When it comes to TVs, most modern TVs support Bluetooth, but some budget TVs don’t. If your current model doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity, you can always add a soundbar or speaker set that does. That way, you’ll just wirelessly transmit audio from the speakers instead of the TV.
When you connect headphones to your TV, all sounds made by the TV, such as menu beeps and whistles, and audio from movies and shows, will come from the headphones instead of the TV’s built-in sound system. Sound will not play in both places at the same time.
Connecting
Every TV and pair of headphones works a little differently, but the connection process is pretty similar no matter what hardware device you’re using: First, you’ll need to find a Bluetooth connection option somewhere in your TV’s settings, then put your headphones into pairing mode so they can be discovered by your TV.
If you’re not sure how to do either, a quick look at the manual that came with your device or searching online forums should help. Your TV will allow you to switch between different audio outputs via the menu or remote control (or both), so you can switch between your headphones and your TV speakers.
For example, on a TV running the latest Google TV software, select the gear icon in the top right-hand corner of the main menu screen, then bluetooth and Pairing a remote or accessory—Then just follow the on-screen instructions. Meanwhile, many headphones come with a dedicated Bluetooth button that, when pressed and held, will enter the required pairing mode.
If you have a streaming box or dongle connected to your TV, you can usually connect it to headphones as well as (or instead of) the TV. For example, on an Apple TV 4K box, open the Settings app and go to Remotes and Devices and bluetooth Starts searching for nearby headphones.
If you buy a lot of devices from the same manufacturer, you might be given additional options. Take the recently released Sonos Arc headphones, for example. The headphones have a feature called TV Audio Swap, which lets you switch between listening to a TV show on the headphones and listening to the Sonos Arc soundbar with the press of a button.
