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My Macbook Pro eventually stops playing all video

I have had a persistent problem for a few years now, and I've simply worked around it, hoping that someday an update or reinstall will fix it.


Every day or so, at seemingly random moments, the video playback on my Intel Macbook Pro (late 2015; High Sierra) suddenly stops. I am sometimes running Adobe Premiere Pro (but not always) wherein the space bar or play button simply do nothing; I can sometimes drag through the video but most often moving the playhead reveals no image. YouTube videos that were playing a moment before suddenly won't play anymore, just spin as if buffering forever. (It hasn't ever happened when video is playing and stopped itself; it's always when resuming play.) Facebook seems to be the only space where video will play, but not always at the right speed, and there will be no audio.


A reboot fixes the problem, which does not return for eight or more hours.


I am currently having a grievously slow reboot process (see other question) so the reboot workaround is inhibiting my work.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jul 19, 2021 9:37 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 19, 2021 10:17 PM

RaymondKowalchuk Said:

"My Macbook Pro eventually stops playing all video"

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What to Try:


A. Reset the SMC and NVRAM:

Sometimes changes are made to the system and then settings (i.e. for Safari) become manipulated, technically.  So, reset both on your Mac. It might take up to three tries to successfully reset these. To be certain you have the time to perform these.


B. Boot Into Safe Mode:

[Hold Down: the shift key upon boot]. Keep holding it down until you reach the log in screen. Then, log in, wait 30 seconds, and then boot up normally. In Safe Mode, damaged system files (i.e. caches) are fixed, and replaced.


C. Use MalwareBytes for Mac:

This is software that searches for malware/adware. So, scan with it and then remove what is found. Once removed, uninstall MalwareBytes for Mac. Then restart the Mac. It is created by longtime users of these forums. So, that is why it is the only way to go about securing your Mac, when it comes through use of software 

Downloads:

  1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac
  2. Malwarebytes uninstaller


D. Any Security Software Installed?:

Security Software's firewall settings would want to make sure that you are getting secure accessibility to your Mac. So, connecting items would not be a possibility, if firewall settings are part of it and enabled. So, uninstall it, using the uninstaller from the developer’s site. Just dragging a dropping its icon into the Trash will undesirably leave caches and other files sitting around on your Mac. So, to get the correct uninstaller, contacting the developer of the Security Software.


E. Create a New Administrator User:

Are you logged in as an Administrator? Create a new Administrator user, and see if this still occurs while you are logged into a different Administrator user. If not, then it is something configured in your current user. So, from there, delete the current user and then just use this new administrator account. You would move all of your files over to it. See if that fixes it.


And, if nothing above works...


F. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be lost. It's just that misplaced items would be placed back to where they should be and corrupt system files would be replaced by clean files. Go Here: Reinstall macOS - Apple Support. Use the third bulleted method: [command + r]. As mentioned above, prior to the reinstallation, to prevent data loss, be sure to Back up your Mac with Time Machine, prior to the reinstall.

Similar questions

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 19, 2021 10:17 PM in response to RaymondKowalchuk

RaymondKowalchuk Said:

"My Macbook Pro eventually stops playing all video"

-------


What to Try:


A. Reset the SMC and NVRAM:

Sometimes changes are made to the system and then settings (i.e. for Safari) become manipulated, technically.  So, reset both on your Mac. It might take up to three tries to successfully reset these. To be certain you have the time to perform these.


B. Boot Into Safe Mode:

[Hold Down: the shift key upon boot]. Keep holding it down until you reach the log in screen. Then, log in, wait 30 seconds, and then boot up normally. In Safe Mode, damaged system files (i.e. caches) are fixed, and replaced.


C. Use MalwareBytes for Mac:

This is software that searches for malware/adware. So, scan with it and then remove what is found. Once removed, uninstall MalwareBytes for Mac. Then restart the Mac. It is created by longtime users of these forums. So, that is why it is the only way to go about securing your Mac, when it comes through use of software 

Downloads:

  1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac
  2. Malwarebytes uninstaller


D. Any Security Software Installed?:

Security Software's firewall settings would want to make sure that you are getting secure accessibility to your Mac. So, connecting items would not be a possibility, if firewall settings are part of it and enabled. So, uninstall it, using the uninstaller from the developer’s site. Just dragging a dropping its icon into the Trash will undesirably leave caches and other files sitting around on your Mac. So, to get the correct uninstaller, contacting the developer of the Security Software.


E. Create a New Administrator User:

Are you logged in as an Administrator? Create a new Administrator user, and see if this still occurs while you are logged into a different Administrator user. If not, then it is something configured in your current user. So, from there, delete the current user and then just use this new administrator account. You would move all of your files over to it. See if that fixes it.


And, if nothing above works...


F. Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be lost. It's just that misplaced items would be placed back to where they should be and corrupt system files would be replaced by clean files. Go Here: Reinstall macOS - Apple Support. Use the third bulleted method: [command + r]. As mentioned above, prior to the reinstallation, to prevent data loss, be sure to Back up your Mac with Time Machine, prior to the reinstall.

Aug 19, 2021 9:30 AM in response to RaymondKowalchuk

RaymondKowalchuk Said:

"My Macbook Pro eventually stops playing all video: Though a previous upgrade to High Sierra did NOT manage to correct this video playback glitch, an upgrade to Catalina seems to have done the trick! Whereas it had appeared daily, a week has elapsed since I upgraded and the playback issue hasn't happened so far... THANKS! (It also fixed a sluggish boot issue from another ticket)' Of the 6 I provided, which would you say is the solution? Providing that would help many, for certain."

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Please Provide the Following:

Of the 6 solutions I provided, which one(s) would you say solved this? Providing that would help many, for certain.

My Macbook Pro eventually stops playing all video

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