Yeah its getting pretty bad. 4 minute videos require sitting through multiple sets of ads which is ridiculous. Spotify has gone that way as well. You get to listen to 2 songs before they go into 2-3 minutes of ads.

Been using Firefox with Adblock Plus for years. YouTube started playing a cat-and-mouse game with it about a year ago. Now it seems that a couple of ads pop up for a couple of seconds each, then the video starts playing. Bypasses the need to manually select the "skip ad".

I use FireFox with "uBlock Origin" and "SponsorBlock for YouTube" plugins -- no YouTube ads at all.
And adding a Pi-Hole Raspberry Pi setup, Pandora music streams without ads.

Wolfpac 08 said:

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SlackerAg said:

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I use FireFox with "uBlock Origin" and "SponsorBlock for YouTube" plugins -- no YouTube ads at all.
And adding a Pi-Hole Raspberry Pi setup, Pandora music streams without ads.

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It is a hardware solution to block ads thru your network. Here is a tutorial:
https://www.raspberrypi.com/tutorials/running-pi-hole-on-a-raspberry-pi/

Do these ad blockers work if you watch YouTube through the app using Roku?

Captain Winky said:

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Do these ad blockers work if you watch YouTube through the app using Roku?

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Most streaming boxes don't allow plug-ins or custom workarounds...an exception is Amazon FireTV which allows installs outside the app store. I have the Pi-Hole as a DNS server with "SmartTube Next" app on FireTV (basically the YouTube app modified with special plug-ins) -- no YouTube ads at all (not even initially).

Sapper Redux said:

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There was a brief window where we had choice and control of what we wanted to watch, read, or listen to. But it will always revert back to cable TV at the end of the road. I'm waiting for the requirement to watch an ad before you can skip the intro to a show.

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Already here.

On the plus side if you get premium you can also use youtube music instead of whatever your streaming music is now. I was doing this but didn't use youtube enough so just using the Amazon prime free music streamer at the moment.

Lathspell said:

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I used Ublock Origin until Chrome basically cancelled it, and moved to Brave browser since then. I never have to watch YouTube ads and don't understand why anyone else does.

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There is a html work around to get it back on chrome

https://imgur.com/a/2CaJz1J

AdGuard on a browser.
SmartTube sideloaded on an Onn Pro 4k streaming box.
Game changer.

If I didn't have Brave or an equivalent to block the ads, no way in hell would I use YouTube. I've seen how many ads civilian YouTube runs and, damn, no freaking way.

YNWA_AG said:

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Lathspell said:

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I used Ublock Origin until Chrome basically cancelled it, and moved to Brave browser since then. I never have to watch YouTube ads and don't understand why anyone else does.

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There is a html work around to get it back on chrome

https://imgur.com/a/2CaJz1J

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I'm much happier with Brave. The less I need to use Google, the better. Unfortunately, I still do for YouTube.

Corporal Punishment said:

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If I didn't have Brave or an equivalent to block the ads, no way in hell would I use YouTube. I've seen how many ads civilian YouTube runs and, damn, no freaking way.

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Me too. That couple of days between Chrome removing Ublock and me switching to Brave browser was insufferable. I just felt my life whither away as I sat through all those ads.

I honestly don't see how people can stand it.

Lathspell said:

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Corporal Punishment said:

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If I didn't have Brave or an equivalent to block the ads, no way in hell would I use YouTube. I've seen how many ads civilian YouTube runs and, damn, no freaking way.

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Me too. That couple of days between Chrome removing Ublock and me switching to Brave browser was insufferable. I just felt my life whither away as I sat through all those ads.

I honestly don't see how people can stand it.

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Kinda dramatic lmao but relatable

I watch YouTube every night on my TV and I really wish there was a way around it without paying. I can't bring myself to shell out for another subscription. Hell, I just went to Netflix with ads because I wasn't going to pay $18/month for that app.

Sea Speed said:

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I watch YouTube every night on my TV and I really wish there was a way around it without paying. I can't bring myself to shell out for another subscription. Hell, I just went to Netflix with ads because I wasn't going to pay $18/month for that app.

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There is. Look into installing SmartTube. It's ad-free Youtube that has all the same features, your algo, your recommended videos, and your watch history.

https://troypoint.com/smarttube/

Teddy Perkins said:

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Sea Speed said:

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I watch YouTube every night on my TV and I really wish there was a way around it without paying. I can't bring myself to shell out for another subscription. Hell, I just went to Netflix with ads because I wasn't going to pay $18/month for that app.

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There is. Look into installing SmartTube. It's ad-free Youtube that has all the same features, your algo, your recommended videos, and your watch history.

https://troypoint.com/smarttube/

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Oh man, definitely going to try this. We have some smart TV so hope it is compatible. Thank you.

Wrong thread

Lathspell said:

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I used Ublock Origin until Chrome basically cancelled it, and moved to Brave browser since then. I never have to watch YouTube ads and don't understand why anyone else does.

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some of us use the App on our phones or Smart TV...

Are there any options like SmartTube for Roku?

Then don't use the YouTube app on your phone. Download the Brave browser and just go to YouTube on that. No ads.

Youtube launched Premium Lite for $7.99 month this month.

Unlike Premium, you don't get the music service.


I think for heavy viewers of youtube, it may be worth it.


I'm still fine watching a repair video before I end up having to watch a new product review video after busting the items I was trying to repair.

Sapper Redux said:

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There was a brief window where we had choice and control of what we wanted to watch, read, or listen to. But it will always revert back to cable TV at the end of the road. I'm waiting for the requirement to watch an ad before you can skip the intro to a show.

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What do you mean? You still have control of what you want to watch, read, or listen to at anytime on Youtube. With cable, you don't have that freedom and instead have to watch whatever the cable companies decides what it wants to broadcast at any certain time..... AND you still have to sit through ads..... AND you still have to pay for all of that.

Regular commercials on regular TV and cable take up around 33% of the timeslot (ie. ~20 minutes for an hour show, ~10 minutes for a 30 minute show). Are Youtube ads using up to 33% of your watching time? If not, then Youtube is still the better value when it comes to time. And even if Youtube ads do take up 33% of your watchtime (ie. a 1 minute ad for a 3 minute video), it is still more convenient and cheaper than cable since you can truly watch nearly whatever you want at literally any time you want without paying a single dime.

Too many olds on this board. The solution has been given, but apparently simply downloading a different browser is too techy for some people.

I like youtube a lot but skip premium. The ads suck but can't justify it at all. The # of things I watch on YT is pretty staggering though.

Really enjoying a series of videos called Larry David vs. the World. Just Curb clips and the video does a point for Larry or the World after each clip. Pretty awesome - don't always agree with the vote.

I upgraded to Premium Youtube in 2021....... and I will never look back.


$150/year for no interruptions and no advertisements on my Youtube is completely worth the $$$$
It seems like there are way too many LOL-poors on this thread.