If there's one thing that's frustrating with watching streaming digital content it's when the audio is just off from the video. Once you notice it you can't not notice it.
And for whatever reason, it's an issue that's been affecting my NVIDIA Shield Android TV for the past few months — and I'm not the only one. It's a common enough issue that it keeps popping up in forums and affecting some of the most popular streaming video apps.
Video with the audio out of sync is just plain awful, and there appears to be no rhyme or reason for why this issue seems to affect the NVIDIA Shield. Fortunately, there are some tips to get your Shield back in sync.
Make sure your software is up to date
This one is an obvious one, but you should always make sure that you're Shield is running on the latest updated version. It's the best practice to set your devices to automatically check for new updates so you don't have to manually check yourself. And actually install the updates when they pop up (I'm as guilty as anyone for putting updates off).
Some people found the issue fixed by simply updating to the latest build, while others found the issue persists or seems to be specific to a particular app. That's when it may be time to dive deeper into the Shield's advanced settings.
Check the latest Shield TV software release at NVIDIA
Adjust the audio video sync
If you've found that a specific app or video file is just slightly out of sync, you can manually adjust the audio video sync in the advanced display and audio settings.
- Select the Settings icon.
- Select Display & Sound
- Select Advanced settings.
- Select Audio Video Sync.
- Use the slider to match the bouncing ball to the sound.
Make an adjustment and then return to your streaming video to see if it made an impact. NVIDIA specifically states this tool is ideal for those using a USB DAC for audio or using a digital receiver to pull in a TV signal.
Give everything a hard reboot
The makeshift solution that worked for me involved unplugging the Shield console leaving it turned off for a few minutes. While a fresh boot seemed to get things back in sync for a little while, the audio would slowly start to fall back out of sync after a short while.
I reached out to NVIDIA's support team, and they offered the following steps as a possible solution, which they said should fix any audio latency that may be caused by interference caused by other devices on or located within my wireless network. NVIDIA recommends you connect to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network if possible.
- Power cycle your wireless router by unplugging the power cord and waiting 15-20 seconds before powering it back on.
- Unplug all the cables and keep the Shield off for 2-3 minutes.
- Plug in the power cable, a controller through USB, and an Ethernet cable directly from the router. Do not connect an HDMI cable.
- When the device powers up, let it idle for a few minutes then continuously tap the A button for a few seconds.
- Leave the device in this state with the HDMI cable for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Plug the Shield into a TV via HDMI and test the audio playback in a video.
These steps worked for me and they should work for you, too. However, due to where my router is located in my house I'm unable to have the Shield plugged in via Ethernet, so I have to go back to a Wi-Fi connection. I won't be terribly surprised if the audio falls back out of sync again.
Have you had this issue with the NVIDIA Shield?
We want to know if this is a common issue with Shield TV owners. Have you dealt with delayed audio video sync? What fixes have you tried?
