Does My TV Have Bluetooth? Brand-by-Brand Guide

By HomeSmitten Team ·

Do All Akai TVs Have Bluetooth? (To Connect Speakers)

The quick answer

No, not every TV has Bluetooth, and brand alone doesn't settle it. The same brand sells sets with and without it, and some TVs have Bluetooth only for remotes, not for sending sound out. Find the model number on the label, check that model's spec sheet or manual, then look in the TV's Sound or Remotes and Accessories settings. If there's no option to pair headphones or a speaker, add a Bluetooth transmitter to the TV's audio output.

Late-night viewing is usually what sends people looking for this. You want sound in headphones or a small speaker without waking the house, and you find out the hard way that the TV won't pair with it. Buying a speaker first and checking the TV second is the common mistake, so this guide starts with how to check any TV, then covers what we could verify for Akai, Bush, Panasonic, Hitachi, Hisense and Roku TV.

How to Check Whether Your TV Has Bluetooth

Work through these in order. Stop at the first clear answer.

  • Find the model number. It's on the label on the back or side of the TV, and often under Settings, then About or Support. Search that exact number plus "manual" or "specifications" on the maker's site. A line reading "Bluetooth" in the specs, or a Bluetooth section in the manual, is the best proof.
  • Look at the settings. Common places are Settings, then Sound or Audio Output, and Settings, then Remotes and Accessories, or Network. Menu names change by brand, model and software.
  • Read the wording carefully. A TV can have Bluetooth for a remote, keyboard or phone and still not send TV sound to headphones. The Hisense manual quoted below lists remotes, keyboards, headphones and speakers as separate uses, and a Bluetooth remote doesn't prove audio output. What you need is the ability to pair headphones or a speaker as an audio output.
  • Check the remote. A Bluetooth remote is a hint that the hardware is there, not a guarantee. Many remotes use infrared.

If a manual says a function "may not be applicable in some models/countries/regions," as Hisense's does, believe it. Check the manual for your exact model and region, not a similar one.

If Your TV Has No Bluetooth

  • Bluetooth transmitter. A small box that plugs into the TV's audio output (optical, RCA or 3.5 mm headphone jack, depending on the set) and pairs with your headphones or speaker. The transmitter vendor Avantree describes it this way. Panasonic's own help page also mentions that some older Panasonic sets only accept a wireless headphone transmitter on their audio jacks. Pick one with a low-latency codec if you can (see below).
  • Soundbar over HDMI ARC. If the TV has an HDMI port marked ARC, a soundbar gives better sound and needs no pairing. Roku, for example, says its Streambar models can play TV audio over HDMI ARC or optical.
  • Wired headphones. If the TV has a headphone jack, a cable has no pairing and no delay. Some sets mute the speakers when headphones are plugged in, which is what you want here.
How do I connect my Akai TV to Bluetooth speakers?

Lip-Sync Delay and Range

Delay. Bluetooth audio takes a moment to encode, travel and decode, so speech can land slightly after the picture. Basic headphone and speaker links use the A2DP profile, which Bluetooth SIG describes as the profile for streaming music from one device to another, one connection at a time. Low-latency codecs such as aptX Low Latency exist to reduce the delay, and Qualcomm's aptX page for a low-latency receiver says it supports aptX Low Latency "for synchronized audio and video." Both ends have to support the codec, so a low-latency transmitter only helps if the headphones support it too. That "both ends" point is how these codecs work in general. We found no TV maker that lists which codecs its TVs support, so check the spec sheet rather than assuming. Many TVs also have an audio delay or lip-sync setting in the Sound menu. If yours does, use it.

Range. Bluetooth SIG says audio devices are typically built for a range of 10 to 30 meters, and that how far it reaches depends on factors like transmit power and path loss. Walls and furniture cut that down in a real room. The Hisense manual below warns that the TV and the device can disconnect if they're too far apart. Keep the speaker in the same room, in line of sight if you can.

