---
title: "How to Fix Audio Delay on a TV or Soundbar | sync.video"
description: "Fix sound that lags the picture on a Samsung, LG or Sony TV, a soundbar, Fire TV or Apple TV: where the AV sync setting is, what to try first, how to measure."
url: https://sync.video/audio-out-of-sync-on-tv
---

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# How to fix audio delay on a TV or soundbar

Where each brand hides its audio sync setting, the picture and sound options that cause the delay, and how to measure the number to type in.

To fix audio delay on a TV, find its audio sync setting (Samsung calls it **Digital Output Audio Delay**, LG **AV Sync Adjustment**, Sony **A/V sync**) and move it by the measured delay. Before that, turn on game mode or switch off heavy picture processing and set the audio output to PCM, because those are what usually create the gap. If every app and input is out of sync, the TV or its sound system is the cause; if only one app is, start with the [streaming guide](https://sync.video/streaming-audio-out-of-sync).

A TV adds delay in two directions. Picture processing such as motion smoothing and upscaling holds the picture back, so the sound arrives early. A soundbar or receiver decoding surround sound holds the sound back, so it arrives late. The [audio delay test](https://sync.video/audio-delay-test) tells you which way and by how much: open it in the TV’s own browser, or on a laptop connected over HDMI so the test plays through the TV.

Where the delay comes from: the picture goes straight to the screen, while the sound passes through decoding, a soundbar or receiver, and a Bluetooth link, each adding milliseconds.

## How to sync TV sound and picture

1. ### Rule out the source
Play something from a different app or input. If only one app is wrong, the fault is in that app, not the TV: see the [streaming guide](https://sync.video/streaming-audio-out-of-sync).
2. ### Try the quick fixes
Turn on game mode (or turn off motion smoothing), set the TV’s digital audio output to PCM instead of a surround format, and restart the TV and the soundbar.
3. ### Measure the delay
Open the delay test on the TV’s browser or on a laptop connected to it, choose **TV** or **Soundbar**, press **Start flash and beep** and move **Flash delay** until the flash lands on the beep, then press **They match now**.
4. ### Enter it in the AV sync setting
Open the TV’s or soundbar’s audio sync setting (see the table below), move it by the number you measured and run the test again to confirm.

## Where the audio sync setting is, by brand

__Audio sync settings on common TVs and boxes (menu names vary by model and year)__
| Device                    | Setting                          | Where to look                                                                                                           |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Samsung TV                | **Digital Output Audio Delay**   | Settings → Sound → Expert Settings. Only for sound sent over HDMI eARC or optical; slide right if the sound runs ahead. |
| LG TV (older webOS)       | **AV Sync Adjustment**           | Settings → Sound (on some models under Additional Settings).                                                            |
| LG TV (webOS 6 and later) | **Match Screen and Sound**       | Settings → Sound → Advanced Settings; options include Bypass and a TV speaker delay.                                    |
| Sony BRAVIA               | **A/V sync**                     | Settings → Display & Sound → Audio output → Audio system settings. Fixed to off in Game and PC content types.           |
| Fire TV                   | **AV Sync Tuning**               | Settings → Display & Sounds → Audio; a bouncing ball and tone to line up.                                               |
| Apple TV                  | **Wireless Audio Sync**          | Settings → Video and Audio → Calibration; uses an iPhone’s microphone to measure.                                       |
| Soundbars and receivers   | AV sync, lip sync or audio delay | The soundbar’s app or its sound menu.                                                                                   |

Roku TVs and players vary by model; look in the TV’s sound or audio menu for an AV sync or audio delay entry. Roku notes that picture settings which add processing, and sound settings that convert one audio format to another, can cause or worsen a sync error.

## What causes the delay

### Picture processing

Motion smoothing, noise reduction and upscaling each need a few frames of picture before they can work, so the picture reaches the screen later than the sound. Game mode exists to switch most of that off, which is why it often fixes sync and input lag at once.

