There are still pretty easy ways to use YouTube without too much annoyance - as always mentioned in this thread.
I hate commercials in general. They are more like a terribly acted miniature sitcom where you have a few seconds to force-feed the viewer into thinking that trowing your money towards them, is the best idea ever - almost always with no questions asked and with highly empty/hollow promises.
Where I would like commercials to go. Would be a straight-up honest use of a given product. So if I watch someone build a bird house. Then the person making the video - could use a given brand of tools and give me a good, thorough sense of how the tool actually works during the construction process.
In this way, I am actually willingly looking at a given product, because it naturally is included in the thing I'm watching. Rather than watching anything related to all sorts of ridiculous stuff, that I would never need. I have never ever needed a commercial about food or drinks - ever. Never in my life have I ever bought food or drinks because of any commercial ever. If I go to a restaurant, then I look at the menu outside or inside(maybe online first ) - which kinda is like a commercial - and then I order from there. But I was actively going there - entering the building but my own choice.
If I buy a screwdriver - I hope that it'll last for many many years, so I won't need a new one for many many years to come. Which is why commercials are totally lost on me in this regard - unless I'm actively searching for something specific, which I then buy.... to never return again - for a loooong time.
I'm willing to watch videos in 720P rather than 4K. As long as I get the info I need and the content/sound/quality is up to par. 50/60 fps can be awesome in certain videos where movement is helpful for an immersive experience, but above 1080P.... I'm just not seeing the benefit on a 55" OLED at around 3 m distance.
I don't know where to go from here. I have ideas ranging from plugging in my CD player again ( to skip the music part), accept a few commercials, use all available ad-blockers, to just buy premium - or maybe if they offered some solution to watch in max 1080P or something - or maybe max 2 hours a day - for cheaper.
Sun is shining again. I'll turn off and venture outside a bit to bike to gym - without my phone. Too much online anything - makes you sideways anyway
arstechnica.com
