Hi! My dad has hearing aids and a device called the resound tv streamer that he can connect via RCA cables or optical cable. He is interested in buying a Roku tv but we’ve heard of issues trying to connect audio devices.
We don’t want to need him to connect to Roku app every time he watches TV.
does anyone know if Roku tvs have the ability to send audio output to his resound device so the audio can be heard directly in his ears? And, if so, can it work whether he’s watching his cable TV that would be connected thru hdmi and the apps built into the tv?
https://www.resound.com/en-us/hearing-aids/accessories/tv-hearing-aid
i really appreciate any input!
Keep in mind that most things labeled “Roku TV” are not made by Roku. (Until recently NONE of them were made by Roku.) So there may be significant connectivity/connector differences between one brand and model of “Roku TV” and another.
Thank you! Is there any way we can tell by looking at specs if it will work or just trial and error ?
Looking at the Resound streamer, it looks like it will connect to most TVs, but it depends on whether or not you need the TV's speakers on at the same time. I would say a "Roku TV" isn't any different to any other TV in this regard. I think you'll have to look through some user manuals and some aren't very good. For example, the new Roku TV actually made by Roku states, "Only on select models, you can connect headphones or an analog soundbar (not provided) to the TV’s headphone jack." So it would appear some have a headphone jack and some don't. It goes on to say, "Inserting a plug in the headphone jack disables the sound from the TV’s built-in speakers." That would be the problem with using the headphone jack on most TVs.
The better option would be to connect the Resound streamer to the TV using an optical connection. As far as I can tell all of the TVs made by Roku have an optical output. Whether or not the speakers remain active when using the optical output I couldn't say. I have a TCL Roku TV that allows both the TV speakers and optical output to be active at the same time. That's probably true of most TVs.
So the short answer is to make sure the TV has an optical audio output and you should be good to go with anything connected to the TV or the built-in apps.