Audio / video desynchronization (3-6 seconds) - Intel-2D-Imaging-USB-IO-Vision-Driver-for-Camera

[sp8472]

System Information

• Laptops: Dell Precision Pro Plus 14 (16 units affected)
• CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 235U
• Camera: 5MP IR Camera (requires Intel 2D Imaging/MCU/Visual Sensing Controller driver)
• OS: Windows 11 (latest updates applied)
• Drivers: Latest Intel graphics and imaging drivers installed

Problem Description

We're experiencing a critical issue affecting all 16 laptops in our deployment. When using the built-in 5MP IR camera in Google Meet (tested across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox), severe audio/video desynchronization occurs when background blur/replacement is active.

• Video lag: 3-6 seconds behind audio
• Onset: Lag develops progressively, usually within 1 minute of starting video call
• Performance impact: GPU utilization spikes to 90-100% during lag events
• NPU utilization: Remains at 0% (suggesting NPU acceleration not being utilized)
• Reproducibility: 100% - affects every single laptop

Workaround Confirmed

Switching to an external USB webcam completely resolves the issue, with GPU utilization returning to normal levels and no audio/video desynchronization.

Troubleshooting Already Completed

• ✅ Latest BIOS updates applied
• ✅ Latest Intel graphics drivers installed
• ✅ Latest Intel 2D Imaging/MCU/Visual Sensing Controller drivers
• ✅ Windows 11 fully updated
• ✅ Tested across multiple browsers
• ✅ Dell support engaged (ongoing)
• ✅ Camera privacy settings verified
• ✅ Power management settings optimized

Technical Observations

1. The issue appears specific to the Intel 2D imaging pipeline processing the 5MP IR camera data
2. High GPU utilization suggests inefficient processing or driver bottleneck
3. Zero NPU usage indicates the imaging workload isn't being offloaded to the Neural Processing Unit as expected
4. External USB cameras bypass Intel's imaging controller entirely, explaining why they work normally

Questions for Intel Engineering

1. Is this a known issue with Core Ultra 5 235U and 5MP IR cameras in video conferencing applications?
2. Should NPU be handling some of the camera processing workload to reduce GPU strain?
3. Are there specific driver versions or settings that could resolve this imaging pipeline bottleneck?
4. Is there a firmware update planned to address Intel 2D Imaging controller performance with high-resolution cameras?

Business Impact

This issue is affecting our entire laptop deployment for remote work. Video conferencing is essential for daily operations, and the current workaround of external cameras isn't practical for mobile users.

Any guidance from Intel engineering or community members who have encountered similar issues would be greatly appreciated.

[ArchieD_Intel]

Hi sp8472,

Thank you for reaching out to the Intel Community Forum. To assist us in investigating the issue, please provide the following details:

• Does the issue occur on all video conference other than Google Meet?
• When did the issue start? Was it after a specific update?
• Have you used DDU to completely remove all residual drivers and installed a new one?
• Are all 16 laptops having the same model?

NPUs are specifically designed to efficiently handle AI and machine learning tasks. They are activated when these tasks are necessary, optimizing performance and power usage.

Additionally, to gain a comprehensive understanding of your system, please use the System Support Utility (SSU). This tool will generate a text file compiling all your system information. You can follow the instructions at this link and send the text file here. Help Guide for the Intel® System Support Utility.

If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you.

Best regards,

Archie D.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[sp8472]

Hello

Thank you for the opportunity to provide more details on the audio/video lag we're experiencing. We're observing consistent issues across 16 identical, brand-new Dell Pro Plus 14 laptops (with Intel Core Ultra 235U processors and integrated 5MP IR cameras), right out of the box. We've tried numerous troubleshooting steps, including clean installs of Arc and camera drivers, and even reinstalling Windows and all drivers from scratch.

All tests were done with background blur turned on.

We have done tests with Zoom and we find that the video feed is mostly in sync with the audio.  However there are short bursts where a significant amount of lag (4-5 seconds) would suddenly appear. This lag would then dissipate over 20 seconds or so. Even with no noticeable lag, the video feed doesn’t seem as smooth as it should be, with motion freezing for a fraction of a second every so often if something in the field of view of the camera moves.

