Widcomm + Moto HT820

[mattipton]

Hello, I recently purchased the ht820 stereo headphones and it works great for how I am using it now with phones, handhelds, etc. Now I would like to start using it with my PC as well and I have ordered the moto pc850 bluetooth usb adapter to connect it to my pc. The functionality that I am looking for when using with my pc:

1.1) Headset functionality. Basically mic + audio for use with skype, msn, etc. I think the bluetooth profile used here results in binaural mono audio (like AM radio).

1.2) Near cd quality audio listening (16bit/44.1KHz/Stereo). I think the Bluetooth profile I need to use for this is referred to as High Quality Audio.

2.0) Control function (skip tracks, etc) via the buttons on the headset. This controls an applicaiton on the pc like winamp, wmp, etc
(Sorry, I can't remember alll the fancy acronyms... but you know what I'm talking about I'm sure)

I have researched quite a bit at this point and my understanding is that all of this is do-able given my hardware configuration... BUT the main problem is when I recieve the pc850, it will come with the Widcomm 4.0.250 stack. Anyway. the reasearch I have done thus far has told me that this is the version that will come with the adapter... and that this will not support the functionality that I want.

My first impressions about installing the Widcomm bluetooth stack went as follows: I understand that I should install the software before I plug in the adapter... so I figured if nothing else, I could just wait until I recieve the adapter and install whatever comes on the cd and give that a try. However, I think I might scratch that idea.

After finding this forum, there seems to be a lot of knowledgable people here... so I think I will give this a try... just a general inquiry to ht820 owners in an attempt to gather information and save myself a little bit of grief. So, if you own a ht820, and use Windows XP, and you use the Widcomm bluetooth stack:

1) What version of the Widcomm bluetooth stack do you use? X.X.X.XXXX
2) Are you able to use headset functionality? Yes/No
3) Are you able to use high quality audio functionality? Yes/No
4) Are you able to use controlling functionality? Yes/No
5) What bluetooth adapter are you using?
---5.1) Manufacturer:
---5.2) Model:
---5.3) Interface: Built-in?/USB?/Card?

I'm only concerned about using the widcomm bluetooth stack, so I would ask that we limit the discussion in that area. I really appreciate your input. Thanks!

[mattipton]

Hello again, I thought I should give an update on this in case anyone is interested. I have recieved my Moto pc850 bluetooth adapter... and since I didn't get any feedback in this thread, I just went ahead and stuck with my original plan and installed the software and drivers that came on the cd with the pc850 adapter (4.0.1.2500). I'm happy to say that the results were great! I followed the install guide step by step and everything worked perfectly. I couldn't be happier, this functionality with my pc is just awesome.

Basically, the reason I expected problems is because I came across so many incidents on line. I'm not sure why people had these problems? It just scared me a little bit that people had problems getting the ht820 working with thier pc... and that's why I created this thread. I seemed like I kept reading about more and more people on various forums having problems getting things working "out of the box". I can't say what the problems were exactly, but I can speculate: If I had to guess, I would suspect the pc850 adapter may be the real winner here... but I'm not sure? I'd say it's fairly likely that giving the user an pc850 adapter (or a similar adapter) will answer thier problems... but that's only speculation. Besides, some people are just going to run into issues. Some people are just going to have issues no matter what for whatever reason and it could very well be that I was only seeing the worst case scenario posts from various forums when I googled the products. So I guess what I'm saying is that, obviously, people tend to post a lot less about situations when everything go perfectly smoothly and works great. Posts like "OMG... help me. " or "This or that sux!!111" simply outnumber posts like "WOW... worked perfect" or "Awesome-o... Flawless Victory!!!11 " because people are simply trying to fix problems or whatever... and though no one wants to admit it, some of the root causes of problems like not reading instructions or something like that are present no matter what the given hardware or software configuration is.

The point is that everything worked great for me straight out of the box. So know at the very least that it is feasible. I know a lot of people who are quick to criticize bluetooth for not yet being all that it should be because things often don't work "out of the box". I think I bought into that a little bit because I expected something to go wrong for me. BUT I think given the proper hardware configuration, bluetooth can be all that it should be. That was definatly the case for me! I would not hesitate to recommend the combination of the ht820 headphones + pc850 bluetooth adapther + PC to any Windows XP user. First, I was absolutely impressed that I got full functionality without any upgrades, no patches, etc... in fact no issues at all for that matter. Also, besides no install headaches, I just simply cannot believe how great the functionality is.

