Does EON's Auracast mean I don't need the TV connector?

Sadly, at this time, the Eons can only connect to an Auracast broadcast by scanning a QR code. The software does not scan for available Auracast broadcasts to select like the Oticons do. So unless you can come up with a QR code that identifies the LG tv's Auracast broadcast, you better keep the streamer. Hopefully Phonak will improve the App to allow it to scan for available broadcasts like everyone else does.

I got this from Phonak when I asked a similar question and my audi contacted them -

"Don’t have a QR code? No problem! You or your patient can generate a QR code via Listen-QR.com9. The only requirement for this is knowing what the broadcast is called (i.e, “Davis Audiology Lobby”)"

So the question now is - does the LG TV tell you the name of the broadcast ? I have not tried this since I do not have an Auracast feed that is without a QR code.

I thought that too.. but android also needs a QR code using the myPhonak app

Ratz! Thank you for checking and posting.

OK - BIG UPDATE!!

I received my Eon E90 Sphere's 30 mins ago and I did some testing. Great news, it all works flawlessly and simply! Btw, my TV is an LG model 75QNED86ASA. To set it up:

1. I set the sound out option on the TV to HDMI eArc which connects to the soundbar and also allows simultaneous broadcast on Auracast.
2. I started the Auracast broadcast on the TV. I only needed to do this once - it automatically starts up again after the TV is switched off and on again (and stays that way as long as you don't change the sound out option to anything else).
3. I opened my Samsung phone bluetooth connection settings and clicked on the hearing aid. Just below the sliders where you enable calls and audio, there's a new button labelled 'Listen to Audio broadcast'. Clicked that.
4. A new screen appeared with a prompt to 'Choose a stream to start listening'. In the 'Nearby audio streams' section a stream called LGTV appeared (that's the name of my device - not very imaginative, I know). Clicked that.

Then when I selected a channel to watch - voila! Music to my ears - happy days.

Now, when I turn on the TV, all I have to do to listen on my Eon's is change the program from Automatic to Auracast broadcast (either directly on the device or in the My Phonak app.)

Pro's:

1. The sound is beautiful and full (at least it is to me). Auracast uses the full audible sound frequency spectrum (usually 20 Hz to 20 kHz), whereas the Phonak TV Connector is optimised specifically for hearing aids across a limited acoustic frequency response (120 Hz to 7.3 kHz).
2. Similar connection convenience as I previously had with the Phonak TV connector. Note I disabled the automatic connection option years ago because it was annoying to have my previous devices connect if my wife turned on the TV and I was doing something other than watching TV.
3. Far greater range (about double) and more stable signal.
4. I have ditched the soundbar remote and my wife can now just use the TV remote for her volume adjustment (my Auracast volume is independent). The audio quality being fed to the TV is now perfect because of the eArc HDMI connection. Previously I was using a fibre optic splitter to run the Phonak TV Connector and the LG S70TY soundbar concurrently because of sound out option limitations - message me if you need to know more about this.

Cons:

• The only special adjustment I needed to make was due to a very slight mismatch in the sound timing between the Auracast signal and the soundbar audio which caused a minor echo. The cause of this is that Auracast has a 10 to 20ms lag - whereas Phonak TV Connector broadcasts with effectively zero lag. To correct it, I went to the LGTV settings: Sound Out > Advanced Settings > Match screen and sound. I adjusted the delay until the sound synchronised (17ms delay worked best for me).

While this may sound a little complicated, it actually was relatively simple. And if you don't have a soundbar it will be even simpler still. Best of luck to all of you who have being looking for a similar solution using Auracast. This is a game changer for me.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Eon's sound quality is AMAZING compared to my 7 yr old Marvel M90's.

You can scan for available streams directly from your HA's Bluetooth settings. But agreed, hopefully Phonak will update the app so you can do it more easily there instead.