A common problem that people encounter when watching TV is that Sound(audio) does not match the picture does not match.
Some audio and video inconsistencies can be due to a common problem, namely lip sync. Lip sync is the difference in timing between what someone says on the screen and what you hear as sound. We explain how to fix sync issues on your TV so that the audio matches and is synced with the video.
This is easier to think of when you see someone’s mouth moving on the TV, but what you hear is maybe half a second before or after. You see an actor’s mouth say “Yes”, but then you hear “Yes” after they have stopped moving their mouths. This is often called an audio synchronization problem.
Quick audio corrections do not match the image:
- There are several causes for this problem, but the most common solution is a power reset of your TV.
- Make sure all cables are securely connected to your TV and source device.
- About half of all home theater systems use an optical cable to connect the audio, which sometimes causes a sound delay. There may also be a setting on your TV that is causing the problem. Check the settings to fix the problem.
- When you watch a TV show, it could either be the TV broadcast itself or your digital box or satellite dish having a problem.
- If the video and audio on a DVD or Blu-ray disc do not match, it may be due to a bad connection to your TV or the movie disc is defective or counterfeit.
How do I fix TV sync issues?
You want to go into your audio settings for either your TV or cable box and check the “audio delay settings”.
TV settings for audio delay
NOTE: On some remote controls, there is a button to press for “room size” or “sound delay”. Pressing one of these buttons solves the problem with the audio synchronization problem. If not read below…
- Enter the TV menu and select SOUND SETTINGS.
- In SOUND SETTINGS, find and set the “sound delay” to another setting (either higher or lower)
- Once you have changed the “sound delay” settings, go back to watching TV and see if it is now in sync.
- Repeat this as many times as you need to synchronize the sound.
- If nothing works, you can do a factory reset on your TV, but remember that all saved settings will be lost.
Digital box/satellite dish settings for the sound delay
NOTE: On some CAB / SAT BOX remote controls, there is a button to press for “room size” or “sound delay”. Pressing one of these buttons solves the problem with the audio synchronization problem. If not read below…
- Go to the CAB / SAT Box menu and select SOUND SETTINGS.
- In SOUND SETTINGS, find and set the “sound delay” to another setting (either higher or lower)
- Once you have changed the “sound delay” settings, go back to watching TV and see if it is now in sync.
- Repeat this as many times as you need until the sound is synchronized.
- If this does not work, just restart the cable or satellite box and see if a reset or restart solves the audio problem.
Sound does not match the picture: Surround sound settings for the sound delay
NOTE. Make sure the TV speakers are completely OFF. On some surround sound remote controls, there is also a button to press for “room size” or “sound delay”. Pressing one of these buttons solves the problem with the audio synchronization problem. If not continue reading below:
- Go to the Surround Sound menu and select SOUND SETTINGS.
- In SOUND SETTINGS, find and set “sound delay” to another setting (either higher or lower). The “sound delay” adjustments of the surround sound system usually range from 0 milliseconds to 250 milliseconds.
- Once you have changed the “sound delay” settings, go back to watching TV and see if it is now in sync.
- Repeat this as many times as you need until the sound is synchronized.
TV/surround sound has problems with synchronization or echo
- If you hear a sync or echo problem while watching TV, your problem may be that the TV is playing audio from two different sources at the same time. Sound from the speakers on the TV is on and produces sound and the sound also comes through a soundbar or a surround system. This will cause an “eco” sound problem.
- If you have a separate audio system connected to your TV, do not play audio through the TV speakers, use only the surround sound system. The quality of the surround sound will usually be of a higher quality and be a better choice for listening to TV / Movie / Game sounds.
- To completely stop the TV speakers from being used, the best option is to enter the TV menu and turn off the TV speakers.
- If your TV does not allow you to turn off the TV speakers completely, try turning off the speakers or lowering the volume all the way on your TV. When you ONLY use your surround sound system with your TV, this will eliminate any audio/video sync issues and remove any echoes you may hear.
The sound does not match the picture, problems with TV cable?
Also check that all your SOUND, HDMI, and possibly other audio cables are properly connected and that interference from other devices is not causing the problem.
There are a number of reasons why the audio may not be synchronized with the video content on your TV. If the audio sync issue has not been resolved after reading the information above, let us know your issue in the comments below and we can help!