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)?

[ChrisThomson]

So....running hdmi through the one connect box IS running the external devices through the tv.....this is the process that everyone is having problema with. I believe optical cable helps the issue but i believe by using optical cables you lose functionality of the soundbar (dolby +, dolby atmos?). I am no expert but i have spent hours reading and this is what i have gathered.

i guess the point is.....why buy a new 2019 soundbar from $1000-$2000 (q70-90).....just to use optical cables....kinda defeats the purpose of buying new technilogy....might as well buy the 2005 version that you coild use optical cables on also(would it not be like buy a soundbar in 2005 that had new cutting edge optical ports just to have to hook it up with red, white and yellow plugs because the optical created massive lip stnc issues?)

[ChrisThomson]

Can anyone definitivly answer this question.

1)- if you plug external devices directly into the soundbar then soundbar to tv via arc....does this competely fix lip sync? I tested it using youtube sound sync programs and i believe apps running through the tv and then to the soundbar had no issues....AND i believe in this set up external devices ALSO have no issues. This is ALSO how the soundbar manuel tells you to set it up.

2- by going external->soundbar via hdmi abd the. ->tv via hdmi arc. Do you lose ANY sound quality or functionality? Ie ps4 to soundbar playing 4k atmos etc.

if this answer to both of these is no lip sunc issue and no sound functionality loss.....i think this is a 100% win on function.....slight loss on cable management.

i get that people are upset about 2.1 hdmi and earc.....but at this point i would just be happy if the tv and soundbar just preform to their ablility without compromise

[slomar]

If you plug directly into the soundbar as you mentioned, everything works fine with no lip sync and full support of all the audio formats the soundbar supports.  I have my 2019 Nvidia Shield Pro setup this way and it works fine.  Even though this works, it bothers me that it's the only means to get inputs working.  It effectively makes the one-connect box's plethra of inputs useless.  Furthermore, you lose some of the TV's integration where it will show the device input type in the menus when it's plugged into the one connect box and sort of requires you to manage more than one remote at times... especially since the ARC setup gets flakey from time to time.  The boxes imply that these two products work well together, when in fact that work no differently than any soundbar since you are running all the audio through the soundbar to begin with.  The TV is merely acting as a monitor which provides nothing special in the way of the two products working seemlessly together.  

[ChrisThomson]

ya i agree with all that! Ok thanks, i have heard someone mention that putting a ps4 not directly into the tv could lose out on some of the samsung's gaming advantages that they have.

ya the whole thing makes me laugh about the one connect box. I had the q80 tv and returned it for the q90. When i set it up i was thinking the one connect box would be amazing.....then once i decided to get a soundbar and learned that everything would need to go through the soundbar (in front of the tv....same setup essentially as i had on the q80 except into the tv)......really all the one connect does is give me another "brick" to make space for

[slomar]

I don't have my PS4 hooked up to my TV... I use a computer monitor for that.  I'm not sure if you would have any type of input lag or lose the "game mode" refresh rate by plugging directly into the soundbar.  

[Ian57]

Yes as I posted earlier on this subject, @slomar is correct with his answer about using the Soundbar for external inputs etc.

Internal TV apps and terrestrial TV channels via the TV tuner do not suffer from the lip sync problem.

[MrTest]

My setup = Q80 TV + Q80 Soundbar

My 2p on all this (which I previously concluded), again all relate to use of Surround codecs (PCM [Stereo] doesn't have delays in any configuration)

1. If you use purely external devices (cable / DVD players etc) arrange to plug it all to soundbar first and then soundbar to TV. This is exactly the same setup of many TV's over the last 10 years, but means you will get 4k, Dolby audio and not lip sync problems. This essentially results in you needing to disable ARC and makes a mockery of the whole implementation

2. BUT, any gaming consoles that are setup in this way (Console -> Soundbar -> TV) although will experience no lip sync issues you will instead experience noticable input latency compared with connecting directly to the TV. At the end of the day it depends how much it bothers you, but for me it is something I don't like.

2a. In order to get around this issue I Connect PS4 directly to TV via HDMI and also have an Optical cable directly to Soundbar (settings in PS4 output primary DTS through Optical [Dolby introduces too much processing time]. So I get virtually no input latency on the console with 5.1 surround through soundbar.

Everything up to this point means ARC has to be disabled (through CEC toggle in TV settings)

3. BUT, if you want to use the inbuilt TV apps (like Prime / Netflix / iPlayer) with decent surround ARC needs to be used and therefore needs to be re-enabled. There is no delay in sound in this scenario and works well. I will probably end up plugging in a firestick (as an external device) and do a away with ARC completely as I'm bored of changing all the settings back.

My predicament therefore is like others we all live in the real world where we have external devices and expect premium products to work. Simply put ARC in its current format is a pain not helped by the fact Samsung are doing additional processing through the TV. 

I can't fault the TV and the Soundbar in isolation, but when working together as a complete system this is where things fall apart. There are many things that bug me from this perspecive... It shows that Samsung are expecting users to fall into one 'profile' i.e. Just use the apps. Even worse however is that every so called 'reviewer' also seems to sing from the same sheet where they only focus on individual components working and not how an ordinary person would use the TV in combination with other things.

Let's wait and see whether e-ARC comes...

[Buccaneerian]

If you use an Optical cable you lose ATMOS soun.  If you use HDMI you lose ATMOS.  You need to use HDMI ARC for ATMOS.  In addition, you paid to have a proper working HDMI ARC port and this clearly is not happening so there is an inherent fault with the Connect box.   Those with the Q90 soundbar will have noticed that the rear speakers are barely audible even thouhg they are set to maximum.

[DoubleD39]

Hi Guys have been reading all these threads with great interest as I have a 55 Inch Q90R and a Q80 Sounbar being delivered today. The external devices I have are as follows :-

1. Sky Q 2TB box

2. Bluray Player (5.1 capable only)

3. IPTV Box (5.1 capable only)

4. 4K Firestick

My questions are what would you suggest I plug directly into the soundbar and setup for remaining devices. Also where can I download the latest firmare v1359 as I can oly see V1351.3 available on the Samsung website. Many thanks in advance guys your assistance is greatly appreciated 

[Ian57]

Hi @DoubleD39 

I can partially answer your question.

You will definitely need to connect your SKY Q box and BluRay player into the soundbar to avoid the lip sync problem.

I'm not familiar with the IPTV box or Firestick but if you want any sound codec other than PCM I think they will need to connect into the Soundbar, which will be a limiting factor because of the number of HDMI inputs.

TV update v1359 is not generally available yet but it doesn't resolve the lip sync problem.

Hope the above helps.