Can I use adapter to connect HDMI output on TV to Optical input on receiver?

Maybe something like this? Disclaimer, I don't have a receiver and have never used this product.
HDMI extractor

Obvious question, but the TV doesn't have a dedicated optical out?

Why not HDMI out to HDMI in on receiver and dump the optical all together. Use the ARC port on TV.

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Maybe something like this? Disclaimer, I don't have a receiver and have never used this product.
HDMI extractor

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Just ordered this! We will see.

I'd be interested to see if this works. I use optical to my receiver from the tv for OTA channels (basically so I can watch the Pelicans...don't laugh). No sync issues. My skepticism comes from introducing another converting device and it adding more lag in the stream. Let us know how it turns out.

Long post ahead. Here’s the TL;DR:
- Yes, you can get converter boxes (referred to as “audio extractors”) to get optical from HDMI. The type of box you need depends on whether the signal is normal audio over HDMI or ARC/eARC.
- A converter probably won’t fix your problem, and might make it worse.
- Switching your audio output to PCM instead of bitstream/DD might make things better. But you’ll be limited to 2ch stereo over optical (which may or may not matter depending on your setup).
- To be honest, lip sync problems are a big issue with TV streaming apps. Even if you’re using eARC with one HDMI cable, it can still be a problem. The best way to fix it is to use separate boxes (Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, etc.) for streaming and run them through an AVR for input switching.

Here’s the long version… I warned you.

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There is no hdmi in on the receiver

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Meaning it’s a receiver without any HDMI ports at all? Is it old or something?

Also does your TV actually have an HDMI output? Typically, HDMI audio output from the TV is achieved over ARC (audio return channel) or eARC (enhanced audio return channel). ARC/eARC is a dedicated return audio pathway on one of the TV’s HDMI inputs.

The typical ARC application is this:
You have several devices connected to your AVR’s (or soundbar’s) HDMI inputs. Then your AVR HDMI video output is connected to one of the TV’s HDMI inputs. This works great as you only have one HDMI cable going to the TV and you’re doing all of your input switching on the AVR.

The problem is that if you’re using “smart TV” apps on the actual TV, you need to get the audio back to the AVR somehow. If your AVR and TV are both ARC compatible, you can use the same HDMI cable to return audio from the TV’s input (typically an HDMI port labeled as ARC or eARC) back to the AVR’s output. So the signal direction of the audio along that cable is actually backwards compared to video.

This is important because, going back to your OP:

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TV output options:
HDMI
Optical

Receiver input options:
Optical

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The type of device you would need is different depending on whether we are talking about an actual HDMI output, or an ARC-enabled input, on the TV.

If it’s actually an HDMI output, you just need an HDMI audio extractor with an optical output. Just Google it and you’ll find a ton of boxes that do this. Most are kind of cheap shite in my experience, but it is what it is.

If it’s an ARC-enabled input, you’ll need an audio extractor that specifically says it’s made for eARC/ARC. Because a regular audio extractor likely will not work.

All of that being said…

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I read that if I use an HDMI adapter so I can use TV's HDMI output > Receiver optical input that might solve the issue.

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I’m not sure what you’re reading, but I think it helps to understand what actually causes lip sync issues first. One of the downsides to the digital audio/video formats we use today is that they introduce a processing delay (latency) at each device.

So when your AVR or soundbar receives a Dolby Digital signal over HDMI or optical, it has to decode that signal and convert it into an analog signal going to each speaker. Modern TV’s also have latency due to the onboard video processing - for example upconverting from 1080p to 4K or interpolating frames from a 30fps feed on a 60hz display.

Generally, the outputs of a given device are automatically synched to account for that device’s latency. So if you have an HDMI signal from an Apple TV going into an AVR, the AVR’s HDMI video output is automatically delayed so that it stays in sync with the AVR’s audio output. The problem is that the video signal then goes to the TV, which has its own video processing latency. The result is that the audio ends up ahead of the video. This is why most AVRs have an adjustable audio delay feature, to manually sync with the video on the TV.

So going back to the stuff you’re reading about using HDMI vs. optical, I suspect it’s one of three things:

1. It might be talking about using eARC. One of the features of eARC is automatic latency compensation. Basically the TV sends a signal back over the ARC connection telling the AVR/soundbar how much video processing latency there is. The idea is that the AVR/soundbar can then delay the audio output to match. It’s just automating the audio delay, which was previously a manual setting.

But this only works if you have more video delay than audio delay. In reality if you’re using ARC it’s almost always the other way around, because that means the signal is going to your TV (not your AVR) first. In this case eARC lip sync correction doesn’t do anything. What you really need is a way to delay the video on the TV to match the audio processing latency of your AVR. As far as I’m aware this isn’t really an option.

2. Building on #1, it might be talking about the order of devices. Since you can usually manually set audio delay but not video delay, it stands to reason that you want the signal to go to the audio device first. That way, the video latency is higher than audio latency and you can correct for it. In other words, run your cable box to the AVR/soundbar instead of the TV. This doesn’t help you if you’re talking about audio from the TV’s onboard streaming apps though.

3. They could be talking about the fact that measured latency is usually higher with an optical connection than an HDMI connection. Basically it takes longer to convert the fiber-optic signal into a usable format in the AVR/soundbar. But adding a converter won’t change this. You’re just moving the conversion point. It may actually make things worse.

The best solution to all of this without replacing parts of your setup is probably to set your TV’s audio output format to PCM. PCM is uncompressed audio (unlike Dolby Digital or DTS) so it doesn’t take as long to process. The problem here is that you only have an optical input on your receiver. Unfortunately, PCM audio over TOSLINK (optical) is limited to 2.0 stereo. If you’re running a stereo setup or a simple soundbar it’s probably fine. If you’re running 5.1 or 7.1 you’ll be disappointed.

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Meaning it’s a receiver without any HDMI ports at all? Is it old or something?

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None.

5 years old, but it's been great for spinning vinyl which is why I got it. Pioneer. I'll have to look up the model number tonight, I'm at the office.

Pioneer Elite SX-N30

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Also does your TV actually have an HDMI output? Typically, HDMI audio output from the TV is achieved over ARC (audio return channel) or eARC (enhanced audio return channel). ARC/eARC is a dedicated return audio pathway on one of the TV’s HDMI inputs.

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It has an HDMI ARC output.

Another clarification is the type of sync issue I'm having.

My optimal setup would be using the TV's audio AND the receivers audio. I have two speakers about 8 feet away on either side of the television, so when I have all 3 (TV and 2 speakers) going with audio it's really nice when synced. Depending on the streaming app the receiver audio is ahead or behind the TV audio. I can adjust this on the TV audio settings, but I have to do it every time I switch streaming apps, which sucks.

All that to be said, I got the adapter last night and can't seem to get it to work the way I want to. Not a big investment so not worried, I've lived like this for 4 years since I got the TV so I'll continue to. I just turn off the receiver unless there's a big football game or movie night and I adjust sync accordingly once.

It’s been on PCM unfortunately

I think I’m going to buy a new receiver.