Features, settings & updates

[rolomart]

I own the Roku Ultra and I'm very surprised and disappointed that their flagship Roku steamer will not allow simultaneous sound (wireless headphones and speakers to play at same time). My wife has a condition that renders her near deaf. I bought Bluetooth headphones so the entire family can watch programing together. It turns out that when headphones are used no sound to speakers and visa versa. One would think that since this is a common problem for hearing impaired and their families, that a Roku software update or setting selection would allow both. This could be done via update. Or add an optical out on the device itself. Roku you can do better.

[makaiguy]

much requested feature.   Never implemented.  I'd like to have it too.

[RickAdams]

So would I. It is not my young wife of 66, but her old husband of 75. Surely this is a common problem. Anyone found a work around??

[DaleRaymond]

Dear ROKU-

Please consider an option allowing extended listening choices to those dealing with hearing issues.

I am hoping that this will become a very obvious upgrade to our streaming service. It is such a minor option, but, I believe that this option is not an either / or issue, as there are many of us that need to share our viewing experience with those that have full hearing and do not need the clarity and independent volume control that this option would provide.

Yes, I will look for a work-around that will enable a headphone or ear-pod for the hearing impaired while still providing high acoustic fidelity to others in the family.

[Emissary35]

You should absolutely have the option of headphone only or headphones with speakers. I have this option on my TV for using the headphone jack on the TV itself. So if TVs can do it Roku can also with an update. This is just another obvious failure by Roku to not have this feature already.

To those wanting this I wouldn't hold your breath, Roku probably doesn't see this as a priority, they are more interested in adding annoyances to the home screen that everyone hates or other useless features while ignoring important ones that should be added, like this.

[LLR]

I do tech support for several friends and I can confirm that given the aging community, the simultaneous output to HDMI-ARC (for sound bar) and optical or Bluetooth (for hearing aids) would be greatly appreciated.  Older TVs used to have this feature buried deep in their settings, but this seems to be absent from Roku devices.  Using a streamer is just adding more boxes/wires/complexity while reducing the sound features/quality.

[Lgagne]

My TV is Roku model # 58R63G.. hopefully your model will be capable.  

We bought Sennheiser RS195 Digital Wireless headphones for TV.  Sennheiser are designed for hearing impaired with higher volume control.

We set the TV audio output to "speakers", note it will say that "Optical Output is always on".  Then set the "digital output format" to "stereo".

We used the digital output connected to the headset base and it works amazing!  

I listen via the speakers and he listens via his headphones! 

It took a lot of trial and error but finally success!  👍

[LLR]

Thank you for your input.  I think we are facing the same challenge: having a hearing impaired person and a person with normal hearing listening to the same movie.  In my case, I want to use a sound bar (hdmi-arc) because the TV's speakers are not that good, and a blue tooth transmitter connected to the optical output of the TV but this seems to be technically impossible at this time.  I may have to resort to using the optical output exclusively, with an optical splitter to the sound bar and to the blue tooth transmitter but some people have complained about sound delay issues using this configuration.  Also I would lose Dolby Atmos (my sound bar is a Bose 600).  On the feasibility of using both outputs, I have also read some posts on another forum that reported that it was actually a CEC requirement that the HDMI-ARC and optical outputs be mutually exclusive (maybe to limit illegal copying).  If this is the case it would be up to the sound bar makers and the hearing aid makers to pressure the CEC for a solution.  If I am mistaken in my statements please do not hesitate to correct me.

[Scanners999]

I don't consider myself old, or hearing impaired, however I suffer from tinitus and struggle to distinguish dialog from ambient sounds.

When is use the earbuds attached to the Roku remote I can hear dialog really clearly, but of course my family cannot. 

This seems like a really obvious ADA consideration. Why is this not an easy fix?? I haven't seen anyone from Roku respond to this thread!!

[LLR]

I have an update on this subject.

The simultaneous output is working on the following configuration:

- Hisense Roku tv

- Bose sound bar (connected to TV via HDMI)

- Phonak wireless (connected to TV via optical)

- Everything on the TV set to automatic (audio input, audio format, ...) 

The configuration was done by the hearing assistance people who installed the Phonak and I was not present.  I do not know if this is the result of their work or an update on the TV.  Simultaneous sound output now works flawlessly.

I hope this helps and would appreciate hearing from people with similar experience.