Another very useful video Rachael. I have also found the following useful. 1. Some modern TV's have 'Accessibility features' that enable people with hearing challenges to listen via their hearing aids, headphones or earbuds via Bluetooth at one volume level whilst others can hear the TV at another level via the internal TV speakers. 2. TV Streamers from Phonak and others tend to use low quality BT connections and when this is combined with the 'relatively' low quality hearing aid receivers there is a loss of the full dynamic sound (in movies). Using Apple Airpods connected by this method can provide a much improved / fuller sound (Dynamic Range) especially when the Airpods have been updated with a hearing profile and headphone accommodation settings to relflect the users hearing loss pattern. Whilst my Phonak BTE's can certainly help me listen to TV at a normal level with a good speech understanding, they still lack any dynamic soundstage. 3. I have found that the TV's graphic equalizer can help modify the sound and improve speech emphasis ( A video on this may be useful to your audience to explain some simple adjustments based on hearing loss frequencies. 4. External sound bars and Sub woofers - I have also found for my type of hearing loss that switching off the soundbar and Sub actually improve speech comprehension by reverting to the TV speakers. It certainly is a journey to find your optimum TV experience!
It's good to know that others are looking for solutions that Phonak and hearing aid professional do not want to answer. My request to Phonak have gone unanswered and their web site is worthless. I have considered trying the Apple AirPods process that you have done. Thanks for your suggestions, I was surprised that Dr. Cliff's channel has not covered this?
I love that our TV streams right into my hearing aids. Everything is SO much more understandable. I usually set my hearing aids to be at "-2" because the clarity is great at a lower volume. The only problem I have is that I need to pause the TV when my husband wants to make a comment, because I can't hear him over the TV streaming in my ears. 😵💫
Many modern TVs also come with Dialog Enhance and Volume Leveling features to increase the gain of the dialog relative to the overall background volume and also compress audio so that there is less variation between loud and soft audio, like when switching to commercials. Worth checking if your TV has such features. Some streaming players also have these features.
Going to settings on your TV and going to the sound mode and choosing a setting that you hear better will help also. It changes the Bass, treble or meds and not the volume so it doing practically what a aid is doing.
Greetings from Dublin Ireland. Great presentation. You didn’t mention setting the TV for subtitling. (Captioning). I find that I enjoy programme better if there subtitles available. Another device I use is a counter loop which I can activate with the telecoil setting on hearing aids. Keep well and keep the great videos coming. Jarlath
Hi Rachael One option I found with my DVR is I can bluetooth the DVR to my hearing aids , controling volume at my hearing aids, but allowing others to listen to the programing at there level of comfort. The TV sound control is not effected when connected via bluetooth to my hearing aids. When I used to connect directly to the TV bluetooth it became the only audio source , TV speakers were off. Always enjoy the blogs.
If I may, I'll add a fourth option for better sound clarity. Many TVs today have tinny-sounding speakers that are either rear, side, or downward firing and hence the output is less direct than the old-school front-firing speakers of the past. The solution to this is either a soundbar or other auxiliary speakers that direct the sound in a forward direction.
I have TV Connector V2 and Phonak Audeo M70-R hearing aids. I’m an engineer and I need to know more about how the TV Connector V2 and Phonak Audeo M70-R hearing aids function in-order to connect and configure them into my surround sound audio system. Can you provide a white paper on that subject? If not, please answer the following questions: 1. What audio codecs does TV Connector V2 support? 2. What Bluetooth version and type is used in the TV Connector V2. 3. Is the audio signal sent from my TV Connector V2 to the Phonak Audeo M70-R modified by the hearing aid to supplement my hearing loss profile before being sent to the in ear speaker or am I just hearing a audio sound that a headset would use to drive its speakers? 4. Considering that the hearing aid has only one speaker, what would be the best configuration of a surround sound audio system with my hearing aids so that I can hear the best Dolby Atmos audio?
Closing the distance sounds like a great idea. Low frequency travels farther than high frequency, thereby making the conversation more muddied at distance. That explains why I can understand the sound on computer better than on TV. That plus the fact that computer's smaller speakers tend to produce more high pitch sound. I should get smaller TV...
4:40 can these be used in concert with existing AV sound system? That is, one user doesn't need hearing aids so that user just listens as usual but the hearing aid user get's the benefit of the streamer. I don't think this can be done, can you advise please? Thank you.
