YouTube error: "If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device"

[nirpmag]

On a fairly regular basis, I get this error when attempting to play a YouTube video without the video beginning play in a prompt manner. The videos occasionally do begin to play, but not after at least a 2 to 3 minute wait but usually not at all. And to make this even more puzzling, if they do begin play, they do so without sound. Then if I insert the headphone plug and remove it, the sound begins

Multiple searches led me to the alleged solution - disable hardware acceleration in the browser's system settings. However, disabling hardware acceleration did not fix the problem. I have also updated the sound, video and display adaptors via the device manager within control panel. But none of this made a difference.

Rebooting my system will fix the problem, but only temporarily. Typically within a few hours after a reboot, the problem arises again.

Might anyone else have encountered this issue and found that disabling hardware acceleration did not fix it? If so, what is the fix for this issue?

 

[Computer Bloke]

I'm sorry, but the Technibble forums are for professional computer technicians only. We don't give advice to end users.

You might try asking your question at Bleeping Computer where you are much more likely to find a solution.

@Kitten Kong

 

[NETWizz]

I agree with others. This forum is not meant to support end user computer problems. I realize that comes across as obnoxious and makes us all look like a bunch of zealots.

In your situation it’s actually hard to know what the issue is anyway. You should not have to disable hardware acceleration to play a video. Even if that works, it’s going to make utilization on your CPU, which will make the computer run slow. That’s why you probably want acceleration enabled. It just means to process the video on hardware, somewhere other than the CPU such as on the video card, ironically, could be a separate part of the CPU that doesn’t even count as the CPU for utilization.

Regardless, what you have is a browser, driver, or hardware issue. To rule out any form of hardware issue, you could make a life bootable, Linux, OS and try it. Being at works for an hour or more at the time, it is probably not a hardware issue.

Really can’t support troubleshooting, but you might be able to help yourself. Problems that take an hour or more to show, and intermittent problems, aren’t necessarily easy for computer technicians or IT professionals either.

I am a network, engineer, myself, and if I had your problem, I would probably try a driver update, windows update, clean install, or just check to see what happens if I replace hardware or the whole computer. I’m a sucker for replacing hardware if I suspect it is not 100% reliable my time isn’t worth tracking down a ghost or grimlin in the machine, In one situation, I was helping a friend set up Linux desktop a decade ago, and as part of it we just specified known compatible hardware because it’s not worth our time to save a couple hundred dollars to try and troubleshoot different configurations.

Hope that helps. In any regards, your local computer shop is a lot more knowledgeable than the chain big box stores most of the time.

 

[Diggs]

In the news today is ad blockers causing delays on youtube. It may be an option to look at.

 

[phaZed]

Drop Adblock and get uBlock

 

[Larry Sabo]

Ad blockers are depriving YT creators income due to an "Invalid Traffic" claim by YT. It's a euphemism for "Your viewers are using an ad blocker." So, I've disabled uBlock Origin and just wait out the 10-15 seconds it takes for the "Skip ad" option to appear on the screen that normally would be playing the video/ad. Not sure this is related to the OP.

 

[Kitten Kong]

I'm sorry, but the Technibble forums are for professional computer technicians only. We don't give advice to end users.

You might try asking your question at Bleeping Computer where you are much more likely to find a solution.

@Kitten Kong

Thanks for the tag. Kitten has had a quick snack before dinner.

 

[GTP]

Ad blockers are depriving YT creators income due to an "Invalid Traffic" claim by YT. It's a euphemism for "Your viewers are using an ad blocker." So, I've disabled uBlock Origin and just wait out the 10-15 seconds it takes for the "Skip ad" option to appear on the screen that normally would be playing the video/ad. Not sure this is related to the OP.

Use Freetube and you wont need to wait because you wont see ads. Also you wont need uBlock.

 

[phaZed]

Use Freetube and you wont need to wait because you wont see ads. Also you wont need uBlock.

On Android you can use Grayjay (https://grayjay.app/) - Louis Rossman's commissioned app.

 

[Larry Sabo]

Use Freetube and you wont need to wait because you wont see ads. Also you wont need uBlock.

The problem with using ad blockers and browsers/apps that block ads, from my point of view, is that it denies the creator of revenue (because Google can tell when ads are blocked). I guess I could use Freetube for channels I don't care about and suffer the delay/ads for those that I do. I'll try it anyway.

Edit: I like it! Works a treat. However, now I need to consider how I'm going to compensate my favorite creators for their contributions.

 

[frase]

I use Rumble - no ads, no censorship; the way Youtube used to be.

 

[GTP]

The problem with using ad blockers and browsers/apps that block ads, from my point of view, is that it denies the creator of revenue (because Google can tell when ads are blocked). I guess I could use Freetube for channels I don't care about and suffer the delay/ads for those that I do. I'll try it anyway.

Edit: I like it! Works a treat. However, now I need to consider how I'm going to compensate my favorite creators for their contributions.

99% of the "created" content on Youtube (and especially Tik Tok) is garbage so it doesn't worry me to block ads.
I've not really seen anything that I'd "pay" for either.
Twitch and Twit TV are the same., boring people trying to be something "big."
I dont subscribe or comment or give likes/dislikes either.
It really doesnt matter what subject it is there's a thousand people doing the same thing.

 

[GTP]

On Android you can use Grayjay (https://grayjay.app/) - Louis Rossman's commissioned app.

I use my phone for calls, Signal, Pokemon and messages and an occasional picture of my cats. No email, no web browser, no banking, no games...

...and Louis Rossman sucks to be honest. I watched him a couple times and thought well I'll never get that time back...

 

[GTP]

I use Rumble - no ads, no censorship; the way Youtube used to be.

I like Freetube because when it opens there's a blank grey screen.

There's no "Latest," no "trending video's," no "Top Live Categories" no "Editors picks" no "featured" or any other brain dead Gen Z rubbish. There's no "sign up" or "sign in."

There's just an empty screen until I search for something...I really like that.

I can hide the subscribe button, likes button and a dozen other things that just waste space.
And turning on "Sponsor Block" stop those sneaky ads they suddenly launch into during their spiel.

Edit: Also, watching anything on Rumble means you are tracked, fingerprinted, canvassed, monitored, your data collected and all that other bad stuff.
You still need uBlock Origin and other "antitracking" addons in your browser.
And BTW I tried to watch a video on Rumble with Ublock Origin enabled and it wasn't happening, so...

 

[frase]

I like Freetube because when it opens there's a blank grey screen.

There's no "Latest," no "trending video's," no "Top Live Categories" no "Editors picks" no "featured" or any other brain dead Gen Z rubbish. There's no "sign up" or "sign in."

There's just an empty screen until I search for something...I really like that.

I can hide the subscribe button, likes button and a dozen other things that just waste space.
And turning on "Sponsor Block" stop those sneaky ads they suddenly launch into during their spiel.

Edit: Also, watching anything on Rumble means you are tracked, fingerprinted, canvassed, monitored, your data collected and all that other bad stuff.
You still need uBlock Origin and other "antitracking" addons in your browser.
And BTW I tried to watch a video on Rumble with Ublock Origin enabled and it wasn't happening, so...

I never had any issues and have Ublock Origin. Freetube is very minimal in content I found when I used it. Maybe it has changed I will check it out again, cheers.