So now I'm reading that the new consoles won't have an optical out port. This somewhat scuppers me as my current setup is my devices connected to an optical splitter and then to the beam. Going through Arc adds a delay so that's not really an option for me. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to AV stuff, does anyone have any suggestions? 

Incredible to me that 3 YEARS LATER this is still an issue. What’s the deal, Sonos?!

My situation… I have an LG 55C7P OLED TV. I have three peripheral devices connected to it via the C7’s HDMI inputs -- a DirecTV box, 4K AppleTV and a 4K Blu-Ray player. 

My Sonos Arc Soundbar (along with Sonos Subwoofer and two Sonos Ones as rears) is connected using the HDMI-ARC port on my TV. I continue to have major audio sync issues with all three peripheral devices when they’re playing content with Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos audio. There are no sync issues when I use the LG TV’s internal apps. The only way I can get rid of the sync issues is by switching the peripheral devices to PCM, but that, of course, defeats the purpose of having this INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE SOUND SYSTEM I BOUGHT THAT DOESN’T WORK WITH A TOP LINE TV!

I may try the HD Fury Arcana, although they tell me I need to also purchase one of their 4K HDMI switchers, which isn’t an ideal solution because, 1) it means I can’t adjust the video for each device since they’ll all be going into the same input on the TV, and 2) between the Arcana and the HDMI switcher we’re talking another $600!!!

So, two questions for SONOS, or for anyone here who might be able to help me solve this.

1. Is Sonos planning on FINALLY, at long last, providing some sort of firmware update to the Sonos Arc soundbar (and their other soundbars) to fix this audio sync issue? I’m assuming the answer is no, but hey, I’d love to be wrong.
2. Short of that, I’m considering upgrading my TV to a 65”. What TV’s, preferably an OLED type, work best with the Sonos sound system. I.E., they have ZERO audio sync issues? Can Sonos provide a LIST of TV’s that work best with the Arc Soundbar? Or, how about a list of TV’s that DON’T work with the Arc Soundbar? That feels like a reasonable request. (A Sonos rep I spoke to told me, on the sly, that the new Samsungs do not have issues. But then I read about all kinds of Samsungs that do. Has that changed?)

Thanks so much in advance for any help and thoughts on what I should do next. -- Ian

I’m actually curious if Sonos can actually do anything about this at all. If the sync is being added because the tv is processing the audio by decoding and re-encoding it, I’m not sure how they could fix that.

I have a TCL s403 which is a Roku tv. Just a couple of weeks ago it got the roku 9.4 update, which adds the option to pass through the audio without processing it. This fixed the sync issues I had there so I assume this will be the same on any TCL tv that can get that 9.4 update (which should be everything that is from 2017 and up, if not a little older).

I can tell you what does have audio sync issues and that is the Sony x750h that I just took back to Best Buy. It does not have an option to not process the audio and seems like even when outputting to PCM through optical (from the back of the Tv) it had sound delay when I was using my Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, both the new consoles no longer have optical ports so it’s pretty imperative to get something that works through the HDMI-ARC, so at this rate I kind of want to upgrade to a 6 series TCL. Unfortunately it’s a little bit more than I was hoping to spend (was hoping to get a deal during black November or whatever the sales are called now).

Does anyone know if the Vizio m-series has this issue? I see some good deals for a 65 and the hdr brightness seems ok. The instruction manual shows audio options of setting to output bitstream so I don’t know if that means it will process it and add the lag.

I hear you. Thanks for the response. Nice to know I’m not screaming into the void. To your point, this is why Sonos should make it clear which TV makes/models work with their soundbars. OR, work with the TV manufacturers to solve this problem already. Because it’s making them all look bad and leaving a lot of their best customers - people who want a high quality audio solution - super frustrated and feeling ripped off.

Hello there!

So i had Xbox One X with Samsung TU8500 and Sonos Beam: same audio delay issue we’re discussing here.
But today i bought Xbox Series X and that’s bad but the problem is identical and Series X doesn’t have an optical output

Any updates/news/taken actions, Sonos?

