Live data from Hacker News

YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

old.reddit.com

41–50 of 98 posts

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#41
post #2

I'm kind of surprised that they waited this long to mess with ad blockers

If YouTube outright prevents access from browsers that block ads, then suddenly a huge number of the most tech-savvy viewers will be motivated to seek/develop/fund better ad blockers and/or alternative ways to access videos. It's a difficult position. On the one hand, these users are chewing up compute and bandwidth, without providing any ad revenue. On the other hand, if they leave, it contributes to a vicious cycle…

>content creators looking elsewhere to reach those eyeballs.

If content creator can not monetize those eyeballs very well there is little incentive to target that niche. YouTube would be losing a niche of a niche that are not as profitable to try and platform.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#42
post #4

I'm not against ads in general but I'm strongly against the idea to turn Internet into TV 2.0 e.g. interuptive ad delivery channel. Text and banner ads allow the user to chose their level of engagement but forced video ads attempt to force the user to interrupt their normal flow without other options. I find it unacceptable.

we're well beyond TV 2.0. TV ads could never track you. Digital Cable knew everything about your viewing habits well before YT was invented though.

>TV ads could never track you. Digital Cable knew everything about your viewing habits well before YT was invented though.

Nor do the web ads themselves. Similarly to how the TV provider can tell what ads you are viewing the ad network is what can tell.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#43

YouTube makes money by selling access to your eyeballs. The ad / Adblock arms race is amusing and all, but the only winning move is not to play. Take your attention someplace else. This is how you win.

This is why I pay for YouTube. The content provides decent value and I don’t want to see ads.

Yea, I caved in too finally a while ago.

I just did the math, I watch X hours of YouTube a month, I value my time at X€/hour.

It's cheaper to pay than for me to suffer through over 30 minutes of ads a month.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#44
post #2

I'm kind of surprised that they waited this long to mess with ad blockers

If YouTube outright prevents access from browsers that block ads, then suddenly a huge number of the most tech-savvy viewers will be motivated to seek/develop/fund better ad blockers and/or alternative ways to access videos. It's a difficult position. On the one hand, these users are chewing up compute and bandwidth, without providing any ad revenue. On the other hand, if they leave, it contributes to a vicious cycle…

It is less the ads that bother me. Although, I do remember a time with TV where there was a commercial break every 30-45 min if you are luck and every 15 min when not.

Didn't bother me. Bathroom break.

What bothers me with this is the amount of surveillance that comes with it.

Isn't called surveillance-capitalism for nought. And the best part.. it has already been debunked that targeted ads are as effective as they would like them to be.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#45
post #2

I'm kind of surprised that they waited this long to mess with ad blockers

Well here's your timeline:

1. Chrome had to support adblockers to outcompete firefox.

2. Adblockers were really powerful pieces of arbitrary logic making blocking them infeasible, so manifest v3 had to first be introduced to weaken them.

3. With lean times upon us, everyone is understanding of their move to block ads.

All of these steps were necessary, and had to happen with some time inbetween. Sort of an embrace-extend-extinguish play.

Edit: Well it seems manifest v2 is being phased out very very gradually and it's not done yet. No new extensions are allowed but uBlock might still be around for a few more months.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#46

Please YouTube, make things even worse by embedding ads into the video itself, like twitch does. After I had to watch the same ad over and over for the new Zelda, then Aquaman 2 , I eventually managed to delete my twitch account and stop losing my time there. Hopefully will be the same with youtube, I didn't watch a single ad in 12 years, I don't understand how people does it.without sponsorblock and ublock, youtube…

Premium + Sponsorblock is well worth my money.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#48
Ha! I just knew I won't need to waste money on a faster Internet to watch YouTube smoother. YouTube slows you down anyways.

But in all seriousness:

1) YouTube can slow it down all you want, ban my account if you have to, I'll not remove my adblocker.

2) YouTube should really reconsider their business strategy, and charging their advertisers more. The total amount of the garbage ads from garbage publishers on their platform is out of control, that's why I installed adblocker in the first place. Raise the price, kick those shitty ads out, good for everyone.

3) Intentionally piss off your viewers is great at converting an objective annoyance to something more personal.

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#49
The eventual solution for YouTube is to start injecting advertisements into the content packet stream, complete with re-keyframing and altering the metadata files to incorporate the ad segments into the run length. Everything prior to that is their increasingly-desperate attempts to not have to re-code their content streaming server to dynamically modify streams with advertising on the fly. But they won’t have to do that until video ad blockers start playing the ads invisibly in a shadow of the page, without showing them to the user at all. Which is pretty advanced for a regex-based player and not something I expect to see with last-gen ad blocking. Looking forward to it!

Re: YouTube started slowing video buffer with adblock enabled

#50
Random question: has anyone here ever purchased something they found via a youtube ad?

I never have. Approximately 100% of youtube ads I've seen are for harmful, time-wasting, unhealthy, mediocre, scammy products/services. They also tend to be blastingly-loud, and somewhat anxiety-inducing. I've never seen an interesting or informative one.

Why doesn't youtube put effort into ad quality and relevance, rather than hostility toward users who quite naturally want to avoid grotesque influences.

Post reply on HN