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ARC intermittent connection loss possibly with Atmos only

RaultTN
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Hi all. So far I think this is isolated to Atmos content however randomly while watching Prime Video or Disney content outputting Atmos (through fire stick 4K) I will lose signal (Beam gen 2 and two one sl’s as surround). When it happens I lose sound, the screen flashes and my tv’s LG logo appears for a second before going back to Disney or prime (whatever I’m watching).   I can push play and everything works again, but almost seems like something with the HDMI arc input is being “lost” for a split second.  Or maybe it’s the signal loss for a split second?  

I’ve changed HDMI cords and powered down both the tv and Beam to try and reset but no luck. Randomly happens, sometimes 5 minutes in and other times maybe 15 in. Any ideas?

fyi I recently changed to using SonosNet (beam hardwired Ethernet) as opposed to all wireless is this possibly an issue that anyone knows about?

Setup as follows:

Moderator edit: Removed picture with serial numbers

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Best answer by RaultTN 10 January 2023, 20:05

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RaultTN
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Thank you @Ken_Griffiths  and this is confirmed I am not getting signal loss (or whatever it is) when switched to Dolby Digital.  I am currently on hold with Amazon to see what their suggestion is.  I did just buy a new 4K stick so maybe I can try that stick in case something has happened with that particular stick.  We shall see how Amazon responds...so far this young lady has no idea what Atmos is ha.  But we are getting there.  

Stay tuned!

RaultTN
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Well gentlemen @Ken_Griffiths and @ThatOneDude  I think I am marking this as resolved.  Made it through the entire Disney + Atmos movie, and now running through an Amazon Prime Atmos show just to make sure but all is working as advertised and nothing cutting our nor any lip sync issues.  My System and settings are as follows:

System: LG TV with a Firestick 4K in HDMI 1, Sonos Beam (Gen 2) in HDMI 2 (Arc) both connected via HDMI.

LG TV Settings:

HDMI: ARC

Digital Sound Out: Auto

HDMI Input: all inputs set to Bitstream

Firestick 4K Settings:

Video Resolution: Auto

Match Original Frame Rate: Off

Color Depth: Up to 10 bits

Color Format: Auto

Dynamic Range Setting: Adaptive

Surround Sound: Best Available

  

Ken_Griffiths

A PCM audio setting should get rid of any lip-sync issues. as it’s the default stereo output for all TV’s and is recommended if the TV is old and it’s processor slow and cannot ‘pass-through’ the audio.

Personally, in those type of cases, I would recommend the user opts to use an audio-extractor instead and bypass the TV altogether. There are three common extractors mentioned in the community here for those that have lip-sync issues due to the reasons mentioned, the extractors are:

 

HDFury Arcana

https://www.hdfury.uk/product/hdfury-arcana/

Feintech VAX04101A

https://feintech.eu/en/collections/hdmi-topseller/products/feintech-vax04101-hdmi-earc-pass-switch-4x1-for-soundbar

OREI HDA-931 or OREI HDA-935

https://www.orei.com/products/dual-hdmi-earc-audio-extractor-converter-4k-60hz-18g-hdmi-2-0-arc-support-hda-931

 Hey @Ken_Griffiths  Do you have any US equivalent that you suggest?  I noticed that although Prime and Disney etc are working great, I do have a little bit of lip sync on YouTubeTv only and only when the content is being streamed in DD 2.0.  I see I can get the HDFury but the reviews arent great.  Any other suggestions or do you think that should do the trick since I am using a Firestick 4K?   

Or is that more than I need since I am already getting Atmos content?  Is there something else that I could get that would help with lip sync?  When I change the setting through the Sonos app it works, but then I am off again when going to DD+ content  

 

Thanks again for all of your help!   

My old TV in the Dining Room is ARC only, not eARC, and this chart shows the audio-bandwidth differences between the two types of Port:

Anyhow, my TV has quite a slow processor and no audio pass-through and that’s why I purchased an audio extractor (Feintech VAX04101A) to provide the option of bypassing the TV with external devices like FireTV etc. Such extractors do all work well, but are quite expensive, but much cheaper than buying a new TV and apart from anything else the TV in the Dining Room was otherwise a nice TV (just a bit old).