It might be easy just to switch to other vendor and get rid of Beam, but i wouldn't do that if fix arrives

Hi there,

Same problem for me with a OLED 55GX from LG and Sonos Beam+Sub+2play:3. All outputs set up in HDMI Dolby Digital 5.1. With gaming it becomes a bit difficult to play when you have half a sec delay on door opening sounds and etc…

Problem does not happen on streaming services, I did not notice a major issue with lip synch. The Air play works well via the TV or directly to the Sonos environment. (then I loose the 5.1). 

Solution for me was to put a headset on the PS4 controller.

All set up is up to date.

Any news from LG?

Regards,

Eric

Joining the thread with my Xbox Series X, Sonos Arc + Sub Gen 3 + LG 65 CX.

Suffering from audio sync delays occasionally, since I’m new to this setup, I still can’t describe exactly when it occurs.

LG NanoCell 85, Xbox Series X, Sonos Beam.

Sync issues using built in apps, external apps, and Series X. Have tried all the settings and recommendations (HDMI Arc, Optical out, tried all settings on both TV and Series .

Seems like this has been an issue for multiple years so will likely never be resolved, kind of a joke that this product is even on sale. Wish I had done more research before purchasing, but luckily I can return it with no issue.

Were there any recent official Sonos replies to this issue?

We are in the Official Sonos community page, aren’t we? 

I have lip sync issues using a 2016 Panasoni Viera TV with 5.1 audio from an external source. Interestingly, when I output sound via the TV speakers and lower my Sonos Beam volume, the audio delay is still present. Also, when I use built-in TV apps with 5.1, and output audio over Sonos Beam, there is no delay.

In summary, it is an issue with the TV and nothing to do with the Sonos.

There is so much discussion on this topic that I’ve covered and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two solutions.

1. Use a TV that supports 5.1 pass through over ARC/Optical with no delay (best).
2. Use a HDMI splitter with audio extractor (workaround).

I’m going for option 2 in the short term, option 1 longer term.

There is an interesting post above whereby a user describes how a recent Roku TV update has fixed the issue, I may look to TVs supporting that.

 

I have the same issue with a Philips OLED TV. I complained to Sonos & Philips. Sonos said it was the TV. Philips sent me an upgraded TV but the issue remains. Sonos say it is the TV that is the causing the issue when trying to process the 5.1 signal. My workaround is an optical splitter which isn’t ideal. They say TV’s with eARC are preferable but I don’t know if that’s true.

Is a HDMI splitter a better option?

I am contemplating asking Philips to take the TV back and I will get another TV (with eARC). But reading the forums I may get another make TV with the same issue. So frustrating.

Obviously the sonos receiving device will only play the (sent) audio when it gets it from the connected TV - a splitter/extractor will make no difference to inbuilt TV Apps/TV audio, but may make a difference for cable TV boxes and other devices etc that are normally connected to the TV and pass their audio through the TV ports… it’s often that pass-through of the audio where the delays occur with some TV’s and a splitter/extractor will bypass the TV ports. Some TV’s now have pass-through options too one example which I use is an LG C9 TV but a splitter/extractor is a worthwhile consideration if you don’t wish to change TV.

I picked up a cheap HDMI splitter/audio extractor and it fixes the audio delay issues I had, unfortunately, there are issues with the transfer rate of 4K video using the splitter that cause a flickering screen, which is to be expected from a £16.99 splitter!

There are many splitters out there, and some (like mine) advertise as working with 4K@60fps, but they are hit and miss I feel and mostly seem to be cheap and nasty solutions.

If you only have one external device to hook up you could try the HDFury Arcana, but it’s expensive.

My ultimate solution is a new TV, but I am due an upgrade anyway.

Adding my name to the list - received an Arc SL for Christmas and have it connected to my LG C8 77 OLED via ARC and am seeing fairly significant audio delays with both external HDMI inputs (ie: cable box) and internal apps (Netflix, Disney +). I’ve tried all the suggested settings, especially the AV Audio Delay with Bypass which helped but unfortunately didn’t solve all the issues. I’ve tried contacting LG who were less than helpful given my TV is out of warranty (purchased in 2018) and Sonos said they could only recommend using the audio delay function in the app, trying a factory reset and contacting the TV manufacturer.

