this post was submitted on 08 Apr 2026
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[–] PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de 264 points 1 week ago (19 children)

Smart TVs are really just somebody else's computer that you paid for to watch ads on.

[–] remon@ani.social 107 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This. There is a reason why dumb displays of a similar size are much more expensive. Because the manufacturer can't feed you ads and sell your data ...

[–] Rothe@piefed.social 33 points 1 week ago (12 children)

I don't understand the need for those. My smart tv is functioning exactly as a computer monitor. It is connected via a display connection to my computer, and nothing else. It does show a brief warning that it is unconnected to the internet whenever I turn it on, but it disappears after 10 seconds or so.

[–] remon@ani.social 65 points 1 week ago (15 children)

Yeah, but that's not how most people use Smart TVs. Also, they're still coming for you, next up they'll try to insert ads via HDMI. and good luck finding a Smart TV with display port.

[–] besmtt@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

Displayport via USB-C could start gaining momentum.

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[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 146 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Youtube: "GOD PEOPLE KEEP SKIPPING ADS, WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP THIS LOSS OF REVENUE?!"

Viewers: "Maybe have standards for length and content and moderate the platform to prevent malicious actors?"

Youtube: "I KNOW, I'LL JUST MAKE FORCED ADS LONGER AND MORE OBNOXIOUS!"

Viewers: "JUST MODERATE YOUR FUCKING PLATFORM, YOU HAVE THE MONEY AND RESOURCES TO FUCKING DO IT"

Youtube: "Users are just so selfish and entitled, trying to skip ads.."

Viewers: " Fuck it installs ublock origin

[–] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 47 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If you grew up with commercial TV, not only is the frequency of ads on youtube bad, but the placement--in the middle of a sentence or a scene--is mentally and emotionally destructive.

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[–] atomicbocks@sh.itjust.works 36 points 1 week ago (1 children)

When cable TV first came out it didn’t have ads because you were paying for the service. When Sirius satellite radio came out it didn’t have ads because you were paying for the service. When Netflix streaming came…

Adding ads to YouTube was always the plan.

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[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 20 points 1 week ago

That was always the plan. They were just slow walking it.

[–] Soulphite@reddthat.com 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Also Youtube: DONT INSTALL UBLOCK ORIGIN OR WE'LL REMOVE YOUTUBE SHORTS!!!!

Viewers:

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[–] Mac@mander.xyz 122 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I will sit on my floor with nothing, for hours, before i watch ads.

[–] Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 50 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Ive been getting back to reading myself. Media's become so overstimulating

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[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 90 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Hmm somehow i havent ever gotten those kinds of ads.......... maybe because im using ublock? Must be something else, i am just the chosen one.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 46 points 1 week ago (14 children)

If you just click into the article you are absolutely blasted with statement after statement that this is only for TVs. Obviously if you have an ad blocker you wouldn't see ads. 🙂

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[–] MattR@feddit.org 64 points 1 week ago (5 children)

No, I don't see them and the day I cannot block ads anymore is the day I am going to stop using YouTube. It's really not that important to life.

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[–] cpaq47@lemmy.world 55 points 1 week ago (17 children)

"unskippable"

I haven't seen an ad on YouTube for years, with 2 simple browser plugins. Assuming you're on a PC:

Ublock Origin Sponsor Block

If you're using chrome, you already fucked up.

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[–] SuspciousCarrot78@lemmy.world 49 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (17 children)

Hey YouTube? The endpoint of enshittification is this: I wipe my ass and flush you.

Keep going, YouTube. You're not so important that we can't just leave.

Nebula exists. Curiosity Stream exists. PeerTube exists. Odysee exits. The people I value on YT already have footholds on all four. More will arrive soon enough.

So keep at it.

Keep injecting unskippable ads, flooding the feed with AI slop, letting bots post porn, demonetising and hiding quality content, using DMCA like a digital SLAPP against content creators, and using the algorithm to warp reality.

Your value proposition is ubiquity. That's it. That's all you have. Without popular buy-in, you're dead.

