HDMI ARC is brilliant and allows you to connect a sound bar to your TV with an HDMI cable and route everything through the TV. But the reality is that HDMI ARC and even the new HDMI eARC standard cause problems. Here we will show you how to fix lip sync issuesHimmel Qand Sonos specifically, though these instructions also apply to any other devices connected to your TV.
Once you spot a lip sync issue, it's virtually impossible to ignore. Our brains are wired to match mouth movements with what is being said, so even minor problems can become distracting.
Look online and you'll see forum post after forum post complaining about the Sky Q and, in particular, Sonos soundbars (Arc and Beam) having lip sync issues. See how to fix them.
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What Causes Lip Sync Problems?
Lip sync issues arise when sound and picture are out of sync, and tend to be more noticeable with HDMI ARC connections than with devices connected directly to a sound bar, such as a speaker.Arc Sonosthe AV amplifier.
The reason for this is that an AV receiver can match the sound and picture internally before sending the picture to the TV. With HDMI ARC, everything goes through the TV, which can cause things to be out of sync.
Please note that this only happens with devices connected to the TV; When using smart apps, the TV seems to be able to handle the processing better.
HDMI ARC has a lip sync setting that is said to contain information for adjusting the delay, and HDMI eARC has an improved version. However, not all devices implement lip sync correctly, and the TV may experience further delays in its own processing.
In short, when running HDMI ARC, you may see processing delays that cause audio and video to be out of sync. On the other hand, if you're running smart TV apps or connecting devices directly to a soundbar, you should be fine.
Lip sync issues can occur in one of two ways: the audio comes before the image, or the audio comes after the image. We'll show you how to adjust the settings to fix both.
Ignore HDMI ARC completely
The absolute best way to avoid these issues is to completely bypass HDMI ARC for external devices. If you have a sound bar or AV receiver with one or more HDMI inputs, connect your Sky Q box, Blu-ray player or other device directly. You can use an HDMI switch to increase the number of inputs on your audio device. You can still connect your AV receiver to any smart app via ARC.
if you have oneSonos beamor Sonos Arc, but you'll find it only has one HDMI ARC (or eARC on Sonos Arc) input. They don't accept traditional HDMI input, but there are two solutions.
Firstly, you can use the optical input directly from an external device, although this means you can't use HDMI ARC, it's limited to using a single device through the soundbar, and it also limits the audio quality. That's bad news for the Sonos Arc in particular, as you won't get itdolby atmosWhat.
The best solution is to buyHD Arcane Fury🇧🇷 This takes, for example, one HDMI input from your Sky Q box (you can use an HDMI switch to expand the number of connected devices) and splits it in two. Audio is sent to the Sonos soundbar and image to the TV through Arcana's eARC port. Even better, you can even use your TV's HDMI ARC to play sound from smart apps on your soundbar. It is the most elegant solution to the problem, but quite expensive.
If you don't want to pay for an extra box to put under your TV, follow our advice below.
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Adjust settings when sound comes before picture
If your sound plays before the picture (you hear someone talking and their mouth moves), you can fix this with the Audio Delay setting. This stops audio playback and is typically set in milliseconds (20ms intervals are common) or with a simple numbered slider.
You can usually find an audio delay setting on your input device such as Sky Q, on your TV (settings are per input), and on your soundbar or receiver. So which ones should you tune in to?
I find it best to make settings first on the input device and then on the TV. I would avoid making modifications to a sound bar, especially Sonos, as the delay applies to everything in many cases. In this way, you can fix the problem on Sky Q but start Netflix and face other problems.
When troubleshooting, it's important to first look for content that makes it easier to assess what's going on, for example, a show where there's a lot of talk. With Sky Q, a news channel is a good choice, but if you're tweaking a Blu-ray player, you're looking for a dialogue-heavy movie.
Please check your device settings to adjust the audio delay. For Sky Q, it's in Settings > Settings > Audiovisual. Then select the HDMI Digital Audio Delay option and you will be able to select a delay in 20ms increments. Scroll through the settings while looking closely.