I’d really like to avoid having to purchase additional hardware (ie: HD Fury Arcana) to solve this - any other ideas or anything I can do to escalate?

Thanks!

I have three devices (set top box, PS4 & TV) which I would need to connect. I have just found out that the HDFury Arcana doesn’t support the Beam anyway sadly. A new TV may be the best option for me but it’s a lottery as I would have no way to know which TV’s/males have this issue and which ones don’t.

I think your best option is to try a splitter/audio extractor. Are you using a base PS4 or Pro? I ask because if you don’t need 4k support then there are more options available.

I don’t think this is purely a Sonos fault. I have a panasonic OLED and does the same as LG tvs. But apps on the TV itself works fine. There’s >100ms sound delay when using the PS5. It’s very annoying. But I don’t think this is purely a Sonos issue. It’s LG, Panasonic, Samsung etc. All have issue with it. Even going from optical out on the TV. There’s something in these TVs that are causing the delay to the beam.

These TVs don’t like dolby bitstream. Linear PCM (2.0) is fine no delays whatsoever.

I have been recommended this which may be similar to what you’re referring to maybe? https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08611PJKR/ref=cm_sw_r_u_apa_fabc_Jdh9FbPPR6B7K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I think if I used that I would connect the Beam to this via optical, and then connect the TV, PS4 & Satellite to this via hdmi, with 1 hdmi from this to my TV.
I have a PS4 currently but I hope to get a PS5 in the near future.

Adding my name to the list, 49SK8500PLA (LG 2018 nanocell) and Sonos Beam. HDMI devices such as FireTV stick and BT TV box show significant (300ms or so) audio delay when set to dolby digital, fine with stereo. Tried all the settings under the sun to try and get the TV to passthrough the audio as is, adding no delay. Tried talking to LG support but they said they couldn’t reproduce the issue.

Here’s hoping we get some kind of help for this, as it looks like a serious problem.

To add to my earlier comment here and a mini guide on audio formats that is easier to understand (hopefully) than browsing websites and various forums to save people days on end:

1. eARC solves these issues. Lip syncing / AV sync is mandated for this standard.

2. If you did somehow have delay issues (unlikely), even with this mandated lip syncing support among all eARC devices, you could correct this by sending PCM on as uncompressed 5.1 or 7.1 audio over the eARC standard as it has higher bandwidth and can support all uncompressed audio formats and even lossless formats such as True HD decompressed and sent as PCM afaik. 

So basically, eARC will allow all of us to send whatever kind of audio we want and still maintain our source channels, whether it be 5.1, 7.1, etc, due to higher standards and bandwidth. I am unknowledgeable on this however as it relates to higher channel inputs/outputs above 7 channel though. No longer will it matter what settings we want to use as the input/output (with my exception above regarding my lack of knowledgeable above 7 channel) as on the other side it should always work in theory. 

For people who aren't able to follow due to having a hard time understanding this...as it currently stands:

PCM means you are taking your compressed Dolby Digital or DTS format and decompressing it ("larger size" now) to send over a cable (HDMI ARC or optical) to your output device (sound bar, audio receiver, surround, etc.) at that larger size of data. Since the TV is processing both the video and audio, it knows how to time both of these and audio sync delays delays are not likely.

Bitstream means you are simply sending your compressed Dolby Digital or DTS format and sending it through to your output device (sound bar, audio receiver, surround, etc.) over HDMI ARC or optical. This supports more outputs and formats without 5.1 being converted to 2.1 since more cables can handle data that is compressed / "a smaller size". It is the surround receiver / sound bar that then converts this compressed audio, which is why we may have an audio delay on our tvs since the TV does not know how long this other device will take to process the audio (unless that device shares how long it is taking to process the audio, as is mandated by the eARC protocol).

