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Koustav
Avid Contributor I
February 3, 2022
Answered

streaming Netflix sound thru SONOS

Hi All

  I’m breaking my head trying to find a solution to streaming Netflix sound thru SONOS. When I watch Netflix in apple device (macbook, iphone) and airplay sound to SONOS, there is a slight but noticeable lag. I guess SONOS processes sound input before playing in speakers and that is causing the micro second lag in sound. Is there any good solution to listening movie sound thru SONOS.

 

I was thinking of SONOS Port (although very costly) but understand that the lag issue will be there with Port also.

 

I have ONE SL (2)+SUB in one room.

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bockersjv
bockersjvAnswer
Local Superstar
February 3, 2022

The solution is to buy a Sonos Home theatre product, such as a Beam, Arc, Playbase, Amp or Playbar. Airplay and Line in methods (Port and Sonos Play 5 etc) will always introduce a lag as the System wants to be able to sync all the speakers.  The Home theatre products, and any surrounds bonded to them, don’t have this lag, and if you share the TV sound onto other Sonos speakers it will not be in sync.

 

However if the source is the iPhone or Macbook using Airplay you’ll probably still get the lag.  If the macbook has and HDMI output that may work when plugged into a Beam.  I’ve not tried that myself so can’t vouch for it.

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10 replies

bockersjv
bockersjvAnswer
Local Superstar
February 3, 2022

The solution is to buy a Sonos Home theatre product, such as a Beam, Arc, Playbase, Amp or Playbar. Airplay and Line in methods (Port and Sonos Play 5 etc) will always introduce a lag as the System wants to be able to sync all the speakers.  The Home theatre products, and any surrounds bonded to them, don’t have this lag, and if you share the TV sound onto other Sonos speakers it will not be in sync.

 

However if the source is the iPhone or Macbook using Airplay you’ll probably still get the lag.  If the macbook has and HDMI output that may work when plugged into a Beam.  I’ve not tried that myself so can’t vouch for it.

    KoustavAuthor
    Avid Contributor I
    February 3, 2022

    Thanks. However I’m not interested in buying new SONOS speakers. I want to connect with existing SONOS speakers or buy some normal bluetooth speakers for watching movies.

    bockersjv
    bockersjv
    Local Superstar
    February 3, 2022

    There’s also the Sonos Roam that connects via BT and can also connect to the rest of the Sonos system.  I’m pretty sure you’ll still get a lag with BT though.

      ratty
      ratty
      February 3, 2022

      There’s a lag with Airplay (1-2 secs) and a lag with Bluetooth (~250ms). Unless the sending device compensates for the delay there’ll always be lip-sync issues.

        KoustavAuthor
        Avid Contributor I
        February 4, 2022

        thanks for confirming my assumptions.

        Is there any way of delaying video signal from device to projector while watching Netflix. I read that you can induce lag in VLC player but that does not solve my problem

        ratty
        ratty
        February 4, 2022

        Is there any way of delaying video signal from device to projector while watching Netflix. 

        Only if you can fiddle with the Netflix app somehow. 

        In my experience mobile devices adjust the video for Bluetooth delays, so as to maintain lip-sync. Whether an Apple device does this for Airplay to Sonos I can’t say.

        pwt
        pwt
        Virtuoso
        February 4, 2022

        There’s a lag with Airplay (1-2 secs) and a lag with Bluetooth (~250ms). Unless the sending device compensates for the delay there’ll always be lip-sync issues.

        AirPlay 2 should allow compensation for the delay; video playback is delayed by the sending device to sync with the audio output at the speaker. I believe that AirPlay 2 provides timing data to the sending device.

        Seems to work OK for me with Sonos and various Apple devices (macOs, iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV), but there may be some minor sync issues I haven’t noticed.

        4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300
        ratty
        ratty
        February 4, 2022

        Yet the OP said he had “slight but noticeable lag” when Airplaying to Sonos? Agreed that this shouldn’t matter if the video is equally delayed… apart from the latency in control interactions. 

        pwt
        pwt
        Virtuoso
        February 4, 2022

        Yet the OP said he had “slight but noticeable lag” when Airplaying to Sonos? 

        OP also said ‘micro second (sic) lag’. As I said, quite possibly something I haven’t noticed.

        Clearly AirPlay 2 is aiming to maintain sync, in contrast to AirPlay v1 where the delays are unpredictable, and of the order of seconds, as you stated. 

        4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300
        KoustavAuthor
        Avid Contributor I
        February 8, 2022

        There’s a lag with Airplay (1-2 secs) and a lag with Bluetooth (~250ms). Unless the sending device compensates for the delay there’ll always be lip-sync issues.

        AirPlay 2 should allow compensation for the delay; video playback is delayed by the sending device to sync with the audio output at the speaker. I believe that AirPlay 2 provides timing data to the sending device.

        Seems to work OK for me with Sonos and various Apple devices (macOs, iOS, iPadOS, Apple TV), but there may be some minor sync issues I haven’t noticed.

        I was watching video in Macbook and streaming audio to SONOS. the lag was noticeable to negatively impact the viewing experience.

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