What is YouTube/(Google) up to?

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If YouTube can be classified as social media, I’m in the right place; otherwise, I don’t know where to put this.  It’s a bit of a rant.

A couple of times a month, while watching a YouTube video, I’ll get a frozen video with the big white circling band, and a popup from YouTube/(Google) asking me if I want to know why it’s slow.  Well, for one thing, it’s not “slow”, it’s frozen.  ‘They’ blame it on my ISP being too slow/overloaded and/or not using Chrome.

It happened again just a few minutes ago, and I immediately opened another Firefox tab and ran TestMy.net.  532.9Mbps download, 21.8Mbps upload.  Then I ran fusionconnect.com and got 564.4Mbps download, 24.0Mbps upload.  I’ve done this a number of times, with very similar results.

To get rid of the white circling band, I just close Firefox and relaunch, and I won’t get the YouTube/(Google) freeze again for a couple of weeks or so.  It has never been my ISP.  I get the feeling YouTube/(Google) is just targeting my Firefox browser.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

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wavy, SueW, BobbyB, Fred, satrow, NaNoNyMouse, windbg, Cybertooth

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Do you use adblockers ?

https://www.ghacks.net/2024/01/14/is-google-deliberately-slowing-down-youtube-video-buffering-for-adblock-users/

https://www.ghacks.net/2024/04/16/google-intensifies-fight-against-youtube-adblockers/

https://www.ghacks.net/2024/05/30/youtube-is-automatically-skipping-videos-if-you-use-adblock-plus/

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Alex5723 wrote:

Do you use adblockers ?

Yes, several.  But, as I stated in the OP, this particular freezing occurs only a couple of times a month, and is easily bypassed by closing Firefox and relaunching it.

YouTube works just fine in Firefox 99+% of the time, no slowdowns, no decreased resolution.  I won’t be getting rid of any adblockers.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I lost patience with YouTube a while back, and stopped using it regularly (full story here (AW Link))

However, occasionally people will email me a link to a clip, and I regularly use the Unity Asset Store where most entries have clip(s) associated with the products, so I still come into contact with it one way or the other

I’ve not encountered the precise behaviour that you’ve described, but I’ve seen the following in the last month or so (while using ABP as my ad-blocker):

1. A clip will be preceded by a short, unrelated, almost subliminal flash of written material (in Greek, because that’s where I live)
2. I’ll see absolutely nothing, just a black screen, in which case I usually have to restart my browser to try again
3. I’ll get the “You are using an ad-blocker. You are evil” message, and won’t be able to play the clip
4. The clip will play normally. It may, or may not, be accompanied by an exhortation to buy their “Premium (Pay us money for the privilege of not watching adverts)” service

Some days I’ll get one or more of the above, but I’ve just checked today and I’m currently getting 4). So, yeah, definitely something going on…

 

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Alex5723

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Can I add a new one to my own list, because it’s just come up for the first time today:

5) I’m able to watch the clip, but there’s a small sponsored advert in the top right of the browser (i.e. not overlaying the clip)

It’s fairly unobtrusive and not personally targetted (except, it’s for something called “The Holy Bag”, which happens to be from a Greek company). I’d actually be happy with something like that going forward. It’s not NO ads, but it’s not in-your-face ads either

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What happens when you use other browsers?
Youtube and other (un)socialmedia love to have all your personal data, metadata and pictures so they can train their A.I. and other algorithms.

* _ ... _ *

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Fred wrote:

What happens when you use other browsers?

DuckDuckGo works fine, except that Duck Player doesn’t have access to interaction with the YouTube creators; no ‘likes’, comments, etc.  Which is primarily why I use Firefox.

Again, YouTube in Firefox (with all my adblockers, etc.) works just fine 99+% of the time.  I’m just ranting a bit about YouTube/(Google) freezing a video, suggesting my ISP is congested (which it is absolutely not) and that I would get better results with Chrome.

Just another in a very long list of reasons that I do not/will not use Google or Chrome.  Full stop.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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@bbearren,

I only use YouTube on the DuckDuckGo Browser using their YouTube player. I’ve never had a problem and no ads except those embedded in the video.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
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RetiredGeek wrote:

I only use YouTube on the DuckDuckGo Browser using their YouTube player. I’ve never had a problem and no ads except those embedded in the video.

I still have DuckDuckGo Browser available, but it has limitations as I’ve listed in #2678138.  I’ll continue to use Firefox to avoid those limitations.  YouTube works just fine in Firefox 99+% of the time with no ads except for those placed within the video by the creator, just like Duck Player except with the full experience (Like, Subscribe, Comment, etc.).

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I’ve had the same problem for about 3 weeks.  Other browsers don’t appear to be affected.  I assume it’s Google messing with FF.  It’s happened in the past occasionally but clears up after a week or two.

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bbearren

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Glucose wrote:

It’s happened in the past occasionally but clears up after a week or two.

It clears up for me just by closing and relaunching Firefox.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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I normally use AdBlocker for Youtube in conjunction with Proxtube and good old uBlock origin (all currently firefox apps) and I have never been bothered with youtube’s current anti – Ad blocker antics as Martain Brinkmans ghacks website often reports on.

You could also use Youtube downloaders if its really bugging you, yt-dlp currently availble through Homebrew package manager on Mac, various youtube downloaders on github (a little buggy but getting better). Although it is a bit unfair on content creators as they wont get any revenue from thier creations, which I suppose is the business model behind Youtube.  I did try watching Youtube the other Month for a spell witout adblockers and it is truely horrendous to the point any enjoyment gets taken out of the the content by being persistantly bugged. by Ads.

