YouTube: Unable to extract html5 player

[ptcarino]

Please follow the guide below

• You will be asked some questions and requested to provide some information, please read them carefully and answer honestly
• Put an x into all the boxes [ ] relevant to your issue (like that [x])
• Use Preview tab to see how your issue will actually look like

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Make sure you are using the latest version: run youtube-dl --version and ensure your version is 2017.01.22. If it's not read this FAQ entry and update. Issues with outdated version will be rejected.

• I've verified and I assure that I'm running youtube-dl 2017.01.22

Before submitting an issue make sure you have:

• At least skimmed through README and most notably FAQ and BUGS sections
• Searched the bugtracker for similar issues including closed ones

What is the purpose of your issue?

• Bug report (encountered problems with youtube-dl)
• Site support request (request for adding support for a new site)
• Feature request (request for a new functionality)
• Question
• Other

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The following sections concretize particular purposed issues, you can erase any section (the contents between triple ---) not applicable to your issue

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If the purpose of this issue is a bug report, site support request or you are not completely sure provide the full verbose output as follows:

Add -v flag to your command line you run youtube-dl with, copy the whole output and insert it here. It should look similar to one below (replace it with your log inserted between triple ```):

pi@raspberrypat:~ $ youtube-dl --verbose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ekD2eZKgk
[debug] System config: []
[debug] User config: []
[debug] Command-line args: ['--verbose', 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7ekD2eZKgk']
[debug] Encodings: locale UTF-8, fs UTF-8, out UTF-8, pref UTF-8
[debug] youtube-dl version 2014.08.05
[debug] Python version 2.7.9 - Linux-4.4.36-v7+-armv7l-with-debian-8.0
[debug] Proxy map: {}
[youtube] Setting language
[youtube] j7ekD2eZKgk: Downloading webpage
[youtube] j7ekD2eZKgk: Downloading video info webpage
[youtube] j7ekD2eZKgk: Extracting video information
[youtube] j7ekD2eZKgk: Encrypted signatures detected.
WARNING: unable to extract html5 player; please report this issue on http://yt-dl.org/bug
[youtube] {22} signature length 0.82, html5 player None
ERROR: Signature extraction failed: Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 479, in _decrypt_signature
    video_id, player_url, s
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 356, in _extract_signature_function
    raise ExtractorError('Cannot identify player %r' % player_url)
ExtractorError: Cannot identify player u'https://s.ytimg.com/yts/jsbin/player-en_US-vflHoC0VQ/base.js'; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type  youtube-dl -U  to update.
; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type  youtube-dl -U  to update.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 479, in _decrypt_signature
    video_id, player_url, s
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 356, in _extract_signature_function
    raise ExtractorError('Cannot identify player %r' % player_url)
ExtractorError: Cannot identify player u'https://s.ytimg.com/yts/jsbin/player-en_US-vflHoC0VQ/base.js'; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type  youtube-dl -U  to update.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/YoutubeDL.py", line 516, in extract_info
    ie_result = ie.extract(url)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/common.py", line 170, in extract
    return self._real_extract(url)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 860, in _real_extract
    encrypted_sig, video_id, player_url, age_gate)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 489, in _decrypt_signature
    u'Signature extraction failed: ' + tb, cause=e)
ExtractorError: Signature extraction failed: Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 479, in _decrypt_signature
    video_id, player_url, s
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/youtube_dl/extractor/youtube.py", line 356, in _extract_signature_function
    raise ExtractorError('Cannot identify player %r' % player_url)
ExtractorError: Cannot identify player u'https://s.ytimg.com/yts/jsbin/player-en_US-vflHoC0VQ/base.js'; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type  youtube-dl -U  to update.
; please report this issue on https://yt-dl.org/bug . Be sure to call youtube-dl with the --verbose flag and include its complete output. Make sure you are using the latest version; type  youtube-dl -U  to update.
...
<end of log>

[dstftw]

You are using an outdated version of youtube-dl. Read this FAQ entry if you have troubles updating.

[ptcarino]

ok this is weird. I just upgraded to 2017.01.22 and just now when I checked my version it's 2014.08.05

[gkoelln]

If you're running Windows, check your environment PATH to see if any other paths have youtube-dl in them--I had something similar happen to me.

[ptcarino]

No it was not on Windows. It was on Raspbian and it was installed via pip. Pip was saying I installed the latest which was 2017.01.22 but youtube-dl --version says 2014.08.05.

Fixed it though by downloading youtube-dl via curl.