June 12, 2014 – CSR ( http://www.csr.com ), a global provider of innovative semiconductor ICs and software solutions for location awareness, multimedia, and cloud connectivity, announced today that Clarion, a leading manufacturer of mobile audio electronics, has decided to incorporate the aptX® audio codec into three of its latest marine entertainment products in conjunction with CSR connectivity solutions.

CSR's aptX technology, applied to Clarion's latest marine source unit M704 and the award-winning CMS5 and CMS2 all-in-one digital media receivers, guarantees CD-quality wireless audio even in vehicles and on ships.

Clarion is collaborating with major automotive manufacturers as well as mobile manufacturers to enhance the performance of in-vehicle entertainment systems. This collaboration has once again proven the value of this technology in future vehicle design.

Allen H. Gharapetian, Vice President of Marketing and Product Planning at Clarion, USA, explained, “Bluetooth is gaining importance as an audio transmission solution as consumer reliance on mobile devices increases.”

In addition, Alan Garapetian said, “Since everyone expects content streaming without audio quality degradation, they prefer solutions that provide CD-level sound quality if possible. aptX guarantees hi-fi stereo audio over Bluetooth connections and is widely applied to smartphones, making it compatible with popular smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One, and Sony Xperia Z1.” "Therefore, companies are naturally choosing aptX," he stated.

As the role of Bluetooth in in-vehicle audio becomes increasingly important and widespread, many manufacturers have realized that relying solely on current Bluetooth standard codecs is insufficient to deliver optimal audio quality. The innovative aptX codec is the only solution providing high-quality, low-latency wireless audio for entertainment system designers. With an increasing number of designs incorporating CSR's aptX technology, the automotive industry has also begun to take notice of this technology.

Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President of the Business Group at CSR, said, “As aptX technology is widely adopted in smartphones, it appears that leading in-vehicle system suppliers like Clarion are also acknowledging the positive impact this technology has on the consumer audio experience.”

Furthermore, Vice President Murray emphasized, “We hope that manufacturers implementing this technology will be able to design their products for future use, and since aptX is compatible with a wide range of smartphones on the market, this requirement is fully achievable. This partnership demonstrates CSR’s long-standing commitment to helping customers completely transform their driving experience by providing a realistic infotainment environment for vehicles.”

Bit rate reduction techniques must be used for wireless audio transmission that complies with the Bluetooth 'pipeline' standard. CSR's aptX audio technology supports audio transmission over Bluetooth's available bandwidth by using a non-destructive solution. By replicating the entire frequency range of the audio, aptX technology maintains CD-quality sound over Bluetooth connections, allowing listeners to hear the sound exactly as the creator originally intended.

CSR supports the growth of the in-vehicle aptX ecosystem by adopting aptX across its entire lineup of latest connectivity chipsets, including the CSR8350™ and CSRC9300™. AEC-Q100 certified BlueCore5™ MM chips also support aptX streaming in upcoming vehicles.