Optical and ARC:

- Supports stereo

- Supports "compressed"  dolby digital 5.1 (aka bitstream option - i.e. sending the compressed signal as is)

- Supports "compressed" dolby digital plus and DTS 5.1 (aka bitstream option - i.e. sending the compressed signal as is)

- If you have a dolby digital or DTS 5.1 source and you choose to output as PCM over optical or ARC, it will output as stereo since the cable / standard doesn't support a PCM (i.e. uncompressed) signal due to bandwidth and limitations of the standard) - this PCM option however will resolve lip sync issues since the TV is sending the audio to the surround receiver/sound bar all "ready to go and play" as it's already been processed by the TV and that surround receiver / sound bar simply has to play the signal (assuming you haven't used any crazy effects that add on to that output) without doing anything to it. 

eARC:

- Supports pretty much everything necessary today

Just don't get confused with compressed and uncompressed with lossy and lossless. Two different things. Compressed audio is simply like a zip file on a computer. All of the data is still in that folder, just a smaller compressed size. The zip file would be like a dolby digital or dts format. Uncompressed audio would be one of those zip files (dolby digital or dts) being extracted into their actual audio files (PCM), which are actually directly usable by the computer or in this case, the audio output device, whether it be a sound bar or surround receiver. Lossy audio files (dolby digital, dolby digital plus, dts) are like jpg images. Lossless audio files are like Tiff, raw, dng, png images (Dolby True HD, DTS-HD). An exception is Dolby Atmos, which is more of a channel type / extension that allows for height and spatial sound that doesn't rely on traditional channels.

Hope this helps all novices since it took me awhile to grasp everything!

So eARC would solve my lip sync issues? I would consider returning my Philips TV for a model with eARC if it solves my issues.

That's the idea of mandatory lip sync correction in eARC so it SHOULD, but I have not used it yet and technology is never perfect. Maybe others will chime in or you can find some videos about it. 

Please add me to the list here of disappointed Sonos Arc owners. 

I just recently purchased a Sonos Arc for my 2017 LG B7 OLED, which is Atmos and ARC compatible. 

I have a brand new Chromecast with Google TV and an XBOX One X (both Atmos compatible) hooked up to the TV, then running audio to the Sonos Arc via the HDMI ARC out (not eARC). All devices and TV set to bitstream (non-PCM). 

When I use my LG TV’s internal streaming apps, audio/video sync is perfect, including Atmos content on Netflix, Vudu etc. Verified via Sonos app that it is receiving full Atmos signal. 

When I try to listen to Dolby content coming from my external devices, the audio is noticeably behind the video.

• Dolby Atmos content from the Chromecast or Xbox works but there is significant delay to the point of unwatchability
• Non-Atmos Dolby 5.1 content from Chromecast or Xbox is a little bit delayed… noticeable if you’re looking for it.
• PCM audio from Chromecast or Xbox has no sync issues. 

I’ve messed with all the various audio settings in my TV to make sure any sort of additional processing is removed. I’ve also tried playing with the delay, because LG does offer the option to move sound earlier, but moving it as early as it goes (-5 in the settings) doesn’t fix it enough on Atmos (also it’s not a great fix given that the TV is applying this negative delay to all content on a given input uniformly regardless of audio format. 

I’m totally at a loss on what to do. Buying some third party audio splitter like the Sharc makes the elegance of the Sonos a moot point. And this seems like a pretty systemic issue with many popular TV manufacturers. Even with all the various Sonos and Reddit forum posts, plus this Guardian article (https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/sep/06/that-syncing-feeling-when-your-soundbar-lets-you-down), I’m surprised more people aren't complaining, because I don't think my TV/component combo is any sort of “edge case”… it’s pretty common. Are most people just using their TV’s streaming apps exclusively for Atmos content and therefore not seeing the delay?

From what I understand, even if I upgraded to a new TV like the LG CX that has HDMI 2.1 and eARC, this lip sync would still be a problem because neither Xbox One X nor any streaming box is HDMI 2.1 compatible so it couldn’t utilize more advance synchronization on those devices. 

Where’s the list of popular high quality HDTVs that have been verified as not having this issue with external devices running Atmos?

