Streaming issues

[Rat407]

OK, we were looking at getting rid of DirecTV and go with streaming. But first we thought we would try it. Well the issue we are having is every now and then the sound doesn't match the video. It is like watching an old Kung Fu movie. Anyone else have this issue? It is the same on different TV's that are hooked up to an Amazon Fire Stick or our Apple TV. It is very annoying. If I can't find a fix then streaming isn't for us.

 

[wag123]

What streaming service are you using?

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted by wag123
What streaming service are you using?


And what is your internet speed and service, DSL, Cable?

I use the Amazon Fire Stick and I don't have issues with it. Make sure you have any settings for firmware updates turned on.

Do you have kids or other people that are using the Wifi at the same time? Can you run the speedtest.net from your device's internet browser to see what speed the device is getting from your wifi signal?

 

[Rat407]

Originally Posted by wag123
What streaming service are you using?

Originally Posted by JC1
Originally Posted by wag123
What streaming service are you using?


And what is your internet speed and service, DSL, Cable?

I use the Amazon Fire Stick and I don't have issues with it. Make sure you have any settings for firmware updates turned on.

Do you have kids or other people that are using the Wifi at the same time? Can you run the speedtest.net from your device's internet browser to see what speed the device is getting from your wifi signal?


We have Spectrum at 1oombs and strong wifi in the house. Using Hulu or a few of the other free services is when it happens. Some times it happens when watching a Prime video or even Netflix.

I checked all my connections. It is straight from the TV not running through a receiver or sound bar.

Nobody else using the wifi during the viewing.

 

[JustN89]

I run Hulu Live on an Amazon Fire stick with no issues. I also have Spectrum. My advice would be to reset your modem, if you haven't done that already. In the mean time, I'd run a speed test to see what speeds you're actually getting, as ISPs word things very particularly- you pay for a service with speeds up to 100 mbs, which does not guarantee that you'll get 100 mbs all the time.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by Rat407
OK, we were looking at getting rid of DirecTV and go with streaming.

I just got Direct TV, and I'm not happy with it at all. The picture, sound, reception, and everything else is fine. It's just there is nothing to watch. Yeah, I get the basic package, but come on! Half of the channels are infomercial stations. From, "healthier looking skin", to "the coin collector", to "knife and cutlery corner". And don't forget the "air fryer" that can turn the cheapest cuts of meat into total delicacies. It never ends.

Not to mention there are more Hispanic channels than English. I feel like I'm living in Mexico City every time I turn it on. The "movie channels" are the "Road House, Rambo, & Forrest Gump rerun channels". I looked at the "premium packages", and it's mostly more of the same non stop crap.

It's unbelievable just how bad cable / satellite television has gotten. I've heard a lot of people are going to the "new" antenna's, that supposedly get several stations for free that satellite and cable currently charge for. But I'm afraid if I spring for it, it will wind up being just another disappointment, and waste of time and money. So I guess I'll just keep paying more, and watching less. What else is new?

 

[RayCJ]

For viewing, are you using a personal computer or Internet TV? Are they configured properly? If it's a personal computer, what is the CPU utilization shown by the Task Manager?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

It depends on the bandwidth between your wireless router and the device as well as the number of wireless/wired devices connected to it.


100 MB internet service should be fine but you can always speed test that via a wired connection (just type in speedtest in your browser) just to make sure you're getting close to that.

Distance from the wireless router can also be an issue (poor signal strength).

We had the exact same issue as you and it went away when we upgraded our wireless router (It's now 4 yrs old). Oh and make sure you update your bandwidth settings for Netflix (if you use them). You can manual set the download speed.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by RayCJ

For viewing, are you using a personal computer or Internet TV? Are they configured properly? If it's a personal computer, what is the CPU utilization shown by the Task Manager?
He said he's using Amazon Firestick and Apple TV.

 

[wag123]

This is not an internet speed or router issue, it is an audio demuxing issue, typically involving the decoder on the receiving end. Demuxing is the process of separating the video and audio. I have had this issue with some files from some sources played on Android/Kodi set-top boxes. Fortunately, Kodi has an audio offset adjustment to compensate. My Roku boxes do not have this problem regardless of the source.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by Rat407
OK, we were looking at getting rid of DirecTV and go with streaming. But first we thought we would try it. Well the issue we are having is every now and then the sound doesn't match the video. It is like watching an old Kung Fu movie. Anyone else have this issue? It is the same on different TV's that are hooked up to an Amazon Fire Stick or our Apple TV. It is very annoying. If I can't find a fix then streaming isn't for us.

Take a look at this thread:
https://www.avforums.com/threads/am...y-problem-anyone-else-having-it.2008246/

Apparently disabling Dolby Digital in Audio settings fixes the issue, at least on Firestick. It's worth trying it on Apple TV as well.

 

[csandste]

Have Spectrum, same speed. So does my GF. Probably 80 percent of our streaming is on Roku, various low end models including a streaming stick and their lowest end model. In addition we have a couple of Firesticks and Google dongles. Don't remember ever having that problem on any device. Cut the cord 3-4 years ago, dropping Dish. Glad I did. I can run a couple of streaming devices, a computer, a tablet, my phone and a couple of smart speakers with no problems-- which is a fair amount of stuff hanging off since I live alone.

Your measured speed is roughly the same as mine and it would seem that if you had speed problems you'd be getting buffering, not the delay. I think wag123"s comments are right on. Maybe go out and pick up a Roku before you give up on the service.

 

[volk06]

How old is your router?

We've been stream for 3 years. First 2 years was on 12mbps centurylink DSL and had no issues most of the time. You should have plenty of speed.

