LG’s 2025 range now includes televisions that have the new Bluetooth standard built in
It’s been a long time coming, but Auracast is finally starting to make its way into the mainstream and new television sets from LG are coming to the market.
Samsung has included Auracast in its QN800 and QN900 series since 2023, but this decision has limited the technology to the high end of the market.
Amazon has added the ability to pair hearing aids to some of its Fire sets, but it has yet to confirm if this is Auracast or a different technology at play.
Enter LG and its 2025 range of televisions.
To mark Better Hearing Month, the manufacturer has announced a partnership with hearing aid manufacturer Starkey, which has installed Auracast into its Starkey Edge AI range.
LG has installed Auracast into its OLED and QNED evo C5 TV sets.
The QNED range comes in a range of sizes: 43in, 50in, 55in, 65in and 86in.
The OLED evo C5 range includes sets at 42in, 48in, 55in, 65in, 77in and 83in.
There is another OLED range from LG, but this only has Bluetooth 5.1 installed and unless there is a firmware update, these sets won’t have Auracast, but it does have Listen Together With Hearing Aid. This can be set by pressing the HOME button on the remote control and selecting Accessiblity on the screen.
For more, see 6.3.5. Use External Speakers with TV Speaker from the online manual.
Starkey, announcing the partnership, said that streaming audio from televisions directly to hearing aids helps people understand more, avoid listening fatigue, and ends fights over volume control with others in the room.
The manufacturer says that Starkey Edge AI hearing technology and LG’s 2025 OLED and QNED evo TV mean no additional accessories are needed.
At the moment, the Auracast controls are limited to Android phones that have LE Audio. If this is the case, hearing aid users can stream audio directly to their devices at a personalised volume while their listening partners enjoy their optimal setting.
Starkey Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering, Achin Bhowmik, is delighted with the partnership.
“By partnering with LG to integrate Auracast streaming directly into LG’s latest TVs, we are breaking down barriers to accessibility and delivering a seamless, high-fidelity listening experience for hearing aid users,” they said.
This was echoed by SP Baik, Vice President and Head of TV Product Planning at LG Electronics, who added: “Pursuing LG’s ‘Better Life for All’ philosophy, we are committed to providing easy accessibility in entertainment to everyone as well as individuals with disabilities.”
The 2025 LG range can be seen on the company’s website (non-affiliate link)
For more on Starkey’s Edge AI hearing aid, log on to: https://www.starkey.com/hearing-aids/edge-artificial-intelligence-hearing-aids
Don’t want a new telly, but want an Auracaster? Starkey can help
And for those who are happy with the television they already have, Starkey has released an Auracast TV Streamer. The small gadget uses Bluetooth LE Audio will stream audio from a television straight into hearing aids.
It costs around £200 and is available from Connevans (non-affiliate link)
Starkey has released a video showing the StarLink Edge Streamer in action, showing that it is much smaller than previous streamers – it looks like it’s about the size of a pack of playing cards, if not smaller.
It is controlled via an Auracast Assistant app on an Android phone. It plugs into the back of the television via a TOSLINK (digital audio) cable, and it isn’t just for hearing aids.
Anyone with an Auracast-enabled hearing device will be able to capture sound from the Auracaster.
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