### Sound decoding and passthrough

Sending Dolby or DTS surround to a soundbar or receiver means it has to decode the sound, which takes time. Setting the TV’s digital output to PCM makes the TV decode instead; some soundbars then have less to do. eARC passes timing information between devices that support it, so a soundbar connected over eARC usually keeps better time than one on optical.

### Wireless speakers

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers add their own buffering. Some TVs can’t compensate for it at all; see [Bluetooth audio delay](https://sync.video/bluetooth-audio-delay).

## Measuring before you change settings

1. Open the delay test on the TV’s built-in browser, or connect a laptop over HDMI so its picture and sound both go through the TV.
2. Pick **TV** for the TV’s own speakers, **Soundbar** for a soundbar or receiver.
3. Use **Flash and beep** for the most honest picture-versus-sound reading; it includes the TV’s picture processing.
4. A positive result means the sound is late, a negative one means it is early. Change the TV’s setting by that amount and test again.

Measure with the picture mode you watch in. A setting tuned in game mode won’t suit a cinema mode with all the processing on.

## When it’s only one app or channel

If live TV is fine but one app is off, the app’s stream or its audio format is the cause, and the TV’s global setting would make everything else wrong. Try the app’s own audio track options, its stereo track, or a reinstall; the [streaming guide](https://sync.video/streaming-audio-out-of-sync) covers the common apps, with separate pages for [Hulu](https://sync.video/hulu-audio-out-of-sync) and [Netflix](https://sync.video/netflix-audio-out-of-sync). If the problem is a video file you made, fix the file once with the [audio sync fixer](https://sync.video/fix-audio-sync).

## Questions about TV audio delay

### Why is my TV sound out of sync with the picture?

Usually because the TV spends time processing the picture (making the sound early) or a soundbar spends time decoding the sound (making it late). Game mode, PCM output and the TV’s AV sync setting deal with most cases.

### Where is the AV sync setting on a Samsung TV?

It is **Digital Output Audio Delay**, under Settings → Sound → Expert Settings. It only applies when the sound goes out over HDMI eARC or optical to a soundbar or receiver.

### Should I set the TV or the soundbar?

Use whichever offers the adjustment in the right direction. TVs usually delay their output to a soundbar; soundbars usually delay their own sound. If both offer it, change one and leave the other at zero.

### Why is the sound early rather than late?

Because the TV’s picture processing takes longer than its sound processing. Turn on game mode or reduce motion smoothing, or delay the sound by the measured amount.

### Can I measure the delay with my phone?

The delay test measures the device it runs on, so run it on the TV’s browser or on a laptop connected to the TV. Apple TV’s **Wireless Audio Sync** is a built-in alternative that uses an iPhone.

### My setting is greyed out. Why?

Many TVs lock their sync setting in certain modes (Sony fixes it off in Game and PC content types) or only offer it for certain outputs (Samsung’s needs eARC or optical). Switch mode or output and look again.

## More in fix audio sync

* [ Fix audio and video out of sync Work out whether the file or the playback is at fault, then fix the delay or measure it. ](https://sync.video/fix-audio-sync)
* [ Test your audio delay A flash and beep, a microphone chirp or tapping: a latency figure in milliseconds. ](https://sync.video/audio-delay-test)
* [ Fix Bluetooth headphone delay Reduce the lag of wireless earbuds and speakers, device by device, and measure it. ](https://sync.video/bluetooth-audio-delay)
* [ Fix streaming audio out of sync One app, one show or every app? Find the cause and the fix for streaming lag. ](https://sync.video/streaming-audio-out-of-sync)
* [ Fix Hulu audio out of sync Live TV versus on demand, app resets, audio output and TV sync settings. ](https://sync.video/hulu-audio-out-of-sync)
* [ Fix Netflix audio out of sync Netflix’s device checks, audio format changes and your TV’s own sync setting. ](https://sync.video/netflix-audio-out-of-sync)
* [ Sync audio and video online Drop one video to fix its delay, or several files to line them up by their sound. ](https://sync.video/)