Akai TVs

We couldn't find an official Akai page that lists which models have Bluetooth, or any Akai Bluetooth pairing steps. Don't trust any site, including this one, that says all Akai TVs do or don't have it.

What we could check is one manual. The Akai 6 Series manual (model AK7521S6WOS, a 75 inch 4K smart TV) mentions a headphone jack on the TV and says to connect headphones, an amplifier or an audio device with an AUX cable. A search of that manual found no mention of Bluetooth. That's one model, so it doesn't speak for the range, but it shows why you should check yours.

The method: read the model number off the label, search "Akai" plus that number plus "manual," and look for a Bluetooth or wireless headphone entry in the Sound settings. If the manual has none, use the options in the "If Your TV Has No Bluetooth" section above, starting with a transmitter or the headphone jack.

Bush TVs

We found no official Bush manual that covers pairing a Bluetooth speaker or headphones to a Bush TV. Bush also sells Bluetooth speakers and soundbars, and those pages describe the speaker side only. Don't confuse a Bluetooth soundbar with a TV that can send sound to one.

The one model-specific hint we found is on a manual-listing site (manualsnet.com), not from Bush. For the Bush DLED43UHDSFIRE, a 43 inch 4K set that runs Fire TV, it says to go to Settings, then Remote and Accessories, then Add Accessory, and follow the prompts to pair Bluetooth headphones. Treat that as unconfirmed, and it applies to Fire TV models only. Bush sells other models, and the steps may be different on them.

For any Bush set, find the model number on the label and check its manual or the retailer's spec page for Bluetooth. If neither mentions Bluetooth audio, assume it isn't there and use a transmitter on the audio output.

Panasonic TVs

Panasonic is the best documented of the group, and it shows how much the answer varies by year. Panasonic's North America help page for connecting headphones says:

  • Most 2018 and 2019 LED LCD and OLED models have built-in Bluetooth for A2DP-compatible headphones.
  • 2009 to 2017 models have a digital audio output port for a home theater receiver or similar gear, and headphones can't connect directly.
  • Some 2005 to 2008 Plasma models have audio jacks where "only a transmitter for wireless headphones can be connected."

On the 2018 and 2019 sets, the page gives this path: Menu, then Setup, then Bluetooth settings, then Bluetooth Audio Mode Setting, and choose Transmitter. Then go to Bluetooth devices, start the search, put the headphones in pairing mode, pick them from the list and confirm. If asked for a password, Panasonic suggests 0000 or 1234 and says some headphones may need several tries or may not be compatible.

That page doesn't cover 2020 and later sets. For those, use the model number to find the manual on Panasonic's support site.

Do All Panasonic TVs Have Bluetooth (To Connect Speakers)?

Hitachi TVs

We found no official Hitachi page listing Bluetooth support by model. Hitachi has sold many different sets under the same name, including Android TV models, so the brand name tells you very little.

If your Hitachi runs Android TV or Google TV, the pairing menu is the Google one. Google's help page says to open Settings from the home screen, select Remote and Accessories, then Pair remote or accessory, put the device in pairing mode, pick it from the list and confirm. Google also says you can connect only one audio device at a time. Third-party model pages for Hitachi Android TVs describe the same flow, but they aren't Hitachi sources, so confirm your set shows that menu.

If your Hitachi doesn't run Android TV, look for Bluetooth in its spec sheet before you buy a speaker. A set without a Bluetooth audio option needs a transmitter or its headphone or optical output.

Hisense TVs

Hisense is a real mix, and the steps depend on the software. Hisense's VIDAA user manual (the 55A6GV model) says to pair Bluetooth headphones, speakers, keyboards or mice like this:

  1. Go to Settings, then Network, then Bluetooth, and set it to On.
  2. Put your device in pairing mode and within range.
  3. Find its name under Equipment Management and select it.
  4. To hear TV sound through it, go to Settings, then Sound, then Audio Output Settings, then Audio Output, and choose Bluetooth.

