CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) today announced that Alps Electric Co., Ltd. will be integrating CSR's aptX® codec in its automotive connectivity modules. The collaboration will enable Alps' OEM customers to offer CD-like audio quality for Bluetooth® Stereo streaming in automobiles, whether consumers are streaming audio to the head unit, or to rear-seat entertainment applications for watching movies or gaming. Alps is yet another automotive electronics manufacturer to select aptX in recent weeks, demonstrating the increasing demand for high-fidelity wireless audio in cars.

"We are seeing a significant shift in consumer audio habits as CD install rates decline and Bluetooth replaces it as one of the primary transports for stereo audio in today's in-vehicle systems," says Hideo Izumi, Senior Manager, Engineering Department at Alps. "Unlike other wireless delivery methods aptX offers high-fidelity audio over a Bluetooth connection, achieving the quality that consumers desire. And because the technology is integrated into hundreds of millions of smartphones on the market today consumers won't experience any compatibility issues."

In order to fit within the Bluetooth 'pipe' and transmit wirelessly, audio needs to use a bit rate reduction technique. CSR's 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. By eliminating lip and action-synchronisation issues, and offering lower latency than other streaming methods, at 40ms as opposed to ~150ms for A2DP streaming, it also enhances rear-seat entertainment applications, such as watching movies and gaming.

"We are delighted to announce aptX in Alps connectivity modules," says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. "Alps is a long-time partner of CSR's and a recognised leader in delivering cutting edge connectivity features to the automotive market. CSR and Alps share the vision that aptX will significantly improve the performance of Bluetooth music streaming in the vehicle not only for the head unit but also for the rear seat entertainment system. CSR's aptX not only addresses quality issues but because it's also compatible with the majority of smartphones on the market, including flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4, Blackberry Z10 and HTC One, it ensures automotive manufacturers can future-proof their solutions. The automotive community is now clearly seeing this as an attractive proposition and 'driving' aptX into next generation in-vehicle systems."

CSR is offering aptX support in all of its latest automotive grade connectivity devices including the CSR8350™ and CSRC9300™ to support the growth of the aptX ecosystem within the vehicle. The AEC-Q100 qualified BlueCore5™ Multimedia chip can also support aptX streaming today

aptX enjoys widespread adoption in the consumer electronics industry and has become the standard mechanism for high fidelity Bluetooth streaming. Visit www.aptX.com for a list of the latest aptX enabled smartphones, tablets, headsets, speakers and other devices from leading audio brands.

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