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Is Safari really completely useless for streaming video?

eicca

eicca

Suspended
Original poster
Oct 23, 2014
1,773
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2010 Mac Pro, macOS 10.14.6, Safari 14.0. I don't want to use a different browser because the iCloud sync and password management are extremely convenient for me, but literally not one streaming service will play on my computer. Amazon Prime, Disney+, Netflix all throw errors or do nothing but show a black screen.

Chrome works fine, but I don't want to use Chrome.

How is Safari really this bad?
 
I'm thinking this isn't because Safari has any shortcomings.
I have a 2012 Mac Mini running High Sierra and Safari 13.1.2 connected to my projector. It's literally the only device and browser used for Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, MSNBC (election), YouTube, etc.

I'm not an expert in streaming, but I'd first disable any safai plugins, like ad blockers and try a different display (Netflix for one gets very picky about HDCP compliance, even killing streams if I try to remote desktop into this machine).

Besides the physical change of display, try creating a fresh user account on the Mac and see if streaming is any more viable in that user's safari.
 
Doesn't even work in a brand new user. What garbage. My system meets all the listed compatibility requirements on all the streaming sites, but literally none of them work.

This is a relatively fresh install and I have zero plugins running, plus my GPU is a beast. And it definitely isn't my internet—I'm hard-wired into gigabit Google Fiber. WTF.
 
So I have 10.15 with Safari 14 on a MBP 2019 that works great. I use an eGPU and have no issues streaming Netflix or Amazon prime through Safari. I'm suspicious of how chrome and safari differ with HDCP support on your machine. Is your GPU a stock apple GPU? In particular is it an NVIDIA GPU?
 
mzeb said:
So I have 10.15 with Safari 14 on a MBP 2019 that works great. I use an eGPU and have no issues streaming Netflix or Amazon prime through Safari. I'm suspicious of how chrome and safari differ with HDCP support on your machine. Is your GPU a stock apple GPU? In particular is it an NVIDIA GPU?
Click to expand...
It’s a Sapphire Pulse RX580 which is specifically recommended by Apple as an upgrade option for this specific computer.
 
Your signature line shows you also have a 2011 MBP. Does it have issues too? Are they both running the same OS?
I know we're not considering apples to apples here, but my 2 primary Macs are only 2-3 years newer than yours but running 10.13 instead.
I wonder if it is a GPU thing, or combination of GPU and macos version.
 
Huh. The 2011 MBP plays everything in Safari just fine, other than the fans instantly running full blast. That machine is only High Sierra and Safari 13.1.2.

Can't imagine why the GPU would be an issue on my cMP. It's one of the ones that Apple themselves recommend to run Mojave on this system.

WTF.
 
Why do you ask and then be offensive to people that answer you?
I guess you just want to rant and have your prejudices confirmed.
5 MBP here, 5 ipads and 5 iphones all using Safari and streaming all the time so no, nothing wrong with Safari.
It's something else like your internet settings, firewall, router even.
 
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Ruggy said:
It's something else like your internet settings, firewall, router even.
Click to expand...

All my other working devices are on the same network so it looks like I’ll have to dig into possibly using OpenCore to enable advanced decoders for my RX580.
 
eicca said:
It’s a Sapphire Pulse RX580 which is specifically recommended by Apple as an upgrade option for this specific computer.
Click to expand...
My guess is that there is HDCP support on recent Safari versions, that websites can then require using some metadata, that isn't supported on your 2010 Mac Pro/RX580 combo. That kind of mismatch is one typical cause of "blacked-out video."

Not only is Safari supported for these use cases (heck, Netflix's own site lists Safari), things like Netflix 4K require the use of Safari 14 on Macs, which suggests to me appropriate protections and codec support were implemented directly in Safari.

It's unfortunate, but I expect more things to break like this on old Macs with websites as they further do end-to-end protections/encryption/etc.
 
Janak Parekh said:
My guess is that there is HDCP support on recent Safari versions, that websites can then require using some metadata, that isn't supported on your 2010 Mac Pro/RX580 combo. That kind of mismatch is one typical cause of "blacked-out video."

Not only is Safari supported for these use cases (heck, Netflix's own site lists Safari), things like Netflix 4K require the use of Safari 14 on Macs, which suggests to me appropriate protections and codec support were implemented directly in Safari.

It's unfortunate, but I expect more things to break like this on old Macs with websites as they further do end-to-end protections/encryption/etc.
Click to expand...
Yeah I noticed that the Safari 14 for Catalina is different than the Mojave version. They get a VP9 decoder and I don’t.

