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22 Feb 11 - 03:00 PM (#3100530) Subject: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie As of about a week ago, I can no longer get any videos to play on YouTube unless I access them via my channel, either as "favorites" or as my own uploads. If I go to YT, whether logged in or not, and just go to a video there, I get the page, with the title, comments, graphics, etc., but just a black box where the video should be. There's no arrow or anything to click to play the video, nowhere to scroll, no volume control, etc. But if a video is among my "favorites" or "uploads," it will play just fine. I can access a video page, add it as a favorite, and then play it on my channel, but I can't play it otherwise. I tried to send a "bug" report to YouTube, but I got a msg. saying my browser wasn't supported. I use Safari - and have been playing YT videos for years via the same browser and platform. I'm just wondering if anyone else has ever encountered this kind of thing with YouTube or if anyone has a clue about what would make this happen. Genie |
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22 Feb 11 - 03:28 PM (#3100550) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: VirginiaTam try doing a java update |
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22 Feb 11 - 04:51 PM (#3100607) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Grishka You may have accidentally disabled JavaScript, perhaps by some keyboard shortcut. Reinable it in the settings. (Java is not needed.) |
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22 Feb 11 - 04:53 PM (#3100610) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: RunrigFan Is the internet connected ? If so, make sure the java is updated and ticked in the options :) |
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22 Feb 11 - 05:41 PM (#3100647) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie I don't think you folks understand that I can and do still play YouTube videos -- if they are uploads or favorites on my channel (even just now added) or if I "share" them on Facebook and play them there or embed them on some other site. I don't understand why that should happen because of some issue with my video-playing software, browser, operating system, etc. I did post my Q in YouTube's "Help Forum," and I've found that a bunch of other people have recently encountered the same glitch. Some of them have tried all the suggested "fixes" like reinstalling a flash player update, but it hasn't worked. And no one has explained why you should be able to go to YouTube, "add" a video to your "favorites" list and then play it on your channel but not be able to play the same video just by going to YouTube and clicking on it. |
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22 Feb 11 - 05:55 PM (#3100660) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: RunrigFan Ah if you find a video wont play; the site may be busy with traffic or that video uploader is having intenew issues ;) |
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22 Feb 11 - 06:02 PM (#3100667) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Grishka Dear Genie, we certainly understand that your Flash player is ok and enabled. Java is not needed, but JavaScript is for some operations. When I disable it, I get similar symptoms as you, whence my remark (guess). Sorry that I cannot help any further, but I do read threads before contributing. |
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22 Feb 11 - 06:03 PM (#3100668) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie This happens with ALL the YouTube videos I've tried over the past few days. Dozens of them, without exception. And apparently a bunch of other Mac users are having the same issue. It's obviously not about the individual videos or about my software, operating system, etc. It seems to me that YouTube may have changed some sort of setting within the last week and they will probably be the ones that have to fix it. I just wish they would do so. |
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22 Feb 11 - 08:52 PM (#3100775) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,sunk I have the same issue on my mac, and I have never had a problem until this last week. |
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22 Feb 11 - 09:12 PM (#3100785) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Jack Campin No change here (Firefox 3.6.13 on a PPC Mac running MacOS 10.4.11). YouTube doesn't work very well on a machine as slow as mine, the audio works but the video often lags and jerks. I'm not sure what version of Flash I'm running, that may be relevant. |
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22 Feb 11 - 09:24 PM (#3100786) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: bobad Try right clicking in the black box and then click "play" in the menu that appears. |
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22 Feb 11 - 11:34 PM (#3100833) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie I'll try that, BoBad, but I've never had to do anything like that before -- and I still don't if the video is on my channel as an upload or favorite or if I embed it on another site. It's weird. |
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23 Feb 11 - 12:07 AM (#3100845) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Janie I'm not having quite the same problem on my Mac, Genie, but constantly have problems with YouTube(and other videos) and Safari. Anything that uses Flashplayer is prone to cause Safari to crash (doesn't happen with Firefox.) Also have problems with Java and/or javascripts - too illiterate to sort that one out. Anyway - won't update and on a lot of sites (but not Youtube,) I get the coffee cup icon where there should be content. And I am now thinking this is serious thread-drift. If anyone understands my gibberish and is inclined to pm with advise, please do so. |
