Audio Delay for HDMI Connected Dolby Sources
I recently purchased a C9 OLED (firmware 03.60.04) and SL8YG soundbar (firmware main 5484640-157053), and have been experiencing large audio delays of up to two seconds when playing Dolby content from an external HDMI device through the HDMI ARC port between the TV and soundbar.
As the C9 supports HDMI 2.1, I have all of my HDMI sources connected directly to the TV. This allows me to take advantage of VRR, ALLM, etc. Whilst I understand that the SL8YG does not currently support eARC (I am hoping this will be released in a future firmware update), it does support DD+ over ARC. This allows the TV to passthrough Dolby Atmos content using DD+ rather than Dolby TrueHD over ARC to the soundbar.
The problem, however, is that only PCM and DTS are passed through the TV without introducing any audio delay. As soon as the source switches to Dolby related content (Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, etc.) there is a significant delay in the audio being transmitted to the soundbar. I have bought certified premium HDMI cables, which have made no difference. I have also tried every possible configuration in the TV setting menu (AV Sync Adjustment, Bypass, etc.), all of which have made no difference.
The reason why I know the TV is at fault is because all internal apps on the TV (e.g. Netflix) do not experience this issue with Dolby content. My 4K Bluray player (Sony UBP-X700) does not experience this issue either when it is connected to the HDMI in on my SL8YG - the audio and video are in perfect sync. It is only external devices that are connected through HDMI directly to the TV and have to pass audio over HDMI ARC that experience this issue. FYI, I have verified that Optical also experiences this problem.
A great test is to plug an Xbox One X into HDMI 1 on the C9 and an SL8YG (HDMI ARC) into HDMI 2 (ARC) on the C9. From the Xbox audio out settings, you can manually set PCM which works perfectly (no delay), DTS which works perfectly (no delay), but Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos will experience significant audio delays. Further, if you leave the Xbox set to Dolby Atmos and then override the C9 'Sound Out' to be PCM rather than Passthrough, the delay is improved (as a rough guide, passthrough of Dolby encoded content would be around 1s whereas decoded to PCM would drop this to around 300ms). This highlights that there is a problem with the way that the C9 is processing Dolby content from external HDMI connected sources, which causes the audio to lag the video - something that cannot be manually fixed by any available adjustment, not that this would be a viable solution if you wish to use other advertised features of the TV such as ALLM.
I have reached out to LG support a number of times but have been unable to advance this discussion to the appropriate engineering team. Can you please pass this information on to the relevant engineers and advise on when we can expect this functionality to be fixed?
0:00 - 1:00 - LG C9 Audio Settings and Firmware Version
1:01 - 1:20 - Issue with LG C9 not being able to receive 5.1 or 7.1 uncompressed (this should work regardless of whether ARC is being used or not, as the TV can convert 7.1 uncompressed to bitstream output for ARC)
1:21 - 1:40 - Stereo Uncompressed (perfect, no noticeable audio lag)
1:41 - 2:08 - DTS Digital Surround (very good, no noticeable audio lag)
2:09 - 2:40 - Dolby Digital (poor, up to half a second audio lag)
2:41 - 3:15 - Dolby Atmos (very poor, up to a second or more of audio lag)
3:16 - 3:48 - Stereo Uncompressed (perfect, no noticeable audio lag)
As the C9 supports HDMI 2.1, I have all of my HDMI sources connected directly to the TV. This allows me to take advantage of VRR, ALLM, etc. Whilst I understand that the SL8YG does not currently support eARC (I am hoping this will be released in a future firmware update), it does support DD+ over ARC. This allows the TV to passthrough Dolby Atmos content using DD+ rather than Dolby TrueHD over ARC to the soundbar.
The problem, however, is that only PCM and DTS are passed through the TV without introducing any audio delay. As soon as the source switches to Dolby related content (Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, etc.) there is a significant delay in the audio being transmitted to the soundbar. I have bought certified premium HDMI cables, which have made no difference. I have also tried every possible configuration in the TV setting menu (AV Sync Adjustment, Bypass, etc.), all of which have made no difference.
