Hi,

Not sure if this is the right forum but came here first since it is 
affecting development of a new device. Please let me know if there is a 
better forum for this.

I'm looking into a problem for an OEM regarding a new device in 
development, where YouTube does not adaptively adjust the video quality 
based upon the actual network speed. Instead, it always picks a specific 
resolution to play based on the network type:

   1. 3G: 360p
   2. 4G: max device resolution
   3. WiFi: max device resolution

The problem is that on WiFi or LTE, it does not adjust the quality down 
when the network is too slow for the device's max resolution (typically 
720p or higher), and winds up stalling/buffering because it's forcing 720p. 
Conversely, if I have a fast 3G connection, it won't adjust the quality up 
above 360p even when the network can deliver 480p or higher. YouTube will 
stick to that quality even when I set quality to "Auto".

I analyzed a variety of other devices and found some devices have this 
problem, while most do not:

   - Devices that also have this problem (quality is fixed, selected based 
   on network type)
      - Samsung Tab 4 (SM-T237P)
      - Xolo Omega 5
      - Star Up Vision
   - Devices that don't have this problem (quality is adaptive, adjusts 
   based on actual network speed)
      - Samsung: S4, S5, S6, Note4
      - LG: G2, G3, G4
      - Panasonic P55
      - Cherry: Flare, Topaz
      - Sony: Xperia Z3
   
One other thing we noticed on some devices with this problem is that in the 
YouTube "stats for nerds", the "Bandwidth" value is stuck on 0 KiB/s (mini 
graph is empty). This was true for the Star and Xolo devices mentioned 
above, although the Tab 4 was showing a valid bandwidth value, so not sure 
if this is relevant/related to the issue.

Is there a system property or other setting that needs to be set/cleared to 
allow YouTube to automatically adjust quality based on actual network speed?

--Bill

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