Anyhow, the extractor/switch worked great and it solved all the lip-sync issues I was seeing with the connected devices/apps and gave me DD+ Atmos (compressed) audio capability too… It actually supports the multichannel Linear PCM  (uncompressed) audio codec aswell as Dolby Digital TrueHD (Atmos) (uncompressed) audio, not that I use those two codecs on that particular setup.

I have heard a lot of good reports from users about the devices and I understand the Arcana is very good aswell .. the OREI device is the ‘new kid on the block’ and I’ve seen good reports about that too. So my thoughts are there is perhaps little to choose between them except the case that the OREI and Feintech devices are a combined extractor/switch, whereas the Arcana would require you to add a HDMI switch, that’s if you needed to plugin more than one external device, like FireTV and say Apple TV, as an example.

The Arcana is also the more expensive product.

So my thoughts are to perhaps do a little more research to begin with and think about your longer term needs and then make your selection, but if it comes down to the Arcana or OREI device (because you perhaps cannot get your hands on the Feintech device) then I would personally go with OREI, but sadly I can’t ‘truly’ vouch for it, as I’ve never used it (or the Arcana for that matter).. it’s just the fact it’s a combined HDMI switch that makes me sway towards that product.

I understand HDFury do have an Arcana-combined-switch device called VRRoom, but it’s apparently very expensive and I’ve not yet come across anyone who uses that product, but here is a link to perhaps assist your research:

https://www.hdfury.uk/product/hdfury-vrroom-8k/

I hope that info. helps 👍

Ken_Griffiths

A PCM audio setting should get rid of any lip-sync issues. as it’s the default stereo output for all TV’s and is recommended if the TV is old and it’s processor slow and cannot ‘pass-through’ the audio.

Personally, in those type of cases, I would recommend the user opts to use an audio-extractor instead and bypass the TV altogether. There are three common extractors mentioned in the community here for those that have lip-sync issues due to the reasons mentioned, the extractors are:

 

HDFury Arcana

https://www.hdfury.uk/product/hdfury-arcana/

Feintech VAX04101A

https://feintech.eu/en/collections/hdmi-topseller/products/feintech-vax04101-hdmi-earc-pass-switch-4x1-for-soundbar

OREI HDA-931 or OREI HDA-935

https://www.orei.com/products/dual-hdmi-earc-audio-extractor-converter-4k-60hz-18g-hdmi-2-0-arc-support-hda-931

RaultTN
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Just wanted to let ya know @RaultTN that so far I havent gotten a single cut out which I find amazing. Never did I think to set the Digital Out to Auto because everything I read always said Pass-through. Also I havent noticed any Lip sync issues on my end. Thanks for everyone's help! May we all have many a night of undisturbed media viewing. 🍻 

Crazy right?  Same here, never thought about it because everything says to stick to pass-through. I also just realized (like 5 minutes ago) I had my “Instant Game Response” turned on for HDMI 1 (firestick) as opposed to HDMI3 (xbox) for some reason. This is the reason I was having a slight lip sync on YouTube tv.  I’m gonna check out this Orei anyways to see how I like it but man what a mess the last week has been trying to figure this out haha. Glad it worked for you also!!  Cheers!!

Ken_Griffiths

I have set my LG C9 TV to ‘pass-through’ as I have set the audio codecs on the attached devices and so the TV does not try to process the audio and just lets it pass through its ports .. but note the default setting on almost all TV’s is ‘Auto’.

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RaultTN
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I have set my LG C9 TV to ‘pass-through’ as I have set the audio codecs on the attached devices and so the TV does not try to process the audio and just lets it pass through its ports .. but note the default setting on almost all TV’s is ‘Auto’.

 

Interesting so I wonder if this eARc setting has anything to do with ithe differences on how it functions?  My tv only have HDMI ARC (no eARC).  And still no cutout at this point.  I think that was it gentlemen.  And yes I do recall it being set to Auto originally but everything I read mentioned Pass-Through but maybe how this particular TV is communicating with the Firestick this is how it needs to be set up?  Remember also that without the Firestick, using just the Smrt TV apps and had the setting on Pass-Through it worked great (no cutout).  

@ThatOneDude  You may try changing on your end to see if you get the same result.  Mind blown but I am deep into Moana (Atmos) and still working like a dream.  Unreal.  