With Google Meet in Chrome or Firefox, meetings typically begin lag free, but then all of a sudden lag will build and then unlike Zoom, the lag usually persists. The most recent time I tested Google Meet, I was able to stay lag free for 4 minutes and the time before that it was 7 minutes. 

When video is lagging I have observed a GPU utilization of between 90% and 100%. When close to 100%, lag is about 5 seconds. This is coincident with a Video Processing load of 3 - 5% (Chrome and Edge). When lag is non-existent or minimal, Video Processing load is typically 10-14% (Chrome and Edge). At no point in time have I seen Windows Task Manager report that the NPU is being used, it's always 0% utilization.

The lagging issue appears to be far worse in both Firefox and Chrome than it is in Edge. In fact Google meet in Edge stays virtually lag free most of the time, behaving more like Zoom with only occasional spikes in lag.

What is puzzling is that the lag issue does not appear to affect meetings when an external USB web camera is used regardless of browser .

Another puzzling observation is that lag can seemingly be triggered, on occasion, by jostling the laptop slightly.

For comparison, Google meet in Chrome on a 3 year old Dell Latitude with a 13th Gen Core i5 (1335U) runs smoothly with no lag.

To try to quantify the audio-video desynchronization, I conducted the following test.

I set up the affected laptop with its internal camera focused on a stopwatch. Simultaneously, a second computer, equipped with two external cameras, recorded both the live physical stopwatch and the laptop screen displaying its internal camera's feed within Google Meet. This allowed me to directly measure the time difference between the 'live' stopwatch and the time shown on the laptop's video feed, providing a clear visual representation of the lag. A snapshot image from this test is attached for your reference. The time displayed on the left of the image is the live stopwatch, and what is shown on the right is what was seen on the laptop screen captured from it's own internal camera.

[ArchieD_Intel]

Hi sp8472,

Thank you for the feedback. I will be investigating this and will update you as soon as possible. Thank you.

Best regards,

Archie D.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[ArchieD_Intel]

Hi sp8472,

It appears that the problem may be related to the integrated webcam. I would like to clarify that Intel does not offer a standalone "2D Imaging driver." Instead, Intel provides graphics drivers that support both 2D and 3D graphics processing, which are designed for use with Intel's integrated graphics solutions like Intel HD Graphics, Intel Iris Graphics, Intel UHD Graphics, etc.

Given this, I recommend coordinating with Dell, the OEM of your laptops, as they can provide the Intel 2D Imaging/USB IO/Vision Driver for Camera through their website. This driver is custom-made for their systems. Although the driver is labeled "Intel," OEMs like Dell can customize and modify it to better integrate with their systems.

To further isolate the issue, please try the following steps:

1. Reinstall the operating system on one of the computers using a freshly downloaded ISO image from the Microsoft Store. Please inform the customer about the potential for data loss.
2. Install the latest generic graphics driver, version 32.0.101.6972.
3. Download and install the Intel Integrated Sensor Solution Driver from the Dell website, as this driver is required before installing the Intel 2D Imaging/USB IO/Vision Driver for Camera.
4. Download and install the Intel 2D Imaging/USB IO/Vision Driver for Camera.

If the issue persists, could you please let me know what suggestions Dell has provided so far regarding this problem? Additionally, you can download other drivers from this link: Dell Support Drivers.

Best regards,

Archie D.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[sp8472]

I wanted to provide an update on our situation, which has unfortunately become quite frustrating. We've been working with Dell tech support for the past four weeks on this audio/video lag issue, but the case appears to be slow-walked.

The latest response I received today (July 29th) from Dell was particularly surprising, revealing a significant misunderstanding from the support technician working our case.

Despite my clear previous communications that all drivers have been updated to the latest versions available directly from Dell's support site for our Dell Pro Plus 14's, Dell's review of the logs concluded that we are running outdated camera drivers.