The reason why I know the TV is at fault is because all internal apps on the TV (e.g. Netflix) do not experience this issue with Dolby content. My 4K Bluray player (Sony UBP-X700) does not experience this issue either when it is connected to the HDMI in on my SL8YG - the audio and video are in perfect sync. It is only external devices that are connected through HDMI directly to the TV and have to pass audio over HDMI ARC that experience this issue. FYI, I have verified that Optical also experiences this problem.
A great test is to plug an Xbox One X into HDMI 1 on the C9 and an SL8YG (HDMI ARC) into HDMI 2 (ARC) on the C9. From the Xbox audio out settings, you can manually set PCM which works perfectly (no delay), DTS which works perfectly (no delay), but Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos will experience significant audio delays. Further, if you leave the Xbox set to Dolby Atmos and then override the C9 'Sound Out' to be PCM rather than Passthrough, the delay is improved (as a rough guide, passthrough of Dolby encoded content would be around 1s whereas decoded to PCM would drop this to around 300ms). This highlights that there is a problem with the way that the C9 is processing Dolby content from external HDMI connected sources, which causes the audio to lag the video - something that cannot be manually fixed by any available adjustment, not that this would be a viable solution if you wish to use other advertised features of the TV such as ALLM.
I have reached out to LG support a number of times but have been unable to advance this discussion to the appropriate engineering team. Can you please pass this information on to the relevant engineers and advise on when we can expect this functionality to be fixed?
0:00 - 1:00 - LG C9 Audio Settings and Firmware Version
1:01 - 1:20 - Issue with LG C9 not being able to receive 5.1 or 7.1 uncompressed (this should work regardless of whether ARC is being used or not, as the TV can convert 7.1 uncompressed to bitstream output for ARC)
1:21 - 1:40 - Stereo Uncompressed (perfect, no noticeable audio lag)
1:41 - 2:08 - DTS Digital Surround (very good, no noticeable audio lag)
2:09 - 2:40 - Dolby Digital (poor, up to half a second audio lag)
2:41 - 3:15 - Dolby Atmos (very poor, up to a second or more of audio lag)
3:16 - 3:48 - Stereo Uncompressed (perfect, no noticeable audio lag)
Answers
Add me to the list, just bought a new Sonos Arc and experiencing significant delay with Dolby Atmos on the XBOX One X when using game mode on my LG C8,
To join the dissatisfied Atmos audio delay group: I bought a 65" C9 paired with a Sonos Arc. I do get significant audio delay when I play TrueHD /DD Atmos files from my PC connected via HDMI. I do not have any lipsync issues with the internal Netflix app though.
C9's firmware is 4.80.03.
I have the LG C9 and just got the SN9YG yesterday.
My C9's firmware is 4.80.03.
My SN9YG software versions are, according to the LG Wifi Speaker app:
eARC is enabled on the TV. Soundbar is set to OPT/HDMI-ARC and says E-ARC on the LED panel.
There is a massive delay (seems like 0.25-0.5 seconds) if I try using Atmos through the Xbox One X. No delay via the C9 built-in apps (netflix, etc).
If I set Xbox to anything other than Atmos, there is no delay. Very disappointing.
Bumping this in hope we get a response from @JamalofLG we shouldn’t still be putting up with these issues!
Same with SL8Y soundbar. If select passthrough delay is worse, auto is better, but there is still delay with all internal apps.
Putting in my two cents here to say how disappointed I am that this problem still exists. I just purchased the new Sonos Arc soundbar which supports Dolby Atmos and I'm seeing a 100-200ms delay on pretty much all local app content (YouTube, Netflix etc.).
LG, please release new firmware that gives us the ability to either remove audio processing altogether or go "negative" in the AV adjustment setting.
@JamalofLG Can you shed any light on these issues? it is completely unacceptable that this is still an issue.
I am experiencing the very same issues. My setup is as follows:
PS4/XboxOneX-->HDMI-->LGC9-->Optical/Toslink-->Sonos Soundbase/5.1 Setup
When Bitstream Audio Dolby is activated to get a 5.1 Sound, i have a sound delay of around half a second in Games.
(The sound comes LATER then the action on the screen)
I can notice it very precisely when shooting a gun in game. The sound is annoyingly delayed.
When dolby is not activated and i only send a 2.0 signal via PCM there is NO delay!
When I send the dolby signal directly via optical to the sonos soundbase there is NO delay.
