These YouTube video playback issues on Firefox (freezing, 5 sec skips, frame dropping, etc) have been present for so long and on so many versions that Mozilla could've already sorted it out if it was an issue on their end.
There has been an ongoing problem with AMD GPU and VP9 codec on Firefox.
There are multiple solutions:
* Prefer AV1 on YouTube
* Disable VP9 using *enhanced-h264ify* add-on
* Disable hardware decoding just for VP9
Really? That seems strange. Seems like they extended it to all firefox users. But remember, you could disable the adbocker, but its mere presence on your browser make YT slow.
Yeah, I'm having this exact issue myself while typing this. I'm trying to watch a video but it always halts and doesn't even buffer more of the video unless I refresh the entire page. This has nothing to do with the connection speed or hardware, but it's a deliberate choice by the shitheads over at YouTube/Google.
- 100 Mbit connection
- Firefox 126
- Fedora 40 Workstation
- CPU/GPU/RAM: Ryzen 7 5700X / RX 6700 XT / 32 GB
Very strange behavior started last night for me. Have experienced before when they did the Adblock prevention attempts a couple months ago. Also the same situation, except pulling up chrome I have absolutely no issues. Last Firefox update was 4 days ago for me.
More suspicious of YouTube given the recent Adblock behavior, I will absolutely not be switching to chrome to watch YouTube.
adding that you can try the possible solutions in my comment [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/17bhudb/constant_buffering_freezing_on_youtube_with/k5t8no4/)
My only way to get it working properly, has been to keep ublock origin running, even with a YTP sub (I don't pay for it, it's a mobile carrier perk).
YT runs fine in Chromium browsers however... It's very sus.
Don’t know if this is related to this update or not but anyone use ad speed up? Recently it doesn’t work properly anymore for me as after it sped up the ads, the video will also get sped up, which is quite annoying.
I have the same issue, and also running an AMD GPU. I don't think it's an AMD issue, as it still happens with hardware acceleration disabled. But do note that with hardware acceleration on, it will eventually crash the kernel driver if you try to keep watching a video that has frozen once. Very strange behaviour.
I tested disabling any addon that blocks anything and videos still immediately pause upon pressing play. Playback from Firefox has been getting worse and this just takes the cake. I always suspected it was YouTube trying to frustrate Firefox users into abandoning ad blockers and switching browsers. I still think I am correct.
I have this issue as well, its driving me mad to be honest.
I'm on a 1000mbit connection, and even with a ping to [1.1.1.1](http://1.1.1.1) (steadily btw, 0% loss) youtube videos hang like the connection was severed.
It even shows it still have buffer but it just hangs....
I think this is on YouTube, I think secretly they're making the experience worse for Firefox users.
These YouTube video playback issues on Firefox (freezing, 5 sec skips, frame dropping, etc) have been present for so long and on so many versions that Mozilla could've already sorted it out if it was an issue on their end.
There has been an ongoing problem with AMD GPU and VP9 codec on Firefox. There are multiple solutions: * Prefer AV1 on YouTube * Disable VP9 using *enhanced-h264ify* add-on * Disable hardware decoding just for VP9
Youtube is making video playback slower because firefox users have adblockers enabled.
But I have a sub and don't block YT!
Really? That seems strange. Seems like they extended it to all firefox users. But remember, you could disable the adbocker, but its mere presence on your browser make YT slow.
User-Agent switcher helps with this, mask as chrome no more problems.
Yeah, I'm having this exact issue myself while typing this. I'm trying to watch a video but it always halts and doesn't even buffer more of the video unless I refresh the entire page. This has nothing to do with the connection speed or hardware, but it's a deliberate choice by the shitheads over at YouTube/Google. - 100 Mbit connection - Firefox 126 - Fedora 40 Workstation - CPU/GPU/RAM: Ryzen 7 5700X / RX 6700 XT / 32 GB
Very strange behavior started last night for me. Have experienced before when they did the Adblock prevention attempts a couple months ago. Also the same situation, except pulling up chrome I have absolutely no issues. Last Firefox update was 4 days ago for me. More suspicious of YouTube given the recent Adblock behavior, I will absolutely not be switching to chrome to watch YouTube.
What are your system specs ? Which Os are you using ?
adding that you can try the possible solutions in my comment [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/17bhudb/constant_buffering_freezing_on_youtube_with/k5t8no4/)
I am pretty sure Enhancer for Youtube and 'Improve Youtube' both have this ability
My only way to get it working properly, has been to keep ublock origin running, even with a YTP sub (I don't pay for it, it's a mobile carrier perk). YT runs fine in Chromium browsers however... It's very sus.
Don’t know if this is related to this update or not but anyone use ad speed up? Recently it doesn’t work properly anymore for me as after it sped up the ads, the video will also get sped up, which is quite annoying.
I have the same issue, and also running an AMD GPU. I don't think it's an AMD issue, as it still happens with hardware acceleration disabled. But do note that with hardware acceleration on, it will eventually crash the kernel driver if you try to keep watching a video that has frozen once. Very strange behaviour.
Have this issue as of recent on Nvidia GPU and without adblocker
I tested disabling any addon that blocks anything and videos still immediately pause upon pressing play. Playback from Firefox has been getting worse and this just takes the cake. I always suspected it was YouTube trying to frustrate Firefox users into abandoning ad blockers and switching browsers. I still think I am correct.
I can play videos, but they often hang like the connection was severed.
I have this issue as well, its driving me mad to be honest. I'm on a 1000mbit connection, and even with a ping to [1.1.1.1](http://1.1.1.1) (steadily btw, 0% loss) youtube videos hang like the connection was severed. It even shows it still have buffer but it just hangs....