YouTube runs experiment addressing users with ad blocker

[SiliconWizard]

If they only let you buffer 5-10s of video from the stream...

That's impossible to enforce, the client could pretend to to be playing the video all along when in fact it's saving it somewhere.

Of course, but that makes it an annoyance for the user and still uses their network bandwidth.

[james_s]

It's not ideal, but it's better than watching ads. My bandwidth is for all practical purposes unlimited, the amount consumed by youtube video is negligible.

[Ed.Kloonk]

If they only let you buffer 5-10s of video from the stream...

That's impossible to enforce, the client could pretend to to be playing the video all along when in fact it's saving it somewhere.

Yes, you could save the stream (in realtime), and then watch it later, but who is clicking on a 10 minute YT video with the intent of waiting 10 minutes to watch it? That is definitely not a good user experience, or equivalent to what you can have today with an ad blocker.

The point is that just 'pretending' the ads have been viewed isn't necessarily enough, and if YT wants to, they can nip this in the bud more or less no matter what technical measures you employ on the client side.

Podcasting used to work this way. And I used to watch EEVblog videos by downloading each one, for two reasons. Way back when, my internet connection was cancer. "wget -c" kept my sanity. The second reason was, and is still the case with our pay TV here, you want the whole file stored locally to ensure that you have the whole programme, uninterrupted. Also for seeking back 10 seconds.

I really saw red and went off at Dave when he decided to 'store' the blog vids on youtube rather than on the expensive file server. Here we are, what, 15 years later and I cannot get interested in watching y/t on a phone.

[RJSV]

   Well, uh, coppercone2 your analysis reminds me of one response I had (or non-response): when older car (engine) threw a rod, partially thru the block:

   DROVE that noisey / smokey old car, maybe another 15 miles, ignoring my ears.  Acted like was normal, while 'just get me home'.  But that thrown-rod engine didn't get better (go figure), instead the dash temperature gauge soared to max.  Maybe no oil by then, but hey; still 'driveable'...

I's goin down, but didn't want that, so...kept driving, at traffic speed.  Denial can be a powerful trait, get you through some, seemingly, bad consequences, just keep pushing the gas pedal....

   Tow truck, later, dropped off the car, and myself, at nearby service station.

[Circlotron]

I just use a hosts file. Works great for me.

https://someonewhocares.org/hosts/hosts

[wilfred]

IS this the same sort of list a Pi-hole, or DNS sinkhole, would use? I only recently heard about Pi-Hole in another thread here and thought it would be a good thing to set up. I'd find a network wide solution that someone else maintains the URL list for more suitable.

[JPortici]

If they only let you buffer 5-10s of video from the stream...

That's impossible to enforce, the client could pretend to to be playing the video all along when in fact it's saving it somewhere.

Yes, you could save the stream (in realtime), and then watch it later, but who is clicking on a 10 minute YT video with the intent of waiting 10 minutes to watch it? That is definitely not a good user experience, or equivalent to what you can have today with an ad blocker.

The point is that just 'pretending' the ads have been viewed isn't necessarily enough, and if YT wants to, they can nip this in the bud more or less no matter what technical measures you employ on the client side.

Podcasting used to work this way. And I used to watch EEVblog videos by downloading each one, for two reasons. Way back when, my internet connection was cancer. "wget -c" kept my sanity. The second reason was, and is still the case with our pay TV here, you want the whole file stored locally to ensure that you have the whole programme, uninterrupted. Also for seeking back 10 seconds.

I really saw red and went off at Dave when he decided to 'store' the blog vids on youtube rather than on the expensive file server. Here we are, what, 15 years later and I cannot get interested in watching y/t on a phone.

Revanced still works here, installation has been a bit clunky since vanced was taken down but i agree 100%, watching youtube from their app on a phone is an excersice in self flagellation. Youtube from the mobile browser is already 1000 times better, and that should say something

[madires]

Next experiment:
Selected users with ad blocker will be bothered by a pop-up telling that they may watch up to three videos with the ad blocker turned on. After that they will be blocked unless they disable their ad blocker or go for YouTube Pemium.

Media:
- YouTube tests restricting ad blocker users to 3 video views (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/youtube-tests-restricting-ad-blocker-users-to-3-video-views/)

[Bryn]

I don't really bother with YouTube in general, but what's being done would eventually drive me away from it. Although, I've not come across these "experiments" myself when I had found myself watching some videos. Not sure if my choice of adblocker makes me completely immune to it (which is uBlock Origin).

[SiliconWizard]

Thou shalt not watch YouTube with an ad blocker.

