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How To Fix Delay/Lag/Slow Response On Sony TV

Whether you are watching a movie, catching up on the latest episode of your favorite sitcom, or gaming, you expect your Sony TV to have perfect sound and audio. Any disruption in the picture or audio is sure to ruin your evening.

A slow response or delay on Sony TVs is often caused by outdated firmware. Outdated software can lead to performance lags and compatibility issues. To address this, navigate to the TV’s settings, select ‘Software Update,’ and ensure your TV has the latest firmware version. If an update is available, install it to enhance responsiveness.

Woman holding a remote while pointing in the TV

Another common reason for a Sony TV exhibiting slow response is an overloaded internal memory. When the TV’s storage is near its capacity, it can hinder the device’s performance. To alleviate this, navigate to the TV’s storage settings and clear any unnecessary data, cache, or unused apps. This action can free up memory and improve the TV’s speed.

This article will address some of the common reasons why your Sony TV is experiencing a lag in either the sound or picture. Some of the suggestions may vary, depending on the model of Sony TV you have. But the suggestions will at least point you in the right direction so you can resolve the problem.

How To Fix Audio Lag On Sony TV

Woman watching tv

Audio lag is when there is a delay between what you are hearing versus what you are seeing. The effect can leave you feeling like you’re watching a foreign film with bad voice-overs.

You can fix an audio lag on your Sony TV by making sure any cable connections are securely inserted. Check the cable connections between the TV and the cable/satellite box, or other external devices. A bad optical connection between the home theater system and the Sony TV will cause an audio lag.

If all of the cable connections are secure and in the correct ports, try resetting the TV by removing it from its power source for at least 60 seconds. This will remove any glitches within the TV and will force any pending software updates.

HDMI-CEC Connection

The HDMI-CEC connection can create, in some cases, a 10 millisecond lag in the audio. This may not seem like a lot of time lost but in 10 milliseconds you could miss a crucial facial expression or another fast-moving scene from a movie or game. Removing the HDMI-CEC cable will resolve this issue.

Digital Audio Setting

Sometimes the issue is as simple and confusing as changing the Digital Audio Setting. If you are using an HDMI port, the steps outlined below will walk you through how to change the Digital Audio Out, A/V sync, and Pass Through Mode settings:

Set Digital Audio Out to PCM

Step 1: Press the Quick Settings button on the remote.

Step 2: Select ‘Settings’.

Step 3: Select the ‘Sound’ setting, marked with a musical icon.

Step 4: Select the ‘Standard’ setting for a good one-size-fits-all option.

Step 5: Select ‘Advanced Settings’. This setting will offer some additional sound controls: Common, Input Related, Sound Mode Related, and an option to Reset.

  • Common Setting – This setting will give you more control for regularly used settings such as adjusting the balance of your speakers or turning off automatic volume leveling.
  • Input Related Setting – This setting is useful if you have external devices connected to your Sony TV, such as a Blu-ray player or gaming console, and the audio is too low or too high.
  • Sound Mode Related Setting – This setting is useful for adjusting the balance with surround sound speakers or if you want to use the Equalizer and manually isolate specific frequencies.
  • Reset Setting – If you have manually adjusted the above-listed settings and continue to experience an audio lag, selecting the Reset Setting will wipe everything clean, returning all settings to their original default factory settings.

Change A/V Settings

Not all Sony TVs come with the option to adjust the A/V settings but if your model of Sony TV does, follow the steps below to change the setting:

Step 1: Press either the Quick Setting or Home button on the remote.

Step 2: Select Settings.

Depending on the model of Sony TV you have, you will have to select one of the following two options to continue.

Option 1

  • Select ‘Display & Sound’.
  • Select ‘Audio Output’.
  • Select ‘A/V Sync’.
  • Turn setting to Auto or On.

Option 2

  • Select ‘Sound’.
  • Select ‘A/V Sync’.
  • Turn setting to Auto or On.

Adjusting Pass Through Mode

Pass-Through Mode allows you to choose when you want to use the audio from an external device or use the audio from the TV speakers. Who needs surround sound when watching the news?

You can adjust this setting by doing the following:

Step 1: Press either the Quick Setting or Home button on the remote.

Step 2: Select ‘Settings’.

Step 3: Select ‘Display & Sound’.

Step 4: Select ‘Audio Output’.

Step 5: Select ‘Pass Through Mode’.

