Trying out a BT Headphone for HDTV. Beware of latency.

Discussions about anything Computer Hardware Related. Overclocking, underclocking and talk about the latest or even the oldest technology. PCA Reviews feedback
Post Reply
User avatar
FlyingPenguin
Flightless Bird
Posts: 32773
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2000 11:13 am
Location: Central Florida
Contact:

Trying out a BT Headphone for HDTV. Beware of latency.

Post by FlyingPenguin »

On my old livingroom TV a couple of years back, I used to have a wireless headphone connected to the audio out, but most new TVs don't have an audio out anymore. I sometimes listen to movies late at night when everyone else is sleeping, and if it's something with explosions it can be a problem. Also, watching certain shows like Doctor Who, I find it difficult to understand the dialog with the thick cockney accents, and headphones help.

Did some research and found out that most modern TVs support BlueTooth and I tested this by pairing my wireless earbuds to my Samsung QLED HDTV, and it worked fine EXCEPT that there was a slight delay. Very slight - but noticeable. Not that I want to use earbuds with the TV anyway, but that made me research some more, and yeah, for TVs you need to look for headphones that support "APTX Low Latency".

Did some digging into reviews and came up with this one on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A0EAYDI

I just got them so I can't speak for longevity yet, but they are comfortable. I have big ears and wearing headphones over the ears can give me a headache. That's why my gaming PC headphones are huge AROUND the ear models. But, like I said, they do feel comfortable, and unlike my gaming PC, I won't be wearing these for longer than a movie, so I'll see how comfortable they are over time.

They do indeed eliminate the delay I heard on the ear buds, and sound quality is good with decent low end.

Pairing was easy on the TV, despite some people complaining of issues with Samsung TVs. Once paired, Samsung just lets you select which device you want to listen to. I have a Samsung sound bar connected via optical cable, and it stays on when I connect to the headphones, which is fine. That way someone else can hear if necessary, and I can always turn off the sound bar.

I'll report back in a few weeks on how well it's working.
"Turns out I’m 'woke.' All along, I thought I was just compassionate, kind, and good at history. "

Image
User avatar
Losbot
Almighty Member
Posts: 4991
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:59 am
Location: South Florida

Re: Trying out a BT Headphone for HDTV. Beware of latency.

Post by Losbot »

Yeah, I've noticed lag in the audio over BT. Rather annoying. Keep us posted. I'm curious.
User avatar
FlyingPenguin
Flightless Bird
Posts: 32773
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2000 11:13 am
Location: Central Florida
Contact:

Re: Trying out a BT Headphone for HDTV. Beware of latency.

Post by FlyingPenguin »

Watched some Doctor Who last night. There is still a very tiny delay that I wouldn't have noticed if the sound bar wasn't left on. Once I turned it off, it wasn't noticeable enough to affect my viewing. There is a delay adjustment for the optical output the sound bar is connected to, and by fiddling with it to match the headphones, I ascertained that it's about 30 ms.

Headphones were comfortable enough, although they got a little sweaty after 2 hours.
"Turns out I’m 'woke.' All along, I thought I was just compassionate, kind, and good at history. "

Image
User avatar
FlyingPenguin
Flightless Bird
Posts: 32773
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2000 11:13 am
Location: Central Florida
Contact:

Re: Trying out a BT Headphone for HDTV. Beware of latency.

Post by FlyingPenguin »

Well after almost 3 months I'm still using them and loving them. They are comfortable to wear for an extended period - even with my big ears - and they work reliably and sound great. I've run them up to 6 hours at a time and haven't run the battery down, so not sure what the max battery time is yet. They advertise 40 hours but I'm not sure I believe that.

Unlike some BT devices which can be flaky about connecting, I have no issues. When I power them on, they immediately connect to my Samsung TV.
"Turns out I’m 'woke.' All along, I thought I was just compassionate, kind, and good at history. "

Image
Post Reply