I really love the look and the sound and the simplicity of the Sonos Arc, and I don't want to return it, but I may be forced to exchange it for a soundbar that doesn’t rely on ARC and just does a more standard receiver-style HDMI passthrough to avoid these audio delays. 

Does anyone have any other suggestions before I throw in the towel?

Thanks!
Ben 

You actually answered your own question, whether you like the solution or not. The Sonos ar  Soundbar is designed to work with eARC and getting dolby atmos at lossless TrueHD. Anything else and you aren't getting it's potential. 

So the answer you stated regarding PCM output allowing the audio to be synced up with the video is typically accurate. When the TV sends out the sound as pcm, that means it has already processed the sound and output it in a format that will be able to be sent out to the speakers via another device (we won't go too far into details). Since your TV is the one doing the converting, it knows when to send that audio signal out and how long it's own video processing delay is currently taking so it can send that audio out at a perfect time and the receiving Soundbar can pretty much instantly play it since it's already been converted to an uncompressed format (PCM) from a compressed format (DD, DD+, etc.). 

The downside to this is that obviously you won't get native atmos capabilities once that tv converts an atmos signal to pcm. The native player needs to do that since it's not just simply channels anymore from where the sound comes from, but a spatial way of recording all around you basically. Anyways, surround systems or sound bars will up mix your content to what it is capable of doing and usually sounds pretty darn good. 

What are the reasons you don't want to use PCM in the mean time until you can get an eARC capable TV, or one of those splitters that do lip sync with any format you want to send. I forgot the name, but it's a couple hundred $ to buy. And yeah, for eARC to work, only the sending device and receiving device need that to work as far as I know (someone correct me if I'm wrong) if everything is setup properly settings wise and you're outputting the sound out from the eARC port of the new tv (or splitter if you want to go that route), lip sync should work no problem. It is a mandatory standard now for all of these new hdmi devices to mandate lip sync support. There is only going to be one eArc out port on a television so to say that all the input devices would have to support it as well may not be true as their ports aren't labeled eARC or anything. The TV handles all of the content from the input device such as an Xbox and negotiates with the sound bar on what to play when, based on delays. I don't believe the Xbox has to do anything on its part. 

 @Bulletbling. Thank you for the quick response. A couple thoughts:

• In all the literature and press surrounding the Sonos Arc, it was clearly stated that the biggest “sacrifice” one makes by having only an ARC compatible TV (not eARC) is the inability to decode uncompressed TrueHD Atmos… but compressed DD+ Atmos would still work fine over ARC. This was a fine tradeoff for me since I don’t watch BluRays and all my Atmos content is streamed anyway or via Xbox One X. What certainly is not mentioned out there in the world is that almost all major ARC televisions also have a habit of introducing soul-crushing audio delay through any external HDMI input device pumping out Atmos or even regular 5.1
• Switching to PCM to avoid sync issues is more than a slight compromise IMO. At least on my TV (and perhaps on all ARC) if I switch the LG to PCM mode it outputs all surround sources (Atmos, Dolby Digital 5.1) to stereo 2.0 audio. Didn’t pay this much for an Atmos soundbar to watch in stereo.
• I actually don’t feel entirely confident that upgrading to an eARC TV would solve all my problems. There seems to be plenty of threads on this forum, reddit, etc with LG CX owners, for example, complaining about the same issues. Is there a confirmed list of eARC compatible TVs that are confirmed to work perfectly sending an Atmos bitstream to the Sonos Arc over eArc from external HDMI devices (not TV’s internal apps)? I am probably going to upgrade my TV to a 2021 model in the near future but for now I have no confidence that things on my Xbox Series X or Chromecast with Google TV will work perfectly with true Atmos bitstream decoded by the Sonos. 

I don’t feel like this is a case of “buyer beware”… I do my research and I knew I was sacrificing ability to get Dolby TrueHD Atmos and was fine with that. If folks want to buy a $200 splitter thingy so they can route uncompressed audio from their BluRay to their Arc, I get it...but I don’t feel like “you should have known” applies to this sync issue. I have to imagine the vast majority of Sonos Arc owners today have ARC TVs, not eARC TVs, so they are all experiencing this somewhat fatal flaw.