I have a client who wants to be able to send an audio signal from a TV to multiple bluetooth headphones (maybe 5) at the same time. It's so his patients can listen to the TV in comfort while going through their Chemo treatment in his office. I tried looking but can't find any such device. Thanks.

This looks like one of those questions where someone needs an end result, but before the question is asked about that end result, someone else adds a qualifier that makes it hard, squirrely, or impossible.

Isn't bluetooth limited to connecting one device to one other device?

Is your customer saying he wants to use several bluetooth headphones at the same time, or is he saying he wants to use several headphones at the same time? Or is he saying something else and you have come up with both headphones and bluetooth as all you will consider?

google "bluetooth to multiple headsets."

From [Link: tomshardware.com] there's this:


There are other discussions about this in the google search results.

Couldn't you use USB bluetooth adapters? The issue becomes having enough USB ports on the computer if that's the source. So I reread the post and the source is TV but this may be a start.

Here's a link to some systems that Sennheiser sells.

[Link: en-us.sennheiser.com]

Some are RF, while others are infrared. I believe that many of these systems are designed to work correctly for people with hearing aids, which might be important.

If used for people undergoing Chemo at a doctors office, sanitation is going to be a primary concern, as many of these people will have their immune systems suppressed by the Chemo. I know the accessories page shows extra earpieces, so the used ones could be pulled off, what remains could likely be cleaned with an alcohol prep pad the doctors office will already stock, and new earpieces could be attached. I also noticed that Sennheiser sells docks that support charging of multiple units, which is probably also important.

I'm sure there are other manufacturers. I found this page quickly by googling ALD (Assistive Listening Device) Headphones, as that's the term I've seen used for such devices that are normally compatible with hearing aids.

Most Bluetooth transceivers only operate to one bt device at a time. Exceptions are keyboards and mice to a signal computer.

But here's a viable answer.
[Link: vastmarket.com]

KOT

I did some research on this a while back and most of what you find will definitely not support more than 2-3 streams.

Because the headphones themselves need to be more or less a consumable, the best option ended up being to wire them in.

If they don't mind having relatively expensive headphones, the Sennheiser RS170 will support 4 streams total.

Another possible option, depending on the FM market that you're in, would be to modulate on the FM band. That way anyone with a portable FM radio (do these still exist) could listen with their own headphones.

I'm in the Los Angeles market, which has so many stations that I cannot use the automotive FM modulator that transmits from an mp3 player to the car radio; during the average day's travels I would need to select three different frequencies, depending on my location, for clear reception. If you're in the middle of nowhere, FM speaking, this could be quite different. Or if the treatment room is quite some distance from the outer walls of the building, FM from outside might be quite attenuated.

I've done the drill, and I was lucky that the treatments were simply many hours long. I'm also very lucky that I had my own player and I could tolerate relative quiet for a long time. This means, by the way, that headphones loud enough to be overheard as chatter in the next chair over would be a drawback.

Or, if the headphone/transmitters aren't expensive, get a small headphone amp (Art makes one that sells for about $60- one in, four out with level controls) to split the signal and send the signal to each (or two) transmitters. Same audio to each, no problem with trying to make something do what it wasn't designed to do.

Thanks for the input guys