VLC ignoring Preferred video resolution setting

[highflux7]

Long time user of VLC 2.2.2 under Ubuntu 16.04.03 LTS. (2.2.2-5ubuntu0.16.04.4)

In advanced settings under input/codecs, I have the preferred video resolution set to SD (576 or 480 lines).
Until 20-Nov-2017, streaming youtube videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtBD9zQjUs) resulted in the desired lower (SD) resolution video being displayed as they should.

Subsequently, youtube videos are displayed at HD resolution regardless of the "preferred video resolution" setting. Even streams that previously played fine at the lower SD resolution now refuse to play at anything lower than HD.

Checked the vlcrc file, which also indicates the SD setting as set via advanced preferences.
Went so far as to uninstall/purge/reinstall vlc with same result.

Ideas?

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

YouTube changed the format. Try latest VLC prereleases.

[highflux7]

Tried the current VLC Daily Build of stable branch version 2.2.7 Umbrella (2.2.2+git20170721+r59033+56~ubuntu16.04.1) with same result.
Also tried current VLC Daily Build of master branch, media player 3.0.0-git Vetinari (revision 3.0.0~~git20171118+r72557+91~ubuntu16.04.1): same.

None of the three clients (2.2.2) (2.2.7) (3.0.0) appear to honor the "preferred video resolution" when streaming youtube. In each case, the "Best Available" resolution is chosen instead of the (usually lower) preferred resolution. What am I doing wrong here or what could have changed?? This was working perfectly until just a day ago.

[highflux7]

Though not ideal, streamlink (https://github.com/streamlink/streamlink) can differentiate the available streams for feeding into vlc:

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streamlink -O https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtBD9zQjUs 360p | ffmpeg -i - -vcodec copy -tune zerolatency -acodec copy -preset fast -f mpegts - 2>/dev/null | vlc

for 360p, etc...

[highflux7]

Another fix can be realized by updating the youtube.luac file with a copy of the latest version from http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc.git;a=bl ... ua;hb=HEAD

In my case, running vlc 2.2.0 (2.2.2-5ubuntu0.16.04.4):

# move old script aside:

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$ sudo mv /usr/lib/vlc/lua/playlist/youtube.luac /usr/lib/vlc/lua/playlist/youtube.luac.old

# grab copy of new replacement script:

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$ sudo wget -O /usr/lib/vlc/lua/playlist/youtube.lua "http://git.videolan.org/?p=vlc.git;a=blob_plain;f=share/lua/playlist/youtube.lua;hb=HEAD"

May not be the proper way to fix & dunno what it might break, but at least again has vlc honoring the Preferred-Video-Resolution setting with yt.