That shows, that the problem is the c9 when it recieves a dolby digital signal.
Apps like Netflix etc. and Live TV Work without a lip sync issue.
Thats extremely dissapointing for a 2000€ TV. I cant enjoy gaming what is the main reason i bought this tv.
PS: I had to try 3 different mail adresses before I recieved a confirmation email to verify ma account here...
I read in the SL8YG manual it didn't support DTS:X passtthrough, only supported by hdmi in. Maybe Samsung works similarly.
First post here. Sorry in advance for the long post. Owner of a 65” C9 purchased late last year. Bought the LG SL8YG with the Rear Speakers at the same time and had to return it the next day because of the severe delay on built-in apps and Samsung K8500 BluRay player. Replaced with a Sonos Beam, Sonos Sub, and two Sonos One SL’s for the full 5.1 system for the last 6-7 months.
Recently found out that the Sonos ecosystem has no support, nor will it ever from the looks of it, have support for DTS which a lot of my current bluray discs have as the only audio track. Knowing this, I started searching for new solutions to take full advantage of my C9. Even considering the new “SN” LG soundbars of this year and giving it another chance. (Google setup on that thing was a MAJOR PAIN and I never got it to work)
After reading KaiserKiwi’s recent post of the Samsung soundbars seemingly working to fix the delay. I bit the bullet and picked up a 2020 Samsung Q70T Soundbar today, which supports ALL DTS and Dolby formats, at my local BestBuy. Also picked up the Panasonic UB820 4K BluRay player. Soundbar is connected directly to C9 via HDMI 2. Panasonic Bluray connected to HDMI 1 of the C9.
Popped in Rocketman disc for the Dolby Atmos playback. Works. No lag, no issues. Even says Dolby Atmos on the soundbar. Popped in The Life Aquatic, normal bluray with DTS HD MA as the only track. Same result, no lag no issues.
Both the C9 and soundbar have been updated to their most recent softwares as of 6/24/2020.
The only issue lies when playing a DTS:X bluray like Ex Machina. With the bluray player plugged into the C9, the Q70T did not recognize the DTS:X track. BUT, when the bluray player is plugged into the HDMI in of the Q70T soundbar, DTS:X flashes on the soundbar like it did for Dolby Atmos. Same result for the DTS:X, no issues, no delay.
Any questions i’ll be glad to answer as I know how expensive this TV is and how painful it is to try and figure out!
After the firmware update is the av sync option in the greyed out? That might mean that auto lip sync in earc may have started working.
In addition to the previous post, I can also confirm that the latest firmware 04.80.03 (eARC fix) does nothing to fix the Dolby audio lag from external HDMI devices when using an eARC connection.
My setup: Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019 --> LG OLED 55C9 --> Samsung Q90r
The TV is connected to the soundbar via eARC and using Belkin Ultra HD high speed HDMI cables.
It looks like the only solution would be upgrading soundbars to earc. Does lg ever confirmed that 2019 soundbars won't be upgraded to earc?
I've installed and tested firmware 04.80.03 (eARC fix), and I can confirm that this does nothing to fix the Dolby audio lag from external HDMI devices when using an ARC connection.
That's great to hear@kaiserkiwi ! Enjoy.
So… I promised to come back after a while to report if the problem with the Samsung HW-Q70R soundbar is solved for me.
First of all: When I connected the soundbar directly (HDMI ARC) the problem was still there. Everything as before, maybe even a little worse.
BUT: After I somehow managed to connect the Smart Things App with the soundbar with a lot of patience (seriously Samsung, that thing is junk...) I was able to install an update for the soundbar. The app is a bit confusing and slow, but you only really need it for the updates, so it works for me.
Whatever. After the update eARC was available and the moment I activated it in the Settings of the TV the sync problems were gone. In every situation it was on pretty much 0 ms except YouTube. But YouTube is also vastly better. According to new measurements it is 20 to 50 ms (Before 200 to 300 ms) depending on the video (1080p and 4K differ here, where 4K sometimes has a higher delay). Most of the time I do not notice it anymore and I can absolutely live with it.
I don't know if it's because of eARC or if Samsung has found a solution to the problem that LG hasn't been able to fix for generations, but it works. I've had the TV for two months now and for the first time I can enjoy everything on it.
