Can A Smart TV Connect To Bluetooth Speakers?

In today’s world, smart home devices are changing the way we interact with our appliances. Smart TVs, in particular, are changing the things we can do with our TV in our home. Most smart TVs allow users to browse the web, stream YouTube videos, and even connect their TV to an external Bluetooth speaker.

The ability to connect a smart TV to a bluetooth speaker depends on whether the TV supports bluetooth connections. Most first-generation smart TVs may lack the ability to connect to a Bluetooth speaker, unlike recent TV models. however, if your TV lacks bluetooth support, you should still be able to connect to a bluetooth speaker using a bluetooth audio transmitter.

Reading: How to connect bluetooth speaker to smart tv

Today, most smart TVs offer users the ability to seamlessly connect video and audio devices using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. In this article, we’ll focus on the steps involved in connecting your smart TV to a bluetooth speaker and why you might want to opt for this option over connecting to traditional wired speakers.

determining bluetooth compatibility

While most smart TVs today support bluetooth-related devices, you should be aware that older models may not. To find out if your smart TV can work with Bluetooth devices, check its specifications online or in the manual that came with it to see if it’s compatible.

Alternatively, for most newer smart TV brands, you can easily confirm if they support bluetooth connections or have a built-in bluetooth connectivity feature by following the steps below:

Go to your TV menu. (You should see the menu icon on your TV remote).
Tap settings.
scroll down and see if you see the term “bluetooth” in the list.

If your smart TV supports bluetooth, you should see “bluetooth” listed. Also, if your smart TV came with a smart TV remote or was manufactured after 2016, then there’s a good chance your TV supports bluetooth connections.

connect your smart tv to a bluetooth speaker

If you have confirmed that your TV supports bluetooth, it should be easy for you to connect it with your speakers by following the steps below:

Before pairing your smart TV, you need to activate the pairing mode of your bluetooth speaker. Most bluetooth speakers will play a sound notification to let you know that it’s actively trying to pair.
Open your TV’s menu and tap audio devices.
click on sound output.
a drop-down menu will appear, then click on the list of bluetooth speakers (it may appear as bluetooth audio device).
select your bluetooth speaker device from the list.
if successful, your bluetooth speaker will play another sound notification, confirming the connection .

Note: The steps above may differ depending on the model of your Smart TV. If you find that you still can’t connect your bluetooth device, please make sure your speaker is also compatible with smart TVs. If so, and you still can’t connect after several attempts, contact your TV manufacturer’s customer service helpline for further assistance.

recommended bluetooth speakers for smart TVs

Of course, just like your TV needs to support Bluetooth devices, as we briefly mentioned, your chosen speaker needs to also support Smart TVs! Here are some highly rated bluetooth speaker options for TV connectivity:

google home speaker
bose solo 5 soundbar
sonos beam soundbar
samsung hw-t450 2.1 soundbar channels
jbl bar 5.1

As you can see, the best bluetooth speaker options for smart TVs will mostly be those made for TVs, like sound bars or home theater systems. however, if you plan to use a large portable speaker to connect, make sure it’s compatible with your TV before attempting to pair them.

connection to non-bluetooth compatible smart TVs

It’s easy to assume that if your smart TV doesn’t support bluetooth, it’s impossible to connect it to a bluetooth speaker, but there’s actually a way around it; all you need is a bluetooth transmitter.

However, for this method to work, your TV must have a 3.5mm audio jack for the transmitter to connect to. If you have a connector and a transmitter, follow these steps to connect:

connect the transmitter to the audio jack on your TV. follow the manufacturer’s instructions to set it up with your TV.
go to your TV’s settings.
under audio devices, tap sound output and pair your bluetooth transmitter with your bluetooth speaker, like the steps mentioned above.

final thoughts

Even with the introduction of advanced wireless connections like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth is one of the most popular and widely used connections between audio devices such as speakers and headphones. That said, bluetooth speakers offer many benefits, especially when connected to your smart TV.