I found a more elegant solution to this. which also proves imho the WD Live has lipsync issues. In order to fix the issue :-
I pass all audio via the HDMI cable to my Sony TV. I then conected the Sony TV to the Yamaha AVR via the toslink output it has built in. The result is perfect playback with no lipsync issues and no messing about with delay settings.
Audio from WD LIVE HMDI —> SONY TV Toslink -----> Yamaha AVR = perfect playback
Audio from WD LIVE Toslink -----> Yamaha AVR = lipsync issue
If my Sony TV can do it out of the box why cant the WD LIVE.
Anyways i am lucky enough to have a TV with lots of output options and i am happy with this workaround.
If i didnt this thing would be back in a box for a refund. My friends Xtreamer plays the same MKV’s direct to his AVR with no problems at all.
Hope this info helps for other people who have this problem
I have my WD TV Live connected via HDMI to a Panasonic TV and via Optical to my old Pioneer AVR. No lip sync issues.
The WD TV Live sends out the AV in sync, it won’t try to (and can’t) guess delays introduced by your AVR.
The problem is your Yamaha AVR.
A lot of TVs down-mix to stereo prior to outputting externally provided sources via their Optical output. Is your Sony TV still outputting a surround signal?
The audio into to my TV is AC3 DD 5.1 via HDMI and it outputs (passthrough i guess ) AC3 DD5.1 to my Yamaha
AVR.
So yes its full surround and no lipsync issues using this method. It is defintalty not down-mixing.
The Yamaha has had 4 dvd players and now 1 sony blue ray player hooked up to it over the last 9 years. All playing DD5.1 with no issues and no tweaking of any kind. I trust my Yamaha 100%.
The fact i can get perfect audio sync to the amp if i push the signal via the SONY TV using HDMI leads me to believe the problem is the WDTV toshlink output
The Sony TV is a Sony KDL37W5500 and the Yamaha AVR is a RX-V396RDS if WD need this info to attempt to replicate the fault.
anyways i have a workaound for the issue so i am happy, i hope this info helps anyone else who comes across this.
For the record the WDTV Live is a fantastic piece of kit. Its playing everything i throw at it and the PQ is excellent. its only the AC3 via toslink i am disspointed with. I am sure they could a introduce a setting to modify the delay of the audio output if they tried. the default is 60ms i believe?
If the audio goes thru the TV (using HDMI) WDTV will make a conversion to PCM. So you get PCM stereo here. The converted PCM audio is in sync. If WDTV doesn’t make this conversion but passes the AC3 audio directly thru the AVR without conversion the audio is out of sync. This is no AVR issue but a WDTV Live issue.
Yes I agree , I have had exactely the same problem , I have two different makes of media players , the WD has issues with audio sync and the other brand doesnt playing the same video file and connected the same way so yes this is a WD ISSUE , Its time WD got of there bums and fixed this issue , I will be doing an article soon in PC User Magazine with these very issues , for thoes of you who dont know what that magazine is its a publication here in Australia that discuss everything and anything mainly about computers and up and coming new products , Im surprised that in past editions WD have had a good rap , if they dont fix these issues I think that will change very quickly.
Yes I agree , I have had exactely the same problem , I have two different makes of media players , the WD has issues with audio sync and the other brand doesnt playing the same video file and connected the same way so yes this is a WD ISSUE , Its time WD got of there bums and fixed this issue , I will be doing an article soon in PC User Magazine with these very issues , for thoes of you who dont know what that magazine is its a publication here in Australia that discuss everything and anything mainly about computers and up and coming new products , Im surprised that in past editions WD have had a good rap , if they dont fix these issues I think that will change very quickly.
Cheers
Spiderman
After reading your post, I would be very surprised if you wrote for any magazine!!
You sound like a WD employee ??? Getting to close to the truth are we ??? Or are you just a tyre kicker that really doesn’t have much to contribute other then too go around putting stupid remarks in forums , as I said before I have the very same issues as other people are having and yes I will be doing an article regarding the WD shortcomings , may I suggest if you don’t have anything of substances to contribute then maybe you could find another forum so you can carry on your dribble , no forget what I just said , please stay around your good for a laugh.
You sound like a WD employee ??? Getting to close to the truth are we ??? Or are you just a tyre kicker that really doesn’t have much to contribute other then too go around putting stupid remarks in forums , as I said before I have the very same issues as other people are having and yes I will be doing an article regarding the WD shortcomings , may I suggest if you don’t have anything of substances to contribute then maybe you could find another forum so you can carry on your dribble , no forget what I just said , please stay around your good for a laugh.
You sound like a WD employee ??? Getting to close to the truth are we ??? Or are you just a tyre kicker that really doesn’t have much to contribute other then too go around putting stupid remarks in forums , as I said before I have the very same issues as other people are having and yes I will be doing an article regarding the WD shortcomings , may I suggest if you don’t have anything of substances to contribute then maybe you could find another forum so you can carry on your dribble , no forget what I just said , please stay around your good for a laugh.