Sidenote: The audio sync with the Apple TV had to be removed afterwards So not recalibrated, that still caused sync-issues for me. After I removed the calibration, it was completely synchronized here as well.
Some HDMI 2.0 devices can be upgraded via firmware to eARC, some cannot. It all depends on the SoC. My guess is that LG used a chipset that wasn't upgradable for their 2019 HDMI 2.0 soundbars. That's most likely why they keep saying they have no plans to upgrade it. Either that or they want you to buy their new 2020 soundbars which are HDMI 2.1 and have eARC right out of the box.
I’ve just checked the ‘Twitch Video Sync Test” On YouTube and it is showing about 120-150ms delay, but it’s the same delay as my iPhone recorded in slow mo using 2nd iPhone, and also if you use the iPhone YouTube app, you can reduce playback speed and the video is about 100ms out anyway...
WylieFox, appreciate your input but unfortunately this information is not related to the issue we're all experiencing. Bandwidth and number of supported lossless channels is irrelevant for the issue of passthrough/transcode lag (whether it be ARC or eARC). As you've already mentioned, you had lag on eARC before this update, but now it is fixed, which highlights that there is an underlying issue with the way LG are handling Dolby audio in their products. Further, others have reported in this thread already that eARC hasn't made a difference to the lag. They just need to prioritise the appropriate fix.
The firmware 04.80.03 fixed the lag issue for me but that is because I have an eARC compatible Denon X1600H AV Receiver passing the sound to my speakers. Your SL10YG soundbar is not eARC compatible. It uses the old regular ARC connection.
What you need is a soundbar that is eARC compatible or an AV Receiver which is eARC compatible.
ARC uses 1mbps of audio bandwidth and can only do 2 channel lossless audio or 5.1/7.1 compressed audio. eARC uses 37mbps of audio bandwidth and can do full 6 or 8 channel lossless audio.
Also note that i'm using Belkin 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 cables on all my devices. Older cables will not have the correct bandwidth for eARC.
Unfortunately LG screwed the pooch with their 2019 Soundbars and have stated that they have no plans to update them to be eARC compatible. Only their 2020 newest soundbars are eARC compatible.
when you say "Built in apps are not a problem", does it it mean the sync is spot on? Or do you notice a delay around 100 ms? Best way to check is using slow motion video capture by phoneand twitch sync video.
I’ve just updated my C9 to 04.80.03 (uk) and it has made no difference to my audio lag issues. Tried various options including all the ‘fixes’ from this discussion
Built in apps are not a problem as far as I can see but my issues are Xbox 1 X - C9 - LG SL10YG bar.
XB1X set to Bitstream, then set to DTS is fine. Set to Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos has noticeable lag.
@devoker
I'm waiting on it to release in my region (Australia). I've heard that the new firmware supposedly fixes the LPCM passthrough for eARC (enabling more than 2 channels), but I haven't heard that this fixes the Dolby passthrough issue yet. I will report back as soon as I've been able to test it and confirm.
It'd be great to know whether anybody here has been able to test the new LG 2020 soundbar range with eARC and could confirm whether this issue has been fixed in their new range.
A new firmware has been released for Korea (and works for US also). Anyone tried to see if it solves this issue?
@kaiserkiwi and this:
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/40-oled-technology-flat-panels-general/3075344-official-2019-lg-c9-consolidated-info-faq-troubleshooting-firmware-more.html
@kaiserkiwi yomght want to follow this discussion since you've purchased a new Qseventy
https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/Audio-Video/1010-5-Firmware-Update-for-hw-Q70R-hw-Q80R-hw-Q90R-Soundbars/td-p/1716942/page/37
@kaiserkiwi Yes it's still the case with my new soundbar . I previously returned a Q80 to the store because of the lip sync issue. But when I read of the firmware update I decided to buy one again. I was impressed with the sound of the first Q80 so thought I'd give it another try. The only time I've noticed a lip sync issue is with a few music videos on YouTube. However if I turn off the soundbar and listen through my tv speakers there's still a noticeable Lip sync issue. Maybe I just got lucky with the new one but I'm satisfied with my setup now
Another person experiencing this issue, C8, so no chance of fixing with eARC. Would love to see a fix for this as it makes external sound bars pretty much useless.
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