Here are some specific pc related things that I've found are awesome:
1) The headset works great for skype calls and everyone has told me that it sounds great... the range isn't outstanding by anymeans and that is expected I'm sure with bluetooth... but no more wires or being attached to the pc with skype is just great in itself.
2) As headphones, the components aren't audiophile quality by any means... but they still sound great for what they are. I was just very impressed with the high quality stereo mode... I didn't know what to expect, I thought there might be a little bit of quality lost... since it's streaming wirelessly and whatnot... but I don't think you'd notice unless you were to playback something with really high bitrates like dvd audio or something like that.
3)The control functionality is super cool. I wasn't sure how cool it would be... but I knew I could use it. After using it and being able to switch tracks in winamp or itunes or media player... using buttons on my headphones... and wirelessly from anywhere in the house... are you kidding me? It's so awesome. It is obviously something you might not use a whole lot while sitting directly in front of your pc... but it's very cool if you want to listen to music elsewhere in your home without transferring music to a portable player. Plus you've got you're whole music library to choose from... take that ipunks.
4)Lastly, the fact that all this functionality comes out of one set of headphones is outstanding. I can listen to television audio through my dc800 transceiver, answer cellular phone calls, make skype calls or listen to shoutcast on my pc... all wirelessly using this one set of headphones. I think that is the most impressive thing about them.

I honestly didn't believe it would all work this well... you can tell when I created this thread that I expecting all sorts of problems with connecting the ht820 to my pc... I just thought some feature wouldn't quite work out for me somewhere along the line... but it has turned out to all work perfectly. It sounds+works great and I'm able to do everything I wanted/expected. One side note, it did take me a minute or two to figure out how I should switch back and fourth between the basic headset+mic and the high quality stereo... but that was because I hadn't used the software before and that was an issue with my knowledge rather than the software itself.

I'll fill in my info into this thread since I now have everything setup:
1) What version of the Widcomm bluetooth stack do you use? 4.0.1.2500 (this version came with the Moto pc850 adapter)
2) Are you able to use headset functionality? Yes
3) Are you able to use high quality audio functionality? Yes
4) Are you able to use controlling functionality? Yes
5) What bluetooth adapter are you using?
---5.1) Manufacturer: Moto
---5.2) Model: pc850
---5.3) Interface: USB

Personally, I think that I chose wisely in getting the pc850 adapter. Hopefully this thread might help someone decide what adapter to use with the ht820 headset... or at least maybe give some peace of mind if someone runs into problems while using the ht820+pc850. I can testify that the pc850 cannot be the root of the problem in this case (unless you're dealing with faulty hardware).

[lam3248]

May I know what chipset is the PC850 ? CSR, broadcom or ISSC ? I have a itech S38 blue stereo headset that never work with widcom. But it works fine on IVT bluesoliel. I am still puzzle.

[Pure Krome]

1) What version of the Widcomm bluetooth stack do you use? 4.0.1.2500 (this version came with the Moto pc850 adapter)
2) Are you able to use headset functionality? Yes
3) Are you able to use high quality audio functionality? No
4) Are you able to use controlling functionality? No
5) What bluetooth adapter are you using?
---5.1) Manufacturer: Moto
---5.2) Model: pc850
---5.3) Interface: USB


I'm very dissapointed with this purchase (and it wasn't cheap). I was under the impression that the HIGH QUALITY AUDIO would also work with the mic - but it does not U have to SWITCH between low quality and high quality.

Furthermore, it took me nearly a day to get it working - donno why. A week later, my high quality stopped working and hasn't worked for weeks. I think the problem arose when i started switching between high quality (to listen to my cd's) and then swtich to low quality (to use the mic). i can't switch back.

lastly, i was also planning on playing games with this -> high quality sounds and use the mic to talk.

I'm VERY upset and one unhappy camper A very misleading product

[mattipton]

Hi, Pure Krome. Concerning your issues with the High Quality Audio...

First, as far as connectiviy goes:

Connectivity Section 1: You can switch between the two modes by holding down the left hand button for a couple of seconds... However, I will say that this isn't always the way it works. Granted, it probably should work that way... but I've found this doesn't always work intially if you've recently unplugged/plugged in the usb bluetooth adapter or if you've rebooted your pc. So when this happend to me the first time, it appeared as if I couldn't connect to "High Quality Audio" mode just like you described. Ever since then, to initially connect to the headset I always use the "quick connect" from the menu in the system tray "lower right-hand corner of windows taskbar". Obviously, there are a few ways to switch between and connect to "high quality bluetooth audio" and "normal bluetooth audio"... but this is the way I connect the devices together initially and this functions consitently for me without any problems. If I do this, I never have the connectivity problems you described and then I can always switch back and forth by holding down the left M button for about 2 secs... I do that anytime I reboot or unplugging the adapter or whatever. So, long story short, no problems if I connect initially that way.

