Lip Synch Problem [Archive]

MrKlaatu

07-14-07, 09:35 AM

[QUOTE=vikerex;1003118]I am having lip synch problem on one of my HR20's. It's like watching the old Japanese movies. I've tries pausing, rewinding. . .etc. Nothing helps. This just started within the past week. I am using the S-Video for video, and RCA lines for audio. Pleas help, this is getting old real fast.[QUOTE]

Isn't that an SD set-up? Have you tried other ways of connecting?

vikerex

07-14-07, 10:32 AM

Yes SD, and yes tried other ways to set it up.

pmayo2002

07-25-07, 06:27 AM

I have noticed this with my Hr20, but only when I record MPEG4 locals. SD seems to be fine. I noticed all of my recordings would be out of synch in my playlist. Resetting the unit would fix it, but another thing that fixes it is to record a short MPEG4 program, then stop/delete it and then go back and to the stored shows and magically they are back in synch.

omj

07-25-07, 06:57 AM

I have been having the same problem but mine seems to only occur on some of the HD Channels. I called on Sunday on the guy told me he was going to escalate the problem. I am going to give it a week and then call back. I know I have a contract to keep the HD package but I am not paying 9.99 a month to have that problem. Seems if a company is going to make you pay for a service it should work properly. Either it is going to be fixed or I am going to get a discount.

MalibuRacing

07-25-07, 07:13 AM

I've been having lip sync issues also. TNT, ESPNHD, ESPN2HD. It's VERY annoying.

omj

07-25-07, 07:23 AM

Those are the same channels I have problems with. I haven't complained much but we only have 38 days until college football and something has to happen with ESPN HD problems. I can't have issues when watching football.

Stuart Sweet

07-25-07, 07:38 AM

Yes SD, and yes tried other ways to set it up.

Are you seeing this on all channels or just one? If you hold down pause for a minute and press play, does it go away? I had serious lip synch issues for a couple of days and that worked for me. Don't know why, but they went away as mysteriously as they came.

Chuck W

07-25-07, 07:39 AM

I've been having lip sync issues also. TNT, ESPNHD, ESPN2HD. It's VERY annoying.

Yep, me too. I also had it on YES HD as well, but changing the channel to something else and then back, corrected it, the 2 times it happened.

The channel you mentioned tho, nothing seemed to fix those.

omj

07-25-07, 07:45 AM

I have tried resetting, pausing, rewind then forward and it doesn't help. It never happens on the standard channels. Just the HD ones. I have really only noticed it on TNT, ESPN and ESPN 2. The others look ok.

Stuart Sweet

07-25-07, 07:48 AM

Just don't watch sports then:D

omj

07-25-07, 07:51 AM

That's the whole reason of getting HD.

Tiebmbr

07-25-07, 08:19 AM

This has been the case for me from day one...NBC and ESPN are the worst culprits. The same thing is true whether I'm watching HD via HDMI or SD out of the RCA jacks to a SD TV, some HD sattions are almost unwatchably out of sync.

No software revision has ever fixed this for me, and I've given up all hope of ever having this issue resolved, despite posting this on at least 3 different occasions on this board.

Lke the poster above, I've just learned to accept it and move one.

A pity, though...seems such a simple thing.:(

omj

07-25-07, 08:22 AM

Why do you guys put up with it? I know the picture quality of HD is great but how can you watch it when it's out of sync. It drives me crazy. I am going to call again this evening and see what can be done. There are a select few channels you get with the HD package and now some of them aren't worth watching because of sync issues. That doesn't leave many channels that I am paying 9.99 a month for.

Stuart Sweet

07-25-07, 08:24 AM

I don't think it's my equipment but I find that on all my receivers the lip synch is off a tiny little bit. It's small enough that I can ignore it most of the time.

RehabMan

07-25-07, 08:29 AM

I noticed bad lip-sync problem with ABC's CMA Music Festival special (recorded content - also checked live with my H20 and it was there too). Really annoying with music programs as not only the artists lips out of sync with the words, but the band's musicians' movements are out of sync with the beat.

The amount of sync error seems to depend on the specific show and can sometimes be fixed by doing pause-play sequence. In this case not.

I'm considering getting digital cable (comcast) just so I can compare...

Tiebmbr

07-25-07, 08:29 AM

Why do you guys put up with it? I know the picture quality of HD is great but how can you watch it when it's out of sync.

I guess I'm making the assumption that D* is aware of the issue, and they're working on it. In the meantime, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt...for now.

Funny thing is, though, the issue, though widely reported, does not seem to be universal. I wonder what the disparity is from situation to situation?

omj

07-25-07, 08:39 AM

If they are aware there is a problem then they should cut you a break on the cost. If they are still collecting your payment for it each month then what's the real rush to fix it. I bet if it was effecting the pocketbook then it would be fixed a lot sooner. I wonder what they would think if my payment was 9.99 short each month and I was aware of the problem and I was working on it until they fixed the channels.

