LG TV technician helping fix audio delay and lip sync issues

Steve H.

Reviewed for technical accuracy

Specialities: LG TVs & soundbars, HDMI ARC/eARC, optical audio, AV sync & lip sync, webOS sound settings, game mode and input lag

LG TV audio delay and sound out of sync — ARC, eARC, apps and soundbar lip sync issues

Technician avatar Technician
Hey! We’ll track down why you have LG TV audio delay and fix the sound being out of sync with the picture. A few details so we don’t guess:
• Exact LG TV model (for example LG C1, C2, CX, B2, UQ series, NanoCell, etc.)?
• Are you using only the LG TV speakers, an HDMI ARC/eARC soundbar or AV receiver, or Bluetooth headphones?
• Do you see audio delay in all sources (apps like Netflix/YouTube, HDMI devices like cable box, Xbox, PS5) or only one?
• Is the sound behind the video (lip movement first, voice after), or ahead of it?
With that we can decide whether it’s a webOS AV Sync setting, HDMI ARC/eARC lip sync issue, or a soundbar audio processing delay.
Customer
I have an LG OLED C1. The picture is great but there’s an audio delay on the LG TV when I use my HDMI ARC soundbar. The voices are slightly behind the lips. It’s worse in Netflix and Disney+ on the TV, a bit better on my cable box, but still not perfect. Using the TV speakers alone is closer to synced.
Technician avatar Technician
Got it — that’s a very common LG TV audio out of sync over ARC scenario.
A few things are going on in the background:
• The LG TV has to process the video (upscaling, motion, picture modes) and then send audio out over HDMI ARC/eARC, which can add delay.
• Your soundbar also does its own audio processing (Dolby decoding, virtual surround), which can introduce extra sound delay compared to the picture.
• Apps built into LG webOS (Netflix, Disney+, etc.) may use different audio formats (Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, PCM), so you notice LG TV sound delay more with some apps than others.

The good news: LG gives you AV Sync controls like Match Screen and Sound / AV Sync Adjustment / Bypass. We’ll walk through those and also tweak the soundbar setup so the lip sync on your LG TV is as close to perfect as possible.
Customer
I’ve seen the AV Sync setting but I’m not sure what to change. I also turned on some AI Sound options. My soundbar is on the HDMI ARC port. I just want the LG TV audio delay with the soundbar gone without messing everything else up.
Technician avatar Technician
Totally fair. Let’s start with safe changes that are easy to undo.
Step 1 — Turn off heavy audio processing on the TV
1) On the LG remote, press Settings → All Settings → Sound.
2) If you see options like AI Sound, AI Acoustic Tuning, Virtual Surround, temporarily turn them OFF.
3) Set Sound Mode to something simple like Standard or “Cinema” (not Game Optimizer for now).

Step 2 — Open AV Sync / Match Screen and Sound
On recent webOS:
• Go to All Settings → Sound → Advanced Settings → Match Screen and Sound or AV Sync Adjustment (wording varies by model).
• Toggle AV Sync Adjustment ON if it isn’t already.
• If there’s a Bypass option, we’ll test that with your soundbar.

These controls were designed exactly for the “LG TV audio delay with HDMI ARC/eARC” problem you’re seeing.
Customer
I found Match Screen and Sound. There’s a slider for TV Speaker Delay and an option called Bypass. Right now, AV Sync is off. What should I use so the LG lip sync issue disappears on the soundbar?
Technician avatar Technician
Perfect, that’s the right menu.
Step 3 — Try Bypass for ARC/eARC first
1) In Match Screen and Sound / AV Sync Adjustment, turn the feature ON.
2) Select Bypass and set it to ON (if available). This tells the LG TV to send audio out as quickly as possible to ARC/eARC without adding extra delay.
3) Test with a scene that has clear lip movements (news anchors, talking heads, YouTube vlog).

If the LG TV audio delay with ARC is still obvious even with Bypass:
• Turn Bypass OFF again.
• Use the TV Speaker Delay slider, starting near 0 and going up in small steps until voice and lips line up.