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23 Feb 11 - 04:06 AM (#3100909) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: JohnInKansas A note that may or may not be applicable: Flash has been for some times the most "open and vulnerable" application in common use, with gaping holes "useful to malware." The "vulnerability rating" for Flash has recently been followed fairly closely by the Adobe PDF reader. While Flash was owned by Multimedia, response addressing vulnerabilities was dangerously lax. Since acquisition of Flash by Adobe, response times have probably improved, but only slighty, and they probably still deserve a D- rating. Adobe has very recently released MAJOR PATCHES to both Flash and PDF Reader. While I can't verify it, it is implied that similar updates to server versions were released at about the same time. YouTube has been reasonably conscientious about malware cleanliness, so it might be reasonable to assume that if there's a Flash Server update they might be among the earliest to apply it. Although it's only a speculative possibility, it is likely that the latest Flash patch would not disable the next prior one or two configurations; but anyone with a version already a couple of patches behind might see failures at YouTube while continuing to see "normal" behavior on sites that haven't updated to the latest server patches. As an indication of how recent the latest Flash patches are: I received an auto download of what apparently was the latest Flash patch package about five weeks ago. The installation failed. I received a "fresh" automatic download about three weeks ago. The installation failed. On the third try three or four days later the patches installed, apparently successfully. I have seen some change in video performance, although I can't attribute the changes specifically to the new Flash since the sites where it's annoying have made other quetionable changes in the same time frame. The bottom line: "It worked fine a month ago" is NOT a valid justification for ignoring a Flash update as at least a part of the solution needed. No reports have appeared as yet, in the info sources that I rely on, that would indicate whether this latest patch behaves differently in different browsers. Performance quite likely does vary(?). John |
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23 Feb 11 - 04:23 AM (#3100914) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: JohnInKansas Since Java is the common way that sites link to YouTube, it is possible that an update would help - especially since sites that might send you there have varied a lot in how current their JScripts are. You can go to the Java Verifier to get a check on whether you have the recommended version. I installed an auto-downloaded update about a week ago, and the "Verifier" tells me I'm obsolete, so most of you likely are too. Previously, it was recommended that you keep a couple of "obsolete" versions of Java available due to lax updating by web servers, but the current recommendation is that you uninstall all older ones. You should be able to find instructions for both removal of the old versions and installation of the new at the download site. Java is sufficiently ubiquitous that there are probably hundreds of sites claiming to be "official mirror sites" for downloads. Some of them may not be good places to visit. Windows users can go to Download Java for Windows. (at java.com). Others (or maybe curious Windowers) can check Java Downloads for All Operating Systems. (also at java.com). Whether it solves the YouTube problem or not, you likely will want to have current Java in your browser. You can turn it on or off when appropriate, but needing to download/install/reboot when you're into a hot browsing session is a real downer. Better to have it before you need it. John |
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23 Feb 11 - 05:22 PM (#3101481) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie Still not convinced that a Java or Flash glitch would let me play YouTube videos if I upload them myself or "favorite" them or if I watch them in the "My Videos" section but wouldn't let me play any videos on YT any other way. Now there's another annoying wrinkle: If I have a video posted as "unlisted," anyone who has the link is supposed to be able to view it. But even when I'm logged into my own channel and try to play a video on that channel, if it's "unlisted," I get the still, dark screen with a message saying "This video is unlisted. It can be seen only by those who have the link." (Duh! I get that message even when I've just USED the bleepin' link to try to access the video.) Would some of you please check to see if you can play these videos on YouTube? Some are supposed to be "public" and some "unlisted," but either way, anyone who clicks the links ought to be able to play them. If some of you can play them and others (including me) can't, that tells me that it's not just a systemic glitch at YouTube. Barry Finn "Salonika" Hunting The Duck" - Zeke Hoskin & Flip Breskin Bill Bailey/Just Because Medley" Amos pickin' & singin' at Getaway 2008 Thanks for your help. |
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23 Feb 11 - 05:48 PM (#3101492) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: The Fooles Troupe JiK I just 'checked' - it tells me that Ubuntu has version 20 (which came thru the offical Ubuntu update channel) and the latest is version 24 - but I prefer to get Ubuntu updates thru the Linux update mechanism which includes a direct link to an official 'Java for Linux' site. I got a Java update from them only a while ago. While it may sound great to get one direct from the Java people, unless it has been tested by the Linux people, I'm leery of just bunging any old crap into the system. I had to 'insert' Opera a while ago for use by a young person who needed it to run a certain American maths package which would just not work on Firefox at all, but was 'certified' by them to run on Opera or IE. Now Opera refuses to play properly by Linux rules, not having properly updated 'authorization codes' etc, which means that any time there is an Opera update, it goes bananas, and you have to jump thru hoops to fake the codes and get the latest update to install properly. :-) |
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23 Feb 11 - 06:13 PM (#3101501) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST OK, now this is getting weirder! I've just clicked on several sort of random YouTube videos that are not my own uploads or "favorites" and some of them play fine but others don't (just the black box with no "play" button.) There doesn't seem to be any discernible pattern to this. This one plays fine: Nathan Moore - "Understand Under" This one didn't: And NOW I tried this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHw3Y36igW0&feature=relmfu and the still black box had a note saying "Plug-in Failure" and I got a Problem Report for Flash Player, saying Flash Player had quit unexpectedly. So it sounds like it may be an erratic failure of Flash. I'm resetting Safari first to see if that helps. |
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23 Feb 11 - 06:15 PM (#3101504) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie That last post was mine. DK why my cookie disappeared. |
