Imagine you have just set up a brand-new smart TV with all the necessary connections to enjoy gaming, videos, and movies. Yet, as soon you start a 4K video to watch, all you can experience is video lagging, chopping, or shuttering issues.

But why does 4K video lags on TV, and what causes this unpleasant commotion?

Due to lack of required software and hardware, internet connection or speed error, or hardware decoding issues, 4K videos sometimes lag on TV.

Now, let’s learn more details and find out how to get rid of such commotion from today’s article-

Why 4K Videos Sometimes Lag On TV?

Video lag is when you notice that the video you are playing on your media device, the images do not sync with the audio or sound in real-time display.

While playing a 4K video on TV, people sometimes encounter that either the sound comes slightly before or later than the pictures.

There can be several technical reasons that can cause the video lagging issue on your TV.

Due To Poor Internet Connection:

One of the most common reasons behind 4k videos lagging on android or smart TV is the poor internet connection or speed.

Especially during streaming, if the data is coming from an insufficient or irregular network bandwidth, your video will shutter or lag at any point.

Due To 4K Incompatibility or Required Software & Hardware Lacking:

Another obvious reason can be the TV’s playback ability, whether it has HD or 4K screen resolution. Because if it does not have the 4K compatibility or required soft or hardware connections to play the 4K videos, it will fail to display the videos smoothly.

Remember, having a 4K display on TV surely means that your TV is 4K compatible and can display 4K images and videos. But it does not guarantee any particular performance level when playing back videos. Therefore, you might still experience lagging issues while playing 4K videos.

Too High Video Resolution or Frame Rate:

Technically, whether you are streaming the video from any popular apps like YouTube and Netflix or through any external input device, if the video resolution is too high, there will be a high possibility of lags, shuttering, or chopping while playing the video at some points.

Sometimes, video lags on TV when the frame rate is high. Some manufacturers include the Overdrive mode feature on their produced TVs, which increases the input lag on TV while the TV is in Gaming or Game mode.

This game display mode turns off postprocessing routines whenever there is a slight reduction in picture quality.

The video lagging can also occur when your smart TV’s CPU or GPU fails to keep up with decoding the 4K video. Besides that, if your TV is too old, it will eventually start displaying some commotions like that.

How Does 4K Visual Display Actually Work?

First, let’s understand how the audio and video process while displaying any video on the TV screen. 

When you are streaming videos via YouTube or Netflix and dial-up, the audio and video are produced by a particular source like a Blu-ray player, gaming console, tablet, Bluetooth connector, or even the TV itself.

To display the exact content, whether it’s 4K, HD, or 8K content, both the sound and video image should arrive at the same moment at outputs.

When the device fails to sync these two main distinct parts in real-time, you see the lagging issue on the screen instant of smooth high-resolution picture and sound.

Since the audio and visual do not travel the same paths, they are not of the same length. Although the visual signal only has to travel from the source to your TV, it’s not the same for the audio processing system since the sound signal has to travel longer.

In general, if your TV is connected with a high-quality sound system via HDMI cables, the sound signals have to travel from the connecting source to the TV as well as into your sound system.

Especially, 4K videos take a long time to process than audio processing. That’s why lagging or syncing issues sometimes arise while displaying the high resolutions videos on your TV.

How To Fix 4K Video Lagging On TV?

Now that you are well aware of what video lagging means, the potential reasons for 4K videos lag on TV, and what causes the lagging or audio & visual syncing issue on any smart TV, let’s learn the easy-to-go fixing ways to get rid of video lagging on your TV-

Check The Internet speed & Connection:

The first thing that you should check on is whether you have the proper internet connection and speed to play such high-resolution videos or not.

While playing any high-resolution content, whether it’s video, game, or movie, first check your router or other connecting devices to confirm that you have a fast and stable internet connection.

Especially for 4K contents or videos, you need a minimum of 22 Mbps internet speed to enjoy the view.

Troubleshooting The Streaming Apps Lagging Issue:

In case you are streaming the 4K video on your TV from using any particular apps such as YouTube, Amazon Prime, or Netflix, you can fix the lagging issue by following the below instructions-

  • First, log out from the streaming app and log back in.
  • Now, close that app and go to the setting menu of your TV to turn off the Wi-Fi. 
  • After that, turn the Wi-Fi back on and go to the apps option to open the app.
  • Next, if the problem remains the same, restart your device and open the app setting to check whether you need to update the software or the app.
  • If the software update notification pops up, update the software. During this process, your TV might restart automatically multiple times. So, wait & let the TV be completely configured first.
  • Then, open the app and see what happens. If it is still working properly, completely uninstall the app and again install it.
  • Also, if you have any internet filtering devices connected like the Disney Circle or Net Nanny, turn them off while playing high-resolution videos.

Besides that, check on the external connecting devices or hardware connectors, such as the AV receiver, HDMI connectors & cables, Soundbars, and Dolby Sound System to ensure all are working accurately.

Also, check out this Audio & Video Sync Test tutorial for additional help and better understanding.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, it’s an annoying feeling when you try to stream or play one of your favorite 4K videos & as soon the video starts on your TV, all you see is a lagging or syncing issue and unclear visual display.

If you are dealing with a similar problem, just follow the above instructions to fix them.

References:

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Author

Team Everything4K is a bunch of tech enthusiasts and researchers. The team is very interested in the relevant hardware and explain in such a way that reader can get the best experience of playing games in a 4K setup. You know that 4K is the future of display technology. And the credit of explaining rough and tough tech terms easily goes to Team Everything4K.

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