Bluetooth out of dumb tv to hearing aids

QuantumTurk

Heya, so my pop has hearing aids and has figured out how to connect them to bluetooth on his laptop and loves it, and would like to do the same with the TV. Problem is, the tv is not so smart, and the pairing process for the hearing aids is dependent on selecting the connection somewhere. I've got a little usb bluetooth transmitter, but don't know a way to pair it with his hearing aids and then transfer that pairing over to the tv. Are there products or options for something like this? Or other workarounds would be fine. TV is a Sceptre GATV53BA Mod# X32 if that helps, though I'd not expect it to help much, just some cheap wal-mart tv.

dispatch.o

GoogleTV has Bluetooth pairing that's pretty simple. The only real problem is that Bluetooth only connects to one device at a time. You'd need to forget/disconnect from the laptop and put the hearing aids into pairing mode. I have a cheap Bluetooth dongle I used with my TV before I got a GoogleTV and it just looks for something in pairing mode. Still works the same way.

The GoogleTV Bluetooth menu is a little easier and the quality is nice, but it only puts out audio you're watching using the device - not all TV audio. So that's probably a no-go as a solution.

MichaelLC

Think you need one of these?

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Wireless-Headphone/dp/B0838YPSZT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=Best+Bluetooth+Transmitter&qid=1636313002&sr=8-3

RCA or headphone jack from TV into BT transmitter. Pair aids with transmitter.

Just picked that one at random, but seems to have a lot of reviews, whatever that's worth. Make sure you look for a transmitter, not a receiver; those bring BT audio into older speakers.

QuantumTurk

Right, I believe the issue will be the pairing (and dispatch has a good point about the hearing aids may only be able to pair to one thing at a time), which in my experience has involved a screen/interface of some sort, which both the transmitters and the hearing aids lack.

Inquisitor77

Not sure about the Blutooth transmitter, but some hearing aid manufacturers have proprietary methods of connecting directly to output devices. I use this for my PC & TV: https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/shop/accessories/wireless-accessories/cochlear-wireless-tv-streamer/FUZ740.html

Unfortunately they can get quite pricey so if he has insurance coverage that might help. At the very least he can use HSA/FSA funds for them.

mRahmani

If the hearing aids are like most Bluetooth headphones I’ve used, they *should* auto reconnect to any source they’ve been paired with in the past. So if they’re paired to both a laptop and a tv adapter, it should automatically connect as long as only the desired one is currently active.

I think @MichaelLC has the right idea. Pretty much any tv built in the last 15 years has an optical audio connection, so a Bluetooth adapter with an optical port should be perfect.

QuantumTurk

For future searchers, this guy worked a treat: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38070&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiufD2dKs9AIVAr3ICh0kHQR7EAQYAiABEgIQ4PD_BwE

Just had to put them both in pairing mode and they found one another! Still surprised that works, seems like you'd end up connected to random things sometimes but what do I know. Maybe less good in a crowded apartment building but fine for a house.