I have had clients complain about their ability to watch videos online as the video playback is green in the many free Internet browsers that they have tried. If you are reading this, I hope that you will be fortunate to have it resolved as well.
Edge by Microsoft (Microsoft Edge)
I have only received a limited amount of requests to troubleshoot Edge as the browser is avoided due to issues with UAC (User Access Control) in Windows 10. I used it personally for online banking in the past but after the constant pop-ups and news feed on the home page, I have ditched it for an alternate browser. If you develop a problem watching videos, please try switching between a window and full screen using your Win+Shift+Enter keys. This is the only solution that I have found (and that works) and if I discover others, I will post further tips.
Chrome by Google (Google Chrome)
I have received a few requests to troubleshoot Google Chrome and it was from users who did not close their browser in a while so it did not get the chance to update in the background so check to see if the browser has updates. An indication on the browser menu will show that updates are pending.
Internet Explorer by Microsoft (Microsoft Internet Explorer)
I receive daily requests to trouble Microsoft’s Internet Explorer so I know that there is a high chance that you need to have Microsoft Silverlight installed on the computer if the video is being streamed from a Microsoft website as it is their alternative to Adobe’s Flash. Since changes to the browser will affect all local and domain users of the PC, be sure that you have local Administrator rights or have the password credentials for an Administrator account ready to enter when prompted. Before you attempt this solution, please look for your GPU rendering setting under the Advanced tab of Internet Options then check the box as this has help users on Windows 8.1 using Internet Explorer 11.
Firefox by Mozilla (Mozilla Firefox)
I only need to use Mozilla Firefox because it is one of the supported browsers for YouTube as it helps avoid most advertisements due to the plugins available plus play music in the background on mobile devices for free instead of subscribing to YouTube Red. Also, since I am not signed in to YouTube or Google Account on Mozilla Firefox, my recommended list stays clean so I am not bombarded with videos that are always monetized by the publisher. If you are on YouTube with Mozilla Firefox and your video playback is green, try lowering your video playback setting to the lowest that it can go. If the video playback is no longer green and the issue returns when you go back to higher video playback, please right click on the video and disable hardware acceleration from the Settings options.
Opera by Opera Software (Opera Web Browser)
Opera is a nice browser. An Intranet I use only worked with Internet Explorer (lazy programmers) so I could not use Chrome on my desktop or mobile. I had Opera installed along time ago but stopped using it (due to the the Amazon referral link on the Speed Dial page) but the Intranet could not tell I was not using Internet Explorer and loaded the content I needed to see so I used it when on mobile. As with the Firefox browser, if you are having issues with video playback, please go ahead and disable hardware acceleration.
Stephan Pringle
Latest posts by Stephan Pringle (see all)
- The New Microsoft Edge is Old - Friday, January 15, 2021
