Roku Audio Out Of Sync: How to Fix Quickly!
If you’ve sat down to enjoy a streaming session and are finding that the audio is out of sync, you are not alone, but how do you fix the issue? Roku has built a solid reputation over the years for providing its customers with a great service to access content and entertainment. However, there have been some reports of users experiencing issues with their audio not syncing up to their video.
Table of Contents
- Why is my Roku audio out of sync?
- Restart Roku Device
- Check Cable Connections
- Check Cable Conditions
- Change Roku Audio Settings
- Disable Roku Audio Leveling
- Clear Cache Data
- Factory Reset Roku
Why is my Roku audio out of sync?
If your Roku audio is out of sync, try to restart your Roku device, check cable connections and conditions, change the Roku audio settings to ‘Stereo’, disable Roku audio leveling, and clear Roku cache data. If the audio is still out of sync, factory reset your Roku device.
Streaming has made watching TV easier than ever before. These days, you can turn on your Roku and connect all of your favorite apps to the device, which opens up an expansive selection of shows, movies, and music. With that being said, much like with all technology, you may experience the occasional glitch with your Roku.
A common problem that can be quite frustrating to deal with is your audio not properly syncing up. Luckily, this is usually not very difficult to troubleshoot and you should be able to get back to streaming in no time. To help you understand this further, we are going to take a closer look at this issue in more detail and what you can do to fix it.
After extensively researching common Roku issues, I have been able to find enough information to determine what causes this device’s audio to go out of sync.
My research has shown me that there are a number of different factors that could be contributing to this and you need to evaluate each one to resolve the problem.
Restart Roku Device
I find that in most cases when I encounter an issue with my Roku, the simplest fix tends to take care of the problem. Before you try anything too elaborate or technical, first try to restart the device to see if this clears up your unsynced audio.
A restart is a classic method for resolving basic software and hardware issues. There could be any number of things that caused your audio to go out of sync and if a basic restart will get the job done – no need to dig any deeper into the matter.
You can restart your Roku by following these steps:
- Home button (Roku remote)
- Settings
- System
- Power
- System Restart
Your Roku device will reboot itself and you may be able to get your audio working properly with this simple fix. However, if this did not solve the issue, you can take this method a step further by performing a soft reset on the device.
To soft reset your Roku device, unplug the device from its power source.
Wait for at least 60 seconds or so for the Roku to fully drain itself of any remaining power and then plug it back in. Check to see if the audio syncing problem persists. If it does, you will need to try out another method.
Check Cable Connections
You may be experiencing unsynced audio with your Roku due to a connection issue with one of your cables. Each wire must be tightly connected to its for your Roku to function properly.
Head over to your Roku device and have a look at all of its connections and see if you can spot anything that looks like it has come undone. In addition, do the same with your TV, as well as any other device that is connected such as a stereo system or soundbar.
Naturally, if you see anything that is loose, plug it in properly, as this will probably fix the issue. However, if you did not see anything that looked loose, you should unplug all of your connections and then plug them back in.
Check Cable Conditions
You may not have noticed anything wrong with your wire connections but they could still potentially be causing the problem. All of your cables should be intact and in a good condition for them to work.
If they have any kind of damage, they can cause performance issues and even fail to deliver sound to your Roku.
More often than not, the sound going out of sync on a Roku would be due to an HDMI cable. Carefully assess your HDMI cable and see if you can find any areas that look like they are exposed or frayed in any way, as this will be a definite sign of a damaged cable. In addition, unplug the HDMI cable completely and look at the connection points.
Make sure that all of the pins are straight, unbent, and not covered up with any dirt or debris.
If the HDMI cable looks okay, move on to your Roku and TV power cables, as well as any other connections that you may have such as a sound system. All cables should be intact and without any signs of damage. Lastly, you may not be able to see visible damage, which is why it would be smart to try out an alternate cable for each connection to be safe.
Change Roku Audio Settings
Roku sound issues are very common when the audio settings are not properly set up. This is often the reason behind unsynced audio if you have just installed your Roku device. However, you may have simply changed your audio settings accidentally.
There are a number of different ways to set up your Roku audio and the process can vary slightly. If you are using your TV’s built-in speakers, then you can follow these steps:
- Home button (Roku remote)
- Settings
- Audio
- ‘Stereo’
- Access HDMI Settings
- Change to ‘Stereo’ (PCM)
Stereo is universal for just about all TVs and you need to ensure that both your Roku device and your TV are on the same setting by configuring them together. If your Roku and TV were not both on ‘Stereo’ when you accessed the settings page, then this was most likely causing your audio to be out of sync.
You may need to configure your Roku and TV audio differently than this if you are using a separate sound system.
In which case, you need to identify what your sound system is set to and change your Roku settings to be the same.
Disable Roku Audio Leveling
Roku has a feature that enables the device to automatically balance out audio levels. If you have ever watched TV and found that the volume gets very loud or very quiet when a commercial break comes on, you understand the value of having audio leveling enabled on your device.
However, audio leveling can malfunction sometimes and cause a number of different problems to arise – with unsynced audio being one of them. You should test to see if Roku’s audio leveling feature is behind the problem by temporarily disabling it. To turn off your Roku audio leveling, follow these steps:
- Press & hold the (*) asterisk button on the Roku remote
- Wait for the Roku volume settings to appear
- Scroll for ‘Audio Leveling’
- Disable ‘Audio Leveling’
This has fixed a lot of unsynced audio for people in the past. Close out the Roku volume settings and see if the problem went away.
If it did, you will have found your solution. However, if it did not, then you should switch your audio leveling back on by following the above steps in reverse order and then try another method.
Clear Cache Data
Cache data is notorious for causing problems with devices and applications. When data gets corrupted it can lead to a number of different performance issues.
In addition, if your cache memory is completely full, this can result in adverse effects on your Roku. To clear your Roku’s cache data, follow these steps:
- Home button (5x)
- Up button (1x)
- Rewind button (2x)
- Fast Forward button (2x)
Your Roku will clear up all of its cache memory over the next 30 seconds, which may take care of your unsynced audio. With that being said, the audio issue could also be caused by an application, which will be quite apparent if you only notice the problem when using a specific app. If that is the case, you should clear the cache data for that app as well and consider reinstalling it.
Factory Reset Roku
If none of the above-mentioned fixes for your unsynced audio worked, then you may have a serious software issue with your Roku device.
Generally, a soft reset will take care of these problems, but if you are experiencing a serious glitch with your system, then you need to reset it entirely by bringing it back to its factory settings. You can factory reset your Roku by following these steps:
- Home button (Roku remote)
- Settings
- System
- Advanced System Settings
- Factory Reset (Confirm)
You will then be prompted with some on-screen instructions that you will need to follow up with to finalize the process.
You should keep in mind that a factory reset will re-launch your Roku as if it were new. This means that all of your customizations and personal preferences will go back to default and any apps you installed will be deleted (requiring a reinstallation).