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23 Feb 11 - 06:22 PM (#3101509) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie Well, I emptied my cache and reset Safari -- and now even the videos I just played a few min. ago won't play. (Still can play the ones on my channel if they're not unlisted.) |
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23 Feb 11 - 06:30 PM (#3101519) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Capt Colin I had this problem and found that clicking the refresh button got the video going. |
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23 Feb 11 - 07:02 PM (#3101535) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: bobad They all play fine for me in Firefox so it's something with your computer. |
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23 Feb 11 - 07:47 PM (#3101559) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Jack Campin Those videos all play for me. |
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23 Feb 11 - 08:04 PM (#3101571) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: Genie Bobad, a lot of people have had trouble with Firefox too. But it all seems to be working fine now - after about 3 days of weird glitches - and I've been able to play YouTube videos all along, with my same hardware and software. The only problems I had were in some parts of the YouTube site itself, and they've gone away without my reinstalling any software or changing browsers or adding plug-ins. So I'm guessing that, with all the people who've been commenting about this online (here & at YouTube's Help Forum & on some tech sites), the YouTube people have probably figured out what the bugs were and fixed them. The bugs did seem to affect only some browsers (Firefox and Safari) and were also intermittent and manifested themselves in related but not identical ways. Anyway, for now YouTube seems to be working for me the way it always did. |
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02 Mar 11 - 02:32 PM (#3105730) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Nabz103 Genie I'm having this problem too, with a Macbook. Exact same symptoms. And it's really annoying me!! Can't find a fix anywhere and have tried reinstalling everything. Grr |
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02 Mar 11 - 02:38 PM (#3105740) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Nabz 103 Hey guys, I found this. Might work... Ot appears to be on the Youtube side and here's the solution that's working for me. Unhide the Develop menu, then change the User Agent to something other than Safari 5.0.3--MAC. I set mine to Safari 5.0.3--Windows and the videos play correctly. To unhide the Develop Menu: Preferences/Advanced/Check the Box to Show Develop Menu in the Menu Bar Once that's done, select Develop/User Agent and make any other selection besides "default" or "5.0.3--MAC". With each new window or tab, you will need to change the User Agent, but at least this may work for you until whomever is asleep at the wheel wakes up. |
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02 Mar 11 - 02:50 PM (#3105754) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Nabz103 ALSO TRY THIS, IT WORKED FOR ME: http://www.youtube.com/html5 Just click on the link at the bottom and its activated. |
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07 Mar 11 - 07:27 PM (#3109270) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,Sunk Thank you Nabz103. This finally solved my problem after over a month of issues!! :) |
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07 Mar 11 - 09:55 PM (#3109341) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: GUEST,last word ? ... its nothing to do with Java or anything, these folks know nothing. its Youtube only, and will affect you based on which video chipset you have. Nvidia seem to be unaffected so far. its affecting many Linux users and as we see, some Mac users. for the last few months Youtube now owned by Google, have been taking measures, (it is thought) to stop or to make difficult for people to illegally download protected material, and of course Linux and Mac users are further down the ladder. the disable cookies seems popular, but disables the ability to login to Youtube. In Firefox there is a fun little plugin (add-ons) called FlashVideoReplacer which forces Youtube videos to play in a proper media player. VLC, Kplayer, KMPlayer, Smplayer Kaffeine, Xine, Mplayer, Totem Dragonplayer or whatever. all work, but " FlashVideoReplacer " seems a little flaky on my system so far. i even uninstalled Flash to test, and Youtube was sweet. interesting. Also possibly reverting to to an older version of Flash is possible, but i've not tested that as i am ignoring Youtube until they fix it. |
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07 Mar 11 - 11:14 PM (#3109365) Subject: RE: Tech: YouTube videos won't play unless ... From: The Fooles Troupe FVR 2.02 FlashVideoReplacer offers several video replacing methods. The original method, which gave the extension name, replaces the video embedded on site, without disrupting the viewing experience. It basically replaces the flash object with a regular video object and streams a mp4 file when available or a flv file. Since version 2.0, FlashVideoReplacer also offers other replacing methods, that allow to open the videos on a new tab, a new window or a standalone external video player. Support for all these methods depends on plugin and player compatibility, which varies from one operating system to another. Video download is also available via context menu. Features: - various automatic replacing methods: embedded on site, new tab, new window, external standalone player - option to prompt for replace method on a video basis - easy video download, accessed via context menu - configurable download directory - detection of YouTube and Vimeo videos embedded on third-party sites (links only) - automatic redirection to WebM player on YouTube when available (no plugin required) - automatic detection of best compatible plugin and standalone player - plugin compatibility check tool - video quality control on YouTube - video quality feedback via alerts - option to prioritize mp4 format over flv when possible - option to force mime-type, in order to launch videos with different plugins or bypass incompatibilities - automatic detection of flash/script blocking extensions (alerts only) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ It appears that certain forces are pushing towards "a WebM player" - whatever new kettle of fish that may be ... |