Audio Out of Sync on TV? How to Fix Lip Sync Problems

Few things are as distracting as voices that don’t match lips. Even a small delay — a fraction of a second — is noticeable once you’ve spotted it. The good news is that audio out of sync on a TV almost always has a fixable cause.

This guide explains why it happens and how to fix it for every common setup. For other playback issues, see our streaming troubleshooting guide.

Why sound and picture drift apart

Picture and sound travel different paths, and each path adds its own delay:

Cause	Effect
TV picture processing (motion smoothing, noise reduction, upscaling)	Picture delayed → audio appears early
Soundbar or receiver processing (surround, Atmos, room correction)	Audio delayed → audio appears late
Bluetooth headphones or speakers	Audio delayed → audio appears late
Audio format conversion (e.g. surround to PCM)	Can add delay
App or device bug	Sync drifts over time or only in one app

Knowing whether audio is early or late tells you which way to adjust.

Step 1: Check if it’s everything or one app

• Only one app or title: likely an app issue — update, restart or reinstall it. Try another title to rule out a badly encoded stream.
• Every app on one device: likely device or audio settings.
• Everything, including TV menus and other inputs: likely the TV, soundbar or Bluetooth path.

Step 2: Restart everything in order

1. Turn off the TV, soundbar/receiver and streaming device.
2. Turn on the TV, then the soundbar/receiver, then the streaming device.
3. Test again.

This re-establishes HDMI audio and video settings, which can fix sudden sync problems.

Step 3: Reduce TV picture processing

If audio arrives before the picture:

• Choose Filmmaker, Cinema or Movie mode, which use less processing.
• Turn motion smoothing off or low.
• Turn off noise reduction and other enhancers.
• As a test, try Game mode — if sync improves, processing is the cause.

Our guide to TV picture settings for streaming explains these settings.

Step 4: Use the lip sync / AV sync setting

Most TVs, soundbars, receivers and streaming devices have a sync control:

• TV: often called AV sync, Audio delay, Lip sync or Digital output audio delay.
• Soundbar/receiver: AV sync, Lip sync or Audio delay.
• Streaming device: some have an audio sync calibration in the audio settings.

Adjust in small steps while watching someone speak. Many devices also offer an automatic lip sync option over HDMI — make sure it’s on.

Rule of thumb: if audio is early, add audio delay. If audio is late, reduce audio delay (or reduce video processing so the picture catches up).

Step 5: Check HDMI audio settings

For soundbars and receivers connected by HDMI:

1. Turn on HDMI-CEC.
2. Use the TV’s ARC/eARC port.
3. Enable eARC if both devices support it.
4. Set TV digital audio output to Auto, Bitstream or Passthrough.

eARC supports automatic lip sync correction more reliably than older ARC. See HDMI ARC vs eARC.

Step 6: Try a different audio format

Format conversion can add delay. On the streaming device:

• Switch audio output between Auto, Dolby Digital Plus and Stereo/PCM and compare.
• If sync improves in stereo, the surround processing chain is adding delay — use the soundbar’s AV sync setting to compensate.

Step 7: Bluetooth headphones and speakers

Bluetooth adds noticeable delay, and some combinations handle it better than others.

• Use devices that support low-latency codecs where available.
• Pair directly to the streaming device rather than the TV (or vice versa) — one may compensate better.
• Use the TV or device’s Bluetooth audio delay setting if it has one.
• For late-night viewing, consider a wired option or your platform’s phone-based private listening feature.

Step 8: Update everything

Manufacturers fix sync bugs in software updates. Update:

• The streaming app.
• The streaming device or TV.
• The soundbar or receiver firmware.

Fixes by setup

Setup	Best first fixes
TV speakers only	Reduce picture processing; TV AV sync
Soundbar via HDMI ARC/eARC	CEC on, eARC on, soundbar AV sync
Receiver with streaming device plugged into it	Receiver lip sync; auto lip sync on
Optical cable to soundbar	Soundbar or TV audio delay setting
Bluetooth headphones	Pair to device with best latency; Bluetooth delay setting

Choosing new audio gear? Our comparison of soundbar vs home theater system covers what to look for.

How to measure the delay

Fine-tuning is easier when you can judge the delay accurately:

1. Find a scene with clear speech — a newsreader or close-up dialogue works best.
2. Watch the lips on hard consonants like “p”, “b” and “m”.
3. Adjust in small steps (often 10–20 ms), then pause and re-check.
4. Try a clapper or sync test video from a reputable source if available on your platform — the clap should land exactly on the sound.
5. Check on more than one app once you’re happy, since some apps behave differently.

Why newer TVs can make it worse

Modern TVs do a lot of processing: upscaling, noise reduction, motion smoothing, HDR tone mapping. Each step adds a few milliseconds to the picture. TVs try to compensate by delaying their own speakers, but when sound goes to an external soundbar or receiver, that compensation relies on the devices communicating properly over HDMI — which is why turning on eARC and auto lip sync helps.

Gaming consoles and PCs

If you also play games on the same TV:

• Use Game mode for the console’s input — it minimises picture delay.
• Set the console’s audio output to match your soundbar’s capabilities.
• Keep separate picture settings for the streaming input and the game input.

When sync drifts over time

If sync starts fine but drifts during a film:

• Update or reinstall the app.
• Restart the device before long viewing sessions.
• Try a different audio format.
• Check the device isn’t overheating (common with sticks behind TVs).

The bottom line

Figure out whether audio is early or late, reduce picture processing, then use AV sync controls to fine-tune. With HDMI audio, turn on CEC and eARC; with Bluetooth, pick the device that compensates best. Most lip sync problems are fixed in ten minutes.