You’re watching a movie on your TV or playing a game and notice the audio lags behind the lips on screen. The problem isn’t your content—it’s HDMI audio latency. Most modern TVs and monitors introduce a detectable delay between when the video plays and when the audio arrives. It’s frustrating for streamers, gamers, and home theater users. Here’s what’s happening and how to fix it.
Why HDMI Audio Has Latency
When you send audio from a cable box, streaming device, or PC through an HDMI cable to a TV, the signal travels through multiple processing stages. The TV has to decode the video, route the audio separately, apply any audio processing (volume leveling, surround sound mixing), and then output it through speakers or pass it to a soundbar via ARC.
All that takes time. Most TVs add 30–100ms of delay. Some add more. At 30ms, you might not consciously notice, but above 50ms, lip-sync errors become obvious. Gamers playing action titles often report 100–200ms of audio lag when playing through the TV’s audio path.
HDMI-ARC vs eARC: Latency Impact
HDMI-ARC (Audio Return Channel)
ARC lets a TV send audio back to a soundbar or receiver. The problem: standard ARC has limited bandwidth. If you’re sending 5.1 surround sound or Dolby Atmos through ARC, the TV has to first encode it, then the receiver decodes it again. That double encoding/decoding adds latency.
A Sony OLED connected to an AV receiver via HDMI-ARC often shows 100ms+ of latency because the TV transcodes PCM 5.1 to Dolby Digital Bitstream, and the receiver decodes it—each step adds delay.
HDMI-eARC (Enhanced ARC)
eARC has more bandwidth and supports passthrough of high-quality formats like Dolby Atmos without transcoding. Less encoding = less latency. eARC can reduce delay to 30–50ms, but it’s still higher than direct HDMI to a soundbar.
Where the Latency Actually Comes From
TV Processing
The TV’s HDMI input has to buffer, decode video, and route audio to speakers or back out via ARC. Even with fast video decoding, audio processing adds 20–50ms inherently. Budget TVs (especially at lower price points) have more latency than premium models with optimized audio stacks.
Resolution and Refresh Rate
Higher resolutions (4K) and higher refresh rates (120Hz) can introduce more latency in some TVs as the scaler works harder. If you’re gaming and experience lag, try lowering resolution or refresh rate and measure again—you might find a sweet spot with less delay.
Audio Enhancements
If your TV has sound processing enabled (bass boost, virtual surround, dialogue enhancement), disable it. These features buffer audio for processing, adding 10–30ms. Keep audio settings flat or minimal for lowest latency.
How to Measure Your TV’s HDMI Audio Latency
The Visual Method: Lip-Sync Test
Play a video with clear speech (a movie scene, a speech, a music video). Look at the speaker’s lips versus when you hear the sound. If the audio clearly trails the lips, you have noticeable latency. You can estimate the gap visually, but it’s not precise.
More Accurate: Use Test Content
YouTube has lip-sync test videos designed for this. Search “HDMI lip sync test” or “TV audio delay test.” These show a white flash synced with a beep. If the beep comes after the flash, you have audio lag. You can count frames or milliseconds depending on the test format.
Browser-Based Test
Use our free online audio latency test. Hook your TV audio path (HDMI from your source device to TV, then TV speakers or eARC to a soundbar) and use our tool to measure round-trip latency. Play the test click through your TV’s audio system and tap in sync. The tool reports your delay in milliseconds.
Typical HDMI Latency Ranges
Direct HDMI to TV Speakers: 30–80ms
Most newer TVs in the 2021+ generation keep this under 60ms. Budget models or older TVs often hit 80–150ms.
HDMI-ARC to Receiver: 80–150ms
Transcoding and feedback processing add significant delay. If you’re experiencing terrible audio lag with a receiver, this is often why.
HDMI-eARC to Soundbar: 40–80ms
eARC is faster, especially with newer soundbars that support it. But still slower than direct connection.
Gaming Mode: 20–50ms
Most modern gaming-focused TVs include a “Game Mode” that reduces processing. It disables enhancements and uses a faster processing chain. If you’re gaming, turn Game Mode on in TV settings (it might be called “Low Latency Mode” or “Game Optimizer” depending on the brand).
How to Fix HDMI Audio Latency
Enable Game Mode or Low-Latency Mode
Most TVs have this in Settings > Picture or Settings > Display. It reduces video processing and often audio delay too. If you’re not gaming, this may degrade picture quality for normal viewing, so toggle it only when needed.
Disable Audio Enhancements
Go to Settings > Sound and turn off: Sound Mode, Surround, Bass Boost, Dialogue Enhancement, or any other audio processing. Set everything to “Standard” or “Off.” This typically cuts 10–20ms of latency.
Use eARC Instead of ARC
If both your TV and soundbar support eARC, enable it. It’s usually under Settings > Sound > Audio Output or HDMI Settings. eARC reduces transcoding delay compared to standard ARC.
Adjust Audio Sync Delay on Your Display
Many TVs include an “Audio Delay” or “A/V Sync” setting in the Sound menu. If your audio is trailing, you can add a negative delay (shift audio earlier). If audio is ahead, add a positive delay (shift audio later). The increments are usually 10–50ms, so you may need to experiment. Note: most TVs won’t let you delay video, only audio.
Switch to PCM Output
If your source device is sending Dolby Digital or DTS bitstream through HDMI and the TV is re-encoding it, switch to PCM (uncompressed stereo or 2.0). Many Blu-ray players and streaming devices let you set this in audio output options. PCM bypasses encoding on the TV side, reducing delay.
For Streamers and Video Editors
If you’re streaming from a PC or recording gameplay through a TV’s HDMI input:
- Measure your TV’s HDMI audio latency with a loopback test.
- In your streaming software (OBS, Streamlabs), add that delay value to your video source using the Sync Offset filter or advanced audio properties.
- Monitor the recording to confirm audio and video line up.
For example, if your TV introduces 80ms of latency, apply an 80ms delay to your video source in OBS so the audio catches up during encoding.
Soundbars, Receivers, and Multiple Outputs
If you have a soundbar connected via eARC and a separate headphone jack, they may have different latencies. If you notice the soundbar audio is ahead of or behind the headphone audio, your source device might have a setting to adjust audio delay globally (some receivers have this).
The simplest fix: pick one output and stick with it. If your soundbar sounds better but has more latency, accept the trade-off. If latency is critical (gaming, live streaming), use a wired headphone connection instead, which typically has zero added latency.
When It’s Not the TV
If you measure your TV’s HDMI audio latency and it’s acceptable (under 50ms), but you still perceive lag, check:
Your Source Device: Some streaming sticks, cable boxes, or game consoles introduce their own delay. Test with a different input source (another HDMI port, a different device) to isolate the culprit.
Your Headphones: Wireless or Bluetooth headphones add 100–300ms. If you’re monitoring with Bluetooth, that’s your latency, not the TV.
Distance from Speakers: If you’re far from your TV speakers, sound travels time over distance. Sit closer or use headphones.
Dalton is an audio testing and latency optimization writer at SoundLatencyTest. He focuses on audio latency analysis, sound delay testing, recording performance, and audio troubleshooting tools for producers, gamers, streamers, musicians, and audio engineers.