All TV audio should be produced with the facility to turn off background music if not required. But, of course, because this will so really upset the ego of the music industry, all those with hearing difficulties have to suffer. And we call this a `caring world!`
Great video Dr. Cook! ZVox makes a sound bar that helps with understanding speech better by reducing the special-effect sounds like explosions or loud music and bringing out the voice clarity in movies and TV shows...I think they use hearing aid tech in the soundbar. It also reduces the commercial blast that occurs when they transition from a TV show to higher volume recorded brand commercial. Would be great to see a review of their soundbars from the experts.
I can no longer watch TV without the hearing aid and I'm still surprised just how loud the TV can be at really low volumes(and I don't dare to increase it above 15 or 16 anymore) even after nearly a month since I got my aid, but I'm still having issues with the dialogues, much like real speech, I can tell some words instantly and I can't most others, and the dialogues are sometimes or most of the time louder than music and soundtracks(I'm not sure if the hearing aid is not properly programmed or something just went incredibly with my natural hearing during my first hearing test which was an extremely and an unpleasant first experience and TV became HARD to watch right after it) and painful at times probably thanks to my hyperacusis, another issue is that at times male voices which I know how they sound like by heart from my favorite shows are quitter, different and sometimes noisy(mostly when my eustachian tube clogs and when it does everything becomes quitter and noisy regardless of what it is but when it comes to the TV I can't exactly tell if it's my ET or the hearing aid) however, female voices for whatever reason sound exactly the same as I remember and are louder, voices new to me, tho, sound normal, regardless of the gender, also in the earlier days of the aid(before getting REM(which I thought I wasn't going to get) or a different similar practice, I'm not sure) when I increased the volume a bit too much things went from clear to noisy, not sure if this would still happen now or not, tho. Another thing that could be the culprit is either that my TV is really old and no longer produces clear audio or my PC graphics card can't anymore because it's old too, the loud PC noise in the background aren't helping as well and I don't know how to get rid of it.
I belong to a pro audio discussion group that has been talking about background music and vocals. The general feeling is that most modern movies and TV shows mix the background music too loud for the general public with normal equipment to understand the dialog 100%.
This is because the industry does not want to `hurt the feelings` or `demean` the work of the composer/ musicians involved. Never mind the customer, let`s keep the staff happy! Of course, it could also be under the threat of `if you mix the music till barely noticeable the Musicians Union will demand a members strike.
Not to mention that content lately absolutely must contain some of the most moronic background music which often comes to the foreground and effectively masks speech. Millions have taken media classes which teach them to edit and produce..... Badly.
Great presentation with some useful suggestions. I use a Bluetooth device (Phonak) on my TV and the stereo sound quality in my hearing aids is quite good. Lowering the TV speaker volume, as suggested by a viewer, also helps with clarity. Rachel is an attractive and articulate presenter; although I find her just a bit aggressive in her presentation. A more relaxed delivery would be even more effective, in my opinion. Overall, though, some very useful information.
Interesting...though the level of enthusiasm and manner of delivery are similar in both her video and Dr Cliff's videos, she is "aggressive"? I would never have used that word watching this video. Oh...do you like Dr Cliff because he is also an "attractive and articulate speaker"? Or can men be unattractive but women must be attractive in order for their knowledge and expertise to be recognized? Just commenting on the persistent biases still expressed in 2022...almost 2023...maybe time to drop the double standards? I want my sons AND daughters to have a level playing field in life.
So sit closer to the tv and turn up the volume. Hmmm, think most people could figure that out without having to watch this video. Oh, and buy a really expensive hearing aid, excellent advice (insert eye roll here).
Also turning on subtitles on the TV settings helps. I use it all the time.
