Discussions

[theluceisloose]

Hi, all. I recently purchased a Soundbar SE for use with my Insignia F20 Series (yes, it's a FireTV but we prefer the Roku service/interface). I got it all set up, followed all the instructions and guidance I found and it's working perfectly...on most inputs.

However.

When we either switch to the cable input or power on the TV directly to cable, there's a seven-ish second delay before the Soundbar connects to the TV sound (we can tell it's connected fully because the volume bar appears to inform us of the sound level). Once it's connected, there's no delay or lip sync issue whatsoever, and sound is crisp and clear, but that long pause of dead air at the start is strange to me.

I originally had it only connected via the HDMI ARC cable (directly into an ARC input on the television), but after some research, someone had suggested also using the Orbital — though this made no difference that I can notice. I've confirmed that all of the sound settings are correct — Standard sound (not movie or dialogue enhancer, etc.) on both TV and Roku; running PCM on TV audio settings; Roku Fast-On option set and screen reader shortcut off.

I'm starting to just assume it's a delay within the cable box itself (it's a Spectrum box and probably a bit outdated as they have recently been working on upgrading the system in my area) but I decided to check in here and see if this is a problem elsewhere and if anyone has any kind of advice?

Thanks in advance!

[RokuJharra-Q]

Hello @theluceisloose,

Thank you for reaching out to the Roku Community!

Thanks for letting us know about the audio delay you're experiencing with your Roku Streambar SE. We're here to troubleshoot and get your sound back in sync!

Before we get started, could you let us know if you have any other external speakers connected to your TV other than the Roku Streambar? Also, is the issue happening on a specific channel or with certain content? Please try checking on a different channel as well.

Additionally, please keep in mind that you can only plug into one source at a time, not both simultaneously. It would be best to use ARC. The delay appears to be due to the soundbar taking some time to start up. One way to resolve this is to disable the soundbar's power-saving mode, preventing it from going to sleep and eliminating the delay.

For more detailed information and troubleshooting on this issue, please refer to our support page "Why is the sound from my Roku Streambar out of sync with the picture?".

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to resolving this issue for you.

Best regards,
Jharra

[theluceisloose]

Hi! No, there are no other speakers attached to the soundbar in any way. And as I mentioned, it only happens with the cable input, and it's not a lip sync issue - the sound literally just doesn't play for 7 seconds when the cable is first turned on.

[RokuJharra-Q]

Thank you for keeping us updated, @theluceisloose!

We want to clarify that you can only connect to one source at a time, not both simultaneously. It is recommended to use ARC.

It appears that the delay is caused by the soundbar taking some time to start up. One possible solution to this problem is to deactivate the soundbar's power-saving mode, which should prevent it from going to sleep and eliminate the delay. 

Please try doing this to see if it helps with what you're experiencing.

Thanks,
Jharra

[theluceisloose]

I will remove the optical (as I said, it doesn't seem to be doing anything anyway) but I also mentioned I have Fast-On active and I don't believe there's any other "power saving" method? Is there something in the settings that I may have missed?

[RokuArjiemar]

@theluceisloose,

Thanks for the update.

You can use the following steps to disable auto power savings.

1. Press Home on your Roku remote
2. Scroll and select Settings
3. Select System
4. Select Power
5. Select Auto power savings
6. Uncheck the box next to After 20 minutes of no interaction

After you disable auto power savings, your Roku player will remain "awake" and ready to be used any time your TV is powered on.

If disabling auto power savings resolved your issue in the previous section, but you prefer to use the power-savings feature, there are a couple more things you can try.

Enable 1-touch play on your player

When enabled, a feature called 1-touch play tells your TV to automatically switch its active source/input to your Roku player when any button on your Roku remote is pressed. Open the Settings menu and enable 1-touch play using the steps below.

1. Press Home on your Roku remote
2. Scroll and select Settings
3. Select System
4. Select Control Other devices
5. Check the box next to the 1-touch play

Please click here for more detailed information on how to disable auto power savings on your Roku streaming player.

Thanks,
Arjiemar

[theluceisloose]

Good morning, @RokuArjiemar,

So I went home yesterday and checked this. The only option under "Power" on the Soundbar SE is an option called "Fast Start", which I have enabled (it says on the screen that this option keeps the soundbar from shutting down after 20 minutes of inactivity). However, I have noticed that even with this option enabled, the soundbar powers completely down when the TV is turned off - which shouldn't be, from what I can tell on your own website (though my soundbar did not come with a voice remote - just a regular one):

After your Roku TV Wireless Soundbar is paired, the setup process will enable Fast TV Start, a power setting on your TV that lets you:

• Listen to music on your soundbar even when your TV is in standby (and the screen is off)
• With a Roku voice remote, you can use voice commands to wake your TV from standby
• Listen to audio streamed from a Bluetooth device such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer when the TV screen is off

Just to be clear: this is not something I can do. Once the TV is off, the soundbar is as well - the LED shuts down and no Bluetooth devices recognize it as being in the room unless I power everything back on.

I am guessing at this point I am out of luck, especially since you don't seem to know that your own products don't all have the same options/settings (and you're not really reading the information I'm giving you before suggesting things that are all over the rest of the internet without success). It is a bit frustrating to know that there's no solution to this, and while it's not the most pressing issue for something that's considered a luxury, I definitely wish there was an actual fix because I did spend the money for a product I trusted and had hoped would work correctly right out of the box.

[RokuArjiemar]

@theluceisloose,

Thanks for the updates,

We understand that you are experiencing a delay when using the cable input of the Spectrum box but not when streaming with the Roku Streambar. It's a possibility. The spectrum box could be delaying the audio's sending out. If nothing plugged into the TV has this issue, the Spectrum box causes it. Do you have another device plugged into the TV, like a DVD player, and does it do the same as the cable box?

Thanks,
Arjiemar

[theluceisloose]

I have a BluRay player plugged in but as I have mentioned several times, the only thing I have a delay with is the cable box.

And I don't think you can blame the box. The simple fact is that you and the instructions say that the streambar should (supposedly) be staying on via the Fast On option even when the television is powered off and it is not is the clear, actual issue.

[RokuArjiemar]

@theluceisloose,

We would be more than happy to investigate further, but we will need further details. Can you please provide us with the following information:

• Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and software OS/version (these can all be found in Settings > System > About)
• TV make/model:
• Cable Box make/model:
• Tracker ID when this issue occurs (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button 5 times, followed by the Back button 5 times, and provide us with this ID)

Once we have this information, we will be able to pass it along to the appropriate Roku team to investigate further.
We look forward to working with you to help resolve this issue.

Thanks,
Arjiemar