As for TVs, most modern TVs support Bluetooth, though a minority of budget sets do not. If your current model doesn’t offer Bluetooth connectivity, one option is to add a soundbar or speaker set that does. This way, you’ll only be wirelessly transferring audio from the speakers rather than from the TV.
Once you’ve connected headphones to the TV, all sounds coming from the TV (including menu beeps and whistles, as well as audio from movies and shows) will be heard through the headphones instead of through the TV’s built-in sound system. Sounds will not be heard through both devices at the same time.
Connect
Each TV and pair of headphones will work slightly differently, but the connection process will be very similar no matter what hardware devices you’re using. You’ll first need to look for the Bluetooth connection option somewhere in your TV’s settings, and then put the headphones into pairing mode so the TV can detect them.
If you don’t know how to do any of these things, a quick look at the documentation that came with your devices (or a search of online forums) should help. Your TV will be able to switch between different audio outputs, either through the menus or via the remote control (or both), so you can switch between headphones and the TV speakers.
On TVs running the latest Google TV software, for example, you can select the gear icon at the top right of the main menu screen and then Bluetooth and Pair remote control or accessory—Then, simply follow the instructions on the screen. Many headphones, on the other hand, come with a dedicated Bluetooth button that you can press and hold to put them into the necessary pairing mode.
If you have a streaming device or dongle connected to your TV, you can usually connect it to a pair of headphones in addition to (or instead of) your TV. For example, on the Apple TV 4K device, open the Settings app, then choose Remote controls and devices and Bluetooth to start searching for nearby headphones.
Sometimes, you’ll get additional options if you’ve purchased many devices from the same manufacturer. For example, the recently released Sonos Arc headphones – they have a feature called TV Audio Swap that lets you switch between listening to a TV show on headphones and listening to it through the Sonos Arc soundbar with the touch of a button.
