I've been living with lip sync issues (audio behind the video) since I got my Playbar about a year ago but I finally decided to do something about it. After multiple conversations with Sonos support and the LG's support people (they kept blaming each other for the audio delay), I decided to email Sonos' CEO about the issue.
After a few hours, I got a reply back from him, CCing a team manager who was going to look into the issue. We scheduled a call and he had me send various diagnostics to him. He said that the engineering team was going to investigate and get back to me.
A week later, I got an update. He told that they are still working on the issue. He also said that only one other person had reported the same issue (I assume that means that only one other person with an LG TV). So, if you're having audio delay issues and you've tried all other troubleshooting, reach out to Sonos support and have them look into it. If it helps you might mention my reference number, which has already been escalated:
Keep in mind that my setup is pretty straight forward (LG C6 OLED TV connected directly to the Playbar via Optical, audio playing from the built-in apps) and every single thing LG and Sonos suggested, including going into the TV's service menu and changing things there.
I know there are multiple post on the topic so hopefully we can solve at least some of the issues causing audio delay.
If you own an OLEDC8 there was a firmware update(4.10.06) release a couple of days ago.This update is being pushed to a lot of OLED TVs but there is nothing in the change log about fixing an audio lip synch delay. Have not yet tested to see if this is fixed with the latest update but I HIGHLY doubt it is not.
The only SONOS solution to fix this problem is to switch to PCM. Who wants to listen to PCM on a surround sound system ? No one!
As stated before the only true solution to fix this problem is to buy and optical splitter. While not ideal, it does work flawlessy now with the splitter and you are getting 5.1 straight from the source.
My advice is if you have multiple sources connected to the playbar/beam, just buy the splitter. Do not call LG or SONOS about the problem. You will only waste your time on an hour long hold time for low level techs giving politicians answers.
ITS BEEN A YEAR AND ITS STILL NOT FIXED, let that sink into your head before you pick up the phone to call.
Another bone to pick with SONOS staff..I have actually called several times and spoken to several different "technicians" and have been told misinformation/lies. The information below is what i was told by different "technicians"
1. You must have cheap cables, try replacing your cables.
2. We have never heard of this problem before
3. Yes we are "working" with LG to get this resolved as quickly as possible
4. Just turn it to PCM there is really no difference between that and 5.1
Seems to me like there is a disconnect at SONOS. Please train your "technicians" to all be on the same page. We know there is an issue, but your technicians seems to think otherwise.
Previous post below....
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LGOLED65C8PUA owner here with PlayBar and an ATT Uverse.
I can confirm that the lip sync delay is still there. The only way the lip sync delay is not there is if i use the built in smart apps or if I directly connect the optical cable to the the source(ps4,uverse box, etc.)
I have called Sonos and they kind of hinted to me its an LG Problem but they wouldn't come out and say it. Kind of gave me the typical run around..maybe its your HDMI cable, maybe its your optical cable, basically low level technical advice.
I have called LG and was supposed to get a call today from LG VIP OLED Tech Team, as you can imagine I never got the phone call...
This is not going to get fixed guys from LG or Sonos!!
Bottom line: If you want this to work you are going to have to buy aftermarket equipment to split the connection.
I'll keep this updated if anything changes after the call with LG.
Another update. I was told I will have another mainboard replacement next week after five calls to LG since the first replacement (four this week!). I'm sad to say my patience with LGs customer support is worn thin at this point due to lack of following up as promised (and the unresolved issue). I can understand that they aren't magicians, but calling a customer back as promised does not require witchcraft, only a phone. Hope they can cook up a mainboard that resolves the issue so I can focus on enjoying content instead of this s....
I had the motherboard now changed for over a week. In that time I tried other devices I previously had delays with: Sonos bars, Xbox one x, PS4 pro, Astro mixamp etc. No more delays over optical or hdmi arc.
I can only repeat myself. If you experience delays with your LG tv it’s most likely the motherboard and you have to be persistent with the LG customers team for a replacement. It took the engineer 10 mins to swap it and all problems are solved. Please don’t waste your time with settings and splitters etc.
