I use the optical connection to an audio receiver which automatically switches between stereo and 5.1 sound.

On my Humax HDR, all channels apart from ITV1 HD are in perfect sync. I watched the 10pm ITV news two days ago and the lip sync was terrible. Switching to BBC 1 HD or SD there was no sync problems. Neither were there any problems with Channel 4.

I am not changing anything as I have no lip sync problems on any channels, apart from ITV1, which thankfully I rarely watch. With that lip sync issue, it's just another reason NOT to watch ITV at all. It just has to be them, not us at our end!

I don't follow that argument at all. Which ITV1-HD are you using ?. It's more likely that your amp has a problem with the bitrate ITV1-HD are using to squeeze ac3 sound and 1920 x 1080 into the allocated bandwidth. How can it be alright for some and not others.

Why don't Sky viewers or generic fta boxes report similar.

Presumably quite a few use seperate audio systems.

Meridian. I usually bow respectfully to your knowledge, Graham, but I cannot see how the amp has any problem with ac3 sound (at any bit rate) as it has played ac3 sound for years from DVDs and from a Sony Freeview box with built-in DVD recorder and player. The optical output has never shown any audio delay with respect to video played through the audio amp. I still find it odd that I get full 5.1 sound from BBC HD signals and no delay whatsoever.

As I understand it, the resolution of Meridian ITV is the same as BBC South, i.e. 1440 x 1080. Why is the ITV ac3 audio bit rate likely to be any any higher than the BBC? Why should they need any more "squeezing" than the BBC signal?

As a professional video/sound editor (retired, but still in demand) I think I may be more sensitive than others to lip-sync delays, indeed to quality. Perhaps the ITV lip-sync delay is not noticeable to many? I am acutely aware that even in professional made for cinema films, the lip-sync can drift in scenes and between cuts. These issues are not obvious to many viewers. It may be like the "rainbow" effects that some people see with digital projector pictures and others never experience?

The opposite ITV1-Granada is 1920 x 1080 and to accomodate ac3 sound the bitrate used is lower (the version I am using). Can you try an analogue audio connection from the hdr to your amp and see if you still get lip synch issues.

You could try a Manchester postcode which will get you the Full-HD version or simply add it to non-freesat (10936 V 22000 5/6). That will also give you STV-HD, interesting to see if you get the same problem with STV as ITV.

I am using an optical audio output from the TV itself to feed the amplifier, not all TVs have this. The audio timing is the same as using the TV speakers directly, if I fade the speakers on the TV up as well there is no echo or anything, so the TV audio is still OK timing wise. I am using the HDR with Freesat, we're in the Meridian region (nr Andover), so the ITV1 HD region we get is London as Meridian HD is not yet FTA.

It is difficult as I have no readily available leads to hand. However, I tried your second suggestion of adding ITV Manchester, which did give me STV too. Yes, there are no lip-sync problems with either of those two. The sound delay on ITV Meridian region (I see above that it is in fact London, which is born out by the London Report programme at 6pm!) seems to vary. Tonight it was not as bad as other nights. Does this mean the bit-rate is varying?

You could use a Manchester Postcode to get ITV1-HD Granada (M2 4JA works) And then use customise channels to put your local BBC1 region at 101. That way you get the higher resolution pictures and your local news from BBC1.

At least we know now why there's a difference between our experiences. Not sure why you have problems with the London variant

Just do a freesat tune and change the postcode. .

Thank you for taking the time to understand this. I will try your suggestion. You have answered my concern that changing the postcode would give me the wrong BBC1 region.

Why cannot I substitute Manchester ITV region for Meridian/London version in the same way that you are suggesting changing the BBC1 regional variation? I seem to be getting dumber by the minute!

ITV wan't you you to watch your local adverts so they don't make to other regions available in the epg. Without them being in the epg you can't customise the ITV channel at 103 (or 119)

Thank you, Graham. Interestingly, ITV's ploy is lost on me. I never watch ITV or any other commercial channel live but record them so that, on playback, I can skip merrily through the adverts in seconds (we have posted on this before!). I think it is a good 7 years since I saw an advert. Bliss!

I will now reset the postcode to Manchester town hall as you have suggested. Thanks again, o font of wisdom.

Graham thanks again for your patience with this issue - it seems we have now got to the bottom of it. You will not be surprised when I say that playing the audio line out direct to my amplifier from the Foxsat made no difference - sync was still bad.

I was very pleased to see all the other recent posts about ITV lipsync - I knew I could not be alone - I have been badgering ITV about this since probably the beginning of the year.

It is VERY clear to us all now that it is the MERIDIAN region that has the problem. I too have just retuned my TV to the Manchester Post Code and the X-Factor is spot on with sync between audio and video. I also have the Humax box which is still tuned to the Southampton post code and when I change to that the lip sync is terrible (still X-Factor).

I am going to refer ITV Viewer services to this thread and hopefully they will now look into the cause properly.

I will post their response when I get it.

Thanks again.

A nice summary, i.m.king and ably sorted out by Graham. I will be very interested to see ITV's reply to you. I do hope they bother to reply! It does indeed look like a Rowridge TX problem or the links to it.

Oh, and just for the record I have now got ITV Granada and am looking forward to watching a 1920 x 1080 Downton Abbey recorded last night, rather than the 1440 x 1080 version I would have had if I had stayed with Meridian HD.

I am dissapointed to note that I have not received a response from the technical section of ITV. The viewer services are doing a pretty good job of buffering so you never get to them for a direct discussion. However I was advised a few days ago that the problem will have been fixed!!

Trouble is I would not know, as I have both my TV and PVR set to the Granada region - and I have had no LipSync issues since doing this!

Last evening I therefore decided to change just the TV back to my correct postcode (Winchester) and Emmerdale and a later programme were both in Sync. So maybe they have done something.

Please report back here if this is not the case or if the issue re-occurs.

IK