Fans of the ’90s space drama Babylon 5 were thrilled in January 2021 when the entire series was made available on HBO Max. Even better, the cult classic TV show was digitally remastered, so that those streaming Babylon 5 for the first time—or watching for the 100th time—finally received an HD upgrade from Warner Bros., and the HBO Max experience should have been better than ever.
But Babylon 5 on HBO Max has a problem that appears to have dogged users of the platform for months with no fix in sight. Many episodes of the show, especially from the second and third seasons, play with the audio out of sync with the picture, rendering them virtually unwatchable.
When you go searching to discover whether this is a you and your TV problem, you quickly discover that it is not. Several Reddit and Twitter threads, with entries as recent as today, detail viewers’ frustration with the audio sync issues. Despite many reports from users of having contacted HBO Max support and active responses on the matter from HBO Max’s Twitter account, it seems that nothing has been done to solve this across the board.
I’ve gone through all of HBO Max’s recommended steps to fix TV audio problems, which they generally point people to when the problem is reported. While some users of various devices claim the fixes have worked for them, none of them worked with my Firestick-fueled TV.
And though it appears that Babylon 5 streams without audio issues via HBO Max’s web browser, this is not a solution for everyone. Many people do not have the setup to stream from their computer to their TV, or have a device screen that you want to stare at for countless hours as you are lost in space. (Yes, that’s a Bill Mumy reference.)
It appears that the syncing problem has impacted a variety of mobile devices and TVs that run via Roku, Amazon Firestick, Apple+, and more. A half-measure fix—discovered by a few industrious folks—to set TV audio players to stereo instead of surround sound has worked for some, but not all (not me).
Though fans have found occasional workarounds and HBO Max’s customer service reps have diligently responded to complaints on this issue for months, it doesn’t appear to be a priority to fix—no matter how many times the reps say the audio problem has been “escalated.” (I do not blame said reps in the slightest; they are doing their best.) It was as much of an issue for people last week as it was months ago, and it’s still an issue for me today.
Why is this a problem worth dedicating an article to, you ask? Well, the issue seems longstanding enough, and has been reported enough, that it’s either not fixable at all or not something that HBO Max thinks should be prioritized. An HBO bug tracker points out that the situation has been acknowledged, but no real fix or information or ETA is forthcoming. Since it works just fine on the HBO Max browser, it seems to me that it should be fixable elsewhere.
As one customer points out, if this was happening to people trying to watch Game of Thrones, we’d see a different result.
This is also a problem because everyone should be able to watch Babylon 5 in a feverish binge state for hours uninterrupted. When I tell you how many times these syncing issues ruined my night or made me watch an episode with a seconds-long sound delay that slowly but surely drives you toward the brink of madness, you will perhaps understand my plea.
Fixing Babylon 5 may not be on HBO Max’s top list of to-dos, but it should jump up there. Is HBO Max aware of the sheer amount of hours and dedication fans are willing to put towards this show? Are they aware that when you’ve convinced someone else to finally watch and give Babylon 5 a try, nothing must stand in our way? And though the rumored series reboot found itself with a delayed pilot, Babylon 5 will remain in the news and discussed by its fans until the Internet goes supernova.
“Anyone who knows the history of Babylon 5 knows that the path of this show has never been easy, and rarely proceeds in a straight line,” series creator and writer J. Michael Straczynski wrote on his Patreon when the reboot pilot was not picked up for development in 2022. “Apparently, that has not changed.”
It appears that even trying to watch Babylon 5 in its entirety cannot proceed in a straight line on HBO Max at the moment. It’s worth investing the time and effort to fix this for fans who have been dedicated for so long. Faith manages everything but audio delays.
(image: Warner Bros.)
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