If you don't have settings on your device, you should find audio delay settings on your TV. If you have audio delay settings on your input device, check your TV, as you'll want to disable the setting there.
Settings vary by manufacturer: On my LG TV, the delay setting is in the audio menu and appears as a simple numbered slider. Adjust the audio delay until the sound matches the picture.
Adjust settings when sound comes after image
It's much harder to correct when the audio comes after the video (you see someone's lips move during the next speech). Adding an audio delay is the only option available to you, and it just pushes the audio behind the video. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with Sky Q over HDMI ARC.
Sonos' response is: try restarting your TV and all devices: turn the device off for 30 seconds, then turn it back on. Although you can give this beforehand, my personal experience is that it has no effect. So what can you do?
The trick is to try to add some delay to the video processing. To do this, enable motion smoothing and reduce user settings to a minimum. This avoids the worst of the excesses of this technology, the soap opera effect, and adds a slight delay in video processing.
This might sync your audio, but you can put the audio before the video. In this case, you must follow the instructions above.
What else can you do with Sky Q?
The Sky Q forums are full of tips on how to fix these lip sync issues. I've listed some of the most common ones here, but these fixes can lead to other issues as well.
First, as discussed above, using the optical output can work, but it limits you to lower quality sound formats and prevents Dolby Atmos from working on the Sonos Arc.
You can then configure the Sky Q box to use Dolby Digital instead of Dolby Digital Plus; I haven't seen this work myself, and Dolby Digital doesn't support Dolby Atmos, so it's not a great solution for Sonos Arc owners.
You can also set the optical output to "normal" when using HDMI ARC. This won't affect anything else, but it didn't fix my lip sync issues so I had to follow the process above.
Finally, some people have said that disconnecting and reconnecting the Sky Q to an HDMI port on their TV caused a delay in the audio on the TV. It's worth trying to make sure your TV doesn't have audio delay turned on. Overall though, using HDFury Arcana turned out to be the best solution for me.
FAQs
How do I fix my Sonos lip sync? ›
- Open the Sonos app for iOS or Android.
- From the Settings tab, tap System.
- Tap the home theater product you want to adjust.
- Under the Home Theater section, tap TV Dialog Sync.
- Move the slider to the right to delay the audio until it is in sync with the video.
Re: Sky Q lip sync issues
It's worthwhile giving both your TV and Q box a full reboot - off at the wall for 30 seconds then turn back on and allow to restart. Are you using the HDMI cable that came with the Q box?
This is not a fault with SkyQ but with your tv adding more processing to the sound, thus making the sound delayed. There are only two options: 1) A firmware update to your tv that supports eARC. 2) Connect SkyQ directly to your soundbar.
Why does my TV keep going out of lip sync? ›Make sure that all cables are securely connected to your TV and your source device (set-top box, Blu-ray Disc player, home theater system, etc.) Play a different video source to determine if the issue occurs with other devices. On your TV, set the Game Mode setting accordingly. Not all TVs have this setting.
How can I improve my lip sync? ›Be Memorized -- Know 100% of the words. Lip sync every sound that comes out of the artists mouth (breathing, giggles, sighs, etc) Open your mouth twice as big as you think you need to and don't be afraid to really scoop it as you lip sync. Your eyes need to be visible at all times during the performance (no sunglasses)
Why are my Sonos speakers out of sync? ›The sound delay problem happens because Sonos speakers have to maintain a big buffer to make the audio playback smooth. Plus exchanging and processing data also take time.
What is the recommended way to connect a soundbar to a TV if lip sync issues are experienced? ›Plug your source into the soundbar instead of the TV
But if you plug your Roku into the soundbar, then pass video through the soundbar to the TV via HDMI cable, any delay caused by audio processing will disappear—because your soundbar will wait to send the video to the TV until all its work is done unpacking the audio.
