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Work out whether one app, one title or your whole TV setup is at fault, then try the fixes that match: app first, then device, then measure.
When streaming video and audio are out of sync, the cause is almost always the app, the stream or the audio format your device asks for, rather than your connection speed. Start by checking whether it is one title, one app or everything: one title points to the stream, one app points to the app on your device, and everything points to the TV or sound system.
You can’t fix a stream yourself, and no website can change what a streaming service sends. What you can change is the app (restart, update, reinstall, switch audio track), the device’s audio output (stereo or PCM instead of surround) and, if the whole setup is off, the TV’s audio sync setting, measured with the audio delay test. Specific advice for Hulu, Netflix and YouTube is on their own pages.
Play another title in the same app, then something in a different app. Note whether the problem follows the title, the app or the whole TV.
Close the app fully, restart the TV or streaming box, and update the app. On Android TV and Fire TV, clearing the app’s cache in the apps settings also helps.
In the player, pick a stereo track instead of 5.1. In the device’s sound settings, set the output to stereo or PCM rather than a surround format and see whether the gap closes.
If every app is off by the same amount, open the delay test on the TV or a laptop connected to it, press Start flash and beep, line it up and enter the number in the TV’s AV sync setting.
| Pattern | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| One show or film, in any app | That stream was encoded out of step | Report it to the service; try another device or a different audio track |
| Every title in one app | The app on this device, or the audio format it asks for | Restart, update or reinstall the app; try stereo output |
| Every app, every input | The TV’s picture processing or the sound system | Game mode, PCM output, then the TV’s AV sync setting |
| Only with headphones or a wireless speaker | Bluetooth buffering | Bluetooth audio delay |
| Only during live TV, or after adverts | The live stream switching sources | Restart playback; report it to the service if it repeats |
When a server has to convert a file for your device (transcoding) rather than send it as it is (direct play), sync errors can creep in, and they get worse if the server is struggling. Check the playback information for whether the video or audio is being converted, try a client that can direct play the file, and if one file is out of sync everywhere, the file itself is wrong: fix it once with the audio sync fixer. Subtitles that are out of step are a separate fix: subtitle sync.
Live channels stitch together feeds and adverts, and the joins are where sound tends to slip. Restarting playback usually re-aligns it. If one channel is always off, that feed is the cause and only the service can fix it.
Most of the big services follow the same pattern: check another title, restart the device, update the app and try a stereo track. Netflix’s own help suggests reporting a title that is out of sync from your viewing activity, and on Apple TV changing the audio format; see the Netflix guide.
Roku notes that picture settings which add processing, and sound settings that convert one audio format to another, can cause or exaggerate a sync error, which matches what most people find: simpler settings keep better time.
Either the app on your device is struggling (often with a surround audio format), the stream itself was encoded out of step, or your TV and sound system add delay to everything. Testing another title and another app tells you which.
Rarely on its own. A slow connection makes the picture drop in quality or buffer; the sound and picture are still timed together. Sync problems come from decoding, processing and the stream.
No. Nobody outside the service can change its stream. The delay test helps you measure your own setup and set the TV correctly, which fixes the cases where the TV or soundbar is the cause.
Live streams switch between feeds and adverts, and each switch is a chance for sound and picture to slip. Restarting the stream usually brings them back together.
Often, yes. Surround tracks need more decoding, sometimes in a soundbar, and that adds delay. Stereo or PCM output removes a step.