There isn’t a better feeling than winding down after a long, busy day and enjoying your favorite movie or TV show with the family. However, for individuals experiencing hearing loss, this simple pleasure can pose challenges. The tendency to increase the volume may lead to remote control disputes in households where one family member is dealing with hearing impairment.
Solving this issue also goes beyond just raising the volume. Not only does that fail to solve the problem, but it also exposes anyone without hearing loss to potentially harmful noise levels. Considering these factors, it’s essential to look into other options. Read further to explore how to watch TV with hearing aids safely.
Are hearing aids good for watching TV?
Yes, lots of people have found that using hearing aids for TV use can help reduce the need for turning up the volume too high, making the home environment more comfortable for everyone.
If you already wear hearing aids, here are some tips you can follow to make watching TV a smoother experience with your family.
Check your TV settings
Adjusting specific settings in your TV’s ‘audio’ section can be beneficial if your hearing loss affects your ability to comprehend dialogue.
Presets like “night mode” may result in clearer dialogue when deactivated. Opt for “Stereo” or “Normal” as another option, especially for surround-sound TVs.
In the case of multichannel sound systems like Dolby Digital or DTS, increasing the volume of the center channel speaker while decreasing the volume of others can enhance your ability to understand everything in movies and TV shows.
Also, check whether you can customize the frequency settings of the TV output. This can be highly beneficial, particularly if you tailor the frequencies to compensate for those lost due to your specific hearing impairment.
Turn on subtitles
When watching TV with hearing aids, enabling subtitles is a smart approach. This eliminates the need to increase the volume or struggle to catch the dialogue. If you miss a word occasionally, you can read the subtitles and follow the conversation without experiencing frustration.
Most TVs come with closed captioning settings, ensuring subtitles are available for every program. Locate the CC button on your TV remote to activate subtitles, or navigate to the closed captioning settings in the TV menu.
Try TV headphones
Investing in TV headphones is a fantastic solution for enhancing your TV-watching experience. These are assistive listening devices designed to facilitate clear TV audio reception. TV headphones come with a transmitter that connects to your device, enabling direct audio streaming to the headphones.
This setup ensures that you catch every detail of what everyone is saying. Moreover, adjusting your hearing aids for the TV gives you the flexibility to listen at safe levels and fine-tune the tone for better clarity. Many TV headphones are designed to be worn comfortably over your hearing aids, allowing you to continue using your preferred hearing aid programs.
Additionally, some of these assistive listening devices support multiple headphones for a shared viewing experience. Whether you watch TV with one person or several people, each can use headphones to stream audio directly to their ears.
Connect your hearing aids via Bluetooth
If you spend a lot of time watching TV, talking on the phone, or using technology, you can opt for hearing aids with excellent Bluetooth connectivity. These hearing aids use Bluetooth technology to connect to your phone, computer, and TV directly. This turns your hearing aids into wireless headphones, delivering TV audio directly to your ears. This way, you can be sure you’ll catch every word on-screen.
The best part is watching TV with others becomes so simple. All you need to do is adjust the settings and volume on your hearing device via an app, while others can control sound levels with the remote.
Invest in good speakers
A practical approach to watching TV with hearing aids involves choosing the appropriate speakers. Opting for high-quality speakers enhances sound clarity, facilitating your understanding of on-screen conversations. These speakers outperform the TV system, providing superior sound quality and allowing you to enjoy your favorite shows without raising the volume.
Watching TV with Hearing Aids is Easy!
A crucial element for an optimal TV experience with hearing loss is a quality pair of hearing aids. These devices amplify TV sounds, potentially improving speech comprehension by minimizing background noise distractions.
Even if you currently use hearing aids, we at Beltone Tristate believe it’s best to get annual hearing tests starting at 50. Click here for a complimentary hearing test to see how we can help you enjoy life and all the beautiful sounds to the fullest!