When watching TV, perhaps you've realized that sometimes our noisy modern lives can be pretty overwhelming and can easily impact the enjoyment of our favorite TV shows and films. It's hard to be kept in suspense with the most recent episode of Game of Thrones when you have all of the outside world blaring in (the mixture of car horns and construction work is not the best for medieval fantasy immersion).

Or maybe instead you've started to notice that the need to keep quiet for family members or noise-sensitive neighbours has started to conflict with your gaming schedule and you've got to keep noise to a minimum.

If all this sounds a bit familiar, then this guide is for you.

As we talk about later in the article we show you 4 different ways to connect bluetooth headphones​.

As a counter to today's television troubles, recently there has been increased usage and popularity of wireless headphones, highlighted by the success of brands such as Beats who saw 48% of their unit sales in 2017 go to their wireless products (Statista). From this, it's clear to see that more and more of us are looking for flexibility in our gadget purchases and that more people than ever are looking to connect their devices together, in ways that are easy to understand, but more importantly, in ways that are convenient.

The Elephant in the Room

There's just one problem; connectivity.

Although Bluetooth presents a simple way to connect your devices to one another, sometimes this isn't always possible and you may be left with a non-compatible pair of devices if your TV just so happens to not be Bluetooth friendly. Plus, we can't expect to replace the old television set simply because of a minor connection issue, so what we require is a method to circumvent this clash in connectivity. There are actually a number of ways you can achieve this, and in this article, you should be able to find a solution that works for both your situation and your budget, with a few things to look out for as well.

Firstly, a Preventive Measure:

In case you've not settled on a pair of headphones just yet, then I suggest that you first think about a pair that has connectivity in mind. One type of dedicated headphones you might want to try is a pair of wireless RF (radio frequency) headphones that are purpose-built for television use. These typically come paired with a charging station ​that will connect to your TV, sending the audio through radio frequencies, rather than the typical Bluetooth. This essentially creates an audio interface for your TV, that is directly compatible with your noise cancelling headphones of choice. This can save a lot of potential extra purchases if you're looking for a quick, albeit, expensive option. One example of this type are the ​Sennheiser RS120 On-Ear Wireless RF Headphones (amazon link)

Use a Bluetooth Transmitter

​​​Conversely, by far the cheapest and simplest option is to purchase a Bluetooth transmitter device. These little guys take the analogue audio signal coming out of your television and transmit it via Bluetooth. Thus giving your TV a tiny Bluetooth transmitter for its audio.

​The first step is to plug in the transmitter into one of your TV's audio outputs. Then the only thing left to do once the adaptor is plugged in (and depending on the model, also switched on to receiving mode) is to simply connect your headphones to the Bluetooth device.

​This method is going to require you getting familiar with which inputs your TV has as there is an array of adapters you can get online, and some of them offer more flexibility than others. Amazon, for instance, has the ​Golvery Bluetooth Transmitter and Receiver (Amazon Link) which offers auxiliary and RCA outputs, which should satisfy most setups.

​Whereas Bluetooth devices such as the ​TaoTronics Bluetooth Transmitter​ (Amazon Link) have only a single 3.5mm jack.

 

As a tip, if you already have a device, but don't have the required inputs on your television, you can purchase many different adapters online, however, the adapters you might require will depend on your setup.

Use a Streaming Device

​​​Devices such as the ​Fire TV / Fire TV Stick (Amazon Link), Apple TV and most Android TV boxes have support for connection to Bluetooth devices. It should be noted that not all Android boxes support Bluetooth, so do refer to the specifications of your model to see if yours is compatible.

 

If your box is suitable, then here's what to do:

• Follow your box's menu to its Settings > Devices section
  
• Select Bluetooth
  
• Find and select your headphones on the device list
  
  

Use Your Playstation 4

​If you've already got a PlayStation 4, you can use these as a device to connect your Bluetooth headphones to your TV. Unfortunately, the Xbox One does not have any kind of Bluetooth functionality, so any headphones won't be able to connect via Bluetooth to the console (Xbox Support) Here's how to do it with the PS4:

• 1) Head over to Settings > [Devices] > [Bluetooth Devices]
  
• 2) Wait as the console automatically searches for your device (make sure your headphones are in discovery mode)
  
• 3) Select your headphones on the device list
  
  

One big thing to remember is that not all wireless headphones are made equal and unfortunately the PS4 does not support every headset that utilises Bluetooth, and there isn't a comprehensive list of all of the units that are supported (Playstation Support). So check online to see if your headphones are known to work, or make sure to see if they are supported before you buy.

So, if you're in the need to revamp your TV setup for modern living, or you're tired of being tied down to one place by traditional headphones, then hopefully these quick guides will have you on your way to a tech-happy TV experience.