Were you employed by PC User as part of an ‘Equal Opportunities’ scheme? Does someone else proof-read your material? Go ahead and write the article, that will definitely be good for a laugh.
If you don’t like the product, get something else. Seriously. It’s simply not the right unit for some people. If it doesn’t “like” your network setup, you’ll have nothing but grief. If you’re getting audio sync issues (I don’t), it’s not likely to be fixed within the next month, so go get a refund or exchange while you can.
The WD TV Live can require a lot of patience. WD is a huge company with absurd levels of red tape and protocol to follow before anything productive actually happens. If you want fast fixes, buy from a company whose product line revolves around media players.
FWIW, Rich isn’t employed by WD, nor is anyone else on these forums unless they have a little WD badge (like Bill or Guy). We’re just owners of the product, trying our best to help out (for free). If you’re going to stick around and contribute, welcome to the forums. If you’re just here to bluster and make empty threats, don’t let the door hit you on the way out. :)
Stop !!! You guys are killing me , first off we have richUK putting his 2 cents in and not really contributing to the thread then we have richUK’s trusty side kick PixelPower telling me about all the red tape at WD and if Im waiting for a fix well you probably better off getting your money back for the media player , have you guys even read the other threads ???
This is not an isolated problem there are other users in here having the very same issues and all they are asking for is for someone at WD to at least acknowledge them ( maybe even fix the problem , naahhhh wishful thinking there)
I do have one question for you blokes , do you both come as a comedy double ??? because I have a kids party coming up soon and was wondering if you both were available ???
We’re talking about an issue here, right? So the goal should be to get it fixed. Sure, there are some points at the WDTV which could be improved but all in all it’s a really nice and good working media player.
The async issue only appears on my WDTV live when using MKV with h264 and AC3 Audio. MKV with h264 and dts is in sync also if the player doesn’t make any conversion. Encoder for h264 was x264, AC3 and dts passthru.
I have tried the solution from PaulF going through HDMI and TV and it does solve the lip-sync issue for AC3 in MKV.
First I was really happy, but badaboum no more sound at all if the track is DTS!
My YAMAHA receiver can decode DTS for sure (it works fine when the WD is plugged on it directly) but it looks like my TV, though a brand new SONY EX500 can only passthrough AC3 digital, not DTS
Of course it works if I downgrade everything to Stereo…
So I am back to square, trying to live with 200ms lipsync issue
rockrider99: Exactly how are your components connected? Please explain for both cases, where the Lip Sync is fixed, but no DTS, and the other case where you have Lip Sync issues.
Until WDTV adds this as a feature (probably won’t, because it’s fairly rare. Only ONE of my HD devices has Lip Sync function, an old Philips DVD player.) you might consider using an HDMI switch that adds Lip Sync capability.
So, it’d look like this:
WDTV HDMI -> (switch) –> TosLink –> Yamaha
–> HDMI –> Sony
This really isn’t a “BUG” so to speak. It’s not the WDTV’s “fault” that your Sony and Yamaha process at different rates, which is the cause of Sync issues.
I did some additional tests with more movies both AC3 and DTS.
I must correct one part of what I described above : in case 1 the lip sync issue is always there with AC3, and really “visible”. With DTS it looks like it was for one specific movie, all others I tried are pretty much in sync and OK.
If this is not a bug specific to “AC3 on Optical” in the WDTVLive, one other explanation can be that DTS is heavier to decode for my receiver than AC3, and then by chance comes back in sync with the audio… Not sure, just an hypothesis.
Bad news is that it makes probably more tricky to solve if not all Digital outputs are affected the same way…
Anyway it confirms for me a systematic problem with MKV/AC3 in these configurations which is extremely annoying. And reading across forums, I am not alone to get it…
So definetly a feature like “AC3 delay” in the WDTVLive would be more than just “nice to have”.
In the mean time, I will just remux my MKV/AC3 movies to add 150ms… It introduces some positive delay if watching on the PC (which I don’t do often in fact…) but it does not look as disturbing as the other way.
In general it’s a good idea to post your own thread (and in the “General” section) because NO ONE has the same exact problem (unless you’re living in the same house). Everyone has a different setup and plays different materials.
Not only that, but it’s easy for your post to get lost in a very long thread like this. I’d suggest you start your own thread in the General forum and tell us exactly how you are set up and what you are playing. In particular:
Tell us whether you are set for “Stereo” or “Digital” in the Live
Tell us exactly what you mean by “syncrhonisation problem”. Is the lip sync just slightly off? Does it get progressively worse the further into the video you are?
(Most important) Post the MediaInfo about any DTS movies you can’t hear, along with any that have a sync issue (just one per issue will be fine)
It also apears to be pressent in highress avi’s also (on my box anyway).
As mentioned earlier, running a toslink from the TV to the AVR fixes the lipsync issues.
Toslink = Lipsync issues.
HDMI = In sync.
3 of my friends are considering buying a WD Tv Live after seeing mine, but until this is fixed i will not recommend it, since they haven’t got digital out from their TVs.
