Amazon has added a new option to Fire TVs for adjusting the synchronization between the device’s audio and video output. Selecting the new setting will allow you to add or remove an audio delay to compensate for delays added by your TV, soundbar, or AV receiver. The new option seems to only be available on the 2020 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV Stick Lite for now, but may be coming to other Fire TV models.
The new “AV Sync Tuning” option, as it’s labeled, is found under Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio. If you don’t find it on your device, be sure to check for software updates, as it may still be rolling out. As mentioned, I have only seen the new setting appear on my 2020 Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite so far.
When you open the setting, you immediately see a blue circle bouncing up and down and a rectangle moving across the screen from left to right. When the circle hits the moving rectangle, a beep is heard. The idea is that if the sound of the beep is heard at the same time as you see the circle touch the rectangle, then your audio and video output are synchronized.
At the bottom of the screen is a slider that can be moved left or right to shift the device’s audio forward or backward. If you are seeing the circle touch the rectangle before you hear the beep, then you move the slider to the right. If you are hearing the beep before you see the circle touch the ball, then you move the slider to the left. Note that you have to press the select button each time you’re done moving the slider before the new audio offset gets applied.
Normally, the sync tuning screen says “Tuning Mode: HDMI” in the bottom right corner. If you have a Bluetooth audio device, like Bluetooth headphones or a Bluetooth soundbar, connected to your Fire TV, it will say “Tuning Mode: Bluetooth” in the bottom right corner. This is because the new setting will remember the audio offset you configure for HDMI and Bluetooth separately.
For example, if you only have audio sync issues when using a Bluetooth speaker/headphone, then you can connect the Bluetooth device, fix the AV sync with this new setting, and then when you disconnect the Bluetooth device, the AV sync setting will revert back to default. Then when you reconnect the Bluetooth device, it will reapply the AV sync setting that you previously configured. This allows you to have 2 different AV sync settings, one for HDMI and one for Bluetooth, so that you don’t need to keep changing the AV sync setting each time you connect and disconnect a Bluetooth device.
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This would be nice if the delay had some consistency. In fact, it varies by up to a second or so.
If the sync audio adjustment is not done during live playback then it is useless. You have to know how much to adjust it while the item is playing. Otherwise it’s just a chance of luck to get it synced correctly.
Thanks; Saved for future reference. Will watch for update to my FS 4K I bought last November
Moving left or right makes no difference. The ball always strikes the middle of the bar. The sync stays as bad as ever / with no effect.
The moving circle/rectangle is nothing more than a video. That video is acting as the content being watched and heard, so you ARE adjusting the sync during live playback.
Sorry but that’s complete nonsense – each app manages its own buffering and VBR decoding
If there is app-specific audio sync issues, this new tool won’t solve the problem. This tool is meant to apply a single system-wide offset that is applied to all apps to compensate for audio delays caused by AV equipment.
Well, it doesn’t work. Sync is much better when I stream from the smart TV itself but I bought four Firesticks for the convenience of consistency. It might be that some apps don’t work well with Firestick but it’s hard to say as a user. When sync gets far off, I find that simply restarting the Firestick helps quite a bit. I keep hoping that one of the frequent updates will eventually fix this problem.
Would like to copy this post for future reference
BUT. HOW
How about bookmarking the page on your browser?
I just long press the text and then copy it and then just or wherever you like in an email or a message as a draft. Or whatever folder you want to paste it into
I am growing increasingly concerned when I see new features only being offered to FS3 and FS Lite (the latter a device that shouldn’t exist in my opinion). I purchased three Fire Cube 2’s during Prime Day based on many factors (performance being #1) but also operating system updates and frequency of new features. I chose not to purchase the FS4K due to it’s age, gambling that it may never see OS7. When I see these lower end devices receiving new features instead of a device which can clearly handle them, it makes me wonder what’s going on behind the scenes.
It’s common for newer devices to get new features first because new devices tend to have a slightly newer software version while launch bugs are addressed. Eventually, all devices, new and old, will merge together and have the same software so that they all share the same features. I expect other Fire TV models to get this feature early next year since updates tend to not be released over the holidays.
I would think the risk of bricking the 4k stick would be too great to update the OS. As you mentioned in a previous article, many people power the stick from the USB port on their TV which gets turned off when the TV is turned off and is underpowered.
My concern is when the FS freezes, and when I get it to go again, there is no sound at all! I have to turn the whole TV off, and start again.
I’ve had this issue in the past, in “almost” all cases the sound problem is caused by the HDMI cable / port and not the FS itself. I would try another HDMI cable / port if you have one or if you are using a really old cable upgrade to a newer one.
The no sound problem happens when I use the internal speaker as well.
Shame we can’t adjust picture brightness
My TV does this anyway so it’s ki da useless. However, there’s absolutely no reason why this can’t be updated to all firesticks. This is a marketing. Ploy to buy the latest version which is a norm with most manufacturers.
useless.. don’t work… better restart every 3 hours….
Well works for now but will see in a few hours if it starts to drift again. With my family it gets plenty of use so should be easy to see
I bought a 4k firestick in 2019, because it was recommended over the others due to better specs, so a smoother experience, and also 4k but it seems mine doesnt have the av sync feature, there doesnt seem to be a new model of the 4k version, so do i have to downgrade to 1080p to get this feature?
im having the same problem as others when its use for a couple of hours the sync drifts off again