LG OLED 55C7P Audio Dropouts

BrianWestMI

Hi.

I've had a 55C7P since early November and I continue to experience very brief (~ 1 second) intermittent audio dropouts when watching cable TV shows and during streaming videos from Amazon Prime. The picture is not affected when the sound drops out. This does not appear to happen when watching DVD's or streaming video from iTunes or Netflix. It definitely does not happen when streaming music from Pandora via Apple TV 4K.

I've switched out cables to no avail. I have isolated the problem to the TV rather than to ancillary devices.

I was told by LG that upgrading the firmware to version 40.70.36 should solve the problem - but it has not. The new firmware does appear to have fixed a problem wherein I couldn't always get audio from streamed movies that were in Dolby Vision or Dolby Surround format, but I'm still getting the random audio dropouts.

I'm wondering if anyone has any observations or suggestions.

Thanks

Timmy86

Saw after posting that this discussion was in oled and the tv i have is not an oled sorry about that 😵

Timmy86

I have this issue aswell. My tv is an 2015 65UF772v and My receiver is a Marantz SR7015.

I didn't have this problem with this tv with my old pioneere VSX-922.

I don't know if it started efter the firmware update that got installed 2020-06-18 or if it's a compatability issue between the LG and the Marantz.

The sound cut out happens when watching Netflix from the internal app on the LG. When watching Netflix on my Xbox One or Chromecast ultra everything is fine.

Audio999

One of the AV companies has confirmed they can reproduce the issue with the following models:

• LG 50UM7300PSA
• LG 50UM7300PUA
• LG 50UM7600PTA
• LG OLED48CX6LB
• LG OLED55C9PLA
• LG OLED55EC930T
• LG OLED65C9PLA
• LG OLED65E9PTA
• LG OLED65W8PLA

Note: there are a number of Samsung models as well, but being that this is a LG forum we can stick with the LGs.

Audio999

A big thank you to SAllison87 for pointing out the issue.

There appears to be some sort of compatibility issue between newer LG/Samsung TVs and the ESS family of DAC chipsets (or at least a common occurrence of issue). Apparently there is a higher amount of jitter being outputted by these newer TVs and the ESS DACs require adjustment (Pulse-Width Controlled PLL (PWPLL)) to handle it. After a firmware update (if the audio equipment doesn't already offer the adjustability) you will need to set the setting to "wide" versus "normal". Apparently the wider the setting the more forgiving the audio equipment is to jitter (at the expense of audio fidelity).

For the people on this thread it might make sense to look up the DAC processor on the receiving audio device (and provide details).

Me:

LG C9 --> Optical cable --> PS Audio GainCell DAC/Preamplifier (ESS Sabre 9010) = audio dropout

Marakk

Happening via Optical too. So there seems to be no way around it.

Marakk

I have an LG C9, and I'm this exact same problem. Audio drops out from internal apps. TV connected to Samsung soundbar via HDMI ARC. Tried three different high-speed HDMI wires, including Amazon Basics. Didn't work. Reset TV. Didn't work. Tried all combinations of settings. Didn't work. Changed soundbars even. Didn't work. It's a problem with our TVs itself, and it's disappointing to see that there's no solution. @JamalofLG Can we get any info as to what can be done to resolve this? Using the TV as a streaming device is useless otherwise.

SAllison87

I bought a 77" CX a few weeks ago and have the same issue. My old Samsung did this too. TV apps to my DAC is fine, but a device connected to the TV via HDMI, then TV to the DAC/soundbar/receiver will cause this issue.

Fortunately I do have a solution. I suspect if you are encountering this issue your DAC/soundbar/receiver has an ESS audio chip. I don't know why but every DAC I have ever owned with an ESS chip (three out of three) has this issue with TVs.

Try a DAC with an AKM chip. If you plug a Schiit Modi 3 DAC (uses the AKM 4490 chip) into the TV via optical, then from the DAC to your amp via an RCA cable, the issue will be solved.

Otherwise your device hopefully has an optical or coax audio output. Connecting your device's video signal to the TV via HDMI and audio signal to a DAC via the device's digital audio output will work too.

Neither is an elegant solution but they are solutions.

I'm not sure if LG or ESS is to blame for this one. I suspect ESS.