As a rule of thumb, you can expect a delay of between 10 seconds and 45 seconds compared to the live action when you're watching on Sky Stream. This delay is just 1-2 seconds on satellite broadcasts through Sky Q.
How do you reset Sky Q voice control? ›Press and hold 1 and 3 together on the Sky remote for three seconds. Once it's paired, press and hold the Voice button on the remote to check voice control is now working.
How do I fix my TV so its in sync with voices? ›- Change the audio format of the HDMI device to PCM. ...
- For models that have Sound mode settings: To improve the audio sync, change the Sound mode of the TV to a setting other than Dolby Audio, such as Standard.
What causes audio sync drift? ›
Sync drift is generally caused by audio sample rates that don't properly match the audio settings in the sequence. Here's an article that explains this. But in the cases this week, the audio sync problem was caused by trying to edit an MP3 audio file. MP3 is extremely compressed and often difficult to edit.
How do I fix my sync error? ›- Step 1: Update your Gmail app. ...
- Step 2: Restart your device.
- Step 3: Check your settings.
- Step 4: Clear your storage. ...
- Step 5: Check your password. ...
- Step 6: Clear your Gmail information.
This issue can occur if the audio format of the HDMI® device connected to the TV is set to bitstream output (Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, etc.). To help resolve this issue, change the audio format of the HDMI device to PCM.
What is the Lip Sync setting on my TV? ›Some VIZIO TV models have a Lip Sync feature which is designed to adjust the audio of the program being viewed so that it matches the movement of the lips of the person talking on the screen. This should be used if all content playing on your TV is out of sync with the video being shown.
What is the most important thing when doing a lip sync? ›The jaw is one of the most important parts of lip-sync. Successfully animating the jaw makes for 75% of a good lip-sync. Adjust the jaw in the early stages of lip-syncing to ensure that it has proper aperture and proper timing. It's essential for the lip-sync to work.
What causes lip sync? ›A lip-sync error occurs when the video of a person speaking on your TV doesn't match up with the sound of them speaking. This can make it look like someone else is doing the voices on your movie, like a badly dubbed foreign-language film. Most commonly the video lags behind the audio, but the reverse can also happen.
What is lip sync in audio settings? ›Audio-to-video synchronization (AV synchronization, also known as lip sync, or by the lack of it: lip-sync error, lip flap) refers to the relative timing of audio (sound) and video (image) parts during creation, post-production (mixing), transmission, reception and play-back processing.
How do I stop Sonos delay? ›Adjust the audio format on your TV and source device
Some TVs and external source devices use additional processing when playing surround sound audio, which can delay the audio. Change the audio format of your TV or source device to Stereo (or PCM) to remove this delay. Note that this will disable surround sound audio.
Adjust the audio delay
Using the Sonos app for iOS or Android, go to the Settings tab and press System. Choose your product that's using line-in. In the Line-In section, tap Audio Delay and then choose a delay option. Was this article helpful?
- Open the Sonos app for iOS.
- From the Settings tab, tap System.
- Tap the room you want to retune.
- Tap Trueplay.
- Tap Retune.
Can HDMI cable affect audio sync? ›
Audio lag would only happen if there were some kind of buffering, perhaps due to error correction and packet retransmission. HDMI has no such functions, and therefore will not have these kind of symptoms based on a crap cable.
What is better PCM or pass through? ›In the discussion PCM vs Passthrough, we can determine that Passthrough technology is better than PCM regarding sound quality and ease of use and is preferred in home theater landscape arrangements. Nevertheless, PCM technology is better at handling multiple audio channels and converting analog sound to digital.
Why is my TV out of sync with soundbar? ›Try turning off and then turning on the TV and the sound bar. If you are streaming content, try changing to another streaming app/channels to see if audio delay will also occur. If you are watching through antenna, cable or satellite tv, try switching the channels to see if audio delay occurs on other channels.
What are the disadvantages of Sky Q? ›This includes box sets of many different shows as well as past one-off programmes that featured on Sky channels. The main downside is that Sky doesn't have the rights to keep all TV programmes that are broadcast on its channels.