 

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Cybertooth

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Last year, someone sent me a YT link to a video of a famous artist playing a piano concerto by Mozart. The composition, which is less than a half-hour long, was interrupted by ads multiple times. Right in the middle of the music, and not even at natural pauses. Ridiculous.

And then there are the 60-minute infomercials that precede the 5-minute video you’re trying to watch. Anybody here run into those? At least it’s simple to skip them once you’ve sat through the first X seconds of it.

I second @RetiredGeek’s recommendation of the DDG browser’s YouTube player. It makes a huge difference.

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
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Cybertooth wrote:

I second @RetiredGeek’s recommendation of the DDG browser’s YouTube player. It makes a huge difference.

My extensions and adblockers in Firefox give me ad free use of YouTube.  And the freezing doesn’t contain an ad, just a popup that I have to click on in order to get the propaganda from YouTube/(Google); “Do you want to know why?”  I don’t click on it anymore, because it always says the same thing.

And again, this is very infrequent, simply and easily corrected.  I can copy the URL of the video that freezes, close and relaunch Firefox, right-click in the address bar and click “Paste and Go” and I’m right back to the same video, only now it won’t freeze.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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BobbyB wrote:

You could also use Youtube downloaders if its really bugging you,

I can just close and relaunch Firefox, and it only happens a couple of times a month or less.  The OP is primarily a rant to point out YouTube/(Google) use of this tactic.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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bbearren wrote:

And the freezing doesn’t contain an ad, just a popup that I have to click on in order to get the propaganda from YouTube/(Google); “Do you want to know why?”  I don’t click on it anymore, because it always says the same thing.

I use Chrome with uBlock.
Never got any ads or freeze using YouTube.

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Alex5723 wrote:

I use Chrome with uBlock.

I will not use Chrome for the same reason I will not use Google; personal preference.  These little picayune hints to use Chrome instead of Firefox just serve to reinforce that preference.

This YouTube/(Google) algorithm that infrequently freezes a YouTube video is simply absurd, particularly when I can open a new tab in Firefox while that video is frozen and check my ISP connection speed to see that it most definitely is not my ISP, then click on the YouTube tab and the video is still frozen.  No thanks Google, I will not use Chrome, nor will I use Chrome-based Edge.  Again, personal preference, but I will not use Google or Chrome.  Full stop.

And I never get any ads, either.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

1 user thanked author for this post.

Alex5723

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bbearren wrote:

If YouTube can be classified as social media, I’m in the right place; otherwise, I don’t know where to put this.  It’s a bit of a rant.

I realize you are using a web browser to watch YT, but if you have an android TV, I recommend trying out SmartTube. I don’t know how much longer we’ll get away with it, but it lets you watch everything on YT ad-free. The only catch is you have to give someone else your login info to connect via third party. But if that is a concern, it is easy enough to create a new UID just for that. From the GitHub site:

SmartTube is an advanced player for Android TVs and TV boxes, free & open source. You can play content from different public sources.

✅ Features: no ads ‧ SponsorBlock ‧ adjustable playback speed ‧ 8k support ‧ 60fps ‧ HDR ‧ read live chat ‧ customizable buttons ‧ no Google Services ‧ helpful international community

❌ Disadvantages: no support for phones and tablets, no comments stability, voice search and casting support might be worse than in the official apps, depending on your device; give it a try!

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YouTube Tests New Kind of Unskippable Ads (killing all adblockers)

YouTube appears to be stepping up its long war on ad blockers this week. The creator of SponsorBlock, a crowdsourced ad blocker, posted a tweet on Wednesday claiming YouTube is experimenting with server-side ad injection. This would inject ads directly into a video’s stream, and render many ad blockers useless.

“YouTube is improving its performance and reliability in serving both organic and ad video content,” said a Google spokesperson in an emailed statement to Gizmodo, when asked if it was injecting server-side ads. “This update may result in suboptimal viewing experiences for viewers with ad blockers installed. Ad blockers violate YouTube’s Terms of Service, and we’ve been urging viewers for some time to support their favorite creators and allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad-free experience.”..

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Google disrupted YouTube video playback on Firefox, again

..Some Firefox users noticed playback issues on YouTube for several months. These affected high resolution videos only, from 1080p and up. To make matters worse, no clear pattern could be identified.

Some videos played fine, others would stop abruptly when they ran out of buffer. The issue affected Firefox only (and maybe Firefox forks). All Chromium-based browsers were not affected by it…

After months of investigating the issue, Mozilla finally found a fix for the issue. This fix will be released as Firefox 127.0.2 later this month, as it did not make it into the Firefox 127.0.1 release of today.

The fixing took longer than expected, as it was difficult to reproduce the issue.

According to Mozilla engineer Alastor Wu, the issues was caused by Google’s YouTube service and not by a regression in Firefox…

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1878510

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Cybertooth

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Alex5723 wrote:

Google disrupted YouTube video playback on Firefox, again

A couple of days ago, I started getting flashes of the “Ad Blockers are a violation of …” screen when I would click on a new video in YouTube.  It would flash for just a second, then the video would play normally.

I’ve still been getting the occasional frozen video, then yesterday evening, I got a black screen after clicking on a new video.  Refreshing the page would relaunch the video and it would play normally.  I’m on Firefox 127.0.1.

And I’m still not getting any ads.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do with our systems; we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

We were all once "Average Users".

Computer Specs

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Alex5723

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@bbearren –

As you’ve probably noticed by now, Firefox has been bumped up to version 127.0.2, which fixes a few issues with viewing YT videos to allow them to be viewed as intended without a ton of starts and freezes.

Hopefully, your issues will also go by the wayside with this release. However, since you say that it’s only been happening every couple of weeks or so, I guess we’ll have to wait for a bit, right?  🙂

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