Jofra

i have a lg 65b9Pla and have the same problem , in all the tv apps (Netflix, YouTube ) I have the audio dropouts on my headphones , but if I use a box it’s all good :/

Tried with a jack 3.5mm cable and optical, both have same problems

Jofra

i have a lg 65b9Pla and have the same problem , in all the tv apps (Netflix, YouTube ) I have the audio dropouts on my headphones , but if I use a box it’s all good :/

Tried with a jack 3.5mm cable and optical, both have same problems

Thebrenn

I have the same issue on my C9

JesseZ

LG 65C9 same issues.

Having 1s audio drops every +- hour watching Netflix using internal WebOS app.

HDMI ARC set to passthrough to AV receiver.

Any fix? LG Aware of this issue?

Romeu

https://lgcommunity.us.com/discussion/comment/20997#Comment_20997

Do you have tried sound through ARC?

Everything works fine, in terms of sound, if I use the optical output. However, if I use the HDMI output (ARC), I have a problem only with the Netflix app: there is no sound. If I change on the sound options of de Netflix content, according to the example from "English 5.1" to "English", it works (amplifier appears Dolby D "information; this made me think of Dolby Atmos which was advertised as the new "default "by Netflix .

See image: https://i.ibb.co/gP06hDj/1111.jpg

But there is no logic that works well for optics and not for Hdmi, which makes me believe that it is something in the TV app / firmware. It is clear that any technical assistance says to change the audio settings to PCM instead of being a "direct pass", but I am not convinced as a valid solution.

(advantage of having sound via hdmi - adjusting the volume with the TV remote is much faster than if using optic cable)

Note: I've tried 2 or 3 good hdmi cables and it's the same.

Regards

msuperbrown

I have an LG OLED 65" B9 TV. I have the audio running via optical connection to a Yamaha receiver, and I have the Digital Signal Out setting on the TV set to Pass Through.

If I am using a streaming service (Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, etc)., it works fine.

But if I am watching a movie on my LG blu-ray player, plugged into the TV via HDMI, the audio cuts out momentarily at random as others have described here. It's really irritating.

miltontorres

I was experiencing audio dropouts with the Prime App on my LG C9 right out of the box. I have AT&T fiber so I knew it wasn’t a speed issue. I ended up running an Ethernet cable directly to the TV as a test and it solves the issue so I realized it was a problem with my WiFi. I was using an Apple Airport Express. Ended up replacing that with a Google Nest Mesh system and it solves the problem completely. Much better WiFi coverage in the house overall and it seems to be able to handle the fiber speeds much much better. 

audio_dropout

Same thing happening to me with an LG 65B8.  Intermittent audio drops as seemingly random times.  I expect more from a $3K TV.   Help me LG, you're my only hope!

Forrell1992

Confirmed - I’m getting it with the 2019  55 C9 on my soundbar connected with optical out. 1 second ‘dips’ in audio that are very noticeable , several per minute.

I can bypass the audio dips by using my sound bars auxiliary 3.5mm Jack instead of the optical port but why should I have to use analogue over digital because LG can’t fix what is clearly a widespread issue??!

ErnieS

Same issue with LG 65C9 OLED. Maddening!

Mattio2187

Same or similar issue here. Audio skips or glitches every 10 seconds or so and is very distracting. But only when using the optical connection from my C9 to my amp. Doesn't matter if it's coming from my PS4, Nvidia Shield, or one of the built in apps, if it is passing through the tv via optical it glitches. Direct connects (like PS4 to amp) do not have this issue.

They really need to fix this and hopefully they can via the firmware.

To get around it for now, the analog out does not have this issue. But be sure to set the TV to "Wired Headphone" and not line out which will allow you to turn the volume down to around 65 otherwise the signal clips. ugh.

diz

I bought a 55 c9 a few weeks ago, same problem.    Hulu seems to be the worst app on mine.   It’s connected by arc to a Yamaha receiver and I was planning on trying optical until I ended up here.  Maybe back to the Apple TV.   Or lg tv back to Costco.

elliot

Just bough a 65in C9 and having the same issue with latest firmware. Has there been any update from LG? The store has offered to replace it but I'm not sure if this issue is present on all models.

