Soundbar audio sync issue

The usual complaint when it comes to audio syncing is that the audio comes before the video due to the higher processing time of the video feed. This is easily fixed by adjusting the audio delay settings, however, I am experiencing the opposite problem - the video comes before the audio.

The soundbar is the Philips HTL5140 and it is connected it to a Samsung 32F5500 TV via optical cable. An xbox 360, PS3 and Sky+HD box are all connected to the TV via HDMI and all experience the issue described above (sometimes by more or less noticeable amounts, depending on the input, but always the video comes before the audio).

The soundbar audio delay is set to 0ms (and cannot go into negative values) yet it still lags behind the video by a noticeable amount and it's becoming very tiresome and frustrating to watch and listen to.

I tried connecting the optical cable direct to the sky box (not yet tried with the ps3 and the 360 model doesn't have an optical output) and while the delay was slighly less obvious it still occurred. I've Googled it to death and I just can't find a solution.

Any ideas?

ignition wrote:The usual complaint when it comes to audio syncing is that the audio comes before the video due to the higher processing time of the video feed. This is easily fixed by adjusting the audio delay settings, however, I am experiencing the opposite problem - the video comes before the audio.

The soundbar is the Philips HTL5140 and it is connected it to a Samsung 32F5500 TV via optical cable. An xbox 360, PS3 and Sky+HD box are all connected to the TV via HDMI and all experience the issue described above (sometimes by more or less noticeable amounts, depending on the input, but always the video comes before the audio).

The soundbar audio delay is set to 0ms (and cannot go into negative values) yet it still lags behind the video by a noticeable amount and it's becoming very tiresome and frustrating to watch and listen to.

I tried connecting the optical cable direct to the sky box (not yet tried with the ps3 and the 360 model doesn't have an optical output) and while the delay was slighly less obvious it still occurred. I've Googled it to death and I just can't find a solution.

Any ideas?

I had a similar issue with an LG soundbar that i have which has a bluetooth subwoofer. It was a simple fix and you have probably tried it but i switched off both parts for about 2 minutes turned the sub on first and then briefly after the soundbar so they syncd.I also turned the TV off for a while as well just to make sure everything was power cycled correctly and reset any issues.

Tried connecting with 3.5mm audio cable just to test?

Do you have every connected device switched on at the same time?

Try it with just the thing you're actually using switched on, my Yamaha one sometimes has problems if I'm watching TV with the Bluray player still powered up.

degoose wrote:I had a similar issue with an LG soundbar that i have which has a bluetooth subwoofer. It was a simple fix and you have probably tried it but i switched off both parts for about 2 minutes turned the sub on first and then briefly after the soundbar so they syncd.I also turned the TV off for a while as well just to make sure everything was power cycled correctly and reset any issues.

I had sort of tried this before, but not turning the sub on first and not also turning off the TV, however I tried your fuller approach last night and unfortunately it didn't seem to make a difference as far as I could tell.

Ironhide wrote:Do you have every connected device switched on at the same time?

The devices aren't on together, except sometimes the sky box will be left on after I turn on a console, but after trying them all totally separately last night it didn't seem to make a difference.

Johnny Ryall wrote:Tried connecting with 3.5mm audio cable just to test?

I haven't tried this yet as I do not have the cable but, assuming that it could make a difference, would the audio quality be lower going via this cable as opposed to an optical?

Could it be that there is a fault with the soundbar, or even the TV? It seems strange that this soundbar can get so many rave reviews and awards and yet none of the big reviewers ever mention this being a thing.

ignition wrote:Could it be that there is a fault with the soundbar, or even the TV? It seems strange that this soundbar can get so many rave reviews and awards and yet none of the big reviewers ever mention this being a thing.

I have the same sound bar and I think I have seen the same issue (although I'm not using the optical in, but rather just the HDMI ARC connection).

The thing I've noticed however is that because I've got a hell of a lot of things plugged into my TV I have some of them going through a HDMI switch (like this one) and I've noticed that the stuff I have going through that doesn't have the issue.

It seems that a solution is to put something inbetween the source and the TV in order to introduce a bit of delay in the video signal, at least I assume that's what's happening.

HSH28 wrote:

ignition wrote:Could it be that there is a fault with the soundbar, or even the TV? It seems strange that this soundbar can get so many rave reviews and awards and yet none of the big reviewers ever mention this being a thing.

I have the same sound bar and I think I have seen the same issue (although I'm not using the optical in, but rather just the HDMI ARC connection).

The thing I've noticed however is that because I've got a hell of a lot of things plugged into my TV I have some of them going through a HDMI switch (like this one) and I've noticed that the stuff I have going through that doesn't have the issue.

It seems that a solution is to put something inbetween the source and the TV in order to introduce a bit of delay in the video signal, at least I assume that's what's happening.

How many inputs do you have going in? Are they all on simultaneously or individually switched on and off as and when you use them?

Assuming this works and would introduce a bit of video delay, would said delay then make a more prominent input lag for a games console (ie. delay between pressing a button and seeing the action happen)?

ignition wrote:How many inputs do you have going in? Are they all on simultaneously or individually switched on and off as and when you use them?

5 into my splitter box (Amazon Fire TV, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and Picade) and directly into the TV I have my Xbox One with Humax box passing through that, an output from my PC and the Soundbar which also has my PS4 plugged into its HDMI in port.

Obviously its a pretty complicated setup, the Fire TV is an always on device, but I don't know if the splitter is always passing that through when nothing else is turned on. My PC is mostly set to output to the TV when its on. Sometimes I have the PS4 and Xbox One on at the same time, but I also have a Harmony remote control that likes to turn things off that it can when I use it.

ignition wrote:Assuming this works and would introduce a bit of video delay, would said delay then make a more prominent input lag for a games console (ie. delay between pressing a button and seeing the action happen)?

It obviously is introducing some kind of delay and hence lag, but to be honest when I use the devices plugged in through it I can't say that I can tell that there is any more lag than normal. Not to say that you wouldn't notice it, but I don't, other than the fact it seems to have made a difference with the sound.

Quick update on this - I bought the splitter HSH28 recommended, but upon testing it didn't make a difference with the xbox or PS3 and it made the screen flicker quite a bit when displaying Sky. Have you ever seen this with yours? I guess it's probably faulty and I'm going to send it back this weekend.

I've recently just been trying each device as a single input into the tv and removing everything else when not in use. The best result is probably the xbox which is very close to being in sync, but there is still a very slight delay (video before audio again).

The sky box is massively irregular. Depending on the channel/programme/live/recording the delay can vary either way, sometimes it's video before audio, sometimes I have to delay the audio by up to 70ms to get it in sync. This constant adjustment gets quite tiresome.

The PS3 remains as it was with the video before the audio.

I tried watching youtube earlier and connected via Bluetooth for audio and, as with the PS3, the delay is profound and irritating to the point of it being pointless using it.

This isn't the way it's supposed to be, surely? If I get a chance this weekend I'm going to take the soundbar back to the store to be tested and hopefully switched.

ignition wrote:Quick update on this - I bought the splitter HSH28 recommended, but upon testing it didn't make a difference with the xbox or PS3 and it made the screen flicker quite a bit when displaying Sky. Have you ever seen this with yours? I guess it's probably faulty and I'm going to send it back this weekend.

I don't have Sky (like I said I have a Freesat box but that goes through my Xbox One not the splitter), but I've never noticed anything like that on any of the things I do have plugged into the splitter.

EDIT - Just to confirm I don't have the sound bar plugged in through the splitter.