[pulseaudio-discuss] [PATCH v6 00/11] New API for Bluetooth A2DP codecs

Sun Feb 3 14:15:07 UTC 2019

This is 6th version of my patch series for modular A2DP codec API and
aptX support. Main changes for v6 version are:

 * Fixed profile switching. Now it fully transparent does not need to
   issue change profile command two times. This was the last functional
   issue in this patch series and therefore patches are ready to use.

 * Added more variants of SBC codec. There is SBC Ultra High Quality
   with about 450 kbps bitrate. It uses bitpool value 76 for stereo
   mode and 38 for dual channel which minimize wasted bytes, is below
   upper limit 512 kbps and should be supported by most bluetooth
   headsets (which limits max bitpool value to 53).

 * Policy module was extended to prefer for VOIP application A2DP
   profile with backchannel as it has better audio quality as HFP.

This patch series provides new modular API for Bluetooth A2DP codecs,
clean up module-bluez5-device and bluez5-util to be codec independent
and convert SBC codec into this new API for A2DP codecs. Also it adds
support for aptX, aptX HD and FastStream A2DP codecs.

New codec API is designed in way, that for adding new codec is not
needed to touch bluez5-util nor module-bluez5-device files. Whole
codec registration is done in a2dp-codec-util.c file, without need
to update any header file.

Some A2DP codecs are bidirectional and support backchannel for
microphone voice. This new A2DP codec API fully supports this feature
and module-bluez5-device was extended to support microphone voice source
for codecs which declares such support. FastStream is example of such
codec.

For every A2DP codec is created card profile. When using bluez from
current git master then only those profiles codec profiles are created
which are supported by remote headset/endpoint.

With this new modular API it should be easy to add other codec support
like MP3, AAC or LDAC.

API is designed also for ability to register "more variants" of one
A2DP codec. This is used by SBC codec. It exports 5 different variants:
Low Quality, Medium Quality, High Quality, Ultra High Quality and
Automatic Quality. Also if remote device exports more endpoints for SBC
codec with different quality, pulseaudio SBC code properly find and use
endpoint which matches defined quality.

I tested playback with SBC, aptX and FastStream codecs, including
switching between them while playing music and it is working fine. When
switching codec there is some 1-2s quiet window. Also microphone voice
in FastStream is working and has slightly better quality as in HSP profile.

Changes in v6:
* Change A2DP profile immediately and remove -EAGAIN problem,
  this fixes the last problem with switching from one A2DP codec
  profile to another, now it is fully transparent
* Add more variants of SBC codec, including SBC Ultra High Quality which
  beats aptX and should be supported by most bluetooth headsets
* Update module-bluetooth-policy code to prefer using bi-directional
  A2DP profiles for VOIP applications as it has better VOIP quality as
  HSP/HFP profiles
* Add missing validations for SBC codec parameters
* Clean up SBC bitpool calculation
* Fixed debug usage of sbc_get_implementation_info()
* Update a2dp-codecs.h from upstream bluez project again
* Use bluez's "Device" key for determining device path for SEP endpoint
  (instead of guessing it directly from SEP endpoint string)
* Simplify aptX and aptX HD code as they share lot of common parts
* Fix assigning sink/sources into port profiles
* Remove a2dp_sink_codecs/a2dp_source_codecs hashmaps to simplify code
* Fix announcing transport availability when bluez supports codec changing
* Fix switching A2DP codec when bluez removed/re-added remote endpoints

Changes in v5:
* Added support for switching between A2DP codec via profiles.
  This requires bluez patches from above link.

Changes in v4:
* Added support for aptX HD codec
* Changed codec API for reading block size and reducing encoder bitrate
* Added support for microphone backchannel into module-bluez5-device
* Added support for microphone backchannel into FastStream codec
* Fixed parsing FastStream A2DP config buffer
* Fixed validation for config buffers
* Fixed calculating block size for aptX codec
* Fixed resetting SBC and FastStream codecs

Changes in v3:
* Fixed problems pointed by Tanu

Pali Rohár (11):
  switch-on-port-available: Fix null pointer dereference
  bluetooth: policy: Remove BlueZ 4 related code
  bluetooth: policy: Reflect a2dp profile names
  bluetooth: Update a2dp-codecs.h from upstream bluez project
  bluetooth: Modular API for A2DP codecs
  bluetooth: Add missing validations for SBC codec parameters
  bluetooth: Clean up SBC bitpool calculation
  bluetooth: Add A2DP aptX and aptX HD codecs support
  bluetooth: Add A2DP FastStream codec support
  bluetooth: Add more variants of SBC codec
  bluetooth: policy: Treat bi-directional A2DP profiles as suitable for
    VOIP

 configure.ac                                    |   36 +
 src/Makefile.am                                 |   20 +-
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-api.h          |   80 ++
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-aptx.c         |  445 ++++++++++
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-faststream.c   |  435 ++++++++++
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-sbc.c          | 1032 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-util.c         |   78 ++
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-util.h         |   34 +
 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codecs.h             |  336 +++++++-
 src/modules/bluetooth/bluez5-util.c             |  772 +++++++++++------
 src/modules/bluetooth/bluez5-util.h             |   39 +-
 src/modules/bluetooth/module-bluetooth-policy.c |  117 +--
 src/modules/bluetooth/module-bluez5-device.c    |  929 ++++++++++----------
 src/modules/module-switch-on-port-available.c   |    2 +-
 14 files changed, 3571 insertions(+), 784 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-api.h
 create mode 100644 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-aptx.c
 create mode 100644 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-faststream.c
 create mode 100644 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-sbc.c
 create mode 100644 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-util.c
 create mode 100644 src/modules/bluetooth/a2dp-codec-util.h

-- 
2.11.0