Aggravating problems solved.....kinda

[camperkilgore]

It seems like, in these modern technical times, that the mantra is, "it kinda works", or "this is the workaround", or "possibly fixed in the next update".

Now to start off with, I'm not asking for solutions to all this. Just venting, and using the "misery loves company" approach to my post.

My experiences lately involve electronic devices. Specifically video and audio equipment. After buying what I thought were the most cost effective components, I discovered that there is something wrong with everything.

I bought a tv that has lousy audio but has audio out, but it is optical audio out, and that is the ONLY audio output(should have researched more thoroughly). So that led to a problem with my headphones. No way to interface them with the audio. I need those so that my late night tv doesn't bother DW.

I bought a DAC(d to a converter), again it was a cost effective selection. Well it allowed me to connect the headphones and feed analog audio to my sound bar. After doing this, I noticed that the audio would fluctuate in volume(very aggravating). It would require constant adjustment of volume with the remote control.

I scrapped the dac, and went back to optical audio to the soundbar, which fixed the varying volume, but I had to hook up the headphones to the audio output of the satellite box. Problem with that is that I can't use headphones when watching OTA tv, or firestick, or dvd.

Speaking of OTA tv. I could have paid upwards of $400 for a good OTA dvr device, but I went for the more cost effective device and found out again "there's something wrong with everything". The thing would not dvr a scheduled show. Again I had to wait for "fixed in the next firmware upgrade". It actually was fixed, but it was advertised as the best thing since sliced bread, but clearly not ready for prime time when I bought it.

Mixed in with all this, I got these really great Harmony Universal remote controls. They are much easier to program for all the devices I am using(up to a max of eight).....except the Firestick. It is bluetooth, and my Harmony remotes are IR only. Should have researched more. Might have just saved money and used each devices remote(all six of them). I am happy with reducing down to two however.

If I was only rich, I could hire someone to sort out all these problems and put together a non-aggravating media center. And this leads me to my final thought:
I've been told that the very intelligent people of the world don't watch tv. It ain't because of the content, it's because of the aggravation! Lol. :B

[camperkilgore]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

camperkilgore wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
My Bluetooth headphones connect to the TV, satellite receiver, and FireTVstick, and sound great. The satellite receiver also works well recording OTA programs, so nothing extra needed there. And the programmable satellite remotes control the TV, satellite receiver, and DVD player, with a separate remote only needed for the FireTVstick since I haven't tried "training" the satellite remote for that yet. None of it is high end or expensive, just pieces that work well together.

My TV/satellite system doesn't have bluetooth capability, so I need to have a physical way to hook up headphones.

The more I study all this, the more I think it would be good to get something new. My tv is over 10 years old.

But I'm not sure if the headaches would be over even if I get a new tv.

If your TV has a headphone jack or audio output jacks, there are Bluetooth adapters available that simple plug in. Amazon lists a bunch of them...

I know. I know.

My old tv has neither. Except for the optical audio out.

I had to weed out a lot of the junk to get the device I listed in a previous reply. It does work very well.

[Dutch_12078]

camperkilgore wrote:

Dutch_12078 wrote:
My Bluetooth headphones connect to the TV, satellite receiver, and FireTVstick, and sound great. The satellite receiver also works well recording OTA programs, so nothing extra needed there. And the programmable satellite remotes control the TV, satellite receiver, and DVD player, with a separate remote only needed for the FireTVstick since I haven't tried "training" the satellite remote for that yet. None of it is high end or expensive, just pieces that work well together.

My TV/satellite system doesn't have bluetooth capability, so I need to have a physical way to hook up headphones.

The more I study all this, the more I think it would be good to get something new. My tv is over 10 years old.

But I'm not sure if the headaches would be over even if I get a new tv.

If your TV has a headphone jack or audio output jacks, there are Bluetooth adapters available that simple plug in. Amazon lists a bunch of them...

[myredracer]

The techno-nerds that design TVs, audio equip. and phones are "kids" that have no idea what it can be like for older people with hearing issues which is relatively common. Trying to understand words with adequate clarity can be extremely hard and no level of volume will overcome it. Tiny little speakers at the back of a TV is such a dumb-*** idea but like RV makers, they do it only to make TVs lighter, smaller and cheaper. :M I wish they made it dead simple to plug in satellite speakers, headphones or ear buds.

