2 ms·
It's not exactly lying per se, but i suspect what's happening is that the player is trying to buffer the higher resolution version of the video stream, while pl
by chii 3y ago
It's not exactly lying per se, but i suspect what's happening is that the player is trying to buffer the higher resolution version of the video stream, while playing the lower resolution (so as not to interrupt the video). However, the higher res stream is taking a while to download, and if that happens, the current video position has surpassed the buffered high-res video length, and so the process starts again (and the end result is that the user end up downloading chunks of the high-res video, but never watching any of it).
This is why i prefer to force high-res in the first place, and have it buffer enough to play the entire video without stopping. Unfortunately, google considers this wasted bandwidth, or something...this option is not available unless you use browser mods to do it.
- bagels 3y agoThey're optimizing for not buffering. It's one of the key metrics they track for service health.
- wruza 3y agowhile playing the lower resolution (so as not to interrupt the video) That is another thing, which I don’t mind (if I understand it right). Sometimes internet becomes worse temporarily and that approach is okay. But in the described case it plays a whole video in this hypothetical “mode”, never trying to go up. My internet is not greatest, but when I switch from “720p (Auto)” to “720p” it takes only a couple of seconds to then play it without any further interruptions. It doesn’t add up. I believe they are simply saving traffic on those who look at the quality setting and either think “well, maybe it’s just shitty bitrate 720/1080p” or have no clue at all.
- dns_snek 3y agoRock solid 300/100 Mbps here, I've noticed the same behavior. It's either intentional or buggy and given how long it's been going on now, I don't think it's buggy. Don't let people convince you it's your internet connection.