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Do you have lip sync issues with Xbox 360 HD DVD playback

  • Yes, but only with TrueHD tracks.

    Votes: 22 8.1%
  • Yes, but only with Dolby Digital Plus tracks.

    Votes: 12 4.4%
  • Yes, with both TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus.

    Votes: 39 14.4%
  • No, I have no audio sync issues at all.

    Votes: 186 68.6%
  • Other. (Please explain.)

    Votes: 12 4.4%

Do you have audio sync issues (esp. with TrueHD) on Xbox 360 HD DVD playback?

40K views 146 replies 55 participants last post by  BuGsArEtAsTy 
#1 ·
May 28, 2007 EDIT:


Basically all the significant sync issues with discs I purchased before the Xbox 360 HD DVD Update came out have been fixed. However there is a new one...

The Matrix is out of sync.



Reports are that it's also out of sync with the Toshibas.


Some from Microsoft had said that The Matrix had been tested, but I guess this was overlooked.



-------


So, my brand new Xbox 360 HD DVD drive setup has audio/video synchronization issues, at least with certain discs and audio tracks.


I only have one TrueHD disc, Batman Begins, and it's with that track that I notice it the most. Actually, unless my eyes and ears deceive me, it seems like the audio lags the video (instead of the other way around, which is what is often reported with other hardware).


Could the Xbox 360 be lagging in audio because of the requirement of decoding TrueHD and then re-encoding it DD5.1 is too much via software? Is decoding TrueHD harder than decoding Dolby Digital Plus? I also wonder if I'm getting slight audio sync issues with other DD+ tracks, but if there it's pretty minor.


I have NO audio sync issues whatsoever with anything else, including 360 gaming, 360 DVD playback, WMV trailers on the 360, two DVD players (including one progressive scan one) with either DD or DTS, or my HD PVR.


My setup:


My Toshiba CW34XC2 34" widescreen CRT and Kenwood VR-510 receiver are hooked up to all my components through a Zektor HDS4.1 component & digital audio switcher. The Zektor is hooked up to the receiver and the Xbox 360 both via optical. ie.


DVD 1 (480p) --> Zektor

DVD 2 (480i) --> Zektor

Xbox (1080i) --> Zektor

PVR (1080i) --> Zektor


Zektor --> TV + receiver


Do you also have sync issues, and if so, with what? I note that others have noticed lip sync problems with TrueHD as well, but with different discs (like Constantine ) and on Toshiba standalones. I don't see many reports of this problem with the Xbox 360 setup, but I wonder if that's just because it's so new.


Is this a hardware issue, an HD DVD disc issue, or both?

EDIT:


The lag IS definitely there with Dolby Digital Plus tracks too. It's very mild, and I suspect most people wouldn't notice it, but it's real. I see/hear it on Batman Begins DD+, King Kong DD+, and Pitch Black DD+ tracks. I have to pay very close attention to see it, but I'm now 100% convinced of it.


Either my receiver/setup is lagging with decoding 640 Kbps DD, or else Microsoft's implementation of audio output synchronization needs some more work.
 
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#127 ·
#128 ·
Hmmm... I guess I missed it the first time he posted this (last week).

Quote:
The spring HD DVD software update will fix all the lip sync issues that have been reported/we know of.

Lookin' good...
 
#129 ·
The latest: We have said that the update will come in "early to mid-spring" and we are tracking to that.


The wait continues... Perhaps by mid to late May...
 
#131 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ARPRINCE /forum/post/0


Did he say what year? That update has been ready for quite awhile now but has not been pushed out yet. *sigh*

He hints it's supposed to come out before The Matrix, which comes out May. 22.


---


I just my copy of Fearless today. This disc is especially good for testing, since it's a combo.


The DVD side played through the Xbox 360 is perfectly sync'd. The HD DVD side is not.



One example starts at about 1 minute 34 seconds into the HD DVD. (It's around 1'45" on the DVD.) The drumming is out of sync by a split second on the HD DVD. It's just like the Batman Begins hammer scene.


We'll see if this get fixed with the (late?) May HD DVD update, but somehow I'm not optimistic this slight sync issue with these discs is gonna get fixed. I betcha they'll fix the big sync issues where discs go wacky and completely out of sync, but this slight but constant sync issue seems to be a different kettle of fish.
 
#132 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuGsArEtAsTy /forum/post/0


So, as of today, there exactly 200 voters:


52 people (26%) report audio lag issues (18 TrueHD, 8 DD+, 26 both)

10 people (5%) report "other"

138 people (69%) report no audio lag issues

That's as insightful as saying its not raining in 69% of the US, because we don't know what day (what DVDs they've watched) or where they are located (what audio playback [analog/digital] they're using)!
 
#133 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jcpom /forum/post/0


That's as insightful as saying its not raining in 69% of the US, because we don't know what day (what DVDs they've watched) or where they are located (what audio playback [analog/digital] they're using)!

The point was that at least 1/4 of voters did have a sync problem. That's pretty significant for the Xbox 360 HD DVD.


With (SD) DVD players today (and properly encoded discs), I suspect the number would be
 
#134 ·
 Hellfire writes:


---

we found a pretty systemic issue that caused everything to go off by a little bit. some tracks, like batman's truehd, were encoded slightly off to begin with (i.e. they weren't in sync with the DD+ track), and that, coupled with the delay we added, pushed it into the realm of noticeability for some discs.


btw, to the earlier poster: i just watched total recall recently on the new player code and didn't see any lip sync issues, so it'll be fixed when we ship real soon.



---


This is encouraging in that it suggests that the more subtle DD+ sync issues I've complained about may in fact be corrected.
 
