Lip sync on Q90R with 5.1 input

[d00p]

I -- and judging from posts in various fora on the web, a lot of other customers -- experience lip sync issues with 5.1 surround sound input on the Q90R (firmware v1066).

Specifically, I experience this on TV channels that are broadcast with 5.1 sound, but not on TV channels that are broadcast with only stereo sound.

This means that I can watch a show on one TV channel with the (stereo) sound and picture in perfect sync, and then simply change channel to another TV channel to experience a mismatch between the (surround) sound and picture. Switching back to the first TV channel, the (stereo) sound and picture is again in perfect sync. So lame 😕

The lip sync issues are present using the Q90R built-in speakers as well as with a Sonos Amp -- however, again, only with 5.1 TV channels, which also means that I cannot use the options for adding a general delay on the sound/picture as that, while perhaps fixing the 5.1 TV channels, will simply shift the issue to the stereo TV channels.

@Samsung: Needless to say, having such issues on a flagship model is really bad.. What are the plans for fixing this (expectedly, through a firmware update to get the TV to process 5.1 sound input properly)?

[Weegro]

Would game mode make it better or worse?

From my understanding game mode improves video processing, taking less ms for the picture to get to the screen.

So if game mode does nothing to the audio processing I assume the difference in ms between the video and audio would be even larger/worse? Or does game mode decrease the lag on audio as well?

[userjYtfoTda0t]

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@Weegro wrote:

Also experiencing the lip sync issues with the Q85R.

Have tried a sonos Beam and the Samsung Q60 soundbar, and both do it.

Seems to be ok or better using the TV's in-built apps, or using USB hard drive.
Issue is only there when using virgin media channels with Dolby (the HD channels), not there on stereo channels.

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No surprise that you have the excessive delay with any soundbar/AVR, since it is the TV that adds the delay. If your soundbar has separate memories for Audio Delay ("Audio Sync") for different inputs, you can work-around the lip-sync problem by connecting the external box either through the soundbar HDMI input or the S/PDIF ("Opto") input. The delay for the ARC "input" from internal apps should give correct lip-sync with delay set to 0. 

I can't answer your question regarding Game Mode, but it is not an "improved" video processing. It is reduced in order to be faster, and if I understand it correctly, also with reduced "wide angle" picture performance (but maybe not needed for gaming). 

[Weegro]

I have the same Sonos beam soundbar in another room also connected through ARC, but that is connected to a 6 year old LG TV and that doesn't have the same issue.

There is an audio option on the LG TV that says "av sync bypass" and with that selected it's perfect, Samsung does not seem to have a similar option. You can set the audio delay down to 0 but the delay is still there

[AudioBliss]

Does FW Version : 1335.0 fix this issue?

[d00p]

Nope, not fixed with firmware v1335.

When will Samsung start taking this seriously?

[bcab17]

I just bought 65" Q90R TV and the Q80 Soundbar. Same lip sync issues described here. Interal apps AND extrenal Roku Ultra (connected via HDMI to the TV and the TV to the Soundbar with TV ARC) have zero lip sync problems. It's my cable box, set to DD output that has varying lip sync problems, ranging from "terrible" to "just bad". This of course occurs with the HDMI ARC connection to the soundbar.

The workaround so far (only have the tv and soundbar for a few days) has been to connect directly from cable box to soundbar vis HDMI, and the ARC sends the video to the tv (no lip sync). But this screws up the CEC in that the soundbar no longer powers on with the tv (it does power off with the tv...which makes no sense to me).

I tried connecting the cable box to the tv by HDMI, and then connected the cable box to the soundbar with Optical. That didn't work because whenever the cable box source was selected on the tv, the sound bar would automatically go to the ARC connection. When I switched the soundbar input to DIN, after about one second, it switches to ARC (and back to horrible lip sync).

Using three remotes (cable box, TV, and Soundbar) will not fly with the wife...and I don't like it either. It looks like the only way to make this work is to turn off CEC, and program a universal remote with mascros to do the input switching.

[bcab17]

I'm thinking of returning the Samsung Q80 soundbar, and trying the Sonos Playbar...avoiding possible HDMI ARC lip sync problems by connecting all sources to the TV (HDMI), and using Optical from the TV to the Sonos Playbar. I understand this limits the audio to DD, but I think I can live with that.

However, I believe I've seen other posts regarding Samsung TV and Sonos (Beam, maybe?) that describe the same lip sync problems. Can anyone confirm that simply going from Q90R to Soundbar with Optical will or will not fix the lip sync problem?

[bcab17]

After a few days with the Q90R and Q80 Sounbar, I'm loving the picture quality, but like many of us, the lip sync problem with cable tv (which makes up about 75% of our viewing) is driving me nuts.

It seems that the delay problem is with the TV. So, what would you replace the 65" Q90R with? I was going for an LG OLED, but found out that my bright/reflective room, and a grand kid that has the Disney channel on for hours (burn-in), makes OLED not the best choice. So, in this category, is Sony (the 950G) the best alternate? I think I may have read about some lip sync problems with Sony, too!

So, I'm still within the product return period. What TV+Soundbar combo should I consider?

[userjYtfoTda0t]

Hi bcab17, I'm guessing that you use PCM (stereo/Dolby Surround) from your Roku Ultra player. Otherwise I think you would have the audio delay problem from that too? So one work-around would be to set also the cable box output to PCM, connect it to the one connect box (and only use ARC to the soundbar). Have you tried that?

[bcab17]

I saw an thread about a different Samsung TV, which said that DD 5.1 audio from an external device (cable box) connected to the tv with HDMI, would NOT pass DD 5.1 to a soundbar by Optical.

Is that true with the 2019 Q90R?

With the DD lip sync problems (Q90R TV and Q80R Soundbar) through HDMI ARC, the inconsistent CEC-ARC performance, and no discreet IR input codes for the soundbar for universal remote programing, if the Q90R doesn't pass the DD 5.1 audio from my cable box through Optical, it may be a dealbreaker for me.

Can anyone confirm: Cable Box - HDMI - Q90R TV - Optical - Q80R Soundbar = NO DD 5.1?