I did read somewhere that Google do few things on purpose, for instance if you use FireFox you have a delay of 3 seconds before the video shows up, which you don't have with Chromium, and it's something like a year for me.
EDIT
Pfff. I did try just right now, so it seems that for months I had this delay when opening a video on a new tab, but right now it's instantaneous, maybe even better than Chromium 
  
I tried to click multiple videos in a row, all starting right away full hd even before all the lateral thumbnails (which are fast)... go figure it out 
	
	
	
EDIT
Pfff. I did try just right now, so it seems that for months I had this delay when opening a video on a new tab, but right now it's instantaneous, maybe even better than Chromium
 
  I tried to click multiple videos in a row, all starting right away full hd even before all the lateral thumbnails (which are fast)... go figure it out
 
	
Patrice
	

 

 
