1911588 - youtube.com - video buffer too small on YouTube for mobile internet users

Status: NEW

(Core :: Audio/Video: Playback, defect, P3)

Description

[Calin Tanase]

From github: https://github.com/webcompat/web-bugs/issues/139819.

<!-- @browser: Firefox 129.0 -->
<!-- @ua_header: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:129.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/129.0 -->
<!-- @reported_with: unknown -->

URL: https://youtube.com

Browser / Version: Firefox 129.0
Operating System: Linux
Tested Another Browser: Yes Chrome

Problem type: Video playback
Description: Buffering issues
Steps to Reproduce:
Dear Support-Team,

I'm experiencing issues with Firefox on mobile internet connections and YouTube.

I’m not sure when this started, but I remember videos on YouTube used to buffer completely and then play without any interruptions.

However, for a while now, buffering seems to be limited to around 30 seconds. After that, buffering stops, no matter how long you pause the video. Even while playing, it only buffers up to 30 seconds ahead.

This means you need a stable internet connection for the last 30 seconds of playback. This isn't ideal for mobile internet, where outages can last a minute or two, especially when moving, like on a train or bus.

This results in frequent pauses and buffering during every internet outage, even if the connection is otherwise good. The issue is especially noticeable when playing videos at higher speeds, as the buffering time doesn't increase, reducing the buffer time before a pause.

Why was the 30-second limit chosen, and is there a setting to change this?

Best regards,

<details>
<summary>Browser Configuration</summary>
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<li>None</li>
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</details>

From webcompat.com with ❤️

Change performed by the Move to Bugzilla add-on.

Comment 1

[Calin Tanase]

The issue was reported via webcompat.com reporter. We are not able to reproduce the issue, but based on the discussion we recently had with the other teams, issues reported that involve audio/video failing on top sites, we have moved the issue accordingly for further investigations. Please feel free to move the issue to the relevant product and component, or to close the issue if it is not reproducible on your side.

Comment 2

[cyrond]

I mean you can reproduce that Firefox only buffers 30 seconds while a YouTube video is paused. It seems Firefox does the same for me while it's playing, while it's supposed to fetch more in this situation.

How can I change how much Firefox buffers while playback is paused?

Comment 3

[cyrond]

Just to make sure no add-on or setting I made causes this, here's Firefox experiencing the issue in troubleshoot mode:

https://github.com/webcompat/web-bugs/issues/139819#issuecomment-2272676741

Comment 4

[cyrond]

I can confirm this bug with a freshly installed Firefox Nightly (131.0a1), without any changes to the config nor any add-ons installed:

https://github.com/webcompat/web-bugs/issues/139819#issuecomment-2304288106

Comment 5

[08xjcec48]

Please add Bug 1904915 to the blocks field of this bug.