Gma 950: Resolving Black-Screen Issues with YouTube HD 'gma 950 youtube hd'

Are you experiencing persistent issues watching YouTube videos in high definition (HD) after booting up your computer? If yes, this article is here to help. Specifically, we'll focus on resolving a common problem known as the 'black-screen-after-intro' issue that has been reported by several users with Intel GMA 950 graphics cards.

The Gma 950: Understanding Your Graphics Card

Before diving into potential solutions, let's briefly discuss what an integrated graphics card like the GMA 950 is and its role in your computer's performance. The GMA stands for 'Graphics Media Accelerator,' which suggests that it handles graphical tasks within a Central Processing Unit (CPU) rather than relying on dedicated Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

The Intel GMA 950, released around 2008-2010 as part of the Bearlake and Poulsard series, was designed to balance performance with low power consumption. However, this compromise often comes at the expense of graphical processing capabilities compared to more powerful discrete graphics cards.

Symptoms of Black-Screen Issues

If you're experiencing a black screen after YouTube's intro or menu appears but before any actual video starts playing on your GMA 950-equipped computer:

1. The system hangs without displaying anything beyond the initial booting animation.

2. You might see a blank white, grayish, or pitch-black window instead of expected HD content.

Possible Causes

Several factors could be contributing to these issues with YouTube playback on your Intel GMA 955 :

1. Outdated drivers or software.

2. Insufficient system resources for demanding applications like HD video rendering.

3. Compatibility problems between the graphics card's capabilities and specific YouTube features.

Resolving Black-Screen Issues with YouTube HD

To resolve these issues, follow these steps:

### 1: Ensure Your Graphics Drivers are Up-to-Date

Outdated drivers can often cause compatibility issues with newer software applications like YouTube. Visit Intel's official website to download the latest graphics driver compatible with your operating system (Windows or Linux) and processor architecture (32-bit or 64-bit).

#### For Windows:

1. Open Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, or any other web browser.

2. Go to .

3. Select 'Intel GMA' from the list of supported graphics products and then choose your specific model (e.g., Intel 965GM).

4. Click on 'Download'.

5. Follow the prompts in the installer to complete the driver installation process.

#### For Linux:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt.

2. Type `sudo apt-get update` for Ubuntu/Debian-based systems, and then type `apt upgrade`.

3. Alternatively, use `zypper -v --no-dvd –download-only x11-drivers/nvidia-x11' followed by 'zcat /var/cache/ports/ports.tar.gz | tar xvPf- - && emerge nvidia-glx` for openSUSE.

### 2: Disable Hardware Acceleration

Sometimes, YouTube may be unable to properly use your graphics card's capabilities due to compatibility issues. Try disabling hardware acceleration within the browser:

#### For Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox on Windows/Mac OS X/ Linux:

1. Launch your preferred web browser.

2. Click on three dots (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner of the window for chrome or 'Options' from the menu bar at the top left for firefox and then click on 'More tools'/'Preferences'.

3. Scroll down to the 'Advanced' tab and select 'System & Security' if using Chrome.

4. Underneath this, there should be a toggle button labeled as 'Use hardware acceleration when available'.

5. Uncheck/untick this box.

### 3: Increase Available System Resources

Demanding applications like HD video playback require sufficient system resources to run smoothly without lagging or freezing altogether. Consider closing any unnecessary background processes:

1. Press the Windows key + Tab on a PC with an Intel-based processor.

2. Click and drag these apps away from view towards the left side of your screen until only essential programs remain visible.

### 4: Check for Conflicting Applications

Sometimes, third-party software can conflict with other applications running in the background, leading to system instability or performance issues like black screens during YouTube playback:

1. Press Windows + R simultaneously on a PC.

2. Type 'msconfig' and press Enter.

3. Click on the 'Startup' tab at the top of this window.

4. Look for any unfamiliar entries related to your graphics card drivers, video players (e.g., VLC Media Player), or other multimedia applications like Adobe Flash/Shockwave.

5. Uncheck these boxes next to them if they're currently checked and then click 'OK'.

### 5: Reset YouTube Settings

If none of the above steps resolve the issue:

1. Open Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome (or any other supported web browser).

2. Go directly to .

3. Sign in with your Google account credentials if prompted.

4. Scroll down until you see 'Advanced' near the bottom right corner of this page and click on it.

### 6: Clear Browser Cache & Cookies

Clearing out old cache files, cookies, or temporary internet data can sometimes resolve compatibility issues:

1. Open Internet Explorer > Tools > Safety (for older versions) or More > Settings > Advanced > Privacy.

2. Click 'Delete' next to each option under 'Browsing History'.

3. Confirm that you want to delete this information by clicking 'OK'.

### 7: Reinstall YouTube

If all else fails, try completely removing and reinstalling the latest version of Adobe Flash/Flash Player or Google Chrome/Firefox:

1. Go to Control Panel > Programs & Features (or Add/Remove Programs in older Windows versions).

2. Look for any entries related to Adobe Flash/Flash Player, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox etc., right-click on them and select 'Uninstall'.

3. Follow the prompts until these applications are completely removed from your system.

4. Download and install fresh copies of YouTube from its official website.

By following these steps above you should be able to resolve any issues related with watching videos in high definition (HD) using Intel's GMA 950 graphics card on your computer running Windows Vista/7 or Linux distribution like Ubuntu/Debian/openSUSE. Remember that newer operating systems may have different methods for accessing these settings, so feel free to leave a comment below if you need further assistance!

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