Is Oticon TV Adapter 3.0 feasible for a basic hearing aid user

Hearing Aids
#1

TL;DR - Can the TV Adapter be more plug and play? Am I missing something that would make it easer for a basic, passive HA wearer to use the TV Adapter effectively.

My 80+ yr old parents both have Oticon aids (Opn1 and Reals). (I also have the Opn1.) I thought the Oticon TV Adapter 3.0 would be a great fit for my mom (Reals) as she has a severe asymmetrical hearing loss and is still missing lots of words while watching tv. Reals are still in comfort mode so perhaps there will be more improvement in the months ahead.

After I connected the adapter (has not been tuned by the audiologist,) it appears that one really needs to understand how to change programs to switch to and from the TV adapter and adjust the sound either using the buttons on the aids or with the iphone. I can walk almost their entire house and still hear the tv when I walk out of the room with the tv. This could be good in some scenarios but annoying in others. Also, one must know how to re-pair the aids to the adapter if things go wrong, although my dad would likely be able to do this.

Right now and likely for the foreseeable future my mom is a passive hearing aid user…put the HAs in when she wakes up, takes them off before going to bed. No iphone HA app use. Doesn’t even use the volume buttons on the aids. Only has one program.

Can the TV Adapter be more plug and play? Am I missing something that would make it easer for a basic, passive HA wearer to use the TV Adapter effectively.

#2

I would suggest speaking with their audiologist about this question. But in the meantime some of the DYIers might chime in about programming options. I’m 73 and still involved with tech so it’s easy for me but I can understand your parents reluctance to get involved. I use the Oticon complication on my IWatch to change programs when needed and the Oticon On app on my iPhone to change volume, which is rarely needed. I have 3 of the tv adapters and find them pretty user friendly. Just got a new tv. Had to disconnect the adapter and all I did was plug it back in and it was ready to go. Didn’t have to repair or adjust it at all

#3

Below is the screenshot of the TV Adapter 3.0 on Genie 2. The only passive things you can set as default in this page is the Loudness, the mic’s loudness relative to the TV Adapter volume, the Sound Quality, and the Power Bass. Once they’re set, that’s how they’re going to be at default.

But your mom still has to know that she has to switch to the TV Adapter program manually to hear it. Perhaps your dad can help her with this. The simplest way to do this is by the left aid’s button long press for the OPN and you’ll hear the TV Adapter program chime. If she is done with watching it, she doesn’t have to go back to the default program, however. She can just leave it on the TV Adapter program and still be able to hear everything as if she’s in the default program. But if the TV Adapter eventually times out (due to no activity detection on the sound signal), it may go back into standby mode, which may cause the HAs to automatically revert back to the default program.

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#4

Try Oticon remote control 3 - you may place it, for example, on a coffee table in front of the TV, or at back of TV remote control.

#5

Thank you all for the tips. Having the TV adapter settings set to an initial level would be helpful as I think it switches over to default settings when selected which is too loud for my mom at this time.

And the remote idea is something to consider as it is more straightforward than the iPhone.

After testing it out last night with her, I think it is best that we get her settled with the aids first. Introducing TV Adapter with its own set of “sounds”is too much right now.

#6

In all honesty, it’s probably better for her to use the speaker on the TV and just listen from the TV speakers instead of using the TV Adapter, simply because there’s too many things that can go wrong with the streaming, as long as turning the TV speaker up a little louder than normal doesn’t bother anybody in the same house. I would only use the TV Adapter as a last resort for her if the TV speaker doesn’t work out well.

I remember when my dad was in a nursing home, we use a traditional land line phone to call him, simply because he knows to pick up the phone when it rings. With a smart phone, it was just too much for him to turn it on then find the phone app and find a number to call, or even with simply answering a call, especially because the smart phone can easily fall through the sofa cracks, but the land line phone simply cannot disappear as easily. It’s just more intuitive for him to look up a phone number on a written list then dial that number on the landline phone than to deal with a complicated smart phone.

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#7

Thank you. I’ve packed up the TV Adapter and returned it. I’m now trying a sound bar to enhance the tv sound as she can control it from the remote she is use to. So no changes from her point of view.

Went down the TV Adapter path as the TV is a flat panel, which I learned is not great for sound, and the TV sits in a cabinet which is also causing the sound to bounce around in the cabinet.

So we will see how the sound bar works.

Thank you all for the input you have given.

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