What internet speed is needed for Sky Q? ›Here are the minimum download speeds you'll need to your device for popular online activities: Streaming in Standard Definition (SD) – 1.5Mb/s. Streaming in High Definition (HD) – 5Mb/s. Streaming in Ultra High Definition (UHD) – 30Mb/s.
How do I fix Sky Q connectivity problems? ›If it is, power on the box, then go to Settings, Network connection, Network setup. Then, select Reset and wait while your internet connection is checked. Once done, select Confirm to reset your network and your Sky Q box will show a Resetting message on the screen.
Where is Sky Q reset button? ›To complete the recovery procedure on your Sky Q Mini box:
Switch the Sky Q Mini box off at the mains. Hold down the Reset button on the back of the Sky Q Mini box and switch it back on at the mains. Keep holding it until the light on the front flashes red and green. This will take about 30 seconds.
Press Home on your Sky Q remote, select Settings, and then Setup. Choose Audio Visual, then Digital audio output HDMI and set it to Dolby Digital Plus.
How do I activate Voice Control on Sky Q? ›- Hold the Sky remote in front of you.
- Press and hold the voice button and speak into the microphone (just below the sky button).
- Let go of the voice button when you're done, and your Sky Q box will then process your request.
“Occasionally, we have found that viewers who experience an overly loud background music playback sometimes have a stereo television and that the 'front surround' feature is activated. This would move the rear surround, usually music and sound effects, information to the main speakers.
How do I adjust my TV sound to hear voices? ›
If your TV has an equalizer (EQ) that lets you adjust various frequencies, try lowering the bass and lower mid-range and boosting the upper midrange and higher frequencies, where voices are typically found, to compensate. If you don't like the results, change back to factory settings and start again.
Why is my audio and video out of sync? ›If watching a TV program, it could be the broadcast itself or a bad connection between your cable/satellite set-top box (if applicable). If a DVD or Blu-ray Disc® player is connected, a poor connection or the disc itself could be the cause.
How do I fix desynchronized video and audio? ›Audio and Video Device Drivers. As always, out-of-date or corrupted device drivers can be an issue. Updating your device drivers or reinstalling them can fix all sorts of problems, including problems with audio and video sync.
What is drift correction? ›- Drift correction that consists in modeling sensor temporarily drift or drift direction using a series of measurements and then using it for correcting new data. - Calibration standardization that aims to correct new measured data by eliminating new variation.
How do I reset my Sync system? ›Press and hold both the Power button (center of the Volume knob) and the Seek Right button for 10 seconds. Press and hold both the Volume Down and Seek Right buttons on the steering wheel controls for 10 seconds. *Don't drive while distracted.
How do you master reset a sync? ›- Start your vehicle. Ensure your vehicle is in park and running, not in accessory mode.
- Press Settings on your vehicle's SYNC screen.
- Choose General.
- Scroll down and press Master Reset. ...
- Press Continue.
Run cmd as administrator, then type gpupdate/force and hit Enter to reinstall the group policy. Then, go to Sync Center, select the offline files folder and click Sync at the top.
How do I adjust my lip sync delay? ›To do so, go into the "Settings" on your TV. Then select "Sound," or "Audio," Go into "Advanced Settings" or "Expert Settings." Locate "A/V Sync" or "Audio Delay" settings. Turn this feature on and then use the slider bar to adjust the A/V Sync. Reduce the amount of A/V Sync to reduce sound delay.
How do I fix audio out of video sync? ›Make sure all cables are securely connected to the TV and the source device (set-top box, DVD player, BD player, home theater system, or game console). Try playing a different video source to determine if the issue occurs with other connected devices.
How do I get rid of audio delay? ›In particular, look through your soundbar's menu for equalizer settings, presets like “movie” and “sports” mode, dialogue enhancers and volume levelers, or features like “virtual 3D” surround sound. Turn them all off, and you should find the delay is much smaller, if not eliminated.