When streaming on Hulu Live, many face the issue of sound and video being out of sync. Within 5 to 10 minutes, viewers may see a lag: the audio doesn’t match the character’s lip movements on screen.
This guide offers solutions to fix the “Hulu sound out of sync” issue for smooth streaming.
Press fast-forward after a commercial
If the Hulu sound goes out of sync, press the fast-forward button a few times as a quick fix. This fix works, but you must repeat it every 5 to 10 minutes.
Commercial breaks often make the Hulu audio and video go out of sync. Pressing the fast-forward button makes the audio and video line up.
If you use a Fire TV Stick, change the audio settings
If you’re streaming Hulu on a Fire TV Stick and there’s a sound delay, adjust the audio settings. You’ll need to reduce the audio quality.
Open the Fire TV Stick settings by holding the Home button on the Fire TV remote for five seconds. If there’s a Settings button on your remote, press it.
Navigate to Display & Sound, select Audio on the next screen, and choose Surround Sound. Here, change the setting from Best Available to PCM.
On some devices, you might see ‘Stereo’ instead of ‘PCM’. If so, select Stereo.
Choosing ‘Best Available’ means your device plays the top audio format, which might buffer longer. Choosing PCM eases the load on Hulu. PCM turns analog sound to digital
If you use a Fire TV Stick, you can also tweak the AV Sync Tuning
If Hulu’s sound is out of sync, lowering the audio quality can help. But to maintain Dolby Surround Sound on Hulu, adjust the AV Sync settings manually.
Navigate to Display & Sound, select Audio on the next screen, and choose AV Sync Tuning. Here, adjust to ensure the sound and video match.
The on-screen ball’s bounce should match the “ping” sound and the flash. Use the left and right buttons on your remote to adjust the ball.
Move the slider right if the ping sound comes before the flash. If it’s after, move it left.
Press ‘Select’ on your remote when the sync feels right. This ensures your Hulu audio and video match well.
If you use Roku, drop the resolution to 720p
If you’re streaming Hulu Live on Roku and face audio sync issues, especially after ads, try setting the resolution to 720p.
Press Home on your Roku remote control, scroll and select Settings. Select Display type and choose the 720p TV option from the list of available display types.
Roku may have sync issues if the ad’s resolution differs from the Hulu program you watch. If Hulu Live plays in 1080p and an ad is in 720p, Roku struggles to switch back to 1080p.
This is a common reason for Hulu’s audio sync issues after ads. The best workaround so far is to keep the picture quality at 720p.
I understand this isn’t ideal, especially for those with high-res TVs. But it’s our best option until Hulu finds a fix.
You can also tweak the audio settings on Roku
Similar to the Fire TV Stick fix, you can adjust Roku’s audio settings for Hulu’s sync issues.
- Navigate to Settings.
- Select Audio.
- Open Audio mode.
- Choose Stereo instead of Auto (Stereo).
- Go back and open Digital output format.
- Choose Stereo instead of Auto.
After adjusting the audio settings, restart your Roku. This should fix Hulu’s audio sync issues. Choosing Stereo reduces Hulu’s load. Stereo is the usual way to turn analog audio into digital.
Use Chromecast instead
If you prefer a straightforward solution, use Google Chromecast to watch Hulu without sync issues. You can cast Hulu from your iOS, Android device, or computer.
However, ensure your device supports Google Chromecast.
I won’t detail casting Hulu to Chromecast here; Hulu’s article explains it well. So far, Chromecast seems the best choice for lag-free Hulu casting and syncing Hulu Live’s sound and video.
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