Thank you so much for your advice! My problems are solved too with the new motherboard!
Like most people, i wish i had read this thread prior to purchasing my Beam.
I have an LG OLED B8, it's about a month old, and i find that when i connect my Beam through ARC, all external devices are generating about 250ms of audio lag behind the video when those devices send Dolby Digital 5.1. I've tested a PS3, AppleTV (2nd gen), and Xbox One X. I'm getting a PS4 Pro next week so i could test that too, but honestly they all have exactly the same amount of lag, so i think there is no point.
I've also changed the audio settings on all of those devices to send a Stereo signal instead of Dolby, and watched as lag improved to near perfect on all 3 devices. However, I don't think it sounds as good. I'm not looking for perfection here (although it would be nice), but 250ms is just too much IMO. If it were sub-100ms, then i'd probably not be writing this post.
All internal apps on the TV, such as Netflix, Youtube, etc. output to the Beam via ARC with no delay.
I'm inclined to believe that it is an LG problem... but if that's true, wouldn't ALL soundbars and receivers experience the same delay over ARC? wouldn't that render OLED ARC basically borked??? Yes, I could get an optical splitter, but the main draw of this Sonos Beam was it's ease of use and the ability to use ARC seamlessly. That has not been the case.
I'm driven mostly out of curiosity at this point to find out what the heck is going on. Sadly, the Beam is going to have to go back. I like the sound, but for $400, I don't think that amount of lag over ARC is acceptable. My preference is to buy a new device that will not have any lag over ARC, but does such a device exist???? I'll do some research, but please let me know if you have found a solution that works.
If anyone else has had issues with ExternalDeviceSendingDolbyDigital5.1->OLED->ARC->Sonos Beam, and found that another device didn't cause any audio delay, I would love to know. Also, I'll report back with any new info i'm able to gather.
If you want to investigate further try audio directly from source. The beam has optical and HDMI? Send the picture to the TV and run audio directly from source to Sonos. I had the same lipsync issue with Amazon PrimeVideo internal app for 5.1 content on the TV as source as well. First episode of Man in the high castle confirmed the issue for me.
For my B7V the TV is the source of the problem. A Sony FullHD 40" model does not show any of the issues with the same setup. Best of luck!
No amount of fiddling could get the sound from the Blu-ray player in sync with the picture though, as others have observed the picture was arriving first, so audio delay settings couldn't help. Sound from the internal Apps was perfectly in sync.
I found many threads complaining about this and after seeing how old some of them were decided that I didn't want to wait for some mythical firmware fix from LG, and after spending so much on a TV I'm not prepared to have to buy an external switch and add to the AV cable clutter just to workaround something that so obviously should just work.
It's clearly a TV problem, so it's going back, and I'm going back to reading TV reviews again. LG have lost me as a current and future customer.
I continue to use the cables that came with both of my PLAYBARS (several years ago), and still have absolutely no lipsync issues on either of my Vizio TVs.
And when was the PLAYBAR designed? According to Google, it was released in February of 2013. Let's assume, for sake of argument, that the original design started at least two years before, in order to get the design completed and a factory line spun up. So in 2011, what was the common factor for connecting to TVs? When was HDMI-ARC released as a common feature for TV sets, and in common use? Can we agree that the PLAYBASE is basically a reframe of the PLAYBAR?
I'd suggest that the Beam was one of the early users of the HDMI-ARC for speakers. Many manufacturers have supported HDMI-ARC, but it's only in recent years that it's become enough of a common denominator for a company like Sonos to implement a device that uses it.
I would not say Sonos is a trailblazer, but that makes sense to me, inasmuch as they are a company that wants to sell the maximum number of devices. That's their business model. They don't make any money any other way. So the trailing the common connection standards makes sense. It wouldn't be intelligent for them to invest in a connection process that isn't in some larger than zero percent of TVs. But they shouldn't bet a lot of money on things that don't pan out in the marketplace, otherwise they put themselves in a bad financial position. Imagine a company that bet the farm on 3D televisions....a format that doesn't appear to have legs, at least at this moment.
