Best answer by Ryan S
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Beam and LG OLEDs -Audio delay over Dolby DIgital still a problem?
Has anyone connected a Beam to an LG OLED tv and tested whether the audio is delayed when using Dolby Digital? My Beam is scheduled to arrive tomorrow (canceled my B&H order and ordered on the Sonos site today). I have a 2016 LG E6P with the latest firmware (5.30.30). I wasn't aware of the Dolby Digital issue until I started reading these forums. I have read and watched a bunch of reviews of Beam and no one mentioned this issue, which is curious. You would think at least one reviewer would have used an LG OLED when testing the Beam. Hoping it won't be an issue.;)
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There’s been many threads about issues with Samsung TVs and lipsync, mainly in the Home Theater are of the forum.
Depending on the TV, there are several potential resolutions.
- Update the TV’s firmware.
- Remove any audio settings in the TV that might alter the sound profile coming out of the TV.
- Check for any video settings that might be altering the ability of the TV’s CPU to process the sound output. This is a low probability in my opinion, but there have been the occasional posts that suggest that in some cases, it’s had an effect.
- Remove the audio from the HDMI stream before it reaches the TV, using an HDMI adapter that has either an optical or HDMI-ARC output, so that the audio never goes through the TV. Something along the lines of this: https://www.amazon.com/iArkPower-Optical-Extractor-Splitter-Supports/dp/B01K7BZ1X Note that this item is not a recommendation, it’s just the first thing that came up when searching Amazon. They come with anywhere from one to multiple inputs, you might want to look for one that matches your needs. I’ve not seen anyone return to this forum having installed one of these in their HDMI stream that it hasn’t worked for. This is what leads me to believe the issue is with the electronics in the Samsung.
- Contact Samsung. I believe there are some who have had Samsung come out and actually replace the processor inside their TV with a newer hardware version, and it’s fixed the problem.
I hope this helps. For ease and cost, I’d try 1, 2, 3 and 4, in that order. 5 seems to be a lot more trouble to me.
Any solution for a Samsung 7700 tv with this audio delay 😬
You are correct HDMI can carry 5.1 LPCM but apparently the arc hdmi port on the beam won’t accept a std full hdmi audio (not arc) so that’s where the hope lies if they can firmware update the beam to support a std hdmi input and accept 5.1 LPCM, then I think we could split off the HDMI with an extra piece of hardware not ideal but a potential workaround.
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Hi Atlas, you're correct, the Beam only has an HDMI-ARC connection, and is designed to receive the audio through there, linked with the TV directly. The industry is very slowly adopting eARC, as you said. It's only currently being used for future-proofing, where it's used, since not much out there makes use of it.
isn't the Switch outputting LPCM 5.1 via HDMI in already? I was under the impression HDMI could take the bandwidth for that, but I could be wrong.
As to using the Beam with surrounds, they add a lot to the audio, especially when you can get Dolby Digital to the Beam. Most streaming services these days use Dolby Digital, and most TVs that I've worked with from the last 3-4 years have all been able to pass it over HDMI, including the LG OLEDs.
isn't the Switch outputting LPCM 5.1 via HDMI in already? I was under the impression HDMI could take the bandwidth for that, but I could be wrong.
As to using the Beam with surrounds, they add a lot to the audio, especially when you can get Dolby Digital to the Beam. Most streaming services these days use Dolby Digital, and most TVs that I've worked with from the last 3-4 years have all been able to pass it over HDMI, including the LG OLEDs.
Just got my beam and I am using it with a LG OLED B7. I haven't noticed any lip sync issues so far. I am playing from an Apple TV 4k (set to output only dolby digital) and passing the audio via ARC (TV passthrough set to auto, if you set to PCM you will only get 2 channels instead of 3 on the beam).
@Ryan S As far as I am aware it's not possible to pass LPCM 5.1 via ARC, ARC doesn't support the bandwidth and neither does optical (new eARC supports but few TVs have it). I also can't find a way to have the Sonos Beam take an HDMI directly (not via ARC) even if that HDMI is only carrying audio. So it seems due to the input limitations on the beam there is literally no way to get uncompressed 5.1 through to the beam 😞 The limited inputs would still support DTS 5.1 if Sonos added the codec support. Considering the many limitations this would be the least Sonos could do for it's customers.
