2021 MacBook Pros crash while playing HDR videos on YouTube

MacBook Pros 2021, with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, may crash when watching HDR videos on YouTube. This concerns both reading from Safari and from Chrome according to the numerous testimonials on MacRumors forums.

A crash between MacBook Pros and HDR videos

When playing an HDR video on YouTube, the MacBook Pro crashes with an error message indicating that it is a kernel panic, that is, a kernel level error. This bug can also appear after exiting full screen mode on YouTube. The only solution is to restart the Mac completely.

“4K HDR video on YouTube via Safari. After exiting full screen playback, the Mac will shut down completely and restart. I manage to reproduce it more or less every time », says one user. Another says he has the same concern. He initially thought it was from Chrome, but later figured out that the bug was with the MacBook Pro because it also happened with Safari. “I think I should just swap it, but I’m not sure”, he says.

It is possible that this bug between MacBook Pros 2021 and playing HDR video on YouTube is related to the AV1 codec. But this is the speculation of some people, not a fact. Also, it is possible that macOS 12.1 (currently in beta) could improve the situation. This is indeed the case if we stick to the testimonies of some.