On a related note, why do they often put two speakers on the side of RVs only a foot or two apart and thus kill the stereo effect? Why do they put speakers on ceilings and you can't play the TV directly through them and why are the speakers cheapo 50s technology with lousy freq. response?

[camperkilgore]

camperkilgore wrote:
Hopefully this device: link will solve my problem with hooking up my existing headphones without causing other problems as the dac did.

If anybody cares, the device works very well. It taps into the hdmi before it goes to the tv and outputs a good audio signal which drives 2 sets of bluetooth headphones using one of these. I can pair several different kinds of bluetooth headphones with this(2 at a time of course).

So, my wife and I can mute the soundbar and put on the headphones and turn up the action movies to a good high level without disturbing the neighbors in the campground(campgrounds that are like sardine cans),

It took a while to weed out the cruddy electronics to find some things that actually work very well.

Some of my aggravation is now history. 🙂

[camperkilgore]

Hopefully this device: link will solve my problem with hooking up my existing headphones without causing other problems as the dac did.

[camperkilgore]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
My Bluetooth headphones connect to the TV, satellite receiver, and FireTVstick, and sound great. The satellite receiver also works well recording OTA programs, so nothing extra needed there. And the programmable satellite remotes control the TV, satellite receiver, and DVD player, with a separate remote only needed for the FireTVstick since I haven't tried "training" the satellite remote for that yet. None of it is high end or expensive, just pieces that work well together.

My TV/satellite system doesn't have bluetooth capability, so I need to have a physical way to hook up headphones.

The more I study all this, the more I think it would be good to get something new. My tv is over 10 years old.

But I'm not sure if the headaches would be over even if I get a new tv.

[Dutch_12078]

My Bluetooth headphones connect to the TV, satellite receiver, and FireTVstick, and sound great. The satellite receiver also works well recording OTA programs, so nothing extra needed there. And the programmable satellite remotes control the TV, satellite receiver, and DVD player, with a separate remote only needed for the FireTVstick since I haven't tried "training" the satellite remote for that yet. None of it is high end or expensive, just pieces that work well together.

[camperkilgore]

2oldman wrote:

camperkilgore wrote:
Maybe your suggested dac is better, but I'm done with trying those things.

It works fine.

camperkilgore wrote:
I have only dealt with lower end equipment.

🙂

Ok. Thanks. I may give it a try. Maybe.

[camperkilgore]

Lynnmor wrote:
I had those squeaky little speakers in my small bedroom TV. It had only the digital audio out, so I pulled it apart and installed good ole jacks like God intended. Then I bought good speakers on eBay and mounted them in homemade enclosures. It took a bit of work but now I have a system that works like it should have in the first place.

We must be related.
I've done stuff like that for years, but my wife has insisted that I stop.

[Lynnmor]

I had those squeaky little speakers in my small bedroom TV. It had only the digital audio out, so I pulled it apart and installed good ole jacks like God intended. Then I bought good speakers on eBay and mounted them in homemade enclosures. It took a bit of work but now I have a system that works like it should have in the first place.

Just this week I prepared a large copier, a large newer all-in-one printer an old TV and a monitor for recycling, mostly because of no parts or service available. Now I need to drive thru the roofing nails at the resource recovery center to dump them.

[2oldman]

camperkilgore wrote:
Maybe your suggested dac is better, but I'm done with trying those things.

It works fine.

camperkilgore wrote:
I have only dealt with lower end equipment.

🙂

[camperkilgore]

2oldman wrote:
You need an interface box like this one:

The one I tried was this one
and it caused problems. Maybe your suggested dac is better, but I'm done with trying those things.

[camperkilgore]

coolmom42 wrote:
You need a HDMI output to your sound bar, and also some type of bluetooth connection between the TV and your headphones.

If you bought a TV without HDMI, you got conned.

how to connect wireless headphones to any tv

My tv has two hdmi inputs, but I only use one, because I bought an hdmi switch to select each of the four devices connected to it via hdmi cables. And of course it has it's own remote........yep another one to keep up with.


Edit......I just researched that hdmi to the soundbar thing, and I didn't know about it. Hdmi ARC I have not experienced, but then again our tvs are over ten years old. I guess it's time to buy more new stuff.

I still think that the aggravation will not be over, even if I buy the newer stuff. Maybe I'm wrong.

[coolmom42]

You need a HDMI output to your sound bar, and also some type of bluetooth connection between the TV and your headphones.

If you bought a TV without HDMI, you got conned.

how to connect wireless headphones to any tv