But unfortunately these limitations still leave Nintendo switch owners and anything really that needs 5.1 PCM out in the cold. Personally I won't bother adding surrounds to my Beam because of these limitations. As far as I know this is why most decent soundbars include multiple HDMI in's and have the soundbar be the hub that passes just the video through to the TV rather than using ARC. This also helps with lip sync issues but brings in new complications like having to find a soundbar that has 4k dolby vision passthrough for instance...
TLDR: The beam is a great 2.0 soundbar but do your research in a big way if you plan on adding to it or want 5.1
But unfortunately these limitations still leave Nintendo switch owners and anything really that needs 5.1 PCM out in the cold. Personally I won't bother adding surrounds to my Beam because of these limitations. As far as I know this is why most decent soundbars include multiple HDMI in's and have the soundbar be the hub that passes just the video through to the TV rather than using ARC. This also helps with lip sync issues but brings in new complications like having to find a soundbar that has 4k dolby vision passthrough for instance...
TLDR: The beam is a great 2.0 soundbar but do your research in a big way if you plan on adding to it or want 5.1
Userlevel 7
+26
I'm always happy to pass along the request for LPCM 5.1 support, though I'm not sure how many TVs are able to pass PCM with anything more than stereo audio. It's always good to ask, though I can't provide a roadmap or idea on if it'll be added one day.
What’s super annoying is that this would actually be a valid solution, and resolve the issue in almost all cases, if SONOS weren’t stubbornly refusing to support 6 channel PCM.
@Ryan S Will this ever be added? I appreciate SONOS are limited in their ability to resolve the root cause of these problems, but you seem to be taking very little action with changes you are able to make to help the situation.
Been reading on a few sites which say pcm is fine as it just means that the beam is doing the processing instead of the TV. TBH I am no audiophile but I have a good ear and setting my TV to pcm sounds the same as bitstream. I might be wrong but have been reading everywhere and it's only this forum that says bitstream is gonna make a difference. Everywhere else says the only difference is which device is processing the signal.
Just using pcm for now as there's no delay. I appreciate the help but buying extra equipment is a joke after buying an expensive TV and soundbar.
Been reading on a few sites which say pcm is fine as it just means that the beam is doing the processing instead of the TV. TBH I am no audiophile but I have a good ear and setting my TV to pcm sounds the same as bitstream. I might be wrong but have been reading everywhere and it's only this forum that says bitstream is gonna make a difference. Everywhere else says the only difference is which device is processing the signal.
Been reading on a few sites which say pcm is fine as it just means that the beam is doing the processing instead of the TV. TBH I am no audiophile but I have a good ear and setting my TV to pcm sounds the same as bitstream. I might be wrong but have been reading everywhere and it's only this forum that says bitstream is gonna make a difference. Everywhere else says the only difference is which device is processing the signal.
Ronnieuk,
I think Ryan S. sums things up perfectly in his initial answer above. Some TV's internal processors cannot deal with and passthrough the audio stream quickly enough on some models. I will assume you have disabled the Panasonic audio enhancement features and have the latest firmware update for the TV, as suggested.
The proof of this matter, would be to get an audio splitter and connect the TV peripherals, like your VirginMedia TiVo Box for example, direct to the Beam using the optical adapter and see how that by bypassing your TV completely, the audio would be in perfect sync.
If you search the forum a number of users have successfully got that method to work for them.
I think Ryan S. sums things up perfectly in his initial answer above. Some TV's internal processors cannot deal with and passthrough the audio stream quickly enough on some models. I will assume you have disabled the Panasonic audio enhancement features and have the latest firmware update for the TV, as suggested.
The proof of this matter, would be to get an audio splitter and connect the TV peripherals, like your VirginMedia TiVo Box for example, direct to the Beam using the optical adapter and see how that by bypassing your TV completely, the audio would be in perfect sync.
If you search the forum a number of users have successfully got that method to work for them.
Got the same problem with my Panasonic DX750B. No delay on pcm with the beam but very noticeable on bitstream. On my firestick it's only slight but on virgin it can vary between slight and well over a second. Flipping channels can cause it to get worse but also makes it better when it's really bad if I quickly change channel and back again. But it's a hassle and shouldn't be necessary.
