# Commercials before online videos are out of control and other things **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219 "2011-08-26T20:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/21 "2011-08-30T14:20:11Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > The \*Harpyia venenatis \* (common name: venomous douche-harpy) is recognized as an endangered species by the United States and therefore it is illegal to hunt or knowingly cause death to an individual of this species. Endangered? Jeez, there should be organized culls of the _Harpyia venanatis_, yet we are protecting and promoting their growth. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/22 "2011-08-30T16:02:39Z")
You could ask for your money back. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/23 "2011-08-30T16:11:11Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > The problem is that all of us are so used to free stuff that we forget that nothing is really free. > The solution, in the end, is to pay or suffer the mofos. The problem is that, on some sites, you pay _and_ suffer. I pay $120 a season to subscribe to [MLB.com](http://MLB.com), which allows me to watch games live, or on demand. If, however, i just want to watch a few highlights from a game, i get bombarded with the same endless supply of commercials that non-subscribers have to put up with. I can’t believe that they don’t have their site set up so that it can differentiate between a paying subscriber and a non-subscriber for the purpose of delivering ads. And, as others here have noted, it will often be the same ad 6 or 8 times in a row. Infuriating. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/24 "2011-08-30T17:49:53Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > AdblockVideo is a separate app from AdBlock Plus. Same guys, different tool. Works like a charm, for me at least, in Firefox. Right but what about in Chrome? I don’t want to start a browser war, but I won’t be going back to Firefox. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/25 "2011-08-30T18:14:13Z")
I don’t mind having to sit through advertising, as it is genuinely supporting content I want to see (and sometimes the ads are funny/interesting)… but I hate how often they repeat, and how LOUD they are. Damn it!!! I’m looking at you Comedy Central! When I watch the Daily Show, I have to anticipate the commercials because they will blast my eardrums. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/26 "2011-08-31T16:06:15Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Oh, you are not alone (I nearly linked to a video of that, but decided that it would be too much). I don’t have to worry about my boss looking over my shoulder, but it’s a personal preference for me. I’d much rather read the information than watch a video. I can get much more information, much faster, and I don’t have to watch some talking head to get a snip of a story. Absolutely. Having to watch a video to get the story is like being stuck sharing a book with the kid at school who takes 10 minutes to read a page. I could have read and digested the story and moved on with my day in less time than it takes the Geico advert to download. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/27 "2011-08-31T21:22:48Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > Right but what about in Chrome? I don’t want to start a browser war, but I won’t be going back to Firefox. I know Adblock and Adblock Plus are completely separate addons in Chrome, with different functionality. I couldn’t tell you if either blocks video ads, as I don’t watch enough video online to have checked, but it might be a starting point for you. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/28 "2011-11-09T06:51:43Z")
Just wanted to update this thread by saying that CNN is almost unusable now. You have to watch a 30 second commercial before every single video you click on on [CNN.com](http://CNN.com). This is more commercial content than on TV. I noticed this on [failblog.com](http://failblog.com) and [ultimate-guitar.com](http://ultimate-guitar.com) too. Hell, on [Ultimate-guitar.com](http://Ultimate-guitar.com) they will routinely have 2 advertisement videos playing on the same page with close buttons no where to be found. I’ve also come across some sneaky sites that have no close button on the ads before their videos so you have to close the whole webpage to get them to stop playing. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/29 "2011-11-09T09:25:50Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > Right but what about in Chrome? I don’t want to start a browser war, but I won’t be going back to Firefox. That is the penance you must suffer. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/30 "2011-11-09T13:43:38Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Wouldn’t it be easier and better for the gene pool (of whatever species she is, because she and I are not of the same species) to just have NG permanently removed? Nancy Grace isn’t in the gene pool, unless she anonymously donates her eggs to an institution that is either completely unaware of her or manifestly evil. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219/31 "2011-11-09T13:56:08Z")
> [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](#): > > I used to use AdBlock for Firefox, however, after switching to Chrome I have found that AdBlock does not block flash commercials (for example, the commercials before The Daily Show when streamed through Comedy Central). > > Is there yet another program I should use? I know I can do a Google search, but I’m looking for personal experience. Links and anecdotes would be appreciated. Adblock Plus for Google Chrome can handle YouTube ads, but other videos are much more complicated. You have to realize that extension support is not so good in Chrome, as it was not designed from the ground up to be customizable, nor is its entier interface designed in Javascript, unlike Firefox. And if your reason for leaving Firefox was speed or memory related, I’d encourage you to try version 8. In fact, if it is anything other than having swore off Mozilla, I’d encourage giving it a try. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercials-before-online-videos-are-out-of-control-and-other-things/594219.md?page=1)