Issue with Firefox video playback on Linux system Video decoding problems in Firefox on Linux
Issue with Firefox video playback on Linux system Video decoding problems in Firefox on Linux
The issue appears when watching videos on Firefox, especially larger ones. If a video exceeds a certain size while playing, parts of the screen become transparent underneath it. This effect shows up in screenshots and is consistent across YouTube, Netflix, and other browsers. It doesn’t occur with smaller videos, paused playback, or when using different video players or browsers. I’m running on Arch Linux with GNOME 3.30.2 and xf86-video-intel (not Intel drivers). No extra extensions or themes are enabled. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
My prediction is it relates to transparency options, possibly attempting to make certain video sections transparent to match a set background color. Beyond that, I’m unlikely to contribute much. On the side, I have a strong dislike for Gnome 3. Also, why choose Arch Linux?
You can locate those settings in the AUR for GNOME or Firefox. Even though you searched in about:config, nothing specific appeared. You might also create your own PKGBUILD to manage updates without manually compiling code. In Debian/Ubuntu, if a package isn’t in standard repos, add another third-party repo. Packages there are pre-built, so you need to trust the maintainer. With AUR/ABS, you can view the PKGBUILD before packaging, giving you insight into downloads and installation steps. Otherwise, your choice of Arch comes mainly from a preference for manual control and a better grasp of the system.
I haven't encountered userChrome.css; the directory search didn't return it. I observed Firefox adjusting to system themes automatically, yet the problem persists even after changing themes. The guidance from online sources didn't resolve the issue, and I previously used an xf86-video-intel driver (i915), which caused diagonal screen tearing during scrolling and video playback—even with TearFree enabled in xorg.conf. The modesetting driver didn't have similar issues. Now I'm testing again, but the same problems remain, especially with more screen tearing. It's unclear if this is related to Firefox or my configuration. I'm aware of hardware acceleration concerns in Firefox, and mpv defaults to software decoding, which seems to be the case. It's odd that this only affects Firefox, not other browsers like Chrome, which works normally. EDIT: I missed a crucial detail in my original post—this issue occurs on my laptop with an Intel HD 4000 (i5-3320M) and doesn't appear on my desktop with an Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB. Both systems have nearly identical setups, including themes, applications, extensions, and software versions.
It's unusual, but modern distros shouldn't require changing default settings unless there are issues—this might indicate a regression. Graphics performance should be stable on Intel cards, which seems unlikely here. Intel drivers appear to be problematic; checking the .drirc file with vblank settings could help. Consider using the VESA driver instead. Also explore those configuration options mentioned in the documentation. Also, does this system support dual GPU setups?
It seems the issue began gradually. I rarely watch videos on my laptop because the display quality isn’t great. I’ve enabled vblank_mode in .drirc, set TearFree and SwapbuffersWait to true in xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf, but tearing still occurs during video playback and sometimes while scrolling. This setup is on a lower-tier ThinkPad—no webcam, optical drive, or dedicated GPU. It features a 1366x768 TN panel with ThinkLight and an i5 processor running the HD 4000.