Step 6: Adjust the setting to ‘Auto’.

How To Fix Input Lag On Sony TV

Flatscreen tv placed on the wall

Input lag is the amount of time it takes for your TV to display the image it received from the sending source. The longer it takes the TV to receive an image, the more lag, or delay, there will be.

You can fix the input lag on your Sony TV by disabling any settings that require your TV to process additional information. Turn off any picture-altering settings and filters. Turn off noise reduction settings. Try using a different HDMI port. A less-used port may be less glitchy.

Reducing the number of external connections will also improve the lag time. The more connections there are, the longer it takes the TV and devices to communicate. One particular contributor to any lag is HDMI connections.

HDMI Connections

We love our external devices. Speakers, soundbars, Blu-ray players. They all add to our home theater experience. All those different HDMI cables and connections unfortunately create lag.

The different outputs create lag because the TV is trying to determine which one to use. Reducing the number of connections will help to improve the lag.

How To Fix Picture/Video Lag On Sony TV

Confused Man while watching TV

As we just discussed, lag, in general, is a delay in the received communication between the audio and video settings/devices. One of the more frustrating issues with lag is when it affects the video display.

Generally speaking, you can fix picture/video lag on a Sony TV by lowering the resolution setting on your TV. Turn off the power-saving setting and ambient screen dimming. Turn on Game Mode to provide quick and crisp images.

Lower The Resolution

This may not seem like the best idea, especially if you use your Sony TV for gaming. Lowering the resolution will certainly affect the crispness of the displayed images, but you will gain milliseconds back in lag time.

Motion Smoothing

All TVs produce a measure of lag. However, modern TVs have so many extra features and settings for image processing that the lag time is increased.

Motion smoothing, or motion flow, is a setting within your TV that is intended to enhance the picture, reducing blur. Sometimes, though, this setting produces more of a soap opera-type effect for more carefully filmed movies, such as action films.

The Motion Flow setting comes pre-programmed on your TV but you turn it off with a little bit of searching.

Step 1: Go into your Sony TVs ‘Settings’.

Step 2: Select ‘Picture Settings’.

Step 3: Select ‘Picture & Display’.

Step 4: Select ‘Picture Adjustments’.

Step 5: Select ‘Advanced Settings’.

Step 6: Select ‘Motion Flow’.

Step 7: Turn this setting to ‘Off’.

A/V Sync Time

It goes without saying: audio and video out should be in sync. When they are not in sync, there is a lag between the two. You can delay the audio output to lessen the time gap between the audio and video display.

Step 1: Press the Menu button on the remote.

Step 2: Select ‘A/V Sync’.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on February 16, 2022.

Step 3: Press ‘Enter’.

Step 4: Using the arrows on the remote, adjust the delay time between the audio and video display. If the sound is slower than the picture, adjust the sync time to 0 milliseconds. If the sound is faster, adjust the sync time to a quicker time.

How To Fix Airplay Lagging On Sony TV

Flatscreen tv in the living room

Airplay is a great feature on Sony TV. If there is an app you are not able to download, you can use airplay to mirror the app from another device.

You can fix Airplay lagging on your Sony TV by making sure both the TV and your smart device support screen mirroring. Check the network connection. Increase the internet signal strength by restarting the router or moving the router closer to the TV. Reduce the number of devices on the network to increase the internet bandwidth.

If you continue to experience a lag using AirPlay, connect your Sony TV directly to an Ethernet cable for a more stable internet connection.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on February 16, 2022.

How To Fix Gaming Lag On Sony TV

playing games in tv

When you are gaming, you want to use the best High Definition setting you can. The High Definition setting brings the game to life, feeling more real. This setting, however, could be the reason for the lag on your Sony TV.

High-Definition televisions have a built-in noise reduction and picture adjustment circuitry that is designed to enhance the quality of high-resolution content. Unfortunately, this setting can create a lag between the controller’s reaction time and what you see on the TV screen.

The issue can be resolved by turning the Game Mode setting on. Turning Game Mode on will disable the noise-reduction and picture adjustment circuitry so that there is no lag between the controller and the TV.

You can fix a gaming lag on your Sony TV by turning on the Game Mode setting or adjusting the picture and audio settings manually. Turn off any extra features such as noise reduction or motion enhancers. Utilize a separate audio system such as a soundbar or other external speakers.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on February 16, 2022.

How To Fix Slow Response On Sony TV