#136 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jcpom /forum/post/0


Has this "added delay" ever been mentioned before?

I don't know if they did it on purpose. In fact I'm not sure if he's talking about the same "systemic" problem.
 
#137 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuGsArEtAsTy /forum/post/0


I don't know if they did it on purpose. In fact I'm not sure if he's talking about the same "systemic" problem.
Update:

Quote:
right, the delay we inadvertently added is the systemic a/v sync issue i spoke of.


all a/v sync issues i know of have been fixed, or more accurately, fixed enough into the realm of unnoticeability (by our measurements, it turns out the toshiba player also was a bit late with audio, but no one ever noticed. we're now more accurate than the toshibas, AFAWCT).


batman begins problem - this is just how this particular trueHD track was mastered (it was barely off)

For the record, I did have sync issues with my Toshiba HD-A1 as well. ie. At least some of us noticed.
 
#138 ·
 Video of 360 HD DVD audio lag issue - 3 scenes from 2 HD DVDs demonstrating the problem.


(Quicktime H.264 800 Kbps, 30 sec, 3 MB - Sorry for the poor quality.)


These are with Dolby Digital Plus tracks. This should be corrected next week, if all goes well.
 
#140 ·
Thanks Microsoft!


The Dolby Digital audio dynamics is fixed with the HD DVD Update today.




The audio sync is ALMOST fixed. It's way, way better than before, but not 100% perfect sync. However, it's close enough for the time being, and I betcha most people would not notice it, esp. if they have any lag at all in their TVs.


To test this, check out the Fearless HD DVD combo disc: HD DVD side vs. the DVD side. On the HD DVD side there is drumming at 1 min 31 s. Before, this was way out of sync. Now it's almost perfectly sync'd, but not as perfect as the DVD side.
 
#141 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuGsArEtAsTy /forum/post/0


Thanks Microsoft!


The Dolby Digital audio dynamics is fixed with the HD DVD Update today.




The audio sync is ALMOST fixed. It's way, way better than before, but not 100% perfect sync. However, it's close enough for the time being, and I betcha most people would not notice it, esp. if they have any lag at all in their TVs.


To test this, check out the Fearless HD DVD combo disc: HD DVD side vs. the DVD side. On the HD DVD side there is drumming at 1 min 31 s. Before, this was way out of sync. Now it's almost perfectly sync'd, but not as perfect as the DVD side.

This could be an authoring issue. I wonder.


Hellfire360 claims that the audio now actually precedes the video by 8-16 ms (although I'm not sure with which titles).
 
#142 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuGsArEtAsTy /forum/post/0


Hellfire360 claims that the audio now actually precedes the video by 8-16 ms (although I'm not sure with which titles).

At least AVRs can compensate for early, unlike lag.
 
#143 ·

The audio on the 360 with The Matrix is also out of sync.



This is after the HD DVD update. Microsoft said they had tested The Matrix, but I guess this was overlooked.


I dunno if it's a disc issue or a player issue, but apparently it's also a problem with Toshiba standalones .
 
#144 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuGsArEtAsTy /forum/post/0

The audio on the 360 with The Matrix is also out of sync.



This is after the HD DVD update. Microsoft said they had tested The Matrix, but I guess this was overlooked.


I dunno if it's a disc issue or a player issue, but apparently it's also a problem with Toshiba standalones .

The entire movie is out of sync, but it's very, very mild. If the TV has any lag at all then it won't be noticed.


It's hard to see in many of the scenes because a lot of them don't focus in on the actors' lips during dialogue. However, in those that do it's noticeable enough on some systems (including mine, which is a CRT HDTV and 360) it's enough to be distracting. The lips move a split second before the audio.


One example is at 10:50 when Trinity says "They're watching you Neo".
 
#145 ·
This thread seems to have been dead for a while now, but I thought I would see if anyone has experience with what I am seeing. I have the 360 plugged into my computer's Creative Audigy2 soundcard over optical S/PDIF. When playing HD-DVDs, there is a very noticable audio delay (maybe 1/8-1/4 s) on Dolby Digital 5.1 output. If I switch the output mode to Dolby Stereo, the is no delay, and there is no issue with the RCA audio cables either, but of course this defeats the point of having a 5.1 surround setup. I have the component cable plugged directly into a projector for video output.


I would like to be able to test this with a real receiver, but since I am a college student, my budget kind of restricts that... Does anyone else have experience with a similar setup and getting it working, or am I out of luck? Also, one weird thing I have found is that switching the output to DTS and back to DD 5.1 makes there be a huge delay (as in 2-3s). While I suspect the computer to be the problem in general, the xbox is definitely doing something there.


So far I have tested: Serenity, King Kong
 
#146 ·
I was browsing around trying to see if I was the only one with sync issues with the toshiba add on for the Xbox360. I thought I would be relieved to find out I wasn't alone but in actuality it just makes me that much more frustrated
I have tested Miami Vice, Knocked Up and 300 ALL with the same issues of lag in the audio/video. My Sanyo 30in CRT didn't seem to have the problem that I noticed however when I switched to a Samsung 1080p LN-T4071 it made me want to throw the darn thing out the window it was so horrible. I have the most current update and have the audio settings on the dolby 5.1 connected through the optical port on the 360 to the TV itself. I have tried without the optical and still have the same issue if not worse than with the optical.
 
#147 ·
Battlestar Galactica Season 1 Disk 2 - second half of the mini-series.


Severe lip sync problem for over a minute, best seen/heard at the 55 minute and 37 second mark.


Tested with the Toshiba HD-A2 and the 360.
 
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