Connectivity Section 2: I'll list another thing I've found that helps out if you are having problems connecting... I've only had to do this a few times when the software has told me that it can't connect... that hasn't happend in a while. Maybe because I've always been intially connecting as I described in section 1? Anyway, I'll give an example of what I've seen and what actions I would take to get connected: ...Say the software tells you it can't connect to "High Quality Audio". In this instance I would 1)Right click on bluetooth system tray and select "Quick Connect > Headset > Bluetooth Audio" which unchecks and disconnects from Bluetooth audio and then 2) Right click on bluetooth system tray and select "Quick Connect > Headset > Bluetooth High Quality Audio" which checks and connects to Bluetooth High Quality Audio.

Conectivity Notes: Hopefully these methods help. Like I said I haven't had very many issues connecting or switching modes but then again maybe I've just had an easier time noticing the patterns that fix the problems. One more thing to use as a quick fix... I've found if you have issues switching or whatever and you don't want to tinker with the software (say you are in the other room or somthing) then I've been able hold down on the right hand button for a few seconds and put it into standby... then push the left button for a few seconds and let it connect up again... and that has worked for me. These are just some of the ways I use the ht820 and there are probably lots of other ways to do the same things. Again, like I said, I don't have these issues very often... hardly ever... but I have noticed what you mentioned and I have found that following these patterns seem to fix things if problems do crop up. I'll admit that I was confused and things didn't seem to be working quite right when I was connecting the first few times... so maybe the procedure in section 1 smooths things out quite a bit? I'd say that 99% of the time I am able switch back and forth between modes by just pushing the button on the headset.

Hope this helps

[Pure Krome]

thanks for the reply yesterday i installed the new widcomm 5.1.0.1100 (on a new fresh windows install) and it installed perfectly. I then ran the patcher and it found my usb dongle straight up and patched!

i then paired and straight away it worked. the interface is different (slightly) with this new software released. It's not called Hands-Free Audio (not head-set or something in the version that came with the CD). Stereo audio is for good quality (can't remember what it was called in the CD that came with the headset).

Now, this is the kicker -> for my voice apps (like my voip prog) i have to define which adapter to use -- so i say use the Hands-free adapter.

Next, i have to manually turn on hands-free or stereo to use either one. if both are on and connected, i generally can't get any stereo sound out.

So in summary,
1. Define which sound adapter to use in each program.
2. Manually connect/disconnect to the type of device (low quality + mic OR good quality no mic).

nice!!!!!

[mattipton]

Pure Krome, to address your second issue...

You are correct, you cannot use the mic on the ht820 when in the High Quality Audio mode. You need to use the normal lower quality mode to use the mic.

Unfortunately, I think you just misunderstood the mic functionality when you bought the product. My understanding when I purchased this headset is that the high quality mode is a one way street for now (hopefully that might change in the future though?). By definition, I think that the High Quality Audio uses A2DP which is streaming the audio to the headset... and as far as I know, headsets can't stream back anything while in A2DP mode.

You definately make a good point though... game audio would definately not sound good in the normal headset mode. So that is a limitation of the product if you need to have high quality stereo audio and use the mic at the same time. Fortunately, I don't have a need for anything like that... so I wouldn't have even thought about that scenario because I only use the mic for phone quality audio situations.

[Pure Krome]

yeah - there was NOTHING to say that the headset only works with the mic + poor quality sound.

boy i was pissed off, upset and hurt when i found this out _AFTER_ I had purchased both the headset AND the matching dongle.

Years after BT was released and it's still crap/not perfect. it's amazing how it's still doesn't 'just' work -> eg. a stero headset with integrated mic and u just plug it in, pair, and viola!

*sigh*

[PeterMac]

In Windows XP, with the Broadcom driver v 5.6.0.6450, I can pair the headphones with the laptop. Once the phones are paired, I can open up the 'My Bluetooth Places' window by double-clicking on the BT icon in the system tray.

Turn the headphones OFF. The headphones icon is available in that window. When I put the mouse over the icon, a pop-up message appears saying "Double click to use as stereo headphones. Right click to use as a headset with microphone". Double click on the icon and, after a while, the detailed screen for the headphones will pop-up. Don't click on anything. Turn ON the headphones now and they will now work as stereo headphones. Now start your music player (e.g. WinAmp) and configure it to use the Bluetooth headphones (Still called 'Hands-free audio', ignore the naming)