Contaminate our fingers with base bribes
And sell the mighty space of our large honours
For so much trash as may be grasped thus?

[Infraviolet]

3 videos, so I guess one just clears cookies after 3 vids? They couldn't dare enforce this by IP address because too many addresses are shared, so it will surely be a cookie.

[Messtechniker]

Thou shalt not watch YouTube with an ad blocker.

Or simply move on doing something else like watering the flowers.

Alternatively:
If you dont like it, leave it.

[Bryn]

Thou shalt not watch YouTube with an ad blocker.

Or simply move on doing something else like watering the flowers.

Or maybe watch videos on Dailymotion

[NiHaoMike]

I'd say just bring out the stealth adblockers and make the whole idea of "push" advertising come crashing down.

[rdl]

During the last week I was seeing a ridiculous number of Youtube Movies & TV ads in the suggested videos (down the right side) when watching something. Seriously was like 40%. Today it seems gone but replaced with "Free with ads" to the tune of about 25%
Maybe they're getting desperate for money?

[PlainName]

3 videos, so I guess one just clears cookies after 3 vids? They couldn't dare enforce this by IP address because too many addresses are shared, so it will surely be a cookie.

Probably use fingerprinting rather than cookies. NYTimes used to use cookies but then switched to something I haven't been able to circumvent. Blocks me without even letting me see one sample, so it knows it's me regardless of what clever circumvention my addons use. Naturally, it's not on my drop-in list any more, and I actually coughed to subscribe to an alternative site

[BrokenYugo]

Regarding money, is it even possible to have a viable business where you host HD video for other people free of charge and just quietly collect from the ad stream? I think that's kind of the elephant in the room, the sort of service we like from these tech companies usually starts out heavily subsidized at best and they either figure out a sustainable model later (with much grumbling from the user base) or they don't and go under.

[PlainName]

I reckon it has to be a loss leader for something if it's free. Hell, just showing one video to one person would be a loss if it's free!

[mendip_discovery]

Never quite understand stuff myself. I am a little simple.

But you are saying you want to watch stuff for free but you don't want to watch the adverts that pay for the service and pay the content creators to make the stuff. So you block the adverts but then get annoyed when the host starts to take steps to prevent you from using the service.

For some reason I just find this odd. I must admit I am not a big fan of the content creators putting in paid adverts as some of them have been scams (lord of a bit of land in scotland, or asking a beardy guy to sell razors) but if it's relevant to the customer base (reps is good at this) then I am fine.

[PlainName]

It's because no-one asked. They just bombard us with ads, and additionally such up our data gratis, because they can. Fuck 'em.

Rationally, they should charge an entrance fee and then we can either partake or not. But that would lead to problems for them ("Hey, I'm paying for this so where is the bloody video? Why is it in QVGA?") and there are so many sites we couldn't afford to visit them all without some means of making micro-payments. But they could still ask.

Adverts achieve nothing either. They waste our time and OUR resources, but we're not going to click them or even buy stuff we see in them. They are counterproductive.

[helius]

Between editing URLs and blocking Alphabet's ad serving domains, I haven't seen a youtube ad in almost a decade. Ad blocking plugins is just another bit of software I would have to trust, so I don't use them.

[coppercone2]

   Well, uh, coppercone2 your analysis reminds me of one response I had (or non-response): when older car (engine) threw a rod, partially thru the block:

   DROVE that noisey / smokey old car, maybe another 15 miles, ignoring my ears.  Acted like was normal, while 'just get me home'.  But that thrown-rod engine didn't get better (go figure), instead the dash temperature gauge soared to max.  Maybe no oil by then, but hey; still 'driveable'...

I's goin down, but didn't want that, so...kept driving, at traffic speed.  Denial can be a powerful trait, get you through some, seemingly, bad consequences, just keep pushing the gas pedal....

   Tow truck, later, dropped off the car, and myself, at nearby service station.

i see it like not eating a restaurant that suddenly got a suit and tie policy

[RJSV]

Just noticed today; YT video reached end, and I managed to pause and then TURN OFF auto-play (difficult button !).
   The lousy thing placed AN AD at the end, when there wasn't even a video to play (following)!

   Suspicious, how the 'autoplay' got enabled to begin with.

[Bryn]

Earlier, I watched at least three videos with an adblocker but when I progressed to watching a fourth onwards, I didn't get any message telling me to turn my adblocker off or anything like that. Perhaps it's only happening to some people? I've no idea...

[factory]

I've noticed the "autoplay" keeps turning itself back on (for the PC at least), very annoying.

David