Microsoft collaborating with Google to fix YouTube audio issues on Windows

Microsoft is working with Google to help fix a problem YouTube users are having on the Windows platform.

Dale Curtis, who works with HTML5 Media at Google, complains that YouTube receives hundreds of complaints each day, 95% from Windows users, complaining that their video was playing without audio.

Dale identified 3 main issues:

• User error: A user may inadvertently put YouTube into a muted state.
• OS Issues: Accidental device fall over falls into this category of error; for example, if the user has 2x DP/HDMI monitors w/ only 1 audio connection, the output device may change between the two.
• Driver issues: 1st or 3rd party drivers can cause audio output to hang. Of course, Windows is the only consumer desktop OS with ODM integration. Higher rates of peripheral connection (HDMI monitors with independent volume, USB sound cards, etc.) creates additional ways for audio to fail. 

Dale proposed that YouTube and Microsoft collaborate on driver testing and bug fixing and investigating issues. 

Samuel Dallstream, a Microsoft employee, has taken up the challenge, saying:

This is a bug to track the work specifically related to connecting application level audio changes from the platform to Chromium. This will allow Chromium based browsers to solve user issues related to the browser being low-volume or muted, without that status being visible in the browser.

One of Dallstream’s first commits was exposing Windows 10 sound status better to Chrome, with the commit saying:

Get and set application-level sound status for Chromium. This adds getters/setters as well as notifications for the status of the application-level volume for Chromium. This allows Chromium based browsers to develop solutions for user pain points that arise from having muted Chromium or having lowered its volume from system menus, then forgetting about the changes. Also, when other applications make these changes and Chromium UI does not reflect it.

I am sure our readers will agree that it is heartening to see these two giant companies working together to solve a problem for their mutual customers.

via WindowsLatest