I'm making the switch to Linux and while I've dabbled with it in the past, I'm now trying to run it full time on my desktop. I really dislike Windows 11 and expected some challenges, but I didn't think I would face such a basic issue as watching YouTube. Regardless of the Linux distro I use, be it Ubuntu, Pop!, or Kubuntu, I'm experiencing frame drops when streaming videos. My setup includes a Ryzen 5600x, 32GB RAM, and an RX 9060XT, and despite having hardware decoding working, I still face stutters every now and then. This doesn't happen on Windows, making it even more frustrating. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? What can I do to resolve it?
4 Answers
Honestly, using Chrome might solve the issue. Many browsers have issues with YouTube because of how it's optimized for Chrome. Make sure hardware acceleration is working too, especially if you’re on lower specs.
I don't quite get why so many have issues with YouTube. Did you possibly decline the Widevine installation when first visiting? That could be a culprit.
Widevine is indeed active, and the stuttering happens even on non-DRM videos.
Try installing Ubuntu Restricted Extras or a different browser than Firefox. I'd recommend using Zorin with Edge; YouTube videos run perfectly in 1080p or 2K without stuttering.
I’ve had a smooth experience watching YouTube on various distros, without issues on Firefox. It’s strange that you’re seeing stutters consistently across all of them. Maybe it’s a configuration or system setting that’s overlooked?
Yeah, it seems to be completely distro agnostic. Happens regardless of the distro. It's frustrating, especially since it’s also happening on my secondary computer.
I gave Chrome and Brave a shot, but unfortunately, the issue persists across all versions. Only the flatpak version of Brave lagged worse due to non-working hardware decoding.