Lip sync issues with new TV & sound bar (1 Viewer)

[XilburQost]

We recently upgraded our home theater system to an OLED TV and sound bar. The problem is chronic lip sync issues. The issue is noticeable on Xfinity cable broadcasts and Apple TV (Amazon & Netflix), though the issue varies from network to network. Some networks, e.g., ABC, are worse than others. In most cases, the audio appears to be slightly delayed by a few milliseconds. While both the TV and sound bar have audio sync adjustments, they both seem to only further delay the audio transmission, which is the problem in the first place; maybe what we need is something that will delay the video?

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Specs:
LG 4K OLED 65 inch TV- OLED65C9P
Nakamichi Shockwafe Pro 7.1.4Ch 600W Dolby Atmos Soundbar
Apple TV 4K 64GB
Xfinity cable

 

[JohnRice]

I would say to start from nothing. In other words, make certain that there is no lip sync adjustment (set to 0) on both the TV and soundbar, then also make certain Auto Lip Sync is turned OFF on both components (if they have it) and see where you are. Then, if audio is ahead of video, try turning on Auto Lip Sync on the soundbar only.

 

[Todd Erwin]

How is everything connected? I have been installing home theater equipment for years, and sometimes cannot believe how the components were hooked up, even by so-called professionals.

 

[JohnRice]

That’s...

The...

Truth...

 

[XilburQost]

Thanks for the replies all. When I set this up last month I think I managed to connect everything every wrong way until I got it working. Current setup (all connections HDMI):

Cable box to TV
TV ARC to sound bar ARC
Apple TV to sound bar

Initially I used 12-foot HDMI cables I got from the hardware store for everything. Then I replaced the Apple TV-to-sound bar with an 8-foot Monoprice-branded HDMI cable as a step toward fixing an Apple TV issue with the display (the Monoprice HDMI fixed the issue; is there really a difference between HDMI cables?).

Regarding the sync issue on cable shows, I went to the Xfinity cable audio devices settings and selected "Auto Detect (Dolby Digital 5.1)." That seems to have gone a long way toward fixing the sync issue. However, when I checked the audio device menu just now, it had selected "Stereo." Maybe that's what auto detect does?

I have not played with sync settings on the Apple TV yet. I had a bit of a maddening experience watching an Amazon series where the sync was off, but neither nor my tech-minded son could figure out whether the audio was late or early; it sort of seemed like it was drifting.

FYI, this is my first sound bar. It's a strange beast. Sometimes it sounds incredible, other times lousy. Still trying to figure it out.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I looked at the specs for the sound bar, and it appears there are 3 HDMI inputs. This is how I would connect everything:

1. Soundbar HDMI OUT to HDMI IN on TV (whichever input on the TV is ARC compatible if you are using any smart apps from the TV)
2. Cable Box to HDMI IN on soundbar
3. Apple TV to HDMI IN on soundbar

I also noticed that Nakamichi issued a firmware update in July of 2019. I suggest following their instructions and update the firmware, as it is likely that it is running an older version.

Let us know how this goes.

 

[Todd Erwin]

I have not played with sync settings on the Apple TV yet. I had a bit of a maddening experience watching an Amazon series where the sync was off, but neither nor my tech-minded son could figure out whether the audio was late or early; it sort of seemed like it was drifting.

Others here on the forum have had the same issue with Amazon Prime Video on their Apple TVs. I would check to see if the Prime Video app on your TV has the same issue.

 

[XilburQost]

I looked at the specs for the sound bar, and it appears there are 3 HDMI inputs. This is how I would connect everything:

1. Soundbar HDMI OUT to HDMI IN on TV (whichever input on the TV is ARC compatible if you are using any smart apps from the TV)
2. Cable Box to HDMI IN on soundbar
3. Apple TV to HDMI IN on soundbar

I also noticed that Nakamichi issued a firmware update in July of 2019. I suggest following their instructions and update the firmware, as it is likely that it is running an older version.,,

Thanks for the tips, Todd. Much appreciated! Sound bar firmware is up-to-date (v33, i.e., no update required).

Initially I tried running the cable box into the sound bar and sound bar to TV, but I couldn't get it to work with the TV. Then I read the Nakamichi manual which says to run the cable box into the TV, and then TV out to sound bar via ARC HDMI, which works, and how it currently stands.

Ever since I went to the Xfinity cable audio devices settings and selected "Stereo" the lip-syncing has been considerably better for Xfinity programs, not 100%, but tolerable (I guess).

Netflix syncing is also working reasonably well, though recently I needed to reboot the Apple TV to fix a suddenly and weird audio artifact (dialog sounded like it was going through a vocoder). I haven't had the courage yet to tinker with Amazon Prime again, though as you pointed out there's a lot of online discussion regarding Amazon Prime audio syncing.

Still getting to know the sound bar. Sometimes it'll start sounding weird, like dialog is coming out of an oil drum. Pressing one of the sound bar preset buttons, e.g., "Movie," fixes the problem. I'm not sure why sound bar settings appear to change on their own. I'm the only one in the house who plays with the sound bar settings; my wife won't go near it.

Thanks again for the help.

Walt