RaultTN
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Hey gentlemen @Mr. T and @Ken_Griffiths.

 

Ran the firestick network speed test and read 95mbps and sufficient for 4K streaming. Below is a screen grab of the diagnostics from Firestick. Seems to be in good shape?

 

RaultTN
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Morning sir.  Here are my settings throughout:

LG TV:

Sound Out: HDMI ARC

Digital Sound Out: Pass Through (other options are PCM and Auto)

HDMI Input Audio Format: HDMI 1 (Firestick): Bitstream; HDMI 2 (Beam) Bitstream

Firestick Settings:

Surround Sound Setting: Best Available (other options are PCM, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Digital Plus)

 

I am currently testing using the smart tv directly for atmos content (Dinsey+).  So far no cutouts but im only 5 minutes in.  It has taken as long as 20 minutes to happen so I will report back.  That would at least narrow it down to the Firestick I would presume (if it indeed does not cut out).

 

@ThatOneDude Hate to hear it.  Its the worst.  Does it only happen on Atmos content for you as well?  Are you using a Firestick 4K for your streaming?  

RaultTN
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Gentlemen @Airgetlam @Ken_Griffiths @ThatOneDude. just got my Orei 931 and have a question about setup. Correct me if i am wrong:

HDA-931 Front:

HDMI In: Firestick 4K

HDA-931 Back

Soundbar eARC: To my Sonos Beam Gen 2 ARC

TV HDMI: to my tv (HDMI 1). If I plug into HDMI 2 I don’t get sound?  should it to go into the ARC input?  Does it matter?  Maybe my settings need changed from my end?
 

 

Ken_Griffiths

Your settings sound fine to me @RaultTN - I have the LG C9 OLED TV and also use a FireTV 4K (not the max version). I use the Fire TV Ethernet adapter too…and  I’ve not encountered any issues with the one here.

Anyhow, have you got the latest software installed for the FireTV 4K and also the latest firmware for your LG TV?

If so and the TV Apps play okay - you could perhaps try the FireTV in another HDMI port - mine is actually not linked direct to the TV, I have it plugged into a HDMI switch (with other devices) and the switch is cabled to HDMI-3.

I have ‘cable TV’ plugged into HDMI-1, Sonos Arc in HDMI-2 (set to eARC passthrough) and a Nvidia Shield in HDMI-4 and not seeing any audio interruptions.

RaultTN
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@Ken_Griffiths  Nevermind that makes zero sense since the Firestick is its own HDMI cord haha.  Let me try another port again just to be sure

RaultTN
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@ThatOneDude  Sorry to hear it.  Yes mine only happens with those apps that stream Atmos as well.  Have you figured out a way to stop the firestick from using Atmos?  I wondering if I set the Firestick output to Dolby Digital if that will eliminate Atmos being pushed out?  Hate to lose the quality but my sanity may be more important ha.  Am I correct that Dolby Digital Plus brings in the Atmos functionality?  @Ken_Griffiths  Do you also know the answer to that question?  Maybe that is what I had previously changed (when it was NOT cutting out) that I have now re-introduced switching back over to “Best Aavailable” through the firestick?

Ken_Griffiths

I too presume the Beam is plugged into ‘7’ and TV into ‘8’ and that the sound-out is set to 7.1 (using the audio select button) with eARC enabled.. fire TV 4K into ‘1’, that’s based on the numbers shown in that user-manual image.

Mr. T
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Am I correct that Dolby Digital Plus brings in the Atmos functionality?  ​​​​​​


Correct - Atmos is carried over DD+, it will not work over Dolby Digital.

ThatOneDude
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@RaultTN @Mr. T Thank you both for your input. In the beginning I had it to "best available" in the settings menu for the fire stick 4k which was basically Atmos ofcourse, problems started to occur so I changed it to DD+ or below and that basically defaulted everything I was watching to DD+ 5.1 or below (until last night on Apple TV+ which I dont regularly use). So I then changed it (again) to just DD (on the Fire Stick 4K settings menu) and it rebooted on me Once more on Apple TV+ and that completely threw me off because it was ONLY ever happening with Atmos Content yet it happened with just regular DD. After that one instance it hasn't happened again so maybe it was a random hiccup (I hope). DD+ worked fine for me on Netflix and Disney + (basically everything else that I use) but not on Apple TV+ (App) .Yes it was passing through Atmos but it didn't with the other apps on DD+ (atleast on my end). 

