OT: Youtube "An error has occurred <Playback ID>" error on multiple PCs

[NY]

Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).

Any suggestions. I've rebooted the PCs.

[Andy Burns]

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).

I've occasionally seen that (or similar).

Very rarely happens on youtube.com itself, when it does it affects a
single video, the same thing happens on a reload, so does seem like
corruption of a specific video (or maybe specific resolution of tht video).

Other times it happens on a youtube video embedded in a different web
page, since I'm fussy about allowing cookies, I chalk it up to that,
there's usually a link to open the video on youtube itself which works.

I have noticed a problem in the past few days where text and icons on
youtube are missing, or replaced with blanks, I wondered if it was a
firefox issue, seems to take exit and reload.

[NY]

Post by Andy Burns

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh the
page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).

I've occasionally seen that (or similar).
Very rarely happens on youtube.com itself, when it does it affects a
single video, the same thing happens on a reload, so does seem like
corruption of a specific video (or maybe specific resolution of tht video).
Other times it happens on a youtube video embedded in a different web
page, since I'm fussy about allowing cookies, I chalk it up to that,
there's usually a link to open the video on youtube itself which works.
I have noticed a problem in the past few days where text and icons on
youtube are missing, or replaced with blanks, I wondered if it was a
firefox issue, seems to take exit and reload.

This is happening on all videos, irrespective of resolution, frame rate etc.
And on two different PCs with different versions of Windows; the only common
factor is Firefox. I wonder if the Youtube website has been changed recently
in a way that FF doesn't like. It's odd that it *always* fails on the first
attempt to play any video, and it *always* succeeds on the second attempt
after reloading the page. It doesn't do it on Android using Firefox (as
opposed to the Youtube Android app).

I've rebooted the PCs. I've not yet tried rebooting the router, in case it's
a comms problem with the server that actually plays the videos as opposed to
the one which serves the web page that contains the video. I've also not yet
tried on Linux and Firefox. Windows 7 and Google Chrome plays fine. There is
a difference: Google Chrome shows adverts before/during whereas Firefox
doesn;t and I'm sure it used to: could FF have enable an ad-blocker which is
interfering with Youtube?

[Java Jive]

Post by NY

Post by Andy Burns

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).

I've occasionally seen that (or similar).
Very rarely happens on youtube.com itself, when it does it affects a
single video, the same thing happens on a reload, so does seem like
corruption of a specific video (or maybe specific resolution of tht video).

This is happening on all videos, irrespective of resolution, frame rate
etc. And on two different PCs with different versions of Windows; the
only common factor is Firefox. I wonder if the Youtube website has been
changed recently in a way that FF doesn't like. It's odd that it
*always* fails on the first attempt to play any video, and it *always*
succeeds on the second attempt after reloading the page. It doesn't do
it on Android using Firefox (as opposed to the Youtube Android app).

I don't know where you get FF 133.0.3 from, but I would suggest that if
it is giving you problems, stick with the ESR releases. I have FF
115.18.0 ESR on a PC running W7HP, FF 128.5.2 ESR on a PC running
W10Pro, and FF 133.0 - the version from Mozilla not the Snap version
- on a PC running Ubuntu 22, and none show this fault.

However, on the last of these, I cannot hear the dulcet tones of the
rather lovely Anna From Ukraine, not sure why that should be because I
can play an iPlayer MP4 with sound no problem, but, given the chequered
history of my Ubuntu build, it's perhaps not entirely surprising, and
another problem to solve.

[NY]

I don't know where you get FF 133.0.3 from, but I would suggest that if it
is giving you problems, stick with the ESR releases. I have FF 115.18.0
ESR on a PC running W7HP, FF 128.5.2 ESR on a PC running W10Pro, and FF
133.0 - the version from Mozilla not the Snap version - on a PC running
Ubuntu 22, and none show this fault.

My mistake. I assumed... :-(

My Win 10 PC has FF 133.0.3 (the latest on firefox.com, and auto-updated).
My Win 7 PC has 115.18.0esr because the advice from Firefox/Mozilla was not
to use non-ESR versions on Win 7.

Both give the same error. Almost always on the first time that a video is
opened, but never an error if I refresh the page with F5 or the rotary arrow
button (between -> and house buttons) and then play the video.

So it's not V133 versus V115 ESR.

[Java Jive]

Post by NY

Post by Java Jive
I don't know where you get FF 133.0.3 from, but I would suggest that
if it is giving you problems, stick with the ESR releases.  I have FF
115.18.0 ESR on a PC running W7HP, FF 128.5.2 ESR on a PC running
W10Pro, and FF 133.0  -  the version from Mozilla not the Snap version
-  on a PC running Ubuntu 22, and none show this fault.

My mistake. I assumed... :-(
My Win 10 PC has FF 133.0.3 (the latest on firefox.com, and
auto-updated). My Win 7 PC has 115.18.0esr because the advice from
Firefox/Mozilla was not to use non-ESR versions on Win 7.
Both give the same error. Almost always on the first time that a video
is opened, but never an error if I refresh the page with F5 or the
rotary arrow button (between -> and house buttons) and then play the video.
So it's not V133 versus V115 ESR.

