Lip Sync issues - Sky Stream

[Matt+Nunns]

Are we going to get an update from Sky on when they intend to fix this? Fed up of audio issues from a premium service! Audio now dropping only on Apple TV for 2-3 seconds at a time, you need to reboot the box daily to keep it anywhere near stable, just terrible, terrible piece of kit!

[Jimjob]

I'm now having problems with linking my Bluetooth cinema system to sky glass. I used to be able to use the tv sound and the Bluetooth cinema system sound without problem. Now I get an echo like it's out of sync. It's so frustrating as I've had weeks of problems since they last did an update. As you say we are paying a premium price for for not a premium service. I'm going to psych myself up to ring sky as this really isn't good enough

[Littletaffia]

@Jimjob Don't hold your breath for a worthwhile reply off Sky. I rang them twice and the second time I was told to use PCM. No good for me as I have my audio going through a top tier Denon AVR. As soon as I said that they blamed it on Denon. Everything else including Apple TV and two blu ray players all work perfectly.

There must have been a problem with the puck as I couldn't get Atmos nor HDR in a regular basis. I asked them for a new puck and was refused. Still took my money for it though.

So I've voted with my feet and left Sky. I know some will say that I shouldn't be replying to this thread because of them but I think it's important for people to know how Sky will deal with this on going problem and the way they ignore complaints.

[FunkyL]

I totally sympathise.  It is insulting how long this has been going on for and the utter lack of customer service.  We are locked into a contract until Feb and then we too will be moving on

[Matt+Nunns]

It's outrageous that they blame the "high end" audio kit. They're charging people extra for Atmos, which would imply the equipment is capable of it and, as many people have stated on here, every single other streaming device seems to work fine with external audio equipment.
Either Sky can't fix it because the kit has a fundamental issue or they aren't interested in fixing it but still want to take people's money for services they can't use. Not sure which is worse.

[Jonny16]

I think a large percentage of users will just use the speakers in the TV, or have the audio set to PCM and therefore not see the lip sync issue. In the grand scheme of things, it will be a small percentage of people who complain and who have external AV equipment, hence sky not being bothered.

[Mister_Dalek]

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@Jonny16 wrote:

I think a large percentage of users will just use the speakers in the TV, or have the audio set to PCM and therefore not see the lip sync issue. In the grand scheme of things, it will be a small percentage of people who complain and who have external AV equipment, hence sky not being bothered.

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Correct. 

Sky Stream is a mass market product. By comparison, users of more sophisticated AV equipment who care about the quality of image and sound they receive are very much a niche market.

[FunkyL]

I'm not sure I agree.   I, and many others, have a soundbar to offset the usually poor audio from the TV set.  I'm not alone in this, most people I know do similar.  Those sound bars usually offer Dolby etc. which are on by default.  At least that is how the issue came to light for me.  So I don't agree this is somehow a niche or specialist issue.  And even if it was, does that matter one uota to the poor service being shown here?

[Mister_Dalek]

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@FunkyL wrote:

I'm not sure I agree.   I, and many others, have a soundbar to offset the usually poor audio from the TV set.  I'm not alone in this, most people I know do similar.  Those sound bars usually offer Dolby etc. which are on by default.  At least that is how the issue came to light for me.  So I don't agree this is somehow a niche or specialist issue.  And even if it was, does that matter one uota to the poor service being shown here?

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Many people just aren't sensitive to lip sync and don't really notice it. As long as they can see something and hear something from their TV/soundbar they're happy. Sync is a secondary concern, if it's even a concern at all. 

I'm constantly astonished at how many people I know who have never tweaked a single setting on their TV or soundbar and are burning their retinas from horrendous overly saturated brightness and colour on their screens, or are using a soundbar with a price tag and capabilities far beyond what they're actually using it for. 

I agree with you though - it doesn't matter one iota, it's just an observation from someone who works in the industry. That's why I left Sky months ago. I had Stream for a year and it just didn't improve so I now happily get my fully streamed TV services elsewhere.  

[BobbiElman]

I do not understand why I have audio sync (lip sync) issues STILL with SKy Stream on Both Pucks .. I have the highest broadband / WiFi you can get in London , so it is not that .  And there seems to be no pattern at all, with the sync issues happening at random times Including when I FIRST turn Sky stream on.  

It is highly annoying to have to continually turn off and turn back on , or at worst having to unplug the puck just to stop the audio sync issues .  Having two pucks and every few days having to switch off and on or reboot one or the other pucks.

I have talked to support and did all they said and yet the issue persists.  Today the sync audio was Wildly off when I turned Sky stream on just this morning .  The other puck was fine .  It just makes no sense 

[Mister_Dalek]

@BobbiElman 

Frustrating isn't it? 

It seems that various combinations of A/V equipment simply won't play nicely with Sky Stream and poor, inconsistent lip sync is one of the more common issues. 

When I had Stream I tried various makes and models of TV and AVR, and tried different methods of connection - direct to AVR, direct to TV, ARC, eARC, etc, Auto, passthrough, DD, etc but never achieved a level of lip sync consistency I was happy with.

I put it down to the added latency introduced from having all apps hosted on Sky's servers, rather than on the device itself. Switching between apps and live channel streams, some offering different formats of audio, just seems to slow the processing down to such an extent that it can't catch up with itself and maintain a stable sync. Excessive server traffic may also have an impact. 

Even turning the puck on from cold in the morning, it still wouldn't reliably start in perfect sync on a live channel stream every time, no matter how I had the puck connected.

What's most frustrating is that many customers claim they have perfect lip sync at all times, so it would certainly appear to be possible to get a good service, but it seemingly can't be guaranteed as there are so many variables at play.     

[obo110x]

Well I'm just using TV speakers and still getting this issue.

Have tried all the options suggested and the so called answer.

No difference, also remote doesn't work properly anymore and constant "There's a technical issue" messages.

Will be cancelling as soon as I can.

[BobbiElman]

Exactly and currently it's happening as you said - EVERY single time I start the puck/ service.. It is unbelievably frustrating and the fact that customer service has told me the same thing over and over to "fix" it and it makes NO difference.. It wouldn't be half as frustrating if Sky would just admit there is an issue and actually try and fix it.  I don't care about having all the apps through Sky, I have a shield that does that, you know? 

[dormouse]

It is not a soundbar / AVR problem. Just watched a Sky movie for two hours with perfect lip sync. Turn over to watch BBC 2 and lip sync is out. Sound behind video, so delay won't help. Same equipment, different channel. It is a Sky transmission problem??

[Mister_Dalek]

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@dormouse wrote:

It is not a soundbar / AVR problem. Just watched a Sky movie for two hours with perfect lip sync. Turn over to watch BBC 2 and lip sync is out. Sound behind video, so delay won't help. Same equipment, different channel. It is a Sky transmission problem??

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My theory is that it's a latency problem introduced when the puck receives different types of audio codec from different apps or live streams. It can't cope well with the switch between formats.

When I had Sky Stream my experience was similar. You could be watching one thing in perfect sync in Dolby Atmos but as soon as you switch to something else in plain stereo the lip sync would be off. 

I got fed up of it after a year of no improvement so got rid of it. No such issues using other streaming devices.