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0 pointstpoacher3y ago0 comments

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

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alias_neo3y 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.

tomjen33y 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.

runarberg3y 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.

duskwuff3y ago

As far as I'm aware, that only applies to broadcast radio and over-the-air TV, not all media.

runarberg3y 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/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

I don’t see how a chromecasting a youtube playlist (human curated or autogenerated) over GoogleTV, does not apply to this definition.

aerostable_slug3y 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.

alias_neo3y ago

I'm in the UK, but hopefully that information is useful to someone in the US. Thanks!

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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alias_neo3y ago

tomjen33y 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.

If it wasn't for my adblocker I wouldn't be spending so much time on youtube.

runarberg3y 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.

duskwuff3y ago

As far as I'm aware, that only applies to broadcast radio and over-the-air TV, not all media.

runarberg3y ago

I’m not a lawyer but it looks like the law might apply to chromecast as well:

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:

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.

aerostable_slug3y ago

alias_neo3y ago

I'm in the UK, but hopefully that information is useful to someone in the US. Thanks!

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse