Audio runs ahead of the picture

Why this happens, and why it is a good sign

In an ordinary setup the audio travels through the TV and comes back out of the ARC port, so it picks up the TV's picture processing delay along the way — and by accident, that keeps it roughly in step with the image.

An Arcana deliberately breaks that. It takes audio out of the chain before the display, which is the entire point: the TV never gets the chance to downgrade the format. But it also means the audio no longer waits for the TV's video processing. On a display with heavy processing that can be tens of milliseconds, and the result is sound that arrives ahead of the picture.

So this symptom is the expected consequence of doing the right thing, and the Arcana has a control specifically for it.

The fix: adjustable eARC delay

Both models can delay the audio going out of the eARC port, adjustable from 0 to 255 milliseconds. Enable the eARC delay in the OLED menu and raise it until picture and sound line up.

A practical way to land on the right number: start at 0, then work in steps of about 20 ms rather than 5. Small steps are hard to judge, and the ear is much better at spotting the point where you have gone too far than at spotting gradual improvement. Once sound clearly lags, come back down a step or two. Use dialogue with a clear view of the speaker's mouth — a news broadcast or a talk show is more reliable than an action scene.

The one thing it cannot do

The delay only works in one direction. It can hold audio back to wait for the picture; it cannot move audio that is already late any earlier. Nothing in the chain can — you cannot send sound before it exists.

If your audio is behind the picture, something else is adding delay to it, and the cause is elsewhere:

• The soundbar or AV receiver has its own lip-sync or delay setting, often left at a non-zero value.
• Wireless surrounds or a wireless subwoofer add latency of their own.
• The TV is applying its own AV-sync correction on top, which now over-corrects because the audio no longer goes through it. Setting the TV's audio delay back to zero is worth trying.
• Some streaming apps have per-app sync offsets.

Reduce the delay instead of compensating for it

Compensation always works, but less delay to compensate for is better. Turning on the display's Game mode, or switching off motion interpolation and noise reduction, cuts the picture processing delay substantially — often enough that the required audio delay drops to a value you no longer notice while switching sources.

What about video delay through the Arcana itself?

According to the manuals both models add only a few pixel clocks of processing to the video path. That is far below anything perceptible and is unrelated to the adjustable audio delay. If you see a sync problem, it is not the Arcana delaying your picture.

Frequently asked

How many milliseconds should I set?

There is no universal number - it depends on your display's processing. Start at 0, raise in steps of about 20 ms until sound clearly lags, then come back down. Most setups land somewhere between 40 and 120 ms.

My audio is behind the picture instead of ahead. Now what?

The eARC delay cannot help with that, because it only delays audio further. Look for the cause elsewhere: the soundbar's own delay setting, wireless surrounds, or the TV's AV-sync correction still being active.

Do I need a different delay per source?

Sometimes. The delay compensates for the display's processing, so it is largely constant per display - but game consoles in Game mode and film sources in a processed picture mode can differ enough to notice.

Does the Arcana delay the video too?

No. Both models add only a few pixel clocks to the video path, which is not perceptible. The adjustable delay applies only to the eARC audio output.

Related

• eARC not working or falling back to ARC
• Arcana online manual — OLED menu and eARC delay
• PlayStation 5 setup