SponsorBlock (and DeArrow): "YouTube is currently experimenting with server-si…" - Fosstodon ( fosstodon.org )

YouTube is currently experimenting with server-side ad injection. This means that the ad is being added directly into the video stream.

This breaks sponsorblock since now all timestamps are offset by the ad times.

For now, I set up the server to detect when someone is submitting from a browser with this happening and rejecting the submission to prevent the database from getting filled with incorrect submissions.

probableprotogen ,

Jesus fucking christ YouTube really hates users

ICastFist ,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

I miss the times when ads were just annoying gifs on the left or right side of a web page. Then they evolved, abusing javascript, to become pop ups that hid the URL bar and opened 3 dozen different pop ups while you didn't close the mother popup. Then they started clickjacking: that close ad button? Just opens another ad. Ad infinitum.

Now, effectively editing the video to add an ad somewhere instead of serving it as a side file. The advertising industry as a whole feels like the absolute worst villains at a personal level, because they want to target you individually.

NuXCOM_90Percent ,

It was inevitable (and is arguably the "logical" extension of sponsor segments).

As for what it will do to timestamps: The same thing it does to timestamps in podcasts. Some podcast players have a special way to tag the timestamp to adjust with the inserted ads but NOBODY hosts with those. So they are rendered useless.

On the youtube side? They could potentially be auto-adjusted because youtube will know how many ads were inserted . But considering the goal of this is to serve ads...

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