Seems its multiple TV manufacturers and mostly sonos soundbars with this problem. Why do other soundbars seem to work ok? Some people in other threads have done tests and had no issue so the common denominator seems to be the sonos.
I have a few days left to return this to Amazon if I don't find an answer as £400gpb is too much for an out of sync soundbar.
Seems its multiple TV manufacturers and mostly sonos soundbars with this problem. Why do other soundbars seem to work ok? Some people in other threads have done tests and had no issue so the common denominator seems to be the sonos.
I have a few days left to return this to Amazon if I don't find an answer as £400gpb is too much for an out of sync soundbar.
Has anyone seen any progress here? I have a Beam and a LG C8 OLED. Through trial and error I was able to get the Apple TV to output 5.1 with no delay but my Xbox One has a beyond crazy delay in 5.1 which really sucks.
Userlevel 7
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I will.
My lg has adjustment so it sends audio out earlier and works fine. That is 8 year old lg with option.
Thanks for your snarky reply that didn’t add anything to the conversation. Hdmi is a 19 pin connector with the majority being data lines, a 5v pin, a hot swap pin and an arc pin. Most of the pins are used for video data. Even with arc active some video information is still passed over the line... there’s always an engineering solution if you think instead of using internet sarcasm. I realize these solutions take time but some transparency from Sonos would be nice. If it’s 100% not fixable on their end they should be upfront. Instead, they say they’re working on it which I hope they are.
If you google the issue with any combination of “lg oled delayed audio Dolby digital” and exclude “ Sonos” the top 20 posts are still all about Sonos systems even on different forums. It seems heavily isolated.
Have a great day Chris!
Userlevel 7
+22
If lg sends audio out late how is Sonos supposed to reverse the flow of time. Yea Sonos go back in time and make the sound come out earlier.
My lg has adjustment so it sends audio out earlier and works fine. That is 8 year old lg with option.
My lg has adjustment so it sends audio out earlier and works fine. That is 8 year old lg with option.
Yes the issue still exists. I got the beam on release day without knowing about this issue. I think it's ridiculous that a high end audio company selling high end audio products don't actually work with the highest end TV's. I was very disappointed in my purchase. I have a B7A and dolby digital is still delayed by .4s. It's noticeable and crazy annoying. Stereo is fine. Sonos really really needs to address this issue with a firmware fix. I've read every thread about this issue. Even if it's an LG issue it's sonos that needs to fix it on their end. It's an audio issue that only appears with an audio bar. Switching to PCM/Stereo/HDMI optical splitter is not a solution since you lose DD and the sound is much worse.
I would NOT buy a beam with an LG OLED if i had to choose again.
Hi Robby,
So, how did it go. Any sync delay or other audio issues?
Thx
...We've found that some TVs have trouble sending Dolby Digital audio over HDMI-ARC while at the same time processing high-quality video.
In some cases, the manufacturer has addressed it already, and an update for the TV could solve the issue. I'd suggest making sure your TV is updated, and it would be good to contact the manufacturer to ask if they are investigating an audio delay issue with connected home theater devices playing audio.
....
I contacted Sony (OLED A8F) and LG (OLED C8). Still waiting on Sony's response, but here is LG's below. I was really looking for a binary answer (like, 'no we don't have any issues' or 'yes, working on a firmware update to address this'). Got what looks like a canned detailed work-around response instead. PCM defeats the whole purpose for me. Why buy a $4,000 4k HDR TV that forces your Sonos playbar, rear One's, and Sub to play stereo?
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Thank you for contacting LG Email Services.
