I disabled the ability to post simply the URL only and have the board convert it to showing the video.

When posting a Youtube URL or Share youtube option they give you beneath any video, you must click the video button while making a post, and insert your link in there, and submit. That should be an end to any threads getting broken. But we lose the easy posting of videos via the URL only and bypassing the editor video icon.

For clarification, when making a post, the options just above the box you type in, on that editor bar you click the one that shows as a Film / Filmstrip icon, and paste the code in there.

Ok, so ixnay all of the above. The problem here is using the SHARE option that is BELOW the youtube videos. Those should NOT NOT NOT be used. The board has an issue if that's posted, which does work, but when quoted the thread hangs.

Folks should ONLY BE USING THE URL BAR link, which is a simple link from the top of your browser, which would be a youtube.com link instead of the youtu.be links. And when using the youtube.com links from the URL bar, the video will load and play whether you simply post the link on the board, or use the insert video icon. If you place just the link, the board will automatically add the appropriate tags aka the same as the filmstrip icon.

Last update. You may post Youtube links by simply copying the URL which would be a .com address. You may now also just post the share option underneath the videos which would be a .be address. You may also post either option using the built in editor when you post by clicking the filmstrip icon and inserting either link.

I finally figured out the issue after quite a few hours and days actually. I thought it was Youtube originally, as the problem seemed to not start until the new sharing system started and they got rid of the old way of embedding links. Then I went to vBulletin folks and fully explained what was happening, assuming it was a known issue, as I could replicate it 100%. But then they told me it doesn't happen on a default install - but they advised me to check with my host, as its likely a server security setting blocking something. So off I went, but they looked at things and passed off responsibility on the software and that the server was all cool.

So back to downloading 3 pieces of test software and hitting 400 sites for remote testing of specific URL's for any errors I could think of. Still nothing being reported, just wouldn't finish loading.

I then went through every piece of add-on software I had installed and nothing. Nothing youtube related at all. But uh-oh, what about any template modifications? I forgot all about those little bastards. A quick search showed nothing. So I went through a folder I have for saving EVERYTHING related about here, every image ever used and every software ever used.... and found a youtube BBcode txt file. What it was was code that would replace the standard template for bbcode_video - which goes through every possible video service on the internet (Hulu, Vimeo, Youtube...) all of them. Of course one was Youtube. And now that youtube changed - the changes that I made to accommodate all the sites - and specifically youtube, is no longer appropriate. Funny thing though, the default vBulletin code that comes with the latest 4.2.5 that I installed myself, works just fine. But it does not overwrite such templates by default, so as not to kill your edits. So code that is dated 8/16/2016 is or should I say was the culprit, of my own doing.

All is fined and operational now.