To answer the question “Can you use your ear buds with a smart TV?”, yes, Bluetooth Earbuds connect to smart T.Vs, just as they connect to every other Bluetooth enabled device.
If you can get everything connected and playing nicely together, Bluetooth Earbuds can make your TV watching more discreet and comfortable. While some televisions come with Bluetooth wireless connections inside, you can also add external adapters to get nearly any TV running with a set of wireless Bluetooth Earbuds.
How to Make Bluetooth Earbuds Connect to Smart TVs with In-built Bluetooth support
Here’s all you need to know on how to connect ear buds to a smart TV
Locate the TV’s Bluetooth Menu
First and foremost, you’ll need to know if your smart TV has Bluetooth technology on it. You’ll go to the TV’s smart Menu, navigate towards either the Audio/Sound settings and look out for the Bluetooth options. In some cases, it appears right there on the smart Menu. That how you’ll find out if the TV is Bluetooth-enabled.
Set the TV to pairing mode
Once you’ve located the Bluetooth options, you’ll look out for either Bluetooth devices / Bluetooth Audio devices depending on how it’s written on your smart TV. As soon as you click on this, you’ll be able to see devices available for connection.
Set the Bluetooth Headphones to Pairing Mode As Well
This part is pretty simple because once the earbuds are turned on, it becomes available for pairing instantly. Your earbuds can be turned on using the dedicated Bluetooth button on it for most earbuds. As such, it will be visible to the smart TV.
Connect Both Devices
To connect both gadgets, you’l then use the remote control to select the Bluetooth earbuds’ name as shown on the TV screen. After this is done, the Bluetooth headphones will begin to serve as the smart TV’s audio output.
Since they have been paired successfully, anytime both devices are turned on, they’ll automatically connect to one another.
6 Best Earbuds For Your Smart TV
Longest Battery Life: Avantree HT4186 Wireless Earbuds for TV
Best-Looking Wireless Earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Earbuds
Lightest TV Earbuds: Artiste APH100 TV Ears
Most Feature-Rich Wireless Earbuds for TV: Sennheiser SET840 – RF Stereo TV Headphone System
Best Price-Quality Ratio: Simolio SM-824D1 Digital Wireless Headset for TV
Most Affordable Wireless Earbuds for TV: Golvery Neckband Wireless Earbuds
How to Make Bluetooth Earbuds Connect with Smart TVs Without In-built Bluetooth Accessory
Even so, not all smart TVs are supported with Bluetooth connection out of the box. But that does not mean they can’t work with a Bluetooth earbud. If you don’t have a Smart TV with a built-in Bluetooth connection, don’t worry there is still hope for you. You can still plug in either a Bluetooth dongle
or a Bluetooth transmitter.
A dongle attaches to the USB port on your television and gives it Bluetooth capabilities. If you use a transmitter it will plug into either the earbud jack or an audio output port on your TV and connect with your Bluetooth earbuds.
One thing to be aware of is that, when you plug something into the headphone/earbud jack of a television, it will often mute the TV’s external speakers, so if you want to use both the Bluetooth headphones for your TV and the speakers, you will want to plug the transmitter into an audio jack, not the headphone jack of the television.
If your television does not have any external audio ports, you won’t be able to connect Bluetooth Earbuds to it with a dongle or transmitter. These help you to enjoy an excellent sound experience while still keeping the environment serene for others around.
The Bluetooth protocol standardizes how wireless devices communicate with each other across short distances. It has played a large role in the wireless revolution in consumer electronics, allowing everything from smart phones to video game controllers’ earbuds to be untethered from wired transmissions.
Over the past few years, many manufacturers have started to include Bluetooth capabilities in their television sets. If you own a set that doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth, you may be able to connect with a Bluetooth TV adapter.
Adding Bluetooth Adapters to T.V.
There is a wide range of Bluetooth TV adapters available in electronics stores and on Amazon, with correspondingly wide-ranging prices. Most use an RCA connector, which is typically available on both digital and analog TV receivers. An RCA connector, which is also known as a phono connector, is a coaxial cable with three color-coded plugs that connect to corresponding jacks on the television.
This type of cable was used in the past to connect VCR players to television sets. Some Bluetooth adapters connect through a 3.5mm audio jack that plugs into the TV’s AUX-in port, so make sure you know which type of connector your TV has before purchasing an adapter (you can see that from the T.V. manual)
Once a Bluetooth adapter is connected to your television, it should work just like built-in Bluetooth and can be paired with one or more Bluetooth devices. If audio is not streaming from your TV as expected after connecting an adapter, you may need to access the TV’s settings from an onscreen menu and enable output to headphones/earbuds or auxiliary speakers.
Most Bluetooth adapters are recharged by plugging into a USB port. If your television doesn’t have a USB port, you can recharge the adapter using another USB charger or an electrical outlet.
Possible Bluetooth Adapter Issues
Audio transmissions from Bluetooth devices are typically limited to less than 100 feet, which may limit the uses of a Bluetooth adapter. Some users who add Bluetooth to their TV to stream the audio to earbuds or speakers report a noticeable lag in voice transmissions that can cause audio and video to be out of synchronization, so it’s important to read user reviews before purchasing an adapter.
An additional issue with Bluetooth adapter is that your television’s audio may be muted when you transmit to wireless earbuds or speakers, and you may have to disconnect the adapter to restore sound to the TV’s internal speakers. One way to avoid this issue is to also stream the TV’s audio to a Bluetooth soundbar or wireless speakers.
Charging Onward
Bluetooth headphones need to be recharged to keep pumping out sound. Typically you can plug the earbuds into a micro USB cable to top up the internal batteries. A good set of Bluetooth earbuds should last around 10 to 12 hours. If you plan on roaming the house while listening to your favorite TV show, you might also invest in some extra micro USB chargers, so you can recharge your earbuds wherever you go.
How to Reduce Bluetooth Interference
Although Bluetooth technology allows for transmission up to 328 feet, interference can reduce the range of your earbuds. If you’re experiencing audio dropouts or a range of limitations, you might have some other wireless technology interfering with your signal.
Things like microwave ovens, Wi-Fi routers, direct satellite service, cordless phones, and wireless speakers can all interfere with Bluetooth transmissions. If you can switch your Wi-Fi to use only the 5GHz, instead of the 2.4GHz wireless spectrum, that will help, as will separating your Bluetooth transmitter and receiver from other wireless devices like a router, cordless phone or microwave oven.
Additionally, metal and concrete walls can deflect or absorb wireless signals and reduce the range of your Bluetooth headset.
Note: From the way modernization has entered the world of TV sets, we’re beginning to see smart TV sets that lack the 3.5mm audio jack. That’s why the most reliable method of linking up a smart TV to earbuds is through the wireless connection – Bluetooth.
Conclusion
We believe that with this post we have answered your questions as to whether your wireless earbuds will work with a smart TV. You can use your Bluetooth earbuds with your smart television irrespective of whether your smart TV has an inbuilt Bluetooth accessory or not.