Q: Video playback stops working in El Capitan

Hi there Josh,

As I understand the issue, your MacBook Pro isn't playing videos in multiple applications after using it for awhile. I'm glad you found a workaround, but I think you'll agree, it would be better to have a solution and I'm glad to help. After every step please test the issue to see if it persists.

Resetting the SMC and NVRAM will make sure your Mac's resources are being used correctly:

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac

How to Reset NVRAM on your Mac

Restarting in Safe Mode may clear potential issues:

Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up

Testing another user account can help us pinpoint if the problem is just on your account or if it's system-wide on your Mac:

How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

If it's still happening in another user account, I'd like for you to reinstall the operating system. Even though a reinstall shouldn't pose an issue, in my experience it's always better to have a back up just in case.

Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac

Here are the instructions for reinstallation. Once the page is open and you're ready, click on "Reinstall from OS X Recovery".

How to reinstall OS X on your Mac

Cheers!