Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

ATV 4 Lip Sync Issue

Shaun.P

Shaun.P

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 14, 2003
1,601
24
Omicron Persei 8
Hi there,

I am having trouble with a new ATV 4.

Occasionally sound is out of sync. I have noticed this with iTunes purchases and Netflix.

A restart of the ATV 4 solves the problem.

Is anyone else experiencing this? I has occasional similar problems with the ATV 3 on Netflix. With the ATV 4 I am using a brand new Apple HDMI cable.

I thought it might be my TV, but then why would a restart of the box temporarily fix the problem?

I am just using the TV's built in speakers.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
 
if it were me I'd personally be restarting my Modem, Router, and Apple TV. I'd do a speed test on the apple tv with the speediest app (you'll have to search for it but it's in the app store) to ensure it's getting the speeds you expect and lastly I'd check to ensure there's no IP conflicts (less likely) that could be causing some stuttering (I manually assign IP's within my router).

Just some basic ideas to at least cross off on the troubleshooting check list.
 
no problems here. I am shocked you are seeing a delay and you are using the built in speakers. Does your sound settings have an "audio delay" or similar setting? I know most samsung TVs have settings to adjust audio delay.
 
Bane. Of. My. Life.

I experience audio-lag running iTunes content from the SSD of my MBP, within both iTunes and Quicktime - no streaming variables involved. Does anyone know whether the Apple TV uses similar playback software...?
 
mattopotamus said:
Does your sound settings have an "audio delay" or similar setting? I know most samsung TVs have settings to adjust audio delay.
Click to expand...

You're assuming that the audio-lag will be consistent between files, friend. In my experience of iTunes content, it isn't.

Plus - and this is the real killer - sometimes the audio-lag wanders mid-playthrough. So, even if you set a bespoke 40ms delay when the movie starts, an hour later it won't be right again.

Never happened with analogue...!!!

[further chuntering about 'the old days']
 
Had this problem with the aTV 3. Extremely annoying. Haven't received my 4 yet, but I sure hope I will not see this again.

Anyway, a quicker fix I used with the 3 was to simply switch inputs which is much faster than restarting the box.
 
thekayman said:
Had this problem with the aTV 3. Extremely annoying. Haven't received my 4 yet, but I sure hope I will not see this again.

Anyway, a quicker fix I used with the 3 was to simply switch inputs which is much faster than restarting the box.
Click to expand...

I see lip-sync error to some degree on almost all content whether ATV, Tivo (DVR) and sometimes even on BluRay's (but Blu-ray's are usually far less). When talking about lip-sync error on forums be aware that our natural reaction is to avoid it because it isn't possible in the real world. It contradicts reality (especially if the sound occurs BEFORE the lips move) and we avoid it apparently by looking away from the actors lips and faces. Research over 20 years ago at Stanford showed lip-sync error - whether consciously noticed or not - causes the same negative feelings we have about those who do not make eye contact with us (feeling they are less truthful, more agitated, etc.) which is ironic since "we" are the ones looking away and not making eye contact with the characters when lip-sync is off. If you force yourself to focus on the "lips" you will see it but keep in mind many forum members aren't doing that and when they say they don't have a lip-sync error problem they may be looking at the same lip-sync error that you are seeing but they don't consciously notice it. But the negative impact is still there according to the Stanford research. I use a Felston DD740 to correct lip-sync error but several other companies like Alchemy2 and Primare for example make remote controlled lip-sync correction devices. They all intercept the audio and allow you to adjust the delay in 1 ms increments while watching without disturbing the picture. This is about the only way to get perfect lip-sync and eliminate it's negative impact on viewer perception no matter what causes it. If you are interested in that research do a Google search for "effects of audio-video asynchrony" and you should be able to find the research paper. Unfortunately all the lip-sync correction devices I mentioned delay s/pdif audio (optical and coax digital) but Apple did not include an optical output on the ATV4. I was waiting on the 4 to replace my 2nd generation ATV but just bought a 3rd generation because of that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LiveM
I have run into this problem and it seems to affect movies on Netflix as well as iTunes. Strangely I don't see it in the Trailers app where all is well. Can you check if that's the case on your end?

Has anyone found any solution to this or should we wait for a firmware fix?
 
thekayman said:
I have run into this problem and it seems to affect movies on Netflix as well as iTunes. Strangely I don't see it in the Trailers app where all is well. Can you check if that's the case on your end?

