Is Sonos Guilty? Lip Sync

  • 11 May 2020
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Sonos and Lip Sync on Sony Products


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8 replies

You are going to have to supply more info than that.

Userlevel 4
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There are lip sync issues on My Panasonic as well. It’s mainly down to manufacturers getting to pick and choose which parts of ARK they implement. The weird thing is that as it is picture before sound that means that there isn’t a straight audio pass through, eventhough I feed my Panasonic already with 5.1DD .Obviously it is argued by the TV manufacturers that the audio delay is due to the time it takes for Sonos to process the audio, however, there is no issue with lip sync when I use the internal apps though, so that disproves that argument for me  


This should be a thing of the past with eARK as it includes lip sync protocols as standard. Still waiting to see some reviews with people who have eARK though. 

ARC, (likely autocorrect) but yes, I agree. You can ‘prove’ this by bypassing your TV, either by using a standard HDMI to optical switch, or using an optical output on your source device and connecting that to your Sonos. You should see the delay disappear. 

On some TVs, you can ‘fix’ this by updating the firmware, but on many, it appears to be an issue with the internal electronics not allowing direct passthrough on an HDMI input. 

Userlevel 7
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I responded to your question on the main Arc thread, but I’ll copy it here in case you had any followup, this is probably a better place for the discussion anyway:

  

@RFGroup, sorry to hear about that trouble! We’ve found that if there’s a lip sync issue, it’s often because either some audio processing that the TV is applying to the audio before sending it to the attached audio device, or the TV is using most of its resources on processing the high definition video that it sends the audio after handing that work, which can be noticeably slow. Usually this will be an issue for just about any soundbar connected with the TV, as the Sonos device is playing the audio as soon as it gets there. To fix this, there are some suggestions here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3336 

If there’s no way to prevent the TV from adding a delay, you can look into wiring your speaker directly to the source, or use an HDMI switch with an audio output for Sonos. Some of these TV manufacturers have put out updates that help with the lip sync issues, but not for all of the TVs. 

 

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My Dish receiver goes directly into the HDMI of the Sony XBR55-A8G.  The optical cable goes directly from the XBR55-8AG to the Sonos PlayBar. The HDMI cables were all updated to current high-speed standards when the PlayBar was installed. All the cables are concealed within the wall. 

I would need about a 15 ft. plus an optical cable that I could fish, to try to get from the Dish Receiver to the PlayBar.  Then what happens to my streaming services out of the smart TV. Is their Lip Sync going to be faulty now, too?  

If I am understanding correctly, you are saying that all soundbars suffer the same flaws with Lip Sync with all TV.  We really don’t have the technology yet to support this concept correctly, but it is ok to keep selling it to people without warning.

No, it depends on the electronics in the TV set as to whether they can deliver the signal to the Sonos in an appropriate amount of time. For instance, if you were to connect your Dish receiver with an optical cable directly to your PLAYBAR for testing, it would have audio sync with the video signal on your TV. The same if you were to introduce a device (HDMI switch) that pulls the audio off of the HDMI cable before it enters your TV set, and sends the signal via optical to your PLAYBAR. 

It’s not the cables, it’s not the PLAYBAR, it’s your TV that’s the issue. And, I’ll admit, it’s unfortunate, but there’s simply nothing that Sonos can do to speed up the ability for your TV to process the sound and send it out to the PLAYBAR fast enough. 

Userlevel 7
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This isn’t likely to be an issue with cables or bandwidth. And it only affects some TVs, but the TVs that do have trouble processing HD video and audio at the same time will likely display similar issues on all soundbars. If it’s a matter of audio processing being applied to the audio before sending it out, there are some settings on the TV that you can try to work with to fix. And of course, please make sure you’ve updated the TV to the latest firmware.

Currently, how is the lip sync for your built in apps on the TV? Do they have the same issue as you see with the Dish receiver?

Have you tried the steps suggested here: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/articles/00026069 Specifically, number 8 has some great suggestions for what you’re likely seeing.

  •  Set Digital audio out to PCM.

    On the supplied remote control, press the HOME button. Select Settings icon Settings . The next steps will depend on your TV menu options:

    • Select Display &Sound → Audio output → Digital audio out → PCM.
    • Select Bravia Settings → Digital audio out → PCM.
    • Select Sound → Digital audio out → PCM.

     

  •  Change the current A/V sync setting.

     

     

    Not all Android TVs have an A/V sync setting.

    1. Press the HOMEbutton.
    2. Select Settings icon Settings.
    3. The next steps will depend on your TV menu options:
      1. Select Display &Sound → Audio output → A/V sync → Auto or On.
      2. Select Sound → A/V sync → Auto or On.

     

  •  Set Pass through mode to Auto

     

    Not all Android TVs have a Pass through mode setting. Check your manual for model-specific information. The System sounds, the Google Assistant, TalkBack, and Screen reader are not output while playing content with the Pass through mode setting active.

    If TalkBack is set to On, set it to Off.

    1. Press the HOME button.
    2. Select Settings icon Settings.
    3. Select Display & Sound → Audio output → Pass through mode → Auto.
    4. Press the HOME button.
    5. Select Settings icon Settings.
    6. Select Device Preference → Accessibility → TalkBack → Off.

     

 There’s a thread here with a similar Sony TV and the solution was to skip the TV, but it’s a bit of an old thread. And another with I believe the same TV here.

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Sorry I have been working on a project that has engulfed my life.  I want to get back to this.  I am tempted to ask if I had a Sonos ARC and go for the Sony arc HDMI to the Sonos HDMI, would I have the same problem.