Using hearing aids with Sky glass

[Terry50]

I use hearing aids in both of my ears. I have, from a company called Oticon, accessories to allow me to connect my hearing aids to the TV. This is done via an optical connection from the TV to a little Oticon transmitter device, which then sends a Bluetooth signal directly to my aids.

I was amazed to find, when setting up our new Sky glass TV that there is no optical connector on this very modern TV, which means it is completely useless to me.

When speaking to Sky I was told, by the Sky representative, that I had two choices. I could stay with Sky glass, or send it back and revert to Sky Q.

Sky has dropped a very big clanger here. I have contacted Oticon, and they have told me that they have heard from many of their customers complaining about the same problem.

Now, as far as I know, being deaf or hard of hearing is a disability, and people with a disability should not be discriminated against, even though it might be unintentional. Can I suggest that Sky contacts Oticon, and between them come up with a solution to this problem with haste.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Terry50 wrote:

Can I suggest that Sky contacts Oticon, and between them come up with a solution to this problem with haste.

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The 'solution' is for the user to acquire an eARC or ARC HDMI audio extractor with optical output (or, as you say, reject Glass and use a Stream puck with a non-Sky television that has optical audio)

If a v2 Glass model ever appears then Sky might add TOSLINK / SPDIF to the port selection (which would also require a different mainboard and SoC) but there's obviously no way to do that with the current batch which are essentially a 2020-21 production run using whatever components were available during the pandemic.

[Terry50]

I did, as suggested, purchased an eARC adapter and connected the adapter to Sky Glass via an hdmi cable. I then connected the eARC adapter to the hearing aid adapter via the toslink optical cable, but I'm sorry to say that it did not work, so I don't know what to try next. Any more suggestions to this problem please.

[Fothergill1]

@Terry50 The Glass TV is pretty basic and is missing a number of common features.  I also have Oticon hearing aids but the basic model as unlike you do not need any additional equipment but I do appreciate  where you are coming from with your comments.

Seeing as the ARC adapter didn't work, I would be inclined to consider the other suggestion made by @TimmyBGood and return the Glass TV and replace it with a Smart TV and a Sky Stream puck.  This will give you the same Sky streaming functionality of Glass but with a better and more modern TV which will almost certainly have an optical connection (but check before purchasing).

[GlennT1]

Sumilar problem. Sky Glass returned. My main complaint is that Sky's marketing of Sky Glass is not sufficently clear for deaf people. It is a good product for hearing people but much more work needs to be done to make it suitabale for those who need to wear hearing aids.

[TimmyBGood]

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@GlennT1 wrote:

 much more work needs to be done to make it suitabale for those who need to wear hearing aids.

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The existing model will never be particularly 'suitable': that would require a new model manufactured to a different specification and having an optical audio output socket at the very least.

At this point in time it's still entirely unclear if there will ever be a v2 Glass television.

[TimmyBGood]

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@GlennT1 wrote:

My main complaint is that Sky's marketing of Sky Glass is not sufficently clear for deaf people.

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To be fair, the specification of the current model (and its extremely limited I/O selection) has been widely available for more than two years.

[GlennT1]

Which gives Sky Glass a positive report and no mention of the hearing aids issue. The sepcification is not clear

[TimmyBGood]

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@GlennT1 wrote:

Which gives Sky Glass a positive report

Well, yes, that would be the point of marketing material.  Multiple independent reviews can be found elsewhere.

and no mention of the hearing aids issue. The sepcification is not clear

https://www.sky.com/glass/technical-specifications 

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[TimmyBGood]

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@GlennT1 wrote:

The sepcification is not clear

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Unfortunately I'd suggest that's more of a user expectation issue: Sky never claimed Glass has optical audio output.

[Terry50]

Thank you to all who gave me sage advice. We now have a smart TV operating with a Sky puck, hence we have all the Sky glass benefits with out the Sky Glass TV.

Just a point to ponder, for all who read this:

Sky Glass TV £19 per month for 48 months = £912 to buy the TV, plus, I believe, the cost of using Sky.

Purchase of Smart TV, less than £300 (Toshiba 50") + £12 per month for the puck.

One thing I hold against Sky when ordering the original Sky Glass system, we were never told that you could get the Sky Glass system by just using a Sky puck.  

We believed that you had to purchase the Sky Glass TV to obtain the new Sky glass system.

My advice to anyone reading this is: BUYER BEWARE.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Terry50 wrote:

One thing I hold against Sky when ordering the original Sky Glass system, we were never told that you could get the Sky Glass system by just using a Sky puck.  

We believed that you had to purchase the Sky Glass TV to obtain the new Sky glass system.

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Glass is the television set, Stream is the puck device.  The content subscription and almost all of the operating system / user interface is the same on both.

For the first year after launch in October 2021, Stream pucks were only available to purchase alongside a Glass television set.

Pucks became a standalone product in October 2022 and are now loaned rather than sold.

[D3GCB]

Hi, I have an Oticon BAHA Ponto 5 hearing aid on my right side and a standard in-ear hearing aid in my left. I realise this post is 3mths old, however I have found a way to use Sky Glass and give sound to both devices at the same time. I have paired my Ponto 5 ConnectClip remote to Sky Glass via Bluetooth and then choose the Glass TV Sound output to be both Internal Speakers and Bluetooth. This way my right ear (Ponto 5) hears from the bluetooth connection and my left (Std In-ear device) hears from the sky Glass speakers. If you use an eARC extractor connected to the Oticon TV Adapter you only get one sound source IE the  Glass built in speakers will be disabled. I hope this helps some people. @Terry50 

[Terry50]

We were told it was a mistake on the part of the guy that signed it off during lockdown  that obviously wasnt hearing impaired.  

[TimmyBGood]

@Terry50 

Perhaps more likely a consequence of pandemic restrictions leading to both a truncated design/testing phase and a global shortage of electronic components: specifying optical output on the mainboard may just not have been possible at the time.