Has anyone found any solution to this or should we wait for a firmware fix?
Click to expand...
By "trailers app" do you just mean clicking to view a trailer or something different? I have an ATV 3 now not a 4 so I really can't check that for you but I am curious if you see a difference in lip-sync on trailers and watching the movie for the same title? By the way Felston apparently has an HDMI delay since I just saw it mentioned on the LipFix.com site so not having a s/pdif output on the ATV4 won't be a deal breaker and I will probably sell my ATV3 and get the 4 once the felston HD940 is available.
 
Trailers for new movies in the Trailers app not the ones for movies available to buy/rent in iTunes.

I wonder whether this lip sync issue is experienced by very few of us or is rather prevalent but most users never notice?
 
I am dealing with the lip-sync issue myself on my brand new ATV 4.
I using a Airport Extreme (latest generation) on the 5GHz signal.
My router is about 12 feet away from my ATV. I've restarted the ATV, Airport, and my cable modem to no avail.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1448975284.249220.jpg
 
thekayman said:
Trailers for new movies in the Trailers app not the ones for movies available to buy/rent in iTunes.

I wonder whether this lip sync issue is experienced by very few of us or is rather prevalent but most users never notice?
Click to expand...
According to the study done at Stanford the vast majority of viewers never "consciously" notice lip-sync error if its under 41.25 ms but they reported it still had the same negative impact on viewer perception of the characters and credibility of the presentation.

I guess those of us who notice it are really the lucky ones. Even though it drives us crazy until we correct it we end up with an immersive environment while the others who unconsiously look away from the characters' faces to avoid it suffer the negative impact.

Actually I think most people "can" see the problem but they have to overcome their natural tendency to avoid it and force themselves to really focus on the lips and not look away from the characters faces.
 
BeK said:
I using a Airport Extreme (latest generation) on the 5GHz signal.
My router is about 12 feet away from my ATV. I've restarted the ATV, Airport, and my cable modem to no avail.
Click to expand...

I also have an Airport Extreme but my aTV is plugged into it, so apparently lip sync has nothing to do with the internet connection (wired v. wireless).
 
It seems to vary with me depending on the app. For example, I noticed that something like watching a CNN live stream with their app is fine but the worst lag by far is Youtube. There's a bit of a lag with Netflix, HBO and Showtime. I have noticed a lag with iTunes movies and TV shows as well.
 
This is a problem that I've experienced with every AppleTV I've owned. Pausing and re-starting as well as time shifting aggravate it. It happens with iTunes content and apps like NetFlix and YouTube as well... so it is hardware and/or OS based. Its been reported many times for many years. It's just low on their priority list evidently.

My AppleTV is hardwired. Everything in my house is hardwired except iPhones and iPads. No other device has this issue, and my network and internet connections are rock solid. My TiVo and FireStick do not suffer the issue, nor does my XBox etc. with like services (i.e. NetFlix.)

I restart my AppleTV before each use. It has become habit.
 
bitslap47 said:
This is a problem that I've experienced with every AppleTV I've owned.
Click to expand...

I had the same issue with the aTV 3, which was actually worse than 4, however I definitely did not have this issue with the aTV 2. All else equal (same TV, router, connectivity, etc.)
 
thekayman said:
I had the same issue with the aTV 3, which was actually worse than 4, however I definitely did not have this issue with the aTV 2. All else equal (same TV, router, connectivity, etc.)
Click to expand...

This makes sense actually as I have never owned a v2, only several v3s and a v4. I had both Rev 1 and Rev 2 Apple TV v3s and both revs exhibited the issue.
 
thekayman said:
A quick switch of TV inputs seems to restore sync, no need for a full reboot
Click to expand...

So you think the problem lies within the Apple TV's HDMI port? Maybe there's a batch of them out there with bad HDMI ports?
 
Last edited:
BeK said:
So you think the problem lies within the Apple TV's HDMI port? Maybe there's a batch of them out there with bad HDMI ports?
Click to expand...

Who knows? But what are the chances of my getting an aTV 3 and then an aTV 4 one year apart but with the same problem?
 
thekayman said:
A quick switch of TV inputs seems to restore sync, no need for a full reboot
Click to expand...

Unfortunately for my setup, that doesn't resolve it. I have a Panasonic Plasma TV. If I switch to the input from my TiVO, then back to the Apple TV... lag is still there.

I also have noticed each time you pause and resume, the lag gets a little worse each time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back