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SponsorBlock (and DeArrow): "YouTube is currently experimenting with server-si…" - Fosstodon (fosstodon.org)

submitted 5 months ago by sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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YouTube is currently experimenting with server-side ad injection. This means that the ad is being added directly into the video stream.

This breaks sponsorblock since now all timestamps are offset by the ad times.

For now, I set up the server to detect when someone is submitting from a browser with this happening and rejecting the submission to prevent the database from getting filled with incorrect submissions.

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[–] Gacrux@lemm.ee 75 points 5 months ago (8 children)

does this mean stuff like yt-dlp will download videos with ads in thrm as well?

[–] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 40 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (7 children)

Almost certainly not, although fair disclaimer, I don't actually know. Ads need to be tailored to the user when delivered, so it's likely the YouTube frontend requesting the next chunk of video to be an ad instead of the next chunk of video from blob storage. yt-dlp likely just requests successive chunks straight from blob storage, passing this.

If YouTube served ads by saying "point to an ad chunk next" in their blob storage, 1. Everyone would see the same ad and 2. Premium users would still see ads.

To patch this, YouTube really needs to stop serving video chunks directly from storage, but I forget the reason they haven't done that already.

(Technical note; I'm assuming blob storage chunks contain 1-2 seconds of video and metadata pointing to the next one, like a linked list. I'm not sure if this is how YouTube works, but many video platforms do this)

[–] Sekoia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 5 months ago (4 children)

... which is why youtube has recently started blocking non-logged in users

[–] EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Wait, they have? I wonder how/if that would affect the functionality of apps like Newpipe/Freetube.

[–] Sekoia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It completely breaks them, currently: https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/NewPipe/issues/11139

This applies to at least NewPipe and yt-dlp, probably basically every such tool. Also, if you use logged-in cookies and download, they sometimes ban your account! Fun!

[–] EveryMuffinIsNowEncrypted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Gross.

Welp, I sure hope either we stay on the winning side of the cat-and-mouse game or a lot of creators jump ship to other emerging platforms (not that there are many), because it'd be a damn shame to have to stop watching some of the creators I enjoy watching. Many of them are damned talented folks IMHO.

I've heard good things about Nebula, but sadly a lot of the channels I watch are not quite on there yet. Also, I'm broke, so there's that. Lol.

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