge AI hearing aids and Apple iOS and compatible Android phones.)
Learn more about Edge AI connectivity from a hearing care professional
Let’s face it, life sounds better with an edge—hearing technology that helps you hear better in all situations and is reliable no matter what. And when you choose Edge AI hearing aids, being able to hear your best in public places through Auracast technology is only the beginning.
To learn about all the innovative ways that Edge AI hearing aids can keep you connected with the world, an active lifestyle, and the people you care about, schedule an appointment with a licensed hearing care professional today. If you don’t have one, reach out to our team at Starkey to generate a list of providers near you.