YouTube / HTML5 Video on Linux - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2015, 10:01:13 pm
content: Does any of the forum's GNU/Linux users have any success with HTML5 video on YouTube?I have played 1080p @ 60fps in HTML5 without trouble on a Macintosh computer, but my Linux system really struggles with HTML5 video. Lower resolutions are usable, but 720p is jerky, and I don't seem to have the relevant codecs to play 1080p.So, if anyone is having success in Linux, what hardware and software are you using?YouTube works fine in Flash 10, but it can't manage 50/60fps. Newer versions of flash are very slow and have very jerky playback. Although I'm happy to keep Flash 10, I would rather move to HTML5 if possible.I'm using an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, a AMD Radeon HD4550 with AMD's own driver, running Debian 7.Thanks

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2015, 11:36:17 pm
content: Not a linux guru and I don't watch videos in anything more than 360p due to bandwidth caps, but what browser are you using and is hardware acceleration enabled for that browser? I don't know and it isn't obvious to me if hardware acceleration works with HTML5.http://www.webupd8.org/2014/01/enable-hardware-acceleration-in-chrome.htmlHere is the output my of chrome://gpuGraphics Feature StatusCanvas: Software only, hardware acceleration unavailableFlash: Hardware acceleratedFlash Stage3D: Software only, hardware acceleration unavailableFlash Stage3D Baseline profile: Software only, hardware acceleration unavailableCompositing: Hardware acceleratedMultiple Raster Threads: EnabledRasterization: Software only, hardware acceleration unavailableThreaded Rasterization: EnabledVideo Decode: Software only, hardware acceleration unavailableVideo Encode: Hardware acceleratedWebGL: Hardware accelerated

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2015, 11:47:40 pm
content: Re "missing codecs": some distros don't install everything by default, eg Debian (see here).Are you certain you are using "AMD's own driver"? AMD works both on the proprietary "FGLRX" driver and the open-source "radeon" (used by default in your distro) now. I generally recommend the open-source driver over the closed one, but some people prefer things the other way around.EDIT: I don't use the HTML5 player. I tend to use a stand-alone video player (mpv) to watch my youtube videos as it has less multi-monitor problems and lets me watch 720 videos on my arm-based laptop.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 12:38:46 pm
content: I am using GNU IceCat 24, but IceWeasel 31, Midori, and Opera are all pretty bad.I had a play with codecs and now I am able to watch 720p in IceCat, but it is too jerky to be watchable (at least in full screen).Of course, downloading the videos and using something like VLC works perfectly. But it would be cool have have things work well in the browser as it does have an element of convenience.As for the graphics driver, I am using the one downloadable from AMD's website. I haven't tried the open source drivers for a long time, but a few years ago I found they weren't as good. Maybe I should give them a try again some time.Here's the information IceCat provides about graphics:Code:GraphicsAdapter DescriptionATI Technologies Inc. -- ATI Radeon HD 4550Device IDATI Radeon HD 4550Driver Version3.3.11672 Compatibility Profile ContextGPU Accelerated Windows0/1 BasicVendor IDATI Technologies Inc.WebGL RendererATI Technologies Inc. -- ATI Radeon HD 4550windowLayerManagerRemotefalseAzureCanvasBackendcairoAzureContentBackendnoneAzureFallbackCanvasBackendnone

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 05:06:12 pm
content: I have no problems at all using Chrome/Chromium on any of the distros I use. If I remember rightly Firefox (so most probably also IceWeasel etc) doesn't support 60 fps video at any resolution, but that may have changed since I last checked.

author: Neverther
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 05:24:26 pm
content: I have no problems with flash, 720p with 60fps works on firefox. Not using chrome/chromium for videos as pulseaudio is crap.Works with intel/nvidia.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 29, 2015, 11:41:41 pm
content: I just installed Chromium and although the HTML5 video worked OK, it was a bit choppy. So I enabled the hardware acceleration as per retiredcaps' link and it works perfectly. It is responsive and plays 1080p@60fps perfectly.So I wonder why the other browsers don't manage.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2015, 06:13:52 am
content: Quote from: steve30 on June 29, 2015, 12:38:46 pmI haven't used IceCat, but if it is an offshoot of firefox, version 24 is pretty old and may not support hardware acceleration?I tried Midori, but with its glacial updates and lack of frequent and timely security updates, I gave up using it. In addition, I don't find it as lightweight as a fast as many people report.I recently loaded Opera 30 developer for linux and it is supposed to be based on the same engine that Chrome uses. Opera does have a setting to use hardware acceleration when possible, but require the same tweak that Chrome does to force hardware acceleration on?Anyway, I'm sure if you did enough research, you could find out if hardware acceleration is supported for each browser and in what version. Or if it requires any hidden tweaks.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2015, 07:34:57 am
content: Well, it seems that the problem is definitely hardware acceleration. Looks like Firefox doesn't really have much support for it on Linux, which explains why 24 was just as bad as 31.When I was on about Opera is was referring to the old Presto based versions, rather than the new versions.Thanks for the suggestions guys.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2015, 07:48:48 am
content: Quote from: steve30 on June 30, 2015, 07:34:57 amFirefox is up to 39 (as of July 2) now. Give the latest version a try. I believe Firefox, like Chrome, is on a 6 week cycle for new major versions.QuoteI used the old Opera for many years, starting with 9.x and ending with 12.x, but finally switched when it was apparent that it was falling behind modern standards, not getting security updates and performance starting lagging.I tend to upgrade my browsers daily if there is an update. This is primarily for security reasons and not new features. My main browser is Chrome beta for a number of reasons with Firefox as the secondary. I try Midori, Qupzilla and others from time to time just to see how they compare in terms of speed, memory usage, security and stability.