We proles? We have something better than loyalty.

We have spite.

So keep pissing people off - because watching you die on a very stupid hill of your own design will be entertaining AF.

For everyone else, see you on !selfhosted@lemmy.world and !privacy@lemmy.world. Come and learn how you can replace all of these pieces of shit.

And in the meantime - yt-dlp should still work to download what you actually want to keep, and SmartTube is black magic incarnate.

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[–] TachyonTele@piefed.social 43 points 1 week ago (8 children)

Ublock must be blocking them. Huh, oh well.

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[–] Hond@piefed.social 35 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (7 children)

Well, i wont watch ads. If it comes to it i'd rather have a program thats recording videos in real time so i can skip the ad segments later in my recording like in the good old vhs times.

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[–] 87Six@lemmy.zip 33 points 1 week ago

I just realised i haven't watched a single ad in like 2 years

Thanks ublock origin!

[–] TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com 33 points 1 week ago (6 children)

My solution is to just close youtube. There's nothing on there I want to see that badly.

[–] MithranArkanere@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Mine is Firefox + adblockers.

I like watching SciShow and Crashing Out.

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[–] BillCheddar@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (6 children)

When you see the long ad, just close the fuckin' browser window. Immediately. And then use something else.

They'll only get the point and change if you stop giving them your eyeballs for shit you don't wanna see.

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[–] commander@lemmy.world 32 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Like others, desktop I'm using Firefox with ublock origin. Android phone, Firefox with ublock origin. Android TV, SmartTube. Ad blockers have always outpaced Google in my experience though I use youtube maybe like twice a week and I don't randomly browse reccomendations. Just there for specific stuff

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[–] r00ty@kbin.life 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The enshittification will continue until.. No man, it'll just continue.

[–] hayvan@piefed.world 29 points 1 week ago

Youtube has ads? But seriously, this is hurting the honest user.

[–] lemmyng@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Me using SmartTube and PipePipe/Tubular:

lol wut?

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[–] Brewchin@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (5 children)

SmartTube is pretty good on AndroidTV: SponsorBlock, DeArrow, no ads, etc.

At least while we're still able to sideload... 😔

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[–] twinnie@feddit.uk 21 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Why are these companies wanting to pay to infuriate me? If I want to watch something and I’m suddenly interrupted by a 90 second unskippable intrusion I’m not going to have a positive relationship with your company.

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[–] TerdFerguson@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I accidentally found myself outside my ad blocking bubble the other day and looking at youtube. It immediately pissed me off to have to put up with.

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[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago (3 children)

It’s not just the unskippable ads but also the type of ads as well. I’ve seen some wild ones like ads to make you hard in the bedroom, but it never actually shows the treatment. I’ve seen ads for how to make “homemade” makeup to look younger, the ingredients are baking soda and honey? But I think the wildest one I’ve seen is an ad for a robot puppy but in the ad, you can clearly see it is a real puppy, but they keep saying that it is a robotic AI powered puppy.

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[–] Grostleton@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Sometimes I get an empty video player for 5-10s before the video starts, still better than looking at an ad ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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[–] 1984@lemmy.today 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We who use Firefox are very fortunate right now since it still blocks all ads and I hope that will continue forever.

I used chromium to test YouTube without it, and its just completely unusable.

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[–] HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Then there's me using Revanced and Unlock Origin

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[–] Aphos@lemmy.zip 15 points 1 week ago (11 children)
[–] HuudaHarkiten@piefed.social 14 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Does it have any content?

Joking aside, I've found like 2 PeerTube channels to follow. People, give me your recommendations. And don't just list the channel name, be nice and write a few words about what its about.

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[–] MedicPigBabySaver@lemmy.world 13 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Fuck Reddit and Fuck Spez.

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[–] Chaser@lemmy.zip 12 points 1 week ago

For everyone using an Android based platform: Just install Smarttube. It don't show ads and has sponsorblock and dearrow integrated

https://smarttubeapp.github.io/

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