All Roku TVs have endurable speakers, if not exceptional. But if you want to watch movies or listen to music in high-definition audio on your Roku TVs, then built-in speakers may not suffice. In this case, connecting a Bluetooth Soundbar to your Roku TV would help you out. But the catch here is that many Roku TVs don’t have a built-in Bluetooth feature. So, you have to rely on other methods to connect your Roku TV to Bluetooth Soundbar. Some of the methods are detailed in this article, which you can understand easily by going through it.
Ways to Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV
There are several methods to do that. You can connect a Bluetooth Soundbar to your Roku TV using
Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using HDMI Cable
Connecting your Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using the HDMI cable is the easiest method. HDMI cable transfers audio in its raw and uncompressed form. To connect a Bluetooth Soundar to Roku TV, you require an ARC HDMI port on your Roku TV.
1. Locate your HDMI ARC port on the back of your Roku TV.
2. Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the ARC HDMI port on your TV.
3. Insert the other end of the cable into the Bluetooth Soundbar.
4. Now, turn on your Roku TV and your Bluetooth Soundbar.
5. After connecting it, your Roku TV will detect a new device and will ask you to set a name for it.
6. Scroll down using Roku TV remote and select Edit custom name & icon.
7. Set a name and press OK.
8. Your Bluetooth Soundbar is now connected to your Roku TV.
9. Now, start playing your favorite music through the Soundbar.
NOTE: In order not to drain your Bluetooth Soundbar’s battery completely, power it on while playing. This applies to all the forthcoming methods also.
Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using Optical Cable
If you don’t have HDMI provisions on your TV or you don’t have HDMI cables, you can try connecting your Bluetooth Soundbar and Roku TV through an optical cable. Optical cable ports are available on many Roku TV models and are provided at the backside of Roku TVs. A typical optical cable and its port look like the image provided below.
To make a connection,
1. Turn on your Roku TV and your Bluetooth Soundbar.
2. Peep into the back of your Roku TV and find the optical cable port.
3. To give you a rough idea, the optical cable port has a hexagonal shape.
4. Connect one end of the optical cable to your TV and the other to your Bluetooth Soundbar.
5. Now, your Roku TV detects a new device. Name the new device at your convenience and successfully establish a connection.
6. After that, start playing your favorite media on Roku TV. Your Bluetooth Soundbar will play the audio.
Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using Coaxial Cable
Coaxial or Coax cable is primarily used by cable TV companies to connect their satellite antenna facilities to TVs. However, there’s no assurance that all Roku TVs and Bluetooth Soundbars have this provision. To connect via Coaxial cable,
1. Locate the coax connection port and connect one end of the wire to it.
2. Connect the other end to your Bluetooth Soundbar.
3. Now, turn on your Roku TV and the Bluetooth Soundbar.
4. Upon successful connection, your Bluetooth Soundbar can play whatever audio is played on your Roku TV.
5. Play and enjoy your favorite content on Roku TV.
Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using Audio Jack
This is a very convenient method for using Bluetooth Soundbars on Roku TVs. In this method, you connect your TV to the Bluetooth Soundbar using the aux (auxiliary) cable. The Aux cable port is located in the same region as the other connection ports. A common Aux cable and its port look like the one shown below.
To connect both devices using an aux cable,
1. Turn on your Roku TV and your Bluetooth Soundbar.
2. Spot the aux connection port in both devices.
3. Connect them using the Aux cable.
4. After a few seconds, your Roku TV will establish a connection.
5. Now, you can play audio using a Bluetooth Soundbar.
NOTE: Some of the coaxial, optical, and aux cables don’t support HD audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. So, there will be a dip in the quality of sound.
Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using the Roku App
In this method, we connect the Soundbar and Roku TV using the Roku App installed on your Mobile/PC. This exclusive feature is called Private listening on Roku. The Roku app is officially available for Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. Install the app on your respective mobile/PC device beforehand.
1. Now, after installing the Roku app, sign in to your Roku account.
2. Now, turn on the Bluetooth Soundbar and put that in pairing mode.
3. Enable Bluetooth on your Mobile/PC device too. Select the Bluetooth Soundbar in the list of available devices and pair both devices successfully.
4. In the meanwhile, connect your Roku TV and mobile/PC to the same Wi-Fi network.
5. Now, open the Roku app and click on the Devices option provided at the bottom.
6. Click on the Search option and look for your Roku TV in the available devices. Select your Roku TV and connect to it.
7. After this, click the Remote option provided at the bottom of the app. You can see a virtual remote on your Mobile/PC device. You can use that to operate your Roku TV.
8. Now, click on the Headphones logo provided on the virtual remote. A pop-up appears displaying ‘Private Listening Activates.’ Click OK on it.
9. Now, you can play audio content using the Bluetooth soundbar via the Roku app installed on your Mobile/PC device.
Connect Bluetooth Soundbar to Roku TV using Bluetooth
Fortunately, if you have a Bluetooth – enabled Roku TV, then you can easily connect it to the Bluetooth Soundbar by following the methods provided below.
1. Press the Home button on your Roku TV remote.
2. Go to Settings and choose Remotes & Devices.
3. Select Wireless Headphones. This might seem counter-intuitive since we are connecting a Bluetooth Soundbar here. But, the Speaker option is available only for Roku-specific devices like Roku Wireless Soundbar.
4. Now, click on Add new wireless headphones. Your Roku TV will search for nearby devices for pairing. This can take up to 30 seconds.
5. Wait for your TV to find your Bluetooth Soundbar.
6. Select your Bluetooth Soundbar when it appears.
7. Now, your Bluetooth Soundbar and Roku TV get paired successfully.
8. After this, all your media files get played through your Bluetooth Soundbar unless your disconnect it.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your TCL Roku TV has a Bluetooth feature, then you can easily pair your Soundbar and TV through it. If not, you can try connecting them using HDMI, Optical, Coax, Audio jack, or using the Roku App (Private Listening feature).
Try basic troubleshooting techniques like power cycling, resetting, and clearing cache files. If nothing works out, contact TCL Roku TV customer support through their website for further assistance.