Still irritates me that Safari 13 works on an Intel HD3000.
 
So now it's getting worse. I don't know if Google changed something on YouTube's backend, but Safari can barely handle regular 30fps 1080p anymore. Tons of lag and stuttering and dropouts. This wasn't a problem a month ago.

Chrome is still fine, but I can't use it.

Setting up a new user, it's the same story.
 
eicca said:
So now it's getting worse. I don't know if Google changed something on YouTube's backend, but Safari can barely handle regular 30fps 1080p anymore. Tons of lag and stuttering and dropouts. This wasn't a problem a month ago.

Chrome is still fine, but I can't use it.

Setting up a new user, it's the same story.
Click to expand...

Apple deliberately disable hardware encoding for our 5,1 even our machine is truly capable. You know, Apple want us to splurge new Macs.

I don't mean to offensive, but looking from all answer above, you won't get definitive answer from non 5,1 user which is clueless with Mac Pro tower architecture.

You can enable hardware encoding by using OpenCore, on part III, enabling hardware acceleration, but this is your choice.

If you don't mind to getting hand dirty, go for it :
forums.macrumors.com

OpenCore on the Mac Pro

This guide explains how to use the excellent OpenCore boot loader to install, run, and update the latest version of macOS on the MacPro5,1, resulting in a clean, unaltered operating system just like on a supported Mac.
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com


If you feel overwhelmed, I think it's time to get newer Macs.
 
yurc said:
Apple deliberately disable hardware encoding for our 5,1 even our machine is truly capable. You know, Apple want us to splurge new Macs.

I don't mean to offensive, but looking from all answer above, you won't get definitive answer from non 5,1 user which is clueless with Mac Pro tower architecture.

You can enable hardware encoding by using OpenCore, on part III, enabling hardware acceleration, but this is your choice.

If you don't mind to getting hand dirty, go for it :
forums.macrumors.com

OpenCore on the Mac Pro

This guide explains how to use the excellent OpenCore boot loader to install, run, and update the latest version of macOS on the MacPro5,1, resulting in a clean, unaltered operating system just like on a supported Mac.
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com


If you feel overwhelmed, I think it's time to get newer Macs.
Click to expand...
I’ve been studying up on that option for a while now. I’m tech savvy but that’s toeing the line.

However, upgrading to an M1 machine takes money that I don’t have yet so I think I’ll keep doing the OpenCore research and eventually take the plunge.
 
It gets WORSE. Can't do 720p anymore without stutters. Something is majorly up here and I have no clue what it could be.

EDIT: I've wiped all website data for YouTube and so far it seems to have helped...

EDIT 2: Nope, just kidding, didn't change anything once again.
 
Last edited:
Seems like there's really something bad going on with your system.
Any other issues besides playing video in Safari?
Ping something on your network then something off network. Fast.com internet speed test. Latency issues?
Try downloading a big file on your Mac Pro and MBP, see if there's any issues there.
Do a full AHT overnight, see if you've got some bad ram.
If Safari is degrading to the point of not playing video that will play on a 2004 White MacBook, there's something seriously wrong.
Hope you have a data backup.
 
No, the system runs totally fine otherwise. I run decently large Logic projects without a hiccup, and I game on the Windows side also without a hiccup. Seems to me that bad RAM would cause issues elsewhere, right? I don't think it's a RAM capacity issue either. It is "only" 12GB, but the most I've ever seen in my swap usage was 3mb.

I'm torn between upgrading to more RAM and X5680s and saving for an M1 machine, especially if there is some odd underlying hardware problem.

I'm hoping the issue is related to the lack of GPU hardware acceleration (which I'm still researching) because Safari won't play ANY streaming service whatsoever. No Prime, Netflix, Disney+, etc. They all work fine in Chrome, and on my 2011 MacBook Pro 13". It's just Safari that's sucking, and like I mentioned, creating a fresh new user makes no difference.
 
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I have a 2017 iMac running Big Sur. DAZN will not stream in Safari but all other sites seem ok and all other browsers will. The Safari 14 on my old 2011 iMac running El Capitan will stream DAZN.

Very strange
 
Alright, maybe my system isn't fine. Logic is having a complete breakdown when I try to export a track. Half the details I program in are completely ignored in the rendered file. Maybe it's time to get an M1. I don't know.
 
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Safari and Youtube are working fine on my 5,1 running Mojave. Try uninstalling Chrome and see if that is the problem. You can always reinstall it.
 
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