Do these different installations share the same profile, say, on a D: drive?

Either way, try the following in the order listed and after each step
try YouTube again ...

1 Clear away all *YouTube* cookies and stored data in your profile

2 Clear away *all* cookies and stored data in your profile

3 Remake your profile

[NY]

Post by Java Jive
Do these different installations share the same profile, say, on a D: drive?

Common Firefox account (so bookmarks get synchronised across devices)
but not the same %AppData%\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ folder

I've now established the following:

- it also happens on Linux MX with FF 132

- it only happens when I'm signed into my Youtube account; if I sign
out, the problem goes away and as soon as I sign in, it reappears (this
behaviour is reproducible on Win 10 FF 133 and Linux MX FF132)

- it still happens after I clear all FF cookies and temporary cached
data created at any time (assuming I'm logged into my Youtube account)

- I happen to have another Youtube account (identified by a different
email address) and even if I am signed in, the error does not occur for
this Youtube account

This tends to suggest that my normal Youtube account has a peculiar problem.

I may have to live with it, because the thought of subscribing to all
the various Youtube feeds for the other login ID is rather daunting.


Now I've got to go through logging in again to the various web sites to
which I used to be permanently logged-in ;-)

Post by Java Jive
Either way, try the following in the order listed and after each step
try YouTube again ...
1  Clear away all *YouTube* cookies and stored data in your profile
2  Clear away *all* cookies and stored data in your profile
3  Remake your profile

[Brian Gregory]

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).
Any suggestions. I've rebooted the PCs.

I don't think I've ever seen that on my two Windows 11 PCs.
I watch a lot of Youtube in the latest version of Firefox with no problems.

[NY]

Post by Brian Gregory

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).
Any suggestions. I've rebooted the PCs.

I don't think I've ever seen that on my two Windows 11 PCs.
I watch a lot of Youtube in the latest version of Firefox with no problems.

I've narrowed it down to Firefox rather than Microsoft Edge, and being
logged into one Youtube account as opposed to another one or not being
logged in at all.

Affects various platforms (Win 7, Win 10, Linux MX) with FF 115 ESR (on
W7) or 133 (the latest release), though all logged in to the same
Firefox account so they can share bookmarks, site usernames/passwords etc.

It's only started in the last couple of days. And it's 100% reproducible
- I always get the error when playing a different video to the current
one, and only until I refresh the browser page, then I can play that
video (but no other) repeatedly:

- play video 1 (error), refresh, play video 1 (no error for multiple
replays)
- play video 2 (error), refresh, play video 2 (no error for multiple
replays)
- play video 1 (error), refresh, play video 1 (no error for multiple
replays)

So even within the same instance of FF (ie not closed and restarted)
every time I play a different video (including one I have played
previously but not immediately before) I get the error. Most bizarre.

[John Hall]

In message <***@brightview.co.uk>, NY
<***@privacy.net> writes
<snip>

Post by NY
I've narrowed it down to Firefox rather than Microsoft Edge, and being
logged into one Youtube account as opposed to another one or not being
logged in at all.
Affects various platforms (Win 7, Win 10, Linux MX) with FF 115 ESR (on
W7) or 133 (the latest release), though all logged in to the same
Firefox account so they can share bookmarks, site usernames/passwords etc.
It's only started in the last couple of days. And it's 100%
reproducible - I always get the error when playing a different video to
the current one, and only until I refresh the browser page, then I can
- play video 1 (error), refresh, play video 1 (no error for multiple
replays)
- play video 2 (error), refresh, play video 2 (no error for multiple
replays)
- play video 1 (error), refresh, play video 1 (no error for multiple
replays)
So even within the same instance of FF (ie not closed and restarted)
every time I play a different video (including one I have played
previously but not immediately before) I get the error. Most bizarre.

Someone has been having an - I think different - problem with Firefox,
which they reported on alt.comp.os.windows-10. A Salvador Mirzo
responded:

"I wonder if you could use a different Firefox such as Waterfox. I've
been using it for weeks now. I'm very happy. It's pretty much Firefox.
It could perhaps be used as an alternative because if you own a Firefox
account, it can be shared between these browsers. (I don't think they
all share the same features and code. They're not technically the /same
exact/ browser. But I can't be sure, though. Never looked deeply into
it.) "

So it might be worth your trying that.

[NY]

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).
Any suggestions. I've rebooted the PCs.

Several days later, the problem has magically gone away... Weird!

[NY]

Post by NY

Post by NY
Several PCs on my network, both Win 7 and Win 10, running Firefox
133.0.3, have started consistently giving "An error has occurred
<playback ID>" whenever I play a Youtube video from youtube.com in a
browser. Refreshing the browser page with F5 and trying again always
works, but a new video then always produces the error until I refresh
the page. I first noticed it on Friday 13 Dec (yesterday).
Any suggestions. I've rebooted the PCs.

Several days later, the problem has magically gone away... Weird!

My impression is that the https://www.youtube.com/feed/subscriptions
page is also loading more quickly. For several weeks it's sometimes
taken a minute or so to display all the thumbnails for videos on
channels that I have subscribed to.