What the Dell technician seems to be missing is a crucial distinction: Dell often packages driver updates under a high-level version number (e.g., 80.26100.0.22 for the camera package), but the individual component drivers installed and displayed in Device Manager have different, often lower, internal version numbers (e.g., 64.26100.13.18590 for the Intel AVStream Camera). The versions they cited as "outdated" are, in fact, the correct, latest individual driver versions contained within the Dell-provided package that we have already installed.

This confusion about driver versioning is unfortunately delaying progress on what we believe is a fundamental issue with the internal camera's integration with the Intel NPU/GPU pipeline, as our extensive Task Manager observations have demonstrated (0% NPU usage in browsers, high GPU load).

Just wanted to share this latest hurdle as we continue to push Dell for an engineering-level investigation. Any continued insights from the Intel community remain valuable.

By the way, I have reinstalled Windows, updates and drivers from scratch on one of these laptops, but the issue persists.

[sp8472]

I wanted to provide an update on our situation, which has unfortunately become quite frustrating. We've been working with Dell tech support for the past four weeks on this audio/video lag issue, but the case appears to be slow-walked.

The latest response I received today (July 29th) from Dell was particularly surprising, revealing a significant misunderstanding from the support technician working our case.

Despite my clear previous communications that all drivers have been updated to the latest versions available directly from Dell's support site for our Dell Pro Plus 14's, Dell's review of the logs concluded that we are running outdated camera drivers.

What the Dell technician seems to be missing is a crucial distinction: Dell often packages driver updates under a high-level version number (e.g., 80.26100.0.22 for the camera package), but the individual component drivers installed and displayed in Device Manager have different, often lower, internal version numbers (e.g., 64.26100.13.18590 for the Intel AVStream Camera). The versions they cited as "outdated" are, in fact, the correct, latest individual driver versions contained within the Dell-provided package that we have already installed.

This confusion about driver versioning is unfortunately delaying progress on what we believe is a fundamental issue with the internal camera's integration with the Intel NPU/GPU pipeline, as our extensive Task Manager observations have demonstrated (0% NPU usage in browsers, high GPU load).

Just wanted to share this latest hurdle as we continue to push Dell for an engineering-level investigation. Any continued insights from the Intel community remain valuable.

Additionally, I want to note that installing the latest generic ARC driver dated 7/22 directly from Intel's website does not correct the issue.

[ArchieD_Intel]

Hi sp8472,

Thank you for the update. I will also be checking this and will update you once I have a resolution. Thank you for your patience.

Best regards,

Archie D.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Claudio_G_Intel]

Hi @sp8472 from my testing, i am finding the 90% GPU performance spiking but not to the point where the video gets desynced, although the NPU does show a 0% usage. 

1. Is this a known issue with Core Ultra 5 235U and 5MP IR cameras in video conferencing applications?
   • No
2. Should NPU be handling some of the camera processing workload to reduce GPU strain?
   • It should although this dependes on the dev implementation.
3. Are there specific driver versions or settings that could resolve this imaging pipeline bottleneck?
   • Currently in investigation.
4. Is there a firmware update planned to address Intel 2D Imaging controller performance with high-resolution cameras?
   • Since replication is essential we would like to make sure this is the root cause.

I'll keep you posted as this is being prioritized showing the most data i can.

[sp8472]

Hello Claudio,

I agree with you, I don't believe there is any issue with the Core Ultra 5 235U and the 5MP IR camera, but rather it seems to be a software bug. I recently found an article on a Dell Knowledge base that mentions camera lag on our model of laptop when using the Windows Camera application. Since the behavior we are seeing in Google Meet seems similar to that seen in the Windows camera app, It is possible the issues share the same root cause.

Typically Google Meet will work without problems for between 5 and 10 minutes, then all of a sudden a lag of up to 5 seconds develops, which can be persistent, and this is coincident to GPU usage spiking to 95%-100%. 

So far, lag in the Windows Camera up seems to top out at between 1 and 2 seconds, but it typically self corrects and works fine for several minutes before beginning to lag again.

We continue to work with Dell tech support on this issue.

Thank you

[rmendes]

 Hello All,

we are facing the same issue on DELL 7350 Detachable devices can you please share any updates that you have on this topic.

Would it be possible to have the DELL support ticket reference.

Best Regards