Tried this over at ip w no hits. Figured Id try here too.

Is there a way to "sync" audio and video when they are dstributed in different ways?

Im not sure how the Crestron stuff works, etc. But I am working on a Homelogic ip based system. (This is all for play for now, just experimenting).
I know some on here are familiar w Homelogic, but would think the solution would be the same as any other ip based system.

OK, heres what Im trying to do. I have the homelogic system hooked up to a Russound CAV6.6 system. Two of the 6 sources are Dish Network. One of the 6 main zones is the main room of the house, and has an ip based WInCE touchpanel installed, that controls all the house systems, including the audio zone for that room. (No Uno S2 keypad in that room, the H/L TP emulates the S2) The Homelogic system has the ability to display a video image on the panel, over ip (not coming in via composite). Im using a Netgator 60 to convert the analog video to ip. [Link: darimmedia.com]

HomeLogic typically uses this for a "DVD Preview" so you queue (sp?) up the DVD movie w a touchpad, while not effecting what is currently being displayed on the main Theatre display. [Link: homelogic.com]

I have also added the 2 satellite tuners to the Netgator60 (it has 4 inputs) so I can also see the satellite VIDEO feeds on the ip based touchpanels. Obvisouly you wouldnt watch TV planted in front of a TP. My reason for trying this was for when Fox News, etc (NOT CNN ) is being played over the audio system, (and a particular news story catches your attention that needs "viewed") the in wall TP could also double as a video display. (This job in particular doesnt have a TV in the main room w the TP, its more of a formal "great" room) It will also be nice to set DVR recordings when away from home, as long as there is access to the internet. Like a few weeks ago when I wanted to set the DVR to record Bush's immigraton speech.

Everything is working as far as audio and video, the analog audio and ip video is out of sync. (as you might have guessed) Is there a way to correct this? Buffer somehow? I didnt even pay attention, but Im assuming the video is lagging behind the audio (not vise versa) so I guess the buffer idea wouldnt work.

Is this a lost cause?

and no, this is not a normal cust pay job Im "experimenting" on.

Thanks

I'm not sure how to help you. I'll turn off CNN (where I recieve at least a modicum of objectivity that doesn't present itself as otherwise) for the moment and do some research.

If you are really serious about doing this, and you have analog audio that is ahead of video, it's time to check out PA equipment.

When audio is distributed through, say, a church from front to back, it is not very intelligible if all the speakers "speak" simultaneously. The sound comes out all over the room at the same time, and goes in all directions, creating echo of varying delays all over the place.

Instead, the front-to-back length is divided into zones and audio is delayed, and pointed toward the back of the hall, so that as the sound from the front travels toward the back, echoes arrive from the front in sync with louder synchronized sound from the local speakers; intelligibility is maintained because the local speakers are louder than the echoes and because there is no time differential to confuse the ear. I have done this in an auction hall, with a 50 msec delay about fifty feet from the auctioneer and an additional 50 msec delay 100 feet back. Sounded damn good, and I got compliments from the people who work there (it's about the same milliseconds as feet because sound travels about a thousand feet per second, more or less, depending on temperature, humidity, and altitude).

Anyway, this all means that there is equipment out there that will delay sound in quite a high fidelity manner, and it is adjustable. The particular piece I dealt with had two delays, and each could be up to a second! The room sounded particularly spooky when I put on some music and adjusted the delay to exactly one beat per zone.... That could solve your problem of delay. What it can't solve is a) whether the delays are the same and b) how to adjust it exactly.

No, Im not that serious about it. It would have just been a nice feature to have. I remember seeing RTI displaying a video feed (Fox news I think :) ) on an RK3. I dont remember however if it had audio. Im aslo assuming it was composite video, not video over ip. If it was composite, there would be no problem getting the audio and video to sync. Leave it to me to try the un-known.