Many LG owners with audio behind video through ARC/eARC get a good result by combining Bypass or low delay on the TV with any lip sync adjustment that exists on the soundbar itself.
Customer
With Bypass on, the LG audio delay is better, but still slightly behind in some apps. My soundbar has its own audio delay setting too. Also, when I use Bluetooth headphones with the LG TV, the delay is much worse.
Technician avatar Technician
That lines up with how these systems behave in real life.
Step 4 — Fine-tune on the soundbar or receiver
• Leave LG’s AV Sync / Match Screen and Sound close to default or Bypass if that looked better.
• On the soundbar, look for Audio Delay, Lip Sync, AV Sync or similar, and adjust in small increments until the LG TV and soundbar are matched.
• If your soundbar has “Game” or “Bypass” modes, these often reduce audio processing delay and help with lip sync.

Step 5 — Understand Bluetooth audio delay on LG TVs
• Bluetooth almost always adds extra latency; that’s why LG TV Bluetooth audio delay is usually more noticeable in games and live content.
• Some headphones support low-latency codecs (aptX LL, etc.), but LG TVs may not use those for all models.
• For the tightest AV sync, HDMI ARC/eARC or optical to a soundbar is usually better than Bluetooth headphones.
We can still reduce the lag a bit in LG audio settings, but Bluetooth will almost never be perfectly in sync for fast gaming.
Customer
I also notice that the LG audio delay feels worse when I play games on my PS5 compared to watching movies. I use Game Optimizer picture mode, but the sound still seems slightly behind when I go through the soundbar.
Technician avatar Technician
Great observation — gaming is the toughest case for LG TV audio sync because every millisecond matters.
Step 6 — Optimize LG audio for gaming
• Make sure the HDMI input with your console is labelled or set to Game Console and that Game Optimizer (low input lag mode) is on for the picture.
• Under Sound → Advanced Settings, if you see eARC, leave it ON for high-quality formats, but if lip sync is terrible we can test with eARC temporarily OFF to see if it improves.
• Set Digital Sound Out to PCM as a test, instead of “Auto” or “Pass Through”. PCM often has less delay than Dolby processing, especially if your soundbar is mid-range.

If turning off fancy surround modes and using PCM tightens the LG TV audio delay with PS5 or Xbox, we can decide whether slightly “flatter” sound is worth perfect sync for gaming, or if we keep surround and fine-tune the delay on the bar.
Customer
After changing Digital Sound Out to PCM and tweaking the soundbar delay, games feel much better. Streaming apps are close too. Is there anything else I should set so that future updates don’t break the LG TV audio sync again?
Technician avatar Technician
Definitely — a few habits make it much less likely you’ll fight LG lip sync problems again.
Preventive setup for LG TV audio delay
• Stick with a simple, consistent wiring path: console/streamer → TV → soundbar over HDMI ARC/eARC (or everything into the soundbar/AVR first, then one HDMI to the TV if that works better for your gear).
• Don’t change sound modes constantly; pick a mode that keeps things synced (like Standard/AI Sound Pro with small AV Sync adjustment) and leave it.
• After major firmware updates, quickly re-check AV Sync Adjustment / Match Screen and Sound and your soundbar’s delay settings.
• If a particular combination (eARC + certain Dolby format) always causes audio delay on your LG TV, note that and avoid that format or toggle until LG or the bar vendor releases a firmware fix.
With this baseline, most LG TVs stay in sync, and if something drifts you already know exactly which settings to revisit.
Customer
What if the sound is ahead of the video instead, like I hear the voice slightly before the lips move? Can the LG TV fix that kind of LG audio sync issue too?
Technician avatar Technician
Good question — yes, you can compensate for that too.
If audio is ahead of video:
• In AV Sync Adjustment, move the slider the opposite direction (increase TV Speaker Delay or external speaker delay) so the sound waits a bit and matches the picture.
• Some soundbars and AVRs have both “positive” and “negative” delay options; in your case, we’d be adding a few milliseconds of delay to the audio path.
• For internal apps where only one channel or app shows the problem, double-check that app’s own settings and subtitle/audio timing options.

