Why is sync of audio/video such a problem in 2024?

I thought they sorted this all out long before I was born.

...And yet I see out-of-sync stuff everywhere these days.

Its annoying as hell.

Is there some technical problem of which I am unaware, or is it just that nobody really gives a damn anymore?

Because almost no accessible gear has the capability to do it properly and most people do not understand the need to have cameras genlocked and separate audio recording word clocked from the same source.

It doesn't help that several companies market timecode as a synchronisation tool when it does nothing of the sort and is merely metadata which is useful in post production tools.

Whatever the reason(s), the problem is rampant:

Sometimes I'll be streaming something from Amazon (or whatever), and I have to reload the page and resume the play just to re-sync the damn thing!

...Wassup wit dat, huh?

I guess I was right:

Nobody really gives a damn.

Well streaming in a web browser is the on the playback side and the worst possible environment as you have little guarantee that the audio and video outputs on the computer will stay in sync.

I'd be more concerned at drift if both the audio and video are being output from the same HDMI port on the computer or you see drift on an the Amazon app on a TV or other dedicated streaming device.

To be honest the kind of people who are in the distribution side of streaming do not hang out on gear space.

Yes.

I noticed that.

My question was "WHY?".

Why can't they get it right?

It can't be that damn difficult.

Compared to the old days of getting your 24 track 2" machine locked, then resolved to black burst, with the correct TC to your video deck which also had to be locked and resolved to your synchronizers...the difference in difficulty nowadays is like comparing 1st grade to a PHD.

It's laziness and ignorance. No other excuse is viable.

Borderline necroing the thread I am... sorry..

I think there's a bit more nuance if we're talking about post in general and lip-sync once we consume it at home.

One consideration is of course either laziness or lack of knowledge or care, although I think that's maybe a bit unfair.

The other is that we don't actually know exactly how all devices are set up, and that's a problem. It used to be that when I laid back a post mix it was to tape, all synced up. And if it was a big network there'd be a QC guy with headphones on plugged into the actual tape deck checking for errors right off the playback head so to speak. But these days there's no telling what setup any given person has. The assistant video editor, the main editor, I, the online editor, the production company producers screening the mix and the online, the network producers, QC department... we don't all have the same gear and all of those entities aren't always involved.

So imagine that sync is different for all of us with no QC department. Then you can have an error pretty easily.

But even with a QC department involved if it has a properly set up system you can have a problem if the tolerance that is allowed adds up to too much once the consumer system is involved.

Suppose QC allows for a maximum 1.5 frame offset delaying audio. Then suppose your playback system adds 2 frames. Now we're off by 3.5 frames which QC would have flagged. And we're assuming of course that the distribution is correct.

So there's more nuance I think.

Fair enough. You are correct. Also...I think that in the past there were seasoned professionals doing a job that they were trained for and very good at. Less so these days.

It annoys the crap out of me too - but don't forget that the audio may well be an overdub anyway so it'll never perfectly match what you see on screen until AI gets good enough to match the two in post via auto-CGI. Then the tinfoil hats will need to go on because there will be so many BlackOp videos of enemies of the state/narrative being "caught" on video saying things they didn't say. Stage 1: introduce "hate" laws while peple still believe their eyes and ears - Stage 2 "catch" people being "hateful" via AI. The world is then yours.

My budget doesn't much allow for a whole buncha tinfoil (let alone enough extra for the construction of a hat).

You've already got a workman's hat - you could foil line it to save money!