Audio-Video Sync Issues: Repairing Desynchronized Video Files

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Audio–video out-of-sync issues refer to situations where the audio and video are not synchronized properly, meaning the sound can be ahead or lag behind the corresponding visuals. Watching a video with an audio-video sync problem can ruin your viewing experience, making dialogue and other audio elements appear out of sync with the scene playing on the video.

Fortunately, there are ways to fix audio-video sync issues using various media players or video repair tools. In this article, we will learn how to fix out-of-sync audio using VLC Media Player, Premiere Pro, and more. However, let’s first understand what causes the audio-video sync issue.

Why Do I Have Audio-Video Sync in My Video Playback?

If a video takes longer to process and display—due to high resolution, complex visual effects, or slower hardware—the audio may play ahead of the visuals. Moreover, if the audio signal is processed by using external devices such as receivers, soundbars, or certain software, audio may experience a delay, causing it to lag behind the video.

Audio and video sync issues can also arise when videos are poorly encoded or compressed, especially when downloaded online. Sometimes, bugs in media players or streaming apps can cause audio and video to desynchronize. Also, outdated media players or streaming apps can be responsible for video audio delay.

Additionally, poor or faulty connections—such as a loose HDMI cable—or problems with output devices like speakers, sound systems, or monitors can introduce audio-video delay. When streaming online, network latency or buffering issues can cause audio and video to go out of sync.

Audio-video sync issues can also arise when bad sectors in the hard drive cause video corruption, which can then lead to an audio-video sync issue. Over-compression of video files can degrade their quality and result in audio-video delay during playback.

How do you detect and fix an audio-video sync issue?

You can easily detect an audio-video out-of-sync issue by watching the video when the dialogue lags or plays ahead of the video. You can fix the audio delay in the video by adjusting the sync settings in the media player, updating the software, or checking the hardware connection.

1.     Restart the Media Player & Try a Different Player

Restarting the media player or online streaming app can sometimes resolve the sync issues in the video. You can also try playing the video in another media player to see if the issue persists.

  • Check Your Device’s Audio Settings

You must check your device’s audio settings and disable Audio Enhancements, which means turning off features like surround sound, bass boost, or other audio effects. These enhancements can sometimes cause delays in sound, leading to audio and video going out of sync.

Windows:

  • Go to Control Panel > Sound > Playback tab.
  • Select your audio device and click Properties.
  • Go to the Enhancements tab and turn off any audio enhancements that might be causing the delay.

On Android :

  • Open Settings > Sound or Sound & Vibration > Audio Effects, Sound Enhancements, or Equalizer (the names may vary depending on your Android brand).
  • Turn off effects like Dolby Atmos, Surround Sound, Bass Boost, or other enhancements.

macOS:

macOS doesn’t offer built-in audio enhancements like Windows.

3.     Update Your Software and Drivers

Ensure that the media player used to play the video is up to date. Also, update your audio drivers to the latest version to fix the audio delay issue. Moreover, ensure that your operating system is current and does not cause any issues that can lead to audio-video sync issues.

  • Check Your Hardware Connections

You need to make sure all the audio device cables are securely connected. Also, try a different HDMI or audio cable for your external speakers or display to see if a poor or loose connection causes the audio delay issue.

5.     Fix Audio-Video Sync Problems Using Media Players

Most media players have built-in features that allow you to fix audio lag or sync issues in video playback.

VLC Media Player:

  • Open the video in VLC Media Player, then click Tools> Effect and Filters > Synchronization tab.
  • Under Audio/ Video, enter Track Synchronization Value. If the audio plays ahead of the video, click the up arrow to add a delay to the audio. If the audio is lagging behind the video, click the down arrow to make the audio catch up. Next, click Close.

Windows Media Player:

  • Open the mis-synced video file on your Windows Media Player.
  • Click on the Organize section and select Options from the drop-down list.
  • Go to the Performance tab, tick the checkbox following ‘Drop frames to keep the audio and video synchronized,’ and click OK.

Other Players:

Look for an audio delay or sync option in the other media player’s settings. Most media players allow you to adjust the audio delay manually.

6.     Fix YouTube Audio-Video Sync

If you encounter an audio-video delay issue while watching YouTube videos, then just do the following to fix the issue:

  • Refresh the webpage.
  • Restart your web browser.
  • Exit and then re-open the YouTube app
  • Re-log into your YouTube account.
  • Clear the cache and cookies of your browser or app.
  • Adjust the playback speed in the YouTube player settings to find one that correctly aligns the audio and video.

7.     Use Video Repair Tool to Fix Audio Delay.

If the above methods don’t help you fix the audio sync issue in a particular file, the problem is with your video file. The video might be damaged or corrupted. It can get corrupted due to incomplete file transfer, download, sudden system shutdown, etc., causing audio delay in the file.

Use professional video repair tools like Stellar Repair for Video to fix corrupt sound sections in a video file. This tool uses an advanced algorithm to fix corrupt sound sections, file headers, and frame movement that often result in audio-video sync errors, audio lag, missing audio, or stuttering issues during playback.

  • Download and install Stellar Repair of Video on your Mac or Windows PC and launch it.
  • Click Add File to insert the corrupt video files.
  • Click Repair to initiate the repair process.
  • Once the repair process is completed, you can preview the repaired video. If satisfied with the repaired video, click Save Repaired Files to store the file in any desired location.

Conclusion

Audio-video sync problems can be a real nuisance, but they can be resolved with the right tools and techniques. Whether you’re watching videos, editing videos, or streaming content on various devices, the above methods can help you fix audio delay issues during video playback.

We are influencers and brand affiliates.  This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.