I know you can't really get away with that but good companies have good customer service. It just seems those companies are getting harder to find but I am going to call them today and see what the status of my escalated call is!!!!

MrKlaatu

07-25-07, 09:05 AM

I haven't had any sync problems with my HR20, but if I do, my AV receiver has a manual sync repair function. I know it's not ideal, but check if yours do as a workaround.

RehabMan

07-25-07, 11:16 AM

I haven't had any sync problems with my HR20, but if I do, my AV receiver has a manual sync repair function. I know it's not ideal, but check if yours do as a workaround.

That would be pretty impressive if your receiver could correct a situation where the audio is behind the component video. It would have to buffer the video to play it back later, then run the audio in real-time. If it is buffering HD video, that would be impressive. Imagine the sound being a half-second behind the video -- it would have to buffer 30 frames of video -- at 720p that would be a fair amount of data, not to mention the hardware required to digitize and capture the analog signal in the first place.

What kind of receiver do you have?

Doug Brott

07-25-07, 11:24 AM

Since getting 0x17E, I've had a few more lip sync problems than normal. I tend to watch recorded content and this occurs on average once per day now. The workaround I typically use to alleviate the problem is to press the STOP button, go back to list and then select the program I am watching again.

The problem seems to manifest itself after a series of Trick Plays. The clues being used to match the Audio/Video seem to have some issue as everything is working correctly - just the audio and video don't line up properly.

So far, I have NOT had to actually restart the unit to correct the problem. The way to fix it is to change channels, restart the recorded program (even in the same spot), or tweak around with the Trick Plays until it syncs up. Hopefully DIRECTV will put some additional effort into this problem.

MrKlaatu

07-25-07, 11:33 AM

That would be pretty impressive if your receiver could correct a situation where the audio is behind the component video. It would have to buffer the video to play it back later, then run the audio in real-time. If it is buffering HD video, that would be impressive. Imagine the sound being a half-second behind the video -- it would have to buffer 30 frames of video -- at 720p that would be a fair amount of data, not to mention the hardware required to digitize and capture the analog signal in the first place.

What kind of receiver do you have?

I've never used the function (I have a Sony STR-DA5200ES), but I just checked the manual. It can only delay audio (up to 300ms).

RehabMan

07-25-07, 11:41 AM

... It can only delay audio (up to 300ms).

Thanks for checking.

That's what I thought it would be (delaying audio is the easy one) -- doesn't do any good for D* lip-sync problem as most of the time the problem is that the audio is already delayed...

MalibuRacing

07-25-07, 11:55 AM

Sometimes pausing or changing channels will help. Other times not...

My Onkyo AVR will also delay audio, but the audio is lagging BEHIND the video, so delaying audio doesn't help.... I am running mine through the optical (fiber optic) connection, so I may try a different connection just to check, but I doubt that will help, since many others are reporting the same issues with the same channels. :mad:

MrKlaatu

07-25-07, 12:11 PM

If it is buffering HD video, that would be impressive. Imagine the sound being a half-second behind the video -- it would have to buffer 30 frames of video -- at 720p that would be a fair amount of data, not to mention the hardware required to digitize and capture the analog signal in the first place.

I do know of a device that can do this: the HR-20. If they added a +/- audio offset it could fix everyone's unique sync issues.

omj

07-25-07, 12:14 PM

We all seem to be having the same problem but we all seem to still be just giving away $9.99 a month. I am fault for this also but not after this evening. Either they are going to fix it or adjust my bill. I can understand if having this problem for maybe a couple days or week but this has been happening to others also. It's time to force there hand and fix it or cut us a break on the monthly charge. It's only fair.

RehabMan

07-25-07, 12:18 PM

I do know of a device that can do this: the HR-20. If they added a +/- audio offset it could fix everyone's unique sync issues.

I was thinking the same thing. Of course they'd have to make it easily accessible -- accessible while viewing a program -- so you could make changes on the fly depending on the current programming.

I would suggest they use the arrow buttons around the OK (which are unused when watching a program)...

Ideally, the HR20 would remember the setting on a recorded program for the case you came back to either finish that recorded program at a later date or watched it again.

Of course, they should also work on fixing the problem at its source...

hasan

07-25-07, 01:30 PM

I was thinking the same thing. Of course they'd have to make it easily accessible -- accessible while viewing a program -- so you could make changes on the fly depending on the current programming.

I would suggest they use the arrow buttons around the OK (which are unused when watching a program)...

Ideally, the HR20 would remember the setting on a recorded program for the case you came back to either finish that recorded program at a later date or watched it again.

Of course, they should also work on fixing the problem at its source...