Do I expect/hope that eARC is the next big thing? Sure. But if I expect Sonos to implement it on their next big TV speaker release, I wouldn't expect them to do so if only 10% of the TVs in the marketplace have the capability, unless there's some backwards functionality included in the spec. Don't know, haven't researched enough yet.
And yes, I consider the adherence to Dolby Digital and Stereo as the only options to be an aspect of the fact that the majority of devices that they've shipped are based on optical connections....a standard that is still common in TVs sold today.
At the end of the day, I expect Sonos to do things that benefit Sonos' bottom line. Not necessarily what benefits my needs at the moment, but hopefully there's a bit of alignment there. But I'll never expect a company that appears to be focused on ease of use and maximum market share to be a company that makes wild bets on tech that hasn't penetrated the marketplace to a certain extent.
And frankly, I'm not sure what you can expect Sonos to say here in this thread that would be beneficial to the marketing strategy of the company.
For anyone that circumvented this issue by using a switch to extract the audio and connect straight to the Playbar: Which model is recommended to maintain the same level of video quality? (4k 60fps HDR)
For anyone wondering about this: I was able to solve this by using the switch located here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076XV1LVS/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item
While maintaining 4k@60fps HDR quality. The auto switching between channels seems fast and works flawlessly (might also be because of HDMI CEC), and it still allows for 5.1 sound on my Smart TV Apps through HDMI ARC. I wanted a device that was able to switch automatically between inputs as I don't want to fiddle with an extra cheap remote for my setup, I am pleased this was the case. And best of all: No more audio delay!
In my setup, I only have an Apple TV 4K connected to my C7 - I can fix the issue by forcing DD through the Apple TV and connect the beam through the optical but then I lose the ARC functionality, just adjusting the sound with one remote in my case though so not too big of an issue as I don’t use Alexa with the beam for example. But if a switch fixes the lip sync through optical while keeping the HDMI ARC benefits, I’d go for the solution.
Thanks in advance!
I’m not an expert here so appreciate the advice on the device I’d need as well. Based on earlier posts, I’ve been look on amazon for a switch and wondering if this would do the trick:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07F6YPVZJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_tUQZCbW9PAZFN
That's correct. Once putting my TV's sound to 'HDMI external sound' I was able to control just the Playbar using my TV's remote without any further feedback from my TV, which is actually an upside from before. I can't guarantee that it works the same way with a Beam, as my setup only has a Playbar instead, but using the switch I get 5.1 sound from anything plugged into the switch ánd the TV's apps.
My setup is like this:
PS4Pro > HDMI > Switch
Switch > HDMI > TV
Switch > Optical > Playbar
I also noticed about the switch you linked it only supports 4k@30fps, so if you are worried about 4k gaming or HFR movies I'd go for a different one.
Many of the people have ended up getting an HDMI switch, which is external to the TV, in order to strip out the audio before it actually reaches the TV. They're relatively inexpensive, depending on what features you want. You can check out local prices for you on Amazon, although that's not the only place to purchase them. But it is certainly a good way to do research.
Tv with sonos beam and sky q with hdmi pluged in to hdmi arc on tv tried all settings new hdmi lead to no avail so I've ended up using a optical lead pluged directly in to sky q box and beam not ideal but aslong as only watching sky it works not happy after investing over £3000 in new technology and it doesn't work together
Sky in DD, Xbox one X both have issues, however the Apple TV 4k is the closest with hardly any lip sync sometimes? Will play ok with itune purchases, but can vary dramatically when using infuse.
Have opted to order the https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076XV1LVS/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item as advised by NeilAngels above. Will let you know how I get on with it.
Yes, goto the TV Settings/Sounds/Sound out… it will appear when either the 'HDMI-ARC’ or 'Optical' option is selected. Switch the “Digital Sound Out” setting.
