Netflix Audio Sync Problem (and a couple of other things)

[maathoru]

So just got an EE TV Box Pro and overall am impressed with one or two issues.

The main problem is audio out of sync on Netflix - this seems to fluctuate but is nearly always out a little. I have found that it could be the app forcing me to use a 5.1 or atmos track which my TV is struggling to decode quickly enough. There is no option to select a stereo audio track and no setting on the EE BOX to force stereo output so I am stuck with this situation. It would really be a help if you would allow users to select a stereo stream from Netflix.

All the other apps seem ok.

TV Channels CBBC, BBC News and BBC Parliament are all significantly out of sync.

[Peter_W]

Welcome back to the Community, @maathoru 

How exactly do you have your sound set up here, is this just the TV's internal speakers, or are you using a Soundbar / Surround system?

If you haven't already too, on the box's settings can you please select Picture and Sound, and make sure the options in here are set to Stereo?

If you're using surround we recommend not using an Optical Cable, too.

Peter

[maathoru]

Thank you and I appreciate the reply. I do have the sound set to stereo output in the settings. The EE Box is plugged straight into the TV with an HDMI cable. The TV is quite an old 32" 1080p set.  The TV then has old school stereo (red / white) cable going to a stereo amp - NAD 3020.

[Peter_W]

Cheers @maathoru, do these same issues occur regardless of whether the audio is coming direct through the TV or the connected amp, or is it only the latter?

Just as a first port of call too, I'd recommend trying the 'factory reset but keep your recordings option' listed on our help page here:

How do I reset my EE TV box? | BT Help

Peter

[maathoru]

Thanks - I've tried the factory reset - no difference. I will check the sound on the TV itself - I would be surprised if there is any difference with that but will let you know. 

I've actually ordered a box dedicated to downmixing audio to try plugging in-between the EE box and the TV to see if that makes any difference and will let you know if things change after trying that.

[Peter_W]

Thanks @maathoru, keep us posted on how you get on 😊

Peter

[maathoru]

Ok the downmix box arrived and didn't make a difference - it was an AV:Link 8K HDMI Audio Extractor - the idea was to see if Netflix was forcing a Dolby Digital + signal from the box and my old TV was not able to downmix it fast enough resulting in the delay. If this was the case then the box could downmix the stereo before getting to the TV however this made no difference to the Audio Sync issue.

I've tried comparing Netflix playback on the EE BOX and my PC and the PC does not have sync issues. So it seems that the issue must lie with the Netflix app itself.

I have also played the same movie on Netflix and Prime on the EE Box and the Prime version plays in sync whilst the Netflix version is slightly out.

To be clear the delay is not huge although it can fluctuate for some reason. Also different movies seem effected more than others. I've been using the movies Total Recall and Back to the Future to make comparisons mostly - even the thumbnail clip that plays on Total Recall is clearly out of sync when you roll over it.

In Total Recall the early scenes where Quaid is in his apartment the footage of the newscasters is easy to spot sync issues. In Back to the Future when Marty is plugging in his guitar at the start of the movie the audio dials click at very precise moments also.

I have also noticed that YouTube although seemingly fine for nearly all the videos I have watched - this one for some odd reason plays slightly out - I have compared it on the PC and that is fine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BowqE3ufAU&t=260s

[Peter_W · Accepted solution]

Thanks for giving that a try @maathoru.

If you're continuing to struggle from there, I'd recommend reaching out to our TV tech team so we can rule out the possibility of a fault with the box itself.

You can find all the contact details you need here:

Fix EE TV | BT Help

Peter