If you ever have a tricky combination — like LG TV audio delay with a particular soundbar brand, console and app — we can go device by device in chat and build a profile that keeps everything lined up.
Customer
After changing AV Sync, using PCM, and adjusting my soundbar delay, everything is finally in sync. No more obvious LG TV audio delay in Netflix or games. This was way more detailed than any manual I found, thank you.
Technician avatar Technician
Summary: when you have LG TV audio delay or lip sync issues, start by simplifying sound modes, then use AV Sync Adjustment / Match Screen and Sound with Bypass and delay sliders. Fine-tune any soundbar or AV receiver audio delay, and test PCM versus Auto/Pass Through on Digital Sound Out. For gaming, low-latency picture modes and simple audio formats help a lot. Still not sure which combination is best for your LG model and sound system? Open the chat and an expert will walk you through exact settings step by step.

Quick answer: the accepted fix

Accepted fix when you have LG TV audio delay: in Sound → Advanced Settings → Match Screen and Sound / AV Sync Adjustment, turn AV Sync ON and test Bypass with your ARC/eARC soundbar. If needed, adjust the delay slider until voices match lip movement. Then set Digital Sound Out to PCM or a simpler format and fine-tune any audio delay on the soundbar or receiver until sound and picture stay in sync across apps and HDMI inputs.

Why LG TV audio delay and lip sync problems happen

Most LG TV audio delay issues come from a mix of video processing, audio processing and HDMI or Bluetooth paths. Modern LG TVs apply picture processing (upscaling, motion, noise reduction) that can add a few milliseconds of delay. At the same time, soundbars and AV receivers add their own delay while decoding Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, or DTS. When audio is sent over HDMI ARC/eARC or optical, those delays stack up, causing LG TV sound to be out of sync with the picture. Using heavy sound modes, certain streaming formats or Bluetooth headphones can exaggerate the delay, especially in games and live sports.

How to test if your LG TV audio delay is really fixed

Once you adjust AV Sync and your soundbar, test with more than one source. Start with a streaming app like Netflix or Disney+ on your LG TV, then switch to a YouTube video with clear talking, and finally a console or set-top box over HDMI. Watch mouths, sound effects and subtitle timing. If voice and lips match in all of them, your LG TV audio out of sync issue is basically solved. If only one input is still off, the problem is likely in that device’s audio settings or the way it connects to your TV and soundbar.

LG TV audio delay — quick troubleshooting tips

Most cases are fixed by adjusting AV Sync and simplifying sound processing on the TV and soundbar.

Quick path: in LG settings, go to Sound → Advanced Settings → Match Screen and Sound / AV Sync Adjustment, turn it ON, and test Bypass or small delay changes until lips and voices line up. Turn off heavy processing like AI Sound and virtual surround, and try Digital Sound Out = PCM as a low-delay option. For LG TV audio delay over HDMI ARC/eARC, also adjust the soundbar’s lip sync or audio delay controls. For gaming, use Game Optimizer and simple audio formats for the lowest lag.

Disclaimer: This information is AI-generated and intended for general guidance only. For advice specific to your LG TV model, soundbar or AV receiver, and firmware versions, please consult a verified expert on Whizz-Tech before making decisions.

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FAQ

Why is my LG TV audio delayed compared to the picture?

LG TV audio delay usually happens because the TV and soundbar are processing video and audio at different speeds. Picture modes, motion processing, Dolby decoding and ARC/eARC paths can all add delay. Using AV Sync controls in LG sound settings and simplifying sound modes normally brings audio and video back in line.

How do I fix LG TV audio delay on HDMI ARC or eARC?

On your LG TV, go to All Settings → Sound → Advanced Settings → Match Screen and Sound / AV Sync Adjustment, turn it ON and test Bypass. If needed, adjust the delay slider while watching a person talking. Then fine-tune any audio delay or lip sync setting on your soundbar or AV receiver until voices and lips match.

Why is LG TV Bluetooth audio so delayed?

Bluetooth adds extra processing time, so LG TV Bluetooth audio delay is normal, especially in games and live sports. Some headphones support low-latency codecs, but they may not always be used. For the best AV sync, use HDMI ARC/eARC or optical to a soundbar instead of Bluetooth.

What sound settings are best to reduce LG TV audio delay?

Use a simple Sound Mode like Standard or Cinema, turn off heavy effects (AI Sound, virtual surround), and test Digital Sound Out = PCM for lower processing delay. Combine that with AV Sync Adjustment in LG settings and your soundbar’s lip sync controls to minimise LG TV audio delay across apps and HDMI devices.

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