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There are a couple of videos of some really chill music sessions posted by the artists that I used to put on every morning when my daughter was born. I've seen

There are a couple of videos of some really chill music sessions posted by the artists that I used to put on every morning when my daughter was born. I've seen the same few vids hundreds of times and I know, like I know the sky is blue and water is wet that they had no ads. Couple years later, my son is born and that morning peace time comes for me to put on a vid or two, next thing I know, a couple of ads bang in the middle of the video. So jarring I can't explain how pissed I was, I got straight to rooting my TV and blocking ads. The interesting part for me is that a YouTube premium trial Google had pushed on me ended just days prior.

tpoacher 4y ago
the worst thing about ads in the middle of relaxing music is that they are typically loud and obnoxious, instantly destroying within milliseconds any mood/relaxation benefits accrued over the preceding few hours. it's as if a frat party suddenly bombs your meditation group, trashes the place in 5 seconds, then leaves
- runarberg 4y ago
  If you are in the USA, I think it is illegal to play ads at a louder volume then the surrounding content. You can file an FCC complaint if you see that.
  - duskwuff 4y ago
    As far as I'm aware, that only applies to broadcast radio and over-the-air TV, not all media.
    - runarberg 4y ago
      I’m not a lawyer but it looks like the law might apply to chromecast as well: > as such recommended practice concerns the transmission of commercial advertisements by a television broadcast station, cable operator, or other multichannel video programming distributor. [emphasis mine] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ311/html/PLAW-111publ311.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ311/html/PLA... I think it would be worth it to file a complaint. Or if anybody here on HN has done so already, I would be interested in hearing the response. EDIT: Looking at the code (which I’m woefully under-qualified at) I see this: > (13) the term “multichannel video programming distributor” means a person such as, but not limited to, a cable operator, a multichannel multipoint distribution service, a direct broadcast satellite service, or a television receive-only satellite program distributor, who makes available for purchase, by subscribers or customers, multiple channels of video programming; https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/522 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/522 I don’t see how a chromecasting a youtube playlist (human curated or autogenerated) over GoogleTV, does not apply to this definition.
  - alias_neo 4y ago
    I'm in the UK, but hopefully that information is useful to someone in the US. Thanks!
  - aerostable_slug 4y ago
    The way around this is to use an audio compressor and push the average volume up without exceeding the content's max volume. Then the ad sounds like someone shouting in the content without violating the policy. A related dark pattern is the purposeful muffling of hearing aid advertisements. They also generally play different audio than what the models are "saying" in order to further confuse their target market and convince them they are more hard of hearing than they really are.
- tomjen3 4y ago
  Once it became possible to force people to pay attention to ads (compared to a newspaper where you can skip ahead and look at what you want) the quality went into the toilet. It doesn't help that most of the products they advertise are terrible, overpriced or both and even their skipable ads aren't skipable until it has already destroyed the experience of the video you were watching. Premium is not an option because I don't use youtube logged in. If it wasn't for my adblocker I wouldn't be spending so much time on youtube.
- alias_neo 4y ago
  Yep. I don't really see ads much these days, I don't watch live TV or listen to radio because I use Netflix, Prime, Disney and NOW for TV and Spotify for music, so when it happens it really drags me out of whatever peaceful or immersed state I got to.

tpoacher 4y ago

the worst thing about ads in the middle of relaxing music is that they are typically loud and obnoxious, instantly destroying within milliseconds any mood/relaxation benefits accrued over the preceding few hours. it's as if a frat party suddenly bombs your meditation group, trashes the place in 5 seconds, then leaves

runarberg 4y ago
If you are in the USA, I think it is illegal to play ads at a louder volume then the surrounding content. You can file an FCC complaint if you see that.
- duskwuff 4y ago
  As far as I'm aware, that only applies to broadcast radio and over-the-air TV, not all media.
  - runarberg 4y ago
    I’m not a lawyer but it looks like the law might apply to chromecast as well: > as such recommended practice concerns the transmission of commercial advertisements by a television broadcast station, cable operator, or other multichannel video programming distributor. [emphasis mine] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ311/html/PLAW-111publ311.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ311/html/PLA... I think it would be worth it to file a complaint. Or if anybody here on HN has done so already, I would be interested in hearing the response. EDIT: Looking at the code (which I’m woefully under-qualified at) I see this: > (13) the term “multichannel video programming distributor” means a person such as, but not limited to, a cable operator, a multichannel multipoint distribution service, a direct broadcast satellite service, or a television receive-only satellite program distributor, who makes available for purchase, by subscribers or customers, multiple channels of video programming; https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/522 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/47/522 I don’t see how a chromecasting a youtube playlist (human curated or autogenerated) over GoogleTV, does not apply to this definition.
- alias_neo 4y ago
  I'm in the UK, but hopefully that information is useful to someone in the US. Thanks!
- aerostable_slug 4y ago
  The way around this is to use an audio compressor and push the average volume up without exceeding the content's max volume. Then the ad sounds like someone shouting in the content without violating the policy. A related dark pattern is the purposeful muffling of hearing aid advertisements. They also generally play different audio than what the models are "saying" in order to further confuse their target market and convince them they are more hard of hearing than they really are.
tomjen3 4y ago
Once it became possible to force people to pay attention to ads (compared to a newspaper where you can skip ahead and look at what you want) the quality went into the toilet. It doesn't help that most of the products they advertise are terrible, overpriced or both and even their skipable ads aren't skipable until it has already destroyed the experience of the video you were watching. Premium is not an option because I don't use youtube logged in. If it wasn't for my adblocker I wouldn't be spending so much time on youtube.
alias_neo 4y ago
Yep. I don't really see ads much these days, I don't watch live TV or listen to radio because I use Netflix, Prime, Disney and NOW for TV and Spotify for music, so when it happens it really drags me out of whatever peaceful or immersed state I got to.