We've used firesticks and currently using a roku 4K stick and roku TCL on 100mbps, with a google wifi mesh with onhubs. Never have an issue.

Since you are experiencing it on both device, I would start with checking your router and doing a wifi speed test vs Ethernet speed test. Try streaming from your computer on wifi and then with ethernet. See if the ethernet improves the streaming, if it does your router is probably the culprit, especially if it is old.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by volk06
How old is your router?

We've been stream for 3 years. First 2 years was on 12mbps centurylink DSL and had no issues most of the time. You should have plenty of speed.

We've used firesticks and currently using a roku 4K stick and roku TCL on 100mbps, with a google wifi mesh with onhubs. Never have an issue.

Since you are experiencing it on both device, I would start with checking your router and doing a wifi speed test vs Ethernet speed test. Try streaming from your computer on wifi and then with ethernet. See if the ethernet improves the streaming, if it does your router is probably the culprit, especially if it is old.

As wag123 explained earlier, it is not an internet speed / router issue. It is a lip syncing issue caused by the streaming device not processing video and audio streams in sync or OP's TVs not playing nicely with his streaming devices, for whatever reason.

FWIW, I have my Roku devices throttled down to only 5 Mbps in order to reduce my monthly data consumption, and everything still works correctly.

 

[RayCJ]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by RayCJ

For viewing, are you using a personal computer or Internet TV? Are they configured properly? If it's a personal computer, what is the CPU utilization shown by the Task Manager?
He said he's using Amazon Firestick and Apple TV.


And when using those technologies, you can still view through a personal computer or Internet TV -and if they are configured improperly, it will cause quality problems.

 

[volk06]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by volk06
How old is your router?

We've been stream for 3 years. First 2 years was on 12mbps centurylink DSL and had no issues most of the time. You should have plenty of speed.

We've used firesticks and currently using a roku 4K stick and roku TCL on 100mbps, with a google wifi mesh with onhubs. Never have an issue.

Since you are experiencing it on both device, I would start with checking your router and doing a wifi speed test vs Ethernet speed test. Try streaming from your computer on wifi and then with ethernet. See if the ethernet improves the streaming, if it does your router is probably the culprit, especially if it is old.

As wag123 explained earlier, it is not an internet speed / router issue. It is a lip syncing issue caused by the streaming device not processing video and audio streams in sync or OP's TVs not playing nicely with his streaming devices, for whatever reason.

FWIW, I have my Roku devices throttled down to only 5 Mbps in order to reduce my monthly data consumption, and everything still works correctly.


My parents had a similar issue with a 4K firestick. Router was 6 years old. Replaced the router and no more issues so who knows.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by volk06
How old is your router?

We've been stream for 3 years. First 2 years was on 12mbps centurylink DSL and had no issues most of the time. You should have plenty of speed.

We've used firesticks and currently using a roku 4K stick and roku TCL on 100mbps, with a google wifi mesh with onhubs. Never have an issue.

Since you are experiencing it on both device, I would start with checking your router and doing a wifi speed test vs Ethernet speed test. Try streaming from your computer on wifi and then with ethernet. See if the ethernet improves the streaming, if it does your router is probably the culprit, especially if it is old.

As wag123 explained earlier, it is not an internet speed / router issue. It is a lip syncing issue caused by the streaming device not processing video and audio streams in sync or OP's TVs not playing nicely with his streaming devices, for whatever reason.

FWIW, I have my Roku devices throttled down to only 5 Mbps in order to reduce my monthly data consumption, and everything still works correctly.


Perhaps if all else is equal however our streaming experience didn't resolve itself until we purchased a 5Ghz wireless router. Especially for HD content.

 

[Wolf359]

The router is also a good suspect. If you don't want to upgrade it, you can try a firmware upgrade. They're always revising them.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by RayCJ
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by RayCJ

For viewing, are you using a personal computer or Internet TV? Are they configured properly? If it's a personal computer, what is the CPU utilization shown by the Task Manager?
He said he's using Amazon Firestick and Apple TV.


And when using those technologies, you can still view through a personal computer or Internet TV -and if they are configured improperly, it will cause quality problems.

I don't understand where you're going with this. What are you suggesting the OP does?

 

[RayCJ]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by RayCJ
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by RayCJ

For viewing, are you using a personal computer or Internet TV? Are they configured properly? If it's a personal computer, what is the CPU utilization shown by the Task Manager?
He said he's using Amazon Firestick and Apple TV.


And when using those technologies, you can still view through a personal computer or Internet TV -and if they are configured improperly, it will cause quality problems.

I don't understand where you're going with this. What are you suggesting the OP does?



If he's viewing with a personal computer based setup, he needs to make sure the computer is not being bogged-down (for any reason) with a high CPU utilization. I don't recall if firestick or AppleTV uses an HDMI or DisplayPort interface bur nonetheless, both of those interfaces have separate paths for audio, video and synch signals. It's up to the computer (either a PC or Internet TV) to obtain, synchronize and output those signals. If the computer is not up to the task (for any one of a million reasons) you will have synchronization problems.

BTW: A "Internet TV" is nothing more than a dedicated PC with a scaled-down motherboard, a graphics card just adequate to do the job and a big monitor. The OS is usually Linux based and some of them are straight-up Android variants(i.e. Google TV sets). If users do not have them configured properly (DNS settings, DHCP, Network Interface, MTU settings, Firewall settings etc) the CPU can be going haywire for no apparent reason. In PC streaming environments, it's the CPUs job to synch the audio and video for a streaming signal. If the CPU is bogged-down because of a misconfiguration, you are almost guaranteed to have synch issues.