diff --git a/xmodule/js/src/video/02_html5_hls_video.js b/xmodule/js/src/video/02_html5_hls_video.js
index ce1db6ae068c..673ea5f96381 100644
--- a/xmodule/js/src/video/02_html5_hls_video.js
+++ b/xmodule/js/src/video/02_html5_hls_video.js
@@ -23,15 +23,15 @@
 
                     this.config = config;
 
-                    // do common initialization independent of player type
-                    this.init(el, config);
-
                     // set a default audio codec if not provided, this helps reduce issues
                     // switching audio codecs during playback
                     if (!this.config.defaultAudioCodec) {
                         this.config.defaultAudioCodec = "mp4a.40.5";
                     }
 
+                    // do common initialization independent of player type
+                    this.init(el, config);
+
                     _.bindAll(this, 'playVideo', 'pauseVideo', 'onReady');
 
                     // If we have only HLS sources and browser doesn't support HLS then show error message.