dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
1563
don00
join:2004-07-22
Victoria, BC

don00

Member

[BC] Youtube issues

Youtube works fine if I never, ever login to a Google account. If I login to one of my accounts (e.g., to watch a video some troll flagged as mature content), my youtube performance goes to crap for several days/weeks. Logging out does nothing.

I have any number of the following issues:
- Videos do not start immediately. Have to F5 several times to get the video to begin playing.
- Switching to 720/1080p will cause playback to freeze. Sometimes refreshing works, sometimes it doesn't. If I let the video sit, it will eventually begin playing in 360p, with the HD options grayed out.
- Videos download "just in time," rather than going full speed until fully downloaded or buffering several minutes of playback.

I want to emphasize that, most of the time, these issues are not present, and Youtube works flawlessly. When Youtube used to display average speed, I would see 70-80 mbps, and HD videos would download at 95+ mbps. But for a week or two after using my Youtube account, it feels like I'm on a public Russian proxy.
I strongly believe that logging in to an account is the trigger for these issues, since I've observed this pattern many times over the years. It eventually goes away, only to come back the next time I login.

Why does this happen? I don't understand why logging in has any effect; any network crippling would be IP-based, right?

Anyone else experience this?

edit: since someone will ask it, my speedtests are fine. 107 mbps from local. everything else works fine. My PC isn't garbage and isn't loaded with viruses. Cisco modem in router mode. firefox/java/flash updated.

kevinds
Premium Member
join:2003-05-01
Calgary, AB

kevinds

Premium Member

My first thought is try a different browser, Chrome maybe

Clear temp files, history, and cookies.
tlhIngan
join:2002-07-08
Richmond, BC

tlhIngan to don00

Member

to don00
Google switched to just in time auto-quality streaming a few months ago - where the video is broken into small chunks and depending on the quality of the streaming, it may switch to a lower or higher quality stream. End result is you can't just start and pause the video and let it transfer all the way, and if the request stalls for the next chunk, the video stops.

I started seeing this happen a couple of months ago - it's not Shaw as I see it happen on another provider and at the office.

Bauwoo
join:2003-12-07

Bauwoo to don00

Member

to don00
320p & 720p streams are still fully buffered still. 480p and 1080p+ resolutions are in the new chunk streams to prevent downloading of the content.

Some other things to look out for too is that ads sometimes play at the beginning of a video which will prevent instant stream. If you use something like Adblock Plus then these ads are blocked out but show the video as a black screen for a couple seconds then play.

Last thing could be an issue with Shaw. They are notorious for horrible YouTube streaming.
tlhIngan
join:2002-07-08
Richmond, BC

tlhIngan to don00

Member

to don00
The chunking is also auto-quality - even though it saya "1080p" in the corner, if it stalls, it'll load a lower quality stream first then try to load a higher quality one. You notice it when the picture goes all blurry then clears up as the player first downloads the low quality one first, then tries to load a higher quality chunk.