Unfortunately, there are multiple sources. Some is provider specific, like ESPN-HD, which can be horrendous. Some are network specific (because I see EXACTLY the same problem OTA, not using the HR20), some are HR20 specific ....you get my drift.

They can fix the HR20 specific ones and they can howl at ESPN and TNT, but I doubt they will get very far with the networks.

HDTV is still in it's infancy. (believe it or not). In many ways it is no where near ready for "prime time". All we can do is report and demand...the rest takes time.

For the garden variety issues (from multiple sources), devices like the Felston digital delay add-ons seem to solve the vast majority of issues. When the problem is "backwards" as you noted, then the Felston won't help.

The one thing that's sure, is there is NOT one solution, and we either can choose to work through them, or give up on HD, as there is not an HD source that doesn't suffer with lead/lag issues, as well as other annoying aspects. We just need to isolate and attack one at a time, or we will never get anywhere....it is WAY more complicated than "D*should do this or that"...they have their role, but they are not the complete solution.

omj

07-25-07, 02:01 PM

I don't remember them telling me there were issues with audio sync when they signed me up. I don't think anywhere in the lease agreement it mentions that you have to pay for a service that half ass works. If I had known that the audio on ESPN, TNT and other HD channels were not going to match up I wouldn't have agreed to get it and keep it for 2 years. My point is that I am paying for a service that isn't functioning properly. I like directv and think the pricing is good on the packages except for having to pay for additional room fees but when I pay for something that isn't working is where I have a problem.

mtnagel

07-25-07, 03:01 PM

I've found that turning the unit off and then back on works most of the time.

omj

07-26-07, 06:26 AM

I got busy last night and didn't get a chance to call but the channels are still messed up. Although, I did receive the new update and really like the fast forward feature where it backs up a bit. Anyway, I will try and call this evening and see what the new deal is.

Button Pusher

07-26-07, 11:42 AM

I got this last night on my local HD channels out of Cincinnati and ESPN HD. It really drives the wife crazy. Women must pay closer attention to the person speaking than men or maybe it is just me.

hasan

07-26-07, 11:45 AM

I got this last night on my local HD channels out of Cincinnati and ESPN HD. It really drives the wife crazy. Women must pay closer attention to the person speaking than men or maybe it is just me.

I had recorded a program from TNT-HD the other night and was watching it, noticing horrible lip-sync problems. After doing a FF with auto-correct on to get by the commercials, the audio/video was back in sync. This is one example of one cause of lip sync issues. It was definitely the fault of the HR20 ..and it came right out of it. The error was staggering (very large), not slight.

Button Pusher

07-26-07, 12:27 PM

I've found that turning the unit off and then back on works most of the time.
Matt,you are from the Cincy area,is it a common problem for you too? How often do you have to turn your unit off then back on to correct this sync issue?

mtnagel

07-26-07, 01:26 PM

Matt,you are from the Cincy area,is it a common problem for you too? How often do you have to turn your unit off then back on to correct this sync issue?Way too often. I never ever noticed it with my SD Directivos over 3+ years.

Funny thing is, just like you said, my wife notices it much more than I do, but because of her noticing it, I've found that I notice it much more than I used to, but I also have a higher tolerance than her to it. But because I've found the off works most of the time and it's easy to do, I pretty much always do that now.

Button Pusher

07-26-07, 02:37 PM

Way too often. I never ever noticed it with my SD Directivos over 3+ years.

Funny thing is, just like you said, my wife notices it much more than I do, but because of her noticing it, I've found that I notice it much more than I used to, but I also have a higher tolerance than her to it. But because I've found the off works most of the time and it's easy to do, I pretty much always do that now.
I never noticed it with my R15-300 and definately not with the std receivers.The R15 was the main unit until a month or so ago so I would have definately noticed it on that unit if it had the sync problem too.

jwd45244

07-27-07, 05:15 AM

There wa a very bad Lip sync problem on WXIX 19 in Cincinnati last night. It only effected that channel. No other local HD stations had the problem. No other HD channels had a problem either. There was not a problem on the OTA HD station: 19-1.

No amount of restarts cured the problem.

omj

07-27-07, 06:04 AM

I finally called yesterday after work. She told me they were aware of the problem and someone would be contacting me within 72 hours. She also said she didn't see any other reports for the Richmond or Lexington area. Obviously she has been on this board!!! Anyway, I kindly told her that I signed up for HD and I am committed to keeping it plus the DVR for 2 years and the 2 channels I watch the most on HD (ESPN and ESPN 2) were the ones most effected. She asked if I would be okay with 5 dollars a month taken off my bill for the next 12 months. I agreed and we will see if anyone actually calls me back. You guys that are experiencing problems should call and report it so they are more aware of the issues. I thought the discount was fair but if it doesn't get fixed pretty soon I am not going to be to happy having to keep HD. I like the picture but the sync is unbearable.