Another very useful video Rachael. I have also found the following useful. 1. Some modern TV's have 'Accessibility features' that enable people with hearing challenges to listen via their hearing aids, headphones or earbuds via Bluetooth at one volume level whilst others can hear the TV at another level via the internal TV speakers. 2. TV Streamers from Phonak and others tend to use low quality BT connections and when this is combined with the 'relatively' low quality hearing aid receivers there is a loss of the full dynamic sound (in movies). Using Apple Airpods connected by this method can provide a much improved / fuller sound (Dynamic Range) especially when the Airpods have been updated with a hearing profile and headphone accommodation settings to relflect the users hearing loss pattern. Whilst my Phonak BTE's can certainly help me listen to TV at a normal level with a good speech understanding, they still lack any dynamic soundstage. 3. I have found that the TV's graphic equalizer can help modify the sound and improve speech emphasis ( A video on this may be useful to your audience to explain some simple adjustments based on hearing loss frequencies. 4. External sound bars and Sub woofers - I have also found for my type of hearing loss that switching off the soundbar and Sub actually improve speech comprehension by reverting to the TV speakers. It certainly is a journey to find your optimum TV experience!
It's good to know that others are looking for solutions that Phonak and hearing aid professional do not want to answer. My request to Phonak have gone unanswered and their web site is worthless. I have considered trying the Apple AirPods process that you have done. Thanks for your suggestions, I was surprised that Dr. Cliff's channel has not covered this?
I love that our TV streams right into my hearing aids. Everything is SO much more understandable. I usually set my hearing aids to be at "-2" because the clarity is great at a lower volume. The only problem I have is that I need to pause the TV when my husband wants to make a comment, because I can't hear him over the TV streaming in my ears. 😵💫
Great video Rachel. Loving your style of presentation, I don’t find it aggressive at all, upbeat, friendly and warm would be my description. 😊
Thank you, Andrea!
Many modern TVs also come with Dialog Enhance and Volume Leveling features to increase the gain of the dialog relative to the overall background volume and also compress audio so that there is less variation between loud and soft audio, like when switching to commercials. Worth checking if your TV has such features. Some streaming players also have these features.
A great tip!
Going to settings on your TV and going to the sound mode and choosing a setting that you hear better will help also. It changes the Bass, treble or meds and not the volume so it doing practically what a aid is doing.
Greetings from Dublin Ireland. Great presentation. You didn’t mention setting the TV for subtitling. (Captioning).
I find that I enjoy programme better if there subtitles available.
Another device I use is a counter loop which I can activate with the telecoil setting on hearing aids.
Keep well and keep the great videos coming.
Jarlath
Both great ideas. My video next week is on captioning. Telecoils are so helpful!
Hi Rachael
One option I found with my DVR is I can bluetooth the DVR to my hearing aids , controling volume at my hearing aids, but allowing others to listen to the programing at there level of comfort. The TV sound control is not effected when connected via bluetooth to my hearing aids.
When I used to connect directly to the TV bluetooth it became the only audio source , TV speakers were off.
Always enjoy the blogs.
If I may, I'll add a fourth option for better sound clarity. Many TVs today have tinny-sounding speakers that are either rear, side, or downward firing and hence the output is less direct than the old-school front-firing speakers of the past. The solution to this is either a soundbar or other auxiliary speakers that direct the sound in a forward direction.
Thanks for the information.
Thanks Rachael, it worked, I adjusted the audio setting on my tv and it doesn’t sound distorted. Have a Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
Great information. Great post!
I have TV Connector V2 and Phonak Audeo M70-R hearing aids.
I’m an engineer and I need to know more about how the TV Connector V2 and Phonak Audeo M70-R hearing aids function in-order to connect and configure them into my surround sound audio system. Can you provide a white paper on that subject?
If not, please answer the following questions:
1. What audio codecs does TV Connector V2 support?
2. What Bluetooth version and type is used in the TV Connector V2.
3. Is the audio signal sent from my TV Connector V2 to the Phonak Audeo M70-R modified by the hearing aid to supplement my hearing loss profile before being sent to the in ear speaker or am I just hearing a audio sound that a headset would use to drive its speakers?
4. Considering that the hearing aid has only one speaker, what would be the best configuration of a surround sound audio system with my hearing aids so that I can hear the best Dolby Atmos audio?
Closing the distance sounds like a great idea. Low frequency travels farther than high frequency, thereby making the conversation more muddied at distance. That explains why I can understand the sound on computer better than on TV. That plus the fact that computer's smaller speakers tend to produce more high pitch sound. I should get smaller TV...
4:40 can these be used in concert with existing AV sound system? That is, one user doesn't need hearing aids so that user just listens as usual but the hearing aid user get's the benefit of the streamer. I don't think this can be done, can you advise please? Thank you.
