An age-old problem with watching TV is that everyone around you has to hear what you're watching. It could be a problem for you or it could very well be a problem for them. Subtitles sometimes alleviate the problem, but the experience isn't the same as hearing voices and expressions, especially for music.
So the question is, how is it possible to watch your favorite TV program directly on your TV in such a way that no one else can hear it? Get ready, because we have not one, but three different solutions, all easy and affordable…and even one totally free.
Tunity is a free app for iOS and Android that just looks futuristic and weird, but it works. Tunity lets you hold your smartphone up to the live TV channel you're watching. It scans in seconds to determine which channel is on, then streams the synced audio to your phone for you to listen.
Then just mute the TV and plug your headphones into your phone. It works beautifully. If there are audio sync issues, and I've had a few, you can fine-tune the sync by fast forwarding or rewinding until it's perfectly flush with the TV.
Tunity is currently the best way to listen to live TV privately and it costs nothing.
If the TV listening problem is one you often encounter at home, you might want to invest in some wireless TV headphones. They are designed to transmit sound from your TV directly to your headphones.
As is usually the case with these products, you'll have to play around with the receiver first to get a clear TV signal, but once you've done that, you're golden.
A quick search on Amazon will give you some solid options. You can always opt for the entire Jelly Comb set for $24.99, or splurge for higher-end cups closer to $100 from TV Ears.
Roku 3 and Roku 4, the higher-end models of the streaming set-top box, support headphones. The included headphones plug directly into the remote so you can watch TV in peace. In fact, it should be able to work with any headset that plugs into a 3.5mm headphone jack, so feel free to use your own.
The only downside is that to watch TV and hear audio privately, you have to watch something that's on Roku. The service has a wide variety of content available, but that still means you won't be able to watch live TV as part of your cable subscription.
The Roku 3 is available for $99.99 and the Roku 4, which supports 4K TVs, is $129.99.
SEE ALSO:How to Mirror or Stream iPhone Display or Media to TV
