diff --git a/player/update.coffee b/player/update.coffee
index e7bb2ca6..f9104484 100644
--- a/player/update.coffee
+++ b/player/update.coffee
@@ -59,8 +59,7 @@ window.handleMediaUpdate = (data) ->
         if data.currentTime < 0
             data.currentTime = 0
         PLAYER.load(data)
-        if not waiting
-            PLAYER.play()
+        PLAYER.play()
 
     if waiting
         PLAYER.seekTo(0)
diff --git a/player/youtube.coffee b/player/youtube.coffee
index 2a65de42..7c94f8a9 100644
--- a/player/youtube.coffee
+++ b/player/youtube.coffee
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ window.YouTubePlayer = class YouTubePlayer extends Player
             return new YouTubePlayer(data)
 
         @setMediaProperties(data)
+        @qualityRaceCondition = true
         @pauseSeekRaceCondition = false
 
         waitUntilDefined(window, 'YT', =>
@@ -17,8 +18,7 @@ window.YouTubePlayer = class YouTubePlayer extends Player
                     videoId: data.id
                     playerVars:
                         autohide: 1
-                        autoplay: if data.currentTime > 0 then 1 else 0
-                        start: if data.currentTime > 0 then Math.round(data.currentTime) else 0
+                        autoplay: 1
                         controls: 1
                         iv_load_policy: 3 # iv_load_policy 3 indicates no annotations
                         rel: 0
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ window.YouTubePlayer = class YouTubePlayer extends Player
         @setMediaProperties(data)
         if @yt and @yt.ready
             @yt.loadVideoById(data.id, data.currentTime)
+            @qualityRaceCondition = true
+            if USEROPTS.default_quality
+                @setQuality(USEROPTS.default_quality)
         else
             console.error('WTF?  YouTubePlayer::load() called but yt is not ready')
 
@@ -42,6 +45,13 @@ window.YouTubePlayer = class YouTubePlayer extends Player
         @setVolume(VOLUME)
 
     onStateChange: (ev) ->
+        # For some reason setting the quality doesn't work
+        # until the first event has fired.
+        if @qualityRaceCondition
+            @qualityRaceCondition = false
+            if USEROPTS.default_quality
+                @setQuality(USEROPTS.default_quality)
+
         # Similar to above, if you pause the video before the first PLAYING
         # event is emitted, weird things happen.
         if ev.data == YT.PlayerState.PLAYING and @pauseSeekRaceCondition
@@ -80,7 +90,20 @@ window.YouTubePlayer = class YouTubePlayer extends Player
             @yt.setVolume(volume * 100)
 
     setQuality: (quality) ->
-        # YouTube no longer supports this
+        if not @yt or not @yt.ready
+            return
+
+        ytQuality = switch String(quality)
+            when '240' then 'small'
+            when '360' then 'medium'
+            when '480' then 'large'
+            when '720' then 'hd720'
+            when '1080' then 'hd1080'
+            when 'best' then 'highres'
+            else 'auto'
+
+        if ytQuality != 'auto'
+            @yt.setPlaybackQuality(ytQuality)
 
     getTime: (cb) ->
         if @yt and @yt.ready