The same manual notes that only one Bluetooth speaker or headphone can be connected at a time, that compatibility issues may occur, and that the function "may not be applicable in some models/countries/regions."

Hisense Google TV models differ. The spec sheet for the 43A65K says the TV can wirelessly connect "a compatible soundbar, headphones, or stereo components," and Google's own help page gives the pairing path (Settings, Remote and Accessories, Pair remote or accessory). Some Hisense TVs run Roku OS or Fire TV, and those use the platform's own menus. See the Roku section below.

Can you connect Bluetooth speakers to Hisense TV?

Roku TV and Bluetooth Speakers

First, the names. A Roku TV is a television with the Roku platform built in. A Roku streaming player is a separate stick or box. Roku's support pages treat them differently, and the answer to "can I use any Bluetooth speaker?" depends on which you have.

Direct Bluetooth headphones. Roku's Bluetooth headphone page lists these as compatible: Roku Streambar SE, Streambar, Streambar Pro, Smart Soundbar, Streaming Stick (3840), Streaming Stick Plus (3830), Roku Ultra models 4800, 4802 and 4850, Ultra LT 4801, and Roku Select Series, Plus Series and Pro Series TVs. Roku says the Express, Premiere, Streaming Stick 4K and Streaming Stick 4K+ "do not support Headphone mode." The page says the only TVs that headphones can pair with directly are the Select Series 4K (2025), Plus and Pro Series. Its device list also names Select Series HD, so check that one yourself. Pairing path: Settings, Remotes and devices, Wireless headphones, Add new wireless headphones. Headphones need Bluetooth 4.2 or later.

Other Roku TVs. They have options. The Roku mobile app has a headphone mode: pair headphones to your phone, open the app, tap Remote, then tap the Headphone icon. Roku says all of this works on Roku TVs, up to four phones can listen at once, TV speakers go silent while it's on, and live TV needs an antenna connected to the TV and doesn't work with analog broadcasts. Roku Wireless Speakers are a separate product that pair to a Roku TV (up to two) or a Streambar, Streambar Pro or Smart Soundbar, and they don't work with other TVs or streaming players.

Why a random speaker may not pair. Roku's pages describe headphones, its own speakers and the phone app. They don't list generic Bluetooth speakers as supported, and the headphone page names specific models. Our reading, which is judgement, is that a standard Roku TV may have no Bluetooth audio output at all. If your Roku TV isn't on the list, use the phone app or a transmitter.

Can you connect a Bluetooth speaker to Roku?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all TVs have Bluetooth for speakers and headphones?

No. Even within one brand, some models have it and some don't, and some have Bluetooth for remotes only. Check the manual or spec sheet for your exact model number.

How can I tell if my TV can send sound over Bluetooth?

Find the model number on the label, look it up in the manual, then check Sound or Audio Output and Remotes and Accessories in the settings. You're looking for a way to pair headphones or a speaker, not just a remote.

What if my TV has no Bluetooth?

Plug a Bluetooth transmitter into the TV's optical, RCA or 3.5 mm audio output, use wired headphones if there's a jack, or connect a soundbar over HDMI ARC.

Why is there a delay between picture and sound?

Bluetooth audio adds a short delay. Low-latency codecs such as aptX Low Latency can reduce it, but both the transmitter and the headphones need to support the codec, and a TV's sound menu may have a delay setting.

Can I use any Bluetooth speaker with my Roku TV?

Not necessarily. Roku's pages list specific TVs, soundbars and its own wireless speakers, and don't list generic Bluetooth speakers as supported. The Roku mobile app's headphone mode works on Roku TVs.

Can I connect two Bluetooth devices to a TV at once?

Often not. The Hisense manual allows one Bluetooth speaker or headphone at a time, and Google TV allows one audio device at a time. Roku's mobile app can serve up to four phones.

Sources