Good information... Thanks
All TV audio should be produced with the facility to turn off background music if not required. But, of course, because this will so really upset the ego of the music industry, all those with hearing difficulties have to suffer. And we call this a `caring world!`
Great video Dr. Cook! ZVox makes a sound bar that helps with understanding speech better by reducing the special-effect sounds like explosions or loud music and bringing out the voice clarity in movies and TV shows...I think they use hearing aid tech in the soundbar. It also reduces the commercial blast that occurs when they transition from a TV show to higher volume recorded brand commercial. Would be great to see a review of their soundbars from the experts.
I can no longer watch TV without the hearing aid and I'm still surprised just how loud the TV can be at really low volumes(and I don't dare to increase it above 15 or 16 anymore) even after nearly a month since I got my aid, but I'm still having issues with the dialogues, much like real speech, I can tell some words instantly and I can't most others, and the dialogues are sometimes or most of the time louder than music and soundtracks(I'm not sure if the hearing aid is not properly programmed or something just went incredibly with my natural hearing during my first hearing test which was an extremely and an unpleasant first experience and TV became HARD to watch right after it) and painful at times probably thanks to my hyperacusis, another issue is that at times male voices which I know how they sound like by heart from my favorite shows are quitter, different and sometimes noisy(mostly when my eustachian tube clogs and when it does everything becomes quitter and noisy regardless of what it is but when it comes to the TV I can't exactly tell if it's my ET or the hearing aid) however, female voices for whatever reason sound exactly the same as I remember and are louder, voices new to me, tho, sound normal, regardless of the gender, also in the earlier days of the aid(before getting REM(which I thought I wasn't going to get) or a different similar practice, I'm not sure) when I increased the volume a bit too much things went from clear to noisy, not sure if this would still happen now or not, tho.
Another thing that could be the culprit is either that my TV is really old and no longer produces clear audio or my PC graphics card can't anymore because it's old too, the loud PC noise in the background aren't helping as well and I don't know how to get rid of it.
I belong to a pro audio discussion group that has been talking about background music and vocals. The general feeling is that most modern movies and TV shows mix the background music too loud for the general public with normal equipment to understand the dialog 100%.
This is because the industry does not want to `hurt the feelings` or `demean` the work of the composer/ musicians involved. Never mind the customer, let`s keep the staff happy! Of course, it could also be under the threat of `if you mix the music till barely noticeable the Musicians Union will demand a members strike.
I have a crossover hearing aid that's not wireless. Can I use the T switch
This will depend on the make and model of the hearing aid on your other ear, and if the telecoil is enabled by your hearing healthcare professional!
Not to mention that content lately absolutely must contain some of the most moronic background music which often comes to the foreground and effectively masks speech. Millions have taken media classes which teach them to edit and produce..... Badly.
Great video.
I use a tv streamer as well as caption
The new Roku can connect with bluetooth hearing aids! I use it so I don't bother other people at all :D
Thank you! That’s good to know.
I've gotta look into this - great video idea!
Great presentation with some useful suggestions. I use a Bluetooth device (Phonak) on my TV and the stereo sound quality in my hearing aids is quite good. Lowering the TV speaker volume, as suggested by a viewer, also helps with clarity. Rachel is an attractive and articulate presenter; although I find her just a bit aggressive in her presentation. A more relaxed delivery would be even more effective, in my opinion. Overall, though, some very useful information.
It was one of my first-ever recorded videos. Things will relax a bit after I get a few more in!
Interesting...though the level of enthusiasm and manner of delivery are similar in both her video and Dr Cliff's videos, she is "aggressive"? I would never have used that word watching this video. Oh...do you like Dr Cliff because he is also an "attractive and articulate speaker"? Or can men be unattractive but women must be attractive in order for their knowledge and expertise to be recognized? Just commenting on the persistent biases still expressed in 2022...almost 2023...maybe time to drop the double standards? I want my sons AND daughters to have a level playing field in life.
I like using apple tv and the apple airpods
Great Combo
It's just too bad that the audio quality of this video is so bad, ironically esp. the higher frequencies responsible for clarity
So sit closer to the tv and turn up the volume. Hmmm, think most people could figure that out without having to watch this video. Oh, and buy a really expensive hearing aid, excellent advice (insert eye roll here).
Is an Apple TV considered a streamer?
Yes
Only if it allows you to hook up hearing aids or headphones to the TV.