Phonak Marvel: TV connector disconnects after x seconds of quiet TV signal

The optical cables I see there have the same ends as the TV end, what is the other end connector called?

WH

Is this it? ASIN B00T8HWUVS

WH

You mean something like this:

EMK Digital Sound Toslink to Mini Toslink Cable 3.5mm SPDIF Optical Cable 3.5 to Optical Audio Cable Adapter (Straight Black, 1M) EMK Digital Sound Toslink to Mini Toslink Cable 3.5 SPDIF Optical Cable [Not a 3.5mm Aux] Optical Audio Cable (Straight Black, 1M) : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo19

Yes, “mini toslink” is what I needed to search. I think. The pictures of the connector look just like the cable stuck in the back of my TV. I hope it is right, I just put in an order for one like that.

WH

I haven’t had any issues with the stability of the connection with my latest setup. I’ve changed a bunch of things over time and have dealt with the following issues that you may try:

1. Silent phone during meetings: This keeps the notification from my phone from blocking out what I’m hearing on the Zoom call. Still, it doesn’t usually drop the connection.
2. Check the power source and make sure it’s stable and not getting bumped to the TV connector and make sure it isn’t getting hot and overheating, (it shouldn’t, but maybe you’ve got a bad one).
3. Check the audio device on your computer, (the Behringer) and make sure it isn’t resetting or dropping off or going to sleep. You may just trying playing audio for a long period of time to make sure it’s solid. I’ve got an 8 hour track on youtube that is always playing so I can always switch when I’m ready.
4. Check the location of the TV connector and make sure it has a good line of sight to you. I’ve mounted mine on the top of my monitor and it allows me to walk around the 2nd floor of our building, (including the restroom!) and still listen to whatever is playing or whoever is talking. I’d love to crack one of these open and look at the antenna layout to see how it’s situated.

Good luck!

@kendor said:

I still find that my HAs will randomly switch programs from time to time, but also it will disconnect intermittently. … Very frustrating, as when it works, it’s really perfect for my needs. I have the TV Connector v2.

Very frustrating. I bought two of these Phonak TV Connectors, which as we know were not cheap, and have pretty much given up on them after also spending extra money on optical cables, audio to optical converters (one of which was the Behringer), etc. These Phonak TV Connectors are not consistently dependable and are a defective product. Phonak should refund our/my money for them.

@GR8Dane we communicated once upon a time when I first tried Lyric back in 2009 I have an email between us from 12/2009! Thanks for chiming in.

1. I am an Android guy and have nearly every notification turned off, but some things slip through. Since my phone is right there on my desk next to the TV Connector box, it has occurred to me that they somehow maybe bumping into each other. I will try tomorrow to just turn off BT on my phone and see if that does anything.

2. Regarding the power source, the AC side feels cool, as does the TV Connector. I can easily try swapping that out as a next step.

3. I’m a desktop Linux guy. For grins I googled the “sleep pulse audio” and found this post: Linux USB Audio Keep-Alive Service | Destin Moulton3 It seems that perhaps I should try the “Keeping Alive With Silence” option, which seems easy enough to try.

4. The TV Connector is on my desk 2 feet from my head, so the connection seems super solid.

I will report back.

I have a TV Connector V2 from an M1 Mac computer to a P90 which works fine so far. I tend to stop, start, and switch various videos. After around 30-40 seconds it disconnects and plays a little jingle each time which gets annoying after a while. Is there any way for my audiologist to disable the disconnect ring in the P90?

I don’t know if the return to autosense announcement can be shut off, but if you get a usb-to-toslink adapter to feed your tv connector, it won’t drop when you go from video to video.

I bought this: Behringer U-CONTROL UCA202 Ultra-Low Latency 2 In/2 Out USB/Audio Interface with Digital Output15

I wind up pulling the power to the connector to get it to disconnect when I want my HAs back to auto.

WH

Thanks! I’ve ordered one.

Nate, you are correct. if one uses the TV Connector for TV, the HA wearer’s voice is not involved. I was trying to use the TV Connector hanging off the audio for my PC. Because the TV Connector doesn’t have an audio input, I used an external microphone to provide audio for web conferencing apps.

My issue, as other discussed here is that due to the nature of the TV Connector’s programming, it is not always ideal for my type of use case. The reason I mentioned the microphone here, is that when using straight Bluetooth and streaming from a computer, it normally would default to using the microphones from my hearing aids. It works, but is nowhere close to how good it can be if using an external microphone.

The optical cable goes in the same hole on the tv connector the analog cable goes into.

Computer → usb → audio box → optical → tv connector

WH

If you look through the box that the TV connector came in, you should find an optical connection cable. One end of it has a connector for the optical connection port on your TV and the other will fit the Phonak Optical Connector. This is how I solved the problem. It works great!