Givara

Same problem with my OLED 65C8- connected by optical wire to DCS Bartok dac and I’m getting audio drops every several minutes! Why there is no answer from LG? Lots of people for long time are having similar problems! Or is it now normal for LG to sell a 3000$ tv with such flows and just giving no f*ck on lots of people’s complains?

grantg

Has anyone found a solution?  Any help would be appreciated.

Kegan

To LG support:  I have an OLED65B7A that I bought in 2017 and still having issues with the audio drops when using ARC to a Denon AVRX1400H receiver and watching Netflix or Amazon prime.  It is an ARC issue as I don't have the problems when watching Netflix or Amazon with my XBOX One X.  It only seems to be ARC and those apps as it doesn't occur when watching DirecTV using ARC.  Please offer a response to the issue that many are experiencing.  Thank you. 

pedalhead

Same problem here with my brand new OLED65B8PLA. Short audio dropouts when using the optical output, multiple per minute. It's bad enough that I'll be returning the TV for a refund if it isn't resolved very soon.

dtcary

I am having random intermittent audio drop outs for ~1 to 3 seconds.  It’s driving me crazy.  I’ve called spectrum and reboot my DVR constantly, but the problem appears again, sometimes immediately.  It’s model OLED55C7P.  I’m using a Yamaha soundbar with optical cable.  Help.  This is driving me mad.  Spectrum says it’s not their issue.  My other TV is an older Samsung and it doesn’t seem to have this problem, although I don’t watch it that often.  It does not have a sound bar.  I have called LG in the past about lip synch issues which has since gone away. But I dread getting the runaround from a level 1 support person who doesn’t know their stuff.

Has anyone resolved this problem?

HiRobert

I have the same issue. I've tested it with an Apple TV, LG's internal apps, and with/without external speakers (connected via optical cable). I've called LG twice. Interestingly, resetting the factory settings seemed to work for a small period of time -- until the firmware was automatically updated to the latest version. I suspect a problem with LG's more recent Dolby software? 

I'm at a loss on what to do. LG wants me to take it in to have my board examined, but that'll likely cost $200-$300. My wife wants to know why we can't just buy a cheap Costco TV to replace it. I'm frustrated. A 16 month TV shouldn't be having these types of issues. 

cartosco

LG Service don't knows how to solve the problem. I contacted with them several times with the problem and the problem persist. I think that the internal API exposed by WebOS for 3rd parties apps, like Netflix or Amazon have issues with audio when the selected output is an external receiver, my case for example using HDMI ARC. Using DLNA everything works because I've seen a lot of contents without any audio dropout by this way...

ratlhead

Have a new C8 and Denon X3500H - TV hooked up via HDMI 2 / ARC.  Audio from any app on the TV does the same thing as mentioned here - random dropouts for a second or so.

Is the only real solution to abandon using the LG apps and use an external device like an Apple TV?  I have the latest firmware, and if this is indeed an LG issue, it's still not resolved in Dec 2018.

thesloth

Any updates on this? I have a LG OLED 55C7P with the latest firmware in Canada and I get the random audio dropouts when listening to Dolby Digital sources from the HDMI through the TV into my Receiver via Optical.

I do not get dropouts when the audio is stereo or played through internal speakers and I do not get dropouts when playing Dolby Digital from the TV's internal Netflix app over optical to my receiver.

Here is a sample of the sound dropping: https://www.dropbox.com/s/amgs9uneyutvqby/Video 2018-04-28, 12 03 16 AM.mov?dl=0

Here is my setup: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w0c6xqx3y2fv08a/Connection Diagram.png?dl=0

Running the cable box through the receiver stops the audio drops but messes up the remotes such that nobody else can figure out how to use the setup and the receiver won't do 4K with the Apple TV.

Running the sounds over ARC doesn't work either because the Netflix App sends some weird Dobly Digital Plus signal that the receiver cannot decode.

This is driving me nuts and warranty is running out.
Any updates or suggestions?

 Thanks.

cartosco

Same problem here in SPAIN whit LG OLED 55C7V using Netflix with Denon X3300W, playing several contents like Ozark or Family Guy for example. The sound drop out several times  ~ 1 second randomly. I've the latest firmware installed.