I understand that you are having an audio issue with your OLED65C8PUA. In response to this, please allow me to provide the following trouble shooting steps which could help resolve this matter. Please see below:
1. Press the HOME button on the remote control.
2. Go to SETTINGS (Gear icon).
3. Scroll down to ALL SETTINGS.
4. Click on SOUND menu.
5. Go to AV SYNC ADJUSTMENT, this function adjusts the synchronization of the sound from the speaker that is working.
The closer to the minus sign (-), the longer the output time while the closer to the plus sign (+), the faster the audio output speed compared to the default. If you select BYPASS, this outputs the broadcast signals or the sound from external devices without any audio delay. The audio may be output before the video because of the time the TV takes to process the video input. If the initial trouble shooting has failed, please check the type of devices connected to the TV:
1. ANTENNA
a. Check to see if the audio sync issue only occurs on certain channels. If this is the case, the signal from the broadcaster has an embedded audio delay. Please contact your local broadcasting company. When the broadcaster streams the channel, audio, and video may be encoded with an audio delay. Also, when there is a packet error in the stream itself, there may be audio/video distortion or a popping noise. Broadcast may operate in unsync mode in order to avoid this issue.
b. Access the TV AV SYNC ADJUSTMENT setting to manually correct the issue on the channel that experiences the issue. If the adjustment does not correct the issue and the unit’s software is updated, the device may require service.
2. CABLE/SATELLITE BOX
Check if the audio delay occurs on certain channels. If it does, the signal from the broadcaster has an embedded audio delay. When the broadcaster streams the channel, audio, and video may be encoded with an audio delay. Also, when there is a packet error in the stream itself, there may be audio/video distortion or a popping noise. Broadcast may operate in unsync mode in order to avoid this issue.
On the other hand, if the audio delay does not occur only on certain channels and you are using the optical audio output, use the SPDIF adjustment setting on the AV Sync option. If you are only using the TV speakers to get sound, use the TV Speaker adjustment, these adjustments are made in millisecond and can make the audio output faster or slower.
Additionally, if the Dolby Atmos set to ON and the Digital Sound Out set to PCM is the best way to enjoy sound without the intermittent sound issues. There is no sound quality reduction if your change the digital sound out value Auto to PCM on Dolby Atmos set to ON. For this one, please allow me to provide the following trouble shooting steps that can help determine if this will correct the issue:
1. Check the Dolby Atmos setting value if it is set to ON by pressing the HOME button on the remote control, go to SETTINGS (Gear icon), scroll down to ALL SETTINGS, click on SOUND, select DOLBY ATMOS.
2. If the Dolby Atmos is set to ON, check the DIGITAL SOUND OUT menu to PCM. To do this, please go back to the SOUND Menu, click on SOUND OUT, go to AUDIO OUT (OPTICAL /HDMI ARC), select DIGITAL SOUND OUT and click on PCM.
Please observe if the issue is still present after changing the settings. Should the issue persist or in case that a different issue is encountered, we also encourage you to call an LG Signature Support Representative for further assistance regarding this issue. Please call 800-984-6306, they are available from Monday to Friday 8am-5pm Central Standard Time.
Should you have further inquiries or clarifications, please do let us know and we'll be glad to help out. Thank you very much for your patience
Original Customer Inquiry
Received Date : 07/23/2018 18:51 05
The type of inquiry : Pre-purchase Product Info
Product/Model No. :
Is LG investigating an audio delay issue with connected home theater devices playing Dolby 5.1 audio for the OLED65C8 TV? There is a lot of internet chatter regarding this issue for some LG OLEDs, and it has put me off from buying one. I am already heavily invested in a Sonos surround sound setup and need to find a TV it is compatible with. Thank you.
Userlevel 7
+22
I meant 2. It was originally set at five moving down to 2 gotnit in sync
Chris, my 2017 LG B7A does have a sound sync slider but the range doesn't reach 32 +/-.
Userlevel 7
+22
My lg tv out of the box had lip sync issues. As it seems lg pushes out a delay for some reason by default. Going into sound settings and adjusting the delay back on my lg tv fixed the issue. On mine the default delay was like 5 and moving to 32 put it in sync. It’s nice that lg has an adjustment - at least in my 8 year old one.
Userlevel 7
+26
Hi everyone,
When it comes to the lip sync, the Beam should be playing your audio as soon as it gets it, with a very minimal delay about 30ms (which is around 1.8 video frames at 60fps, considered to be imperceivable). The timing of the audio is based on when the TV sends it. We've found that some TVs have trouble sending Dolby Digital audio over HDMI-ARC while at the same time processing high-quality video.
In some cases, the manufacturer has addressed it already, and an update for the TV could solve the issue. I'd suggest making sure your TV is updated, and it would be good to contact the manufacturer to ask if they are investigating an audio delay issue with connected home theater devices playing audio.
