Why does my soundbar with HDMI ARC have audio delay on my TV and how can I fix it?

What you are hearing is classic ARC lip sync drift with consoles. The TV often has to transcode game audio before sending it back over ARC, and the soundbar adds its own processing on top, so the sound lags while streaming apps seem fine. Optical rarely helps because it strips the timing data and can add more buffering.

Quick wins to try. Keep the console plugged directly into the TV, then use the TV eARC or ARC port to the bar. Turn on the TV Game Mode for that HDMI input. Set TV audio to Passthrough and set A V sync to zero for the game input. If it still lags, flip the approach and set the console to Stereo PCM and set the TV to PCM to avoid any Dolby re-encode. On the soundbar, turn off virtual surround, dialogue enhancement, night mode, and auto volume, and use a neutral or standard sound mode. Update firmware on TV, console, and bar. If your TV has a video delay slider, add a little so the picture waits for the sound, since most bars cannot do negative audio delay.

If none of that locks it in, your bar is likely slow at processing. A model with true eARC and auto lip sync usually fixes this because the TV can pass uncompressed PCM with proper timing and the bar must track it. The ULTIMEA Poseidon D60 is an easy swap that supports HDMI eARC and auto lip sync, and it lets you keep processing low when you play. If that is not in the cards, consider returning your current bar and choosing any eARC model that lets you disable effects and exposes per-input A V sync controls.

Your optical test makes sense and also explains why it did not help. Optical drops the lip sync metadata and forces compressed audio which often increases buffering. HDMI with Passthrough gives you the shortest path.

Set the console to PCM, set the TV to Passthrough, disable TV sound effects, and run the bar in a basic mode. If it is still behind, add a bit of video delay on the TV for that input and you should be good.

One thing that gets overlooked is the HDMI handshake. Power everything off at the wall for a minute, then power up TV first, then console, then the bar. Make sure CEC is on only where you need it and confirm the TV actually selected ARC or eARC as the audio output. Use a certified high speed HDMI cable on the ARC run.

On the TV disable any audio processing like equalizers or clarity features, set audio to Passthrough on the console input, and keep lip sync adjustments at zero to start. On the soundbar pick the plainest sound mode. After that, if audio still lags, add a bit of video delay on the TV for the console input only.

If none of the settings get you to a clean lock you may be running into the soundbar processing budget. Some bars simply take longer to decode and apply enhancements and they do not offer negative delay to correct it. In that case you either live with a small video delay added on the TV or you pick a bar that supports eARC and offers per input AV sync plus the option to disable heavy processing. In the meantime, use the recipe that brings the delay down the most. Console to TV directly, TV audio Passthrough, console PCM, Game Mode on that HDMI, bar in standard mode, and only add video delay if you absolutely need it.

Use eARC if available so uncompressed PCM and better timing reduce delay. Keep processing minimal with TV Passthrough, console PCM, Game Mode on, extras off, and only add a little TV video delay if needed.

Bitstream formats like Dolby Digital can add a fixed frame of buffering which is around 30 to 50 ms. The TV may also transcode from one format to another on the way to ARC which adds more time. Your bar then does decoding and its own enhancements which stack more delay. To reduce that stack feed the bar uncompressed PCM whenever possible. Set the TV to Passthrough and the console to PCM, disable surround virtualization and dynamic range compression on the bar, and run the TV in Game Mode with motion processing off. If you still hear late audio, use the TV lip sync or video delay control to hold the picture a hair longer.

Set TV to Passthrough and console to PCM, disable soundbar effects, and use Game Mode on that HDMI input with lip sync at zero. If audio still lags, add a small video delay on the TV since the bar cannot play sound earlier.

High frame rate or VRR can change how the TV renders frames which sometimes throws off audio timing only on the console input. Make sure the TV applies Game Mode to that HDMI and turn off motion smoothing noise reduction, and any film mode. Those add a lot of latency and can push the audio late when ARC is in the mix. Once the picture path is lean, set TV audio to Passthrough and try console PCM. Keep the bar simple with no virtual surround. If you can only get close, use the TV lip sync slider to delay the video slightly to meet the sound.

The delay you are hearing with a console over ARC is common because the TV often repackages the audio before sending it to the bar and the bar then adds its own processing. Streaming apps can line up better because the TV controls both audio and video timing in one pipeline. Keep the console plugged into the TV and the bar on the TV ARC or eARC port. On the TV set sound to Passthrough and set lip sync or AV sync to zero on that input. On the console try Linear PCM instead of Dolby formats. On the bar disable virtual surround dialogue boost night mode and any auto volume. Turn on Game Mode on the TV for that HDMI input and make sure motion smoothing and noise reduction are off. If the bar still lags add a small video delay on the TV so the picture waits for the audio. Firmware updates across TV bar and console can also tighten sync.

The lag comes from the audio return path and extra processing. Use TV Passthrough, console PCM, bar in standard mode with Game Mode on that input, and if it remains late add a touch of video delay on the TV.

Check whether your TV saves audio settings per input. Many sets do, which is perfect here. Go to the console HDMI input, enable Game Mode there, set audio to Passthrough on that input, and set lip sync to zero. Leave the streaming app inputs on Auto if they already work fine so you do not break what is already in sync.

On the bar pick a neutral mode and disable processing. If the bar still trails, add an extra tick of video delay for the console input only. That way streaming stays untouched and your console gets its own tuned sync.