Yes, goto the TV Settings/Sounds/Sound out… it will appear when either the 'HDMI-ARC’ or 'Optical' option is selected. Switch the “Digital Sound Out” setting.
Perfect!! Thank you.
At first thought I thought the 3x1 toslink from J-Tech that MSterling linked was the solution for me but this will only work if the source of the audio/video has an optical output, which my Apple TV 4K does not. The J-Tech 4K@60HZ HDMI Audio Extractor Converter SPDIF + 3.5MM Output solved my audio sync problem but with that installed between my cable box and the Samsung the only way to get audio from Apple TV to my Playbar is to switch out the HDMI in/outputs on the extractor. I’ve searched for an extractor with multi HDMI in/out ports and toslink but can’t find such a thing. Is there a solution for this I’m overlooking?
Booner, Is this what you’re looking for? It would allow the HDMI from the Cable box and HDMI from AppleTV as inputs. HDMI out to video for TV. TOSlink output to Playbar. If Playbar needs HDMI, then you would use the Optical to HDMI adapter on the TOSlink.
https://jtechdigital.com/product/3x1-audio-extractor-4k/
This also may be a choice.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P9P9NBN/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_BvZ-DbGWGATAX
At first thought I thought the 3x1 toslink from J-Tech that MSterling linked was the solution for me but this will only work if the source of the audio/video has an optical output, which my Apple TV 4K does not. The J-Tech 4K@60HZ HDMI Audio Extractor Converter SPDIF + 3.5MM Output solved my audio sync problem but with that installed between my cable box and the Samsung the only way to get audio from Apple TV to my Playbar is to switch out the HDMI in/outputs on the extractor. I’ve searched for an extractor with multi HDMI in/out ports and toslink but can’t find such a thing. Is there a solution for this I’m overlooking?
Booner, Is this what you’re looking for? It would allow the HDMI from the Cable box and HDMI from AppleTV as inputs. HDMI out to video for TV. TOSlink output to Playbar. If Playbar needs HDMI, then you would use the Optical to HDMI adapter on the TOSlink.
https://jtechdigital.com/product/3x1-audio-extractor-4k/
This also may be a choice.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P9P9NBN/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_BvZ-DbGWGATAX
Thanks, MSterling. After more thought I ordered the 3x1 toslink audio switch from J-Tech you recommended. I think it may work. Throughout this thread most say there is no sync issue with 4K ATV running through the TV and out to the Playbar via optical so I plan to try running HDMI from the cable box and from the ATV to the Samsung and then run optical audio cables from the cable box and the Samsung to the J-Tech audio switch and then out to the Playbar. If it works I’ll be able to return the J-Tech extractor.
Happy to report the J-Tech 3x1 audio switch solved all my audio sync problems. I have my PlayBar and 4K ATV connected as shown below. Hope it’s helpful to anyone still having lingering issues.
Cable box → J-Tech audio switch via optical
Cable box → Samsung Q60 via HDMI
4K ATV → Samsung Q60 via HDMI
Samsung Q60 → J-Tech audio switch via optical
J-Tech audio switch → PlayBar via optical
Same situation here, LG C9 and Sonos Beam connected via HDMI, experiencing audio delay when using my PS4 outputting bitstream. Changing the output to Linear PCM resolves the audio delay but is stereo only and sounds rubbish compared to bitstream. I’ve emailed a complaint to LG but not holding out much hope for a resolution.
It’s astonishing how many posts there are on the internet detailing the same problem going back to at least 2017. People are spending extra money on what appears to be very inelegant solutions to something that could surely be resolved, if only these companies would take some collective responsibility and work together in the interests of their customers.
You need an optical/toslink switch. There are many on amazon to choose from with varying numbers of inputs. They all do the same job.
You can also use a hdmi switch that has an optical extractor on it so that all your hdmi inputs go to it but the hdmi output of the switch only sends video, the audio being extracted/converted to an optical output on the switch that goes to your beam.
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