ThatOneDude
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Yeah I never have much hope when I have to resort to a near smooth brained conversation with a customer support rep. About those settings, to my knowledge I dont think any of that would interfere but ya never know I suppose, interference can come from the most unlikely of places from my experience.  As for the Defaulting to DD+, I just set it to DD+ (On the Fire Stick menu, since that basically dictates what all the apps will (or should) use for audio) lol, that worked for me on everything I use, nothing went above DD+ 5.1 , The only time it differed was when I randomly kicked on Apple TV+ last night and it was Using DD+ to pass Atmos through. Maybe Apple TV+ does things a little differently? Idk tbh but Once the Sonos App tells me Atmos is whats playing then its a wrap for me and it'll do the reboot BS at some point. As of right now I have it on Regular DD and im hopeful. @RaultTN 

RaultTN
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Thanks @Ken_Griffiths  so far I am 15 minutes in and no cutout since changing those settings.  Mine now match what you shared above.  Fingers crossed.  

RaultTN
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@Ken_Griffiths  @ThatOneDude  No dice on changing the Frame Rate or Dynamic Range.  Still cut out on me.  I also confirmed this TV (LG Model 65UM6900PUA) is a 10 bit (HDR10) tv so it should support it.

  

Ken_Griffiths

Yes, my LG TV model is 10 bit colour too.. 👍

FWIW … On my LG  TV I just have ‘instant game response’ disabled on the HDMI-2 eARC port - I’ve left it ‘ON’ on the other ports. Exactly the same for HDMI deep colour too.

ThatOneDude
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I'm right there with ya bud 😅😂 feels kind of counterintuitive but atleast DD+ 5.1 will play when the content has it. I dont even remember how I came to this conclusion, probably countless google searches with some trial and error and a few shots of Bourbon to smooth out the torture hahaha. @RaultTN 

Ken_Griffiths

I've been eyeing the HD Fury Arcana for a few weeks. Do you have a favorite out of the 3? Thanks!

I have the Feintech VAX04101A connected to a Beam in the Dining Room - I chose it because it is a combined extractor/HDMI switch - whereas the Arcana would require a separate additional switch. It was also cheaper than Arcana …and at the time of purchase the OREI device did not exist.

I can only add the VAX04101A can be difficult to get hold of in some countries, but it is extremely well built and works well for me and does the job fine.👍 I just can’t comment on the other two as I’ve not used either of them, but other users say they each ‘work well’ too.

Ken_Griffiths

Just to also clarify the 2019 LG C9 ‘Living Room’ TV is directly connected to my Arc, I don’t use an audio extractor with that TV. (just thought I should mention that here). 

RaultTN
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Let me know if it kicks the bucket, If it does and its NOT passing through Atmos then give it another try cuz I've had zero issues so far (besides the Apple TV+ one from last night, this could be an outlier) *Knocking on Wood*. Sometimes I feel like there might be just the SLIGHTEST amount of lip sync lag but mostly it's not an issue, if it is then its so small that my brain compensates. Cheers! @RaultTN 

It has NOT kicked me out.  So this has fixed that piece for sure.  I have not yet tried to change the setting to Best Available to see if I get Atmos, and if it kicks me out, but I am at least getting one step closer ha.

Ill report back once I test out Best Available and see how goes.

RaultTN
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@Ken_Griffiths @ThatOneDude  So this is interesting. When I change the firestick to Best Available (now having the firestick set to PCM) the audio output through the Sonos app is only “Stereo PCM” so that’s no bueno. 
 

Something else to note. So now having PCM as hdmi1 (firestick), Disney+ only produces DD+ 5.1 which is fine, however I just checked Amazon Prime and started a show and it streamed Atmos regardless of the DD+ setting on firestick. Although I understand that DD+ brings with it Atmos. So it must be something between how Amazon Prime and Disney+ code Atmos maybe?  I have no idea but my brain is melting. 
 

Now to check and see if Amazon Prime (Atmos) kicks me out with PCM and DD* as the default. yay. 

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