Poor YouTube Performance in Firefox
Poor YouTube Performance in Firefox
I believe Firefox might have a problem. A YouTuber I follow once said this and stopped uploading at 60 frames per second, allowing others using Firefox or any other browser to watch his videos in better quality. It looks like Firefox 36 now supports it, but double-check that your browser is updated first. More details suggest there could be an MSE feature that needs activation.
I've got the newest release of FF on both platforms, so that shouldn't be the problem. The MSE is enabled at its highest setting in FF (as per what I understand), but it hasn't been fully implemented yet. On the laptop, videos run smoothly above 30 FPS in 60 FPS clips, though not at 60 FPS itself. Something odd caught my attention: Chrome requires fullscreen to play at 60 FPS, whereas FF doesn’t need that. Even more curious, the performance seems better without fullscreen, which is the opposite of what happened when YouTube used Flash on FF.
I began considering a beta version to check its impact. On my desktop, I plan to use Chrome for YouTube viewing. I opened a 60FPS video in windowed mode—it worked decently—but full screen was problematic. Frames stayed above 30, possibly into the teens, which is hard to judge without a counter. I also installed an add-on to force Flash instead of HTML5 on YouTube. When it functions correctly, getting it to play remains challenging. On my desktop, a suitable motherboard appeared in the Newegg newsletter, so I placed an order. I’m preparing for a fresh build now. This setup has served me well for three years.
It seems everything was functioning properly until recently. I was just watching something and switched to full screen to check something up. I noticed the audio stayed in sync for 15 minutes. When I played a fast 60FPS video, it worked fine. What’s happening? I swear my computer usually acts up when I’m worried about upgrading, but this time it seemed to stabilize. The new MSI Z97 board might have been the issue. Unfortunately, it’s too late now—my processor is scheduled for replacement next week.
I thought I’d revive it. After my final comment, the issue resurfaced right away. At first I gave up, but then a fresh machine arrived. Partially. It came with an ASUS Z97A/USB 3.1 board, a Core i7 4790K, NH-U14S cooler, an Obsidian 750D case, and Windows 8.1. Still, VIDEOS ARE STILL MISFIRMING!!! Only on the desktop. The laptop is holding up. I’ve narrowed it down to my sound card—something I hadn’t mentioned before. I use an old Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional because of its EQ and Crystalizer settings for video and music. I figured, with all the parts swapped, it must be either the card or the software. I tried other cards, but none worked for video. Switching to my TV and routing audio via HDMI to the receiver fixed the sync. I also tested audio through HDMI while using a higher-resolution monitor, and even with the sound card on a lower-res TV. The problem stays with the sound card. It affects desync whether or not the display is used, but only in Firefox with HTML5 videos. Game audio and Chrome HTML5 videos are unaffected. It’s odd. Maybe it’s tied to the newer Creative driver from last March? I’m not sure when I installed it on the old system. It could just be a random Firefox update. Whatever it is, if I want smooth playback I need to ditch the sound card or upgrade to something better. Or accept the minor hassle and stick with Chrome. 60FPS videos run a bit smoother on it anyway. So here’s my little story about this oddity. If anyone else still uses those old sound cards with Firefox, they might finally have a solution—though I don’t know if anyone has noticed. Computers are so interesting.