Some TVs you can clear up any delay simply adjusting the settings can help improve things.
I'd suggest starting with checking the settings on the source device of your video that's behind. If it's a cable box or source where you can edit the audio settings, see if you can set it specifically to Dolby Digital 5.1. Also if the TV has any processing or audio effects that are adding extra processing like an ULTRA mode or Clear Audio+, try turning those off.
If you're not concerned about getting Dolby Digital audio, you can set the source device to PCM or Stereo and the delay will likely go away, as that format is easier to transmit.
Also, we're happy to take a look at your setup with you and see if we can help. We'd also like to get more details on what setups are seeing this sort of issue so we can investigate with the manufacturers further. I'd invite you to give us a call on our support line so we can work on this together.
When it comes to the lip sync, the Beam should be playing your audio as soon as it gets it, with a very minimal delay about 30ms (which is around 1.8 video frames at 60fps, considered to be imperceivable). The timing of the audio is based on when the TV sends it. We've found that some TVs have trouble sending Dolby Digital audio over HDMI-ARC while at the same time processing high-quality video.
In some cases, the manufacturer has addressed it already, and an update for the TV could solve the issue. I'd suggest making sure your TV is updated, and it would be good to contact the manufacturer to ask if they are investigating an audio delay issue with connected home theater devices playing audio.
Some TVs you can clear up any delay simply adjusting the settings can help improve things.
I'd suggest starting with checking the settings on the source device of your video that's behind. If it's a cable box or source where you can edit the audio settings, see if you can set it specifically to Dolby Digital 5.1. Also if the TV has any processing or audio effects that are adding extra processing like an ULTRA mode or Clear Audio+, try turning those off.
If you're not concerned about getting Dolby Digital audio, you can set the source device to PCM or Stereo and the delay will likely go away, as that format is easier to transmit.
Also, we're happy to take a look at your setup with you and see if we can help. We'd also like to get more details on what setups are seeing this sort of issue so we can investigate with the manufacturers further. I'd invite you to give us a call on our support line so we can work on this together.
Hello. I've got and LG OLEDB7 (2017) with TV signal from Optimum Cable HD set-top box. Lip-sync was never an issue until I added the Beam. No other devices are connected.
Sonos customer support says there's a history of audio delay issues between Sonos sound bars (Beam included) and TV's manufactured by LG and Sony. Really? Why then does Sonos release a product knowing there will be sound delay issues?
Sonos support said I should contact LG. I'm thinking the tech folks at Sonos need to work out a solution with the TV manufacturers, please.
Sonos customer support says there's a history of audio delay issues between Sonos sound bars (Beam included) and TV's manufactured by LG and Sony. Really? Why then does Sonos release a product knowing there will be sound delay issues?
Sonos support said I should contact LG. I'm thinking the tech folks at Sonos need to work out a solution with the TV manufacturers, please.
It's not a Sonos issue but it does exist, It just depends on your source it seems I have an LG B7 OLED and with my beam in a 5.1 setup using apple tv 4k set to dolby digital its glorious surround and absolutely no delay but my xbox one x is another story if I set it out bitstream dolby digital I get a delay the strange thing is even without the beam when I changed it to that with the TV's internal speakers I got a delay so Im not sure if its my xbox or the LG but either way it kinda sucks but since its only for gaming I just set it to stereo until I see a fix as my apple tv covers all my media consumption.
Want to know what is weird? I have a C6 and get very little if any delay using Xbox and DD5.1 but get a noticeable delay using the internal apps. Also the internal apps seem to not pass dd5.1 properly in some cases as the sound is dreadful compared to using the same app via the Xbox.
It's not a Sonos issue but it does exist, It just depends on your source it seems I have an LG B7 OLED and with my beam in a 5.1 setup using apple tv 4k set to dolby digital its glorious surround and absolutely no delay but my xbox one x is another story if I set it out bitstream dolby digital I get a delay the strange thing is even without the beam when I changed it to that with the TV's internal speakers I got a delay so Im not sure if its my xbox or the LG but either way it kinda sucks but since its only for gaming I just set it to stereo until I see a fix as my apple tv covers all my media consumption.
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