Open Bug 1962929 Opened 10 months ago Updated 4 months ago

Twitch uses HEVC/H.265 for 1440p and 2160p streams ("2K" / "4K")

Categories

(Web Compatibility :: Site Reports, defect, P2)

Product:
Web Compatibility
Component:
Site Reports
Type:
defect

Tracking

(Webcompat Priority:P2, Webcompat Score:5)

Status:
UNCONFIRMED
Project Flags:
Webcompat Priority P2
Webcompat Score 5

People

(Reporter: 08xjcec48, Unassigned)

References

(Blocks 1 open bug,
URL
)

Details

(Keywords: webcompat:needs-contact, webcompat:platform-bug, webcompat:site-report, Whiteboard: [webcompat:sightline][webcompat:japan])

User Story

platform:windows
impact:annoyance
configuration:common
affects:all
branch:release
diagnosis-team:media
user-impact-score:105

Steps to reproduce:

Open a 1440p or 2160p Twitch stream.

Actual results:

  • The video player settings only show resolutions up to 720p for Windows users who don't have the required HEVC/H.265 codec on their systems.
  • Higher resolutions work fine on Chrome and Edge, as they support this format out of the box.
  • Users can't figure out what is wrong in Firefox. People who would be inclined to install the required codec end up using another browser instead.

Expected results:

Consider reaching out to Twitch to ask them to add a note about unsupported resolutions when users open the "Video Quality" menu. It could gray out the unsupported resolutions instead of hiding them altogether, and have a ? button to open a relevant support article.

Blocks: hevc-missing, twitch
Flags: needinfo?(alwu)

It's true that we don't ship our own HEVC codecs on Windows, but that's by design. We could maybe show a warning or something, let's have the media team look at this.

URL: https://twitch.tv
Severity: -- → S4
User Story: (updated)
Webcompat Priority: --- → P2
Webcompat Score: --- → 5
Keywords: webcompat:platform-bug → webcompat:needs-diagnosis, webcompat:site-report
Priority: -- → P2
Whiteboard: [webcompat:sightline]

I don't think we can display a warning or anything similar — it's the website's responsibility to select the appropriate codec based on the user's device capabilities. They shouldn't force the use of a codec that isn't supported on the user's system. If they choose to stream 1080p+ content exclusively with HEVC instead of offering alternatives, that's ultimately their decision and not something we can do.

We do support HEVC playback via Windows Media Foundation. However, based on bug reports we've received, some Windows 10 devices are not pre-installed the required HEVC MFT (Media Foundation Transform) by Microsoft. For users without built-in HEVC support, the only option is to purchase the HEVC Video Extension from the Microsoft Store. This is something we could potentially remind users to install the extension (similar to what we do for VP9 and AV1 in about:support). However, since the extension is paid, it's unclear whether it would be appropriate to do so.

Additionally, it seems that Twitch has been planning to use HEVC for 1080p+ video for some time — see bug 1917874 comment 3 for more details. Also, based on my testing, 1080p+ playback appears to be limited to live streams; for recorded videos, only up to 720p can be selected, regardless of the browser used.

Flags: needinfo?(alwu)

it's the website's responsibility to select the appropriate codec based on the user's device capabilities.

Yes, that's why I filed this under Webcompat:

Expected results:
Consider reaching out to Twitch to ask them to add a note about unsupported resolutions when users open the "Video Quality" menu. It could gray out the unsupported resolutions instead of hiding them altogether, and have a ? button to open a relevant support article.

Whiteboard: [webcompat:sightline] → [webcompat:sightline][webcompat:japan]

I can not install:
HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer
It just says: This app will not work on your device

What can I do to enable 1440p in twitch? Is there a solution?

It works on Chrome.
I have enabled hardware acceleration

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