Analogue audio path + video digital path = lip sync problems .... help!

[Scot1970]

Hi there,

I am experiencing lip sync problems with my set-up, which is as follows:

TV: Samsung UE40ES6300

Universal player: Arcam BDP300

Amp: Arcam A19 (stereo amp)

My preferred audio follows an analogue path from the BDP300's analogue outputs into the A19 amp and then to my Tannoy DC6T floorstanders. The sound for both music and movies is simply stunning!

However, because that path is analogue it arrives at the speakers just a wee bit ahead of the picture, which has a digital path and requires processing by the TV.

My first question is this: is there any way to reduce this delay? I have switched off all picture enhancing effects on the TV. The delay is now un-noticeable for DVDs but there are still problems with blurays. I love my A19 and do not want to shell out £1000s for an equivalent sounding AV processor. Besides, I am not interested in surround sound. With big ambient speakers like the DC6Ts I get far more bang for my buck investing in high quality 2-channel. I was wondering if anyone knows of an audio delay option on the BDP300. I haven't found one as yet.

I have a second question: I will be upgrading my TV this summer and wondered what factor is most important in the processing speed of a TV's picture, refresh rate or the central processor's power. My current TV is a 2012 series 6 Samsung. I don't know if that is single or dual core. I am considering a new quad core series 6 Samsung. Would this make a difference? Does refresh rate make a difference, too?

By the way, I have an Arcam rLink DAC which receives optical output from the TV. This then delivers very solid sound to the amp for TV broadcasts, internet streaming etc. This definitely solves the lip sync problems. However, the difference in sound quality between a £150 DAC and the BDP300's onboard DAC is quite significant so I am searching for a solution that does not negate my original analogue audio path.

Thank you

Scot Peacock.

 

[mmg]

Doesn't look like your BDP300 has a delay function. You could add one of these to the analog output: http://www.cypeurope.com/store/store/app/product/AU-D18/Lip-Sync-Corrector

As for the "processing speed", what do you mean by that? Is this still regarding the delay problem you have? Basically a high refresh rate will make the image less jerky when there is a lot of movement (action/sport scenes). The processor power doesn't matter when watching on the regular inputs, but it can make a difference when the television has to decode digital files (like mp4 or mkv).

 

[Scot1970]

Sorry, by processor speed I meant the processor within the TV itself and yes I was still referrig to the lip sync problem. Although I don't technically know, I am presuming that the HDMI cable from the player sends a digital signal to the TV, which the TV then processes to produce the picture. I am guessing that with a faster CPU that processing will be faster and possibly reduce the delay between picture and sound. Like I say, I'm guessing :?

Refresh rate doesn't really interest me. I'm a movie watcher and not into gaming or watching sports so I don't need ultra smooth motion. I was only referring to it to ask if it has anything to do with the TV's picture processing speed, but I guess not

By the way, thanks for the link to the lip sync corrector. I'll have a look at that. Do you know how these things would affect audio quality when introduced into the analogue audio path?

Cheers

Scot

 

[mmg]

Nah, the processor speed might make a small difference, but there will always be lipsync issues.

Adding a component in an analog path will always have some effect on the signal, although I personally can't hear it. I'm afraid it's the only way to resolve your problem though...

You could of course always connect a DAC to the optical out of your television and to your amplifier, but that's a more expensive solution...

 

[Leeps]

This may not help you in the short term, but before I purchased a surround system I had the following stereo set-up:

Panasonic Bluray via HDMI into Panasonic Plasma, output from TV via analogue RCA into stereo amp.

I've noticed that RCA outputs from TV's are quite rare, but if you're looking for a new TV anyway, one equipped this way could solve any lip-sync issues. I certainly didn't have any problems. I was quite surprised how good the sound was seeing that the TV's DAC was doing the sound conversion.