Measurement Examples

TVs

Sony XBR85X800H

3840×2160 60Hz – Standard Video Mode
Video latency: 115 ms
AV sync error: -1 ms (video leads audio)
HDMI audio passthrough to ARC latency: 116 ms
HDMI audio passthrough to S/PDIF latency: 115 ms

3840×2160 60Hz – Game Mode
Video latency: 1 ms
AV sync error: -94 ms (video leads audio)
HDMI audio passthrough to ARC latency: 67 ms
HDMI audio passthrough to S/PDIF latency: 67 ms

3840×2160 24Hz – Standard Video Mode
Video latency: 132 ms
AV sync error: -28 ms (video leads audio)
HDMI audio passthrough to ARC latency: 159 ms
HDMI audio passthrough to S/PDIF latency: 159 ms

1920×1080 60 Hz – Game Mode
Video latency: 2 ms
AV sync error: -94 ms (video leads audio)
HDMI audio passthrough to ARC latency: 68 ms
HDMI audio passthrough to S/PDIF latency: 67 ms

Monitors and Projectors

BenQ ZOWIE RL2460

1920×1080 60 Hz
Video latency: 0 ms
AV sync error (headphones): -1 ms (video leads audio)

Innocn 15K1F

1920×1080 60 Hz
Video latency: 21 ms
AV sync error (headphones): +20 ms (audio leads video)

Soundbars and AV Receivers

Marantz NR1711

Stereo HDMI audio latency: 6 ms
5.1 HDMI audio latency: 6 ms
7.1 HDMI audio latency: 6 ms
Stereo S/PDIF audio latency: 5 ms
Stereo ARC audio latency: 5 ms
Stereo eARC audio latency: 5 ms

Sony STR-DH540

Stereo HDMI audio latency: 56 ms
5.1 HDMI audio latency: 13 ms
Stereo S/PDIF audio latency: 55 ms
Stereo ARC audio latency: 56 ms

Explanation

TVs

Video Formats and Modes

  • Each video resolution, video refresh rate, audio format, audio sample rate, and TV video mode will result in a different set of measurements. This makes it unreasonable to measure and report all possible combinations.
  • Measured video formats and video modes are chosen based on common use cases, such as movie watching and gaming.

Video Latency

  • Video latency is calculated using these instructions after measuring with the Leo Bodnar Lag Tester.
  • Input lag is not reported because video latency is reported instead.

AV Sync Error

  • AV sync error is reported instead of audio latency because audio latency is only useful for calculating this sync error.
  • A positive sync error is worse than a negative sync error. See Acceptable Audio Latency and AV Sync Error for more details on this.
  • Sync error is calculated using the AV Sync Error Calculator after measuring HDMI audio latency with the AV Latency.com Toolkit.
  • Audio latency is usually different for each TV video mode and video resolution, so it must be measured for each.
  • Audio latency for speaker output is measured. Headphone output is not measured because this is a less common use case.
  • Audio latency for the LPCM 48 kHz, 16-bit, 2 channel audio format is used for sync error calculation because this is a common audio format.
  • AV sync error is synonymous with lip sync error. The “AV sync” term is preferred when reporting to consumers because it avoids confusion with lip sync performance.

HDMI Audio Passthrough Latency

  • HDMI Audio Passthrough Latency is reported instead of AV sync error because a sync error calculation for ARC, eARC, or S/PDIF output has a very different meaning than the AV sync error for speaker or headphone output. This is because a soundbar or AV receiver that is connected to this digital audio output will add additional audio latency and affect the overall AV sync error of the setup.
    • It is best for this latency value to be equal to or less than video latency! This will give the soundbar or AV receiver time to process the audio without introducing additional sync error.
  • Audio latency for the LPCM 48 kHz, 16-bit, 2 channel audio format is used for these measurements because it is a common audio format.

Monitors and Projectors

  • Monitors and projectors follow the same measurement process as a TV, except that the chosen video formats may be different based on the capabilities of the display, such as a high refresh rate computer monitor.
  • Headphone output is used for audio latency measurements, as this is arguably a more common use case than speakers on a computer monitor.

Soundbars and AV Receivers

  • Audio latency is measured using the AV Latency.com Toolkit. This allows direct measurement of HDMI audio latency, ARC/eARC receiver latency and S/PDIF audio latency.
  • Similar to TVs, there are too many combinations of audio formats to measure, so a selection of formats are chosen based on common use cases.
  • Audio latency for the LPCM 48 kHz, 16-bit audio format is measured because this is a common audio format.
  • Audio latency for speaker output is measured. Headphone output is not measured because this is a less common use case.
  • Take note of the tips listed on the Audio Latency and AV Receivers page.

Last updated on July 28th, 2023.