Hacker News Reader

Comment by JohnWhigham | Hacker News Reader

He touches on TV. I haven't watched TV at all (outside of NFL games) in the past decade, but when I have, is it me or have ads become incredibly obnoxious, condescending, and just flat out unbearable in said past decade? I can't say exactly what, but they've just amped up the annoying-ness from ads I remember in yester-decades.

View on HN

They have gradually turned up the awfulness, just like they are gradually turning up the awfulness of all the Internet sites as well.

I don't care if ads would be banned on the internet. Companies (sites) that get their revenue only from visitors would not be cost effective and disappear. Huge improvement if you ask me. And companies where you order books or buy other things would remain because they would get money from the visitors.

I remember the Internet from the 90s and 00s and it was a great place.

I had a recent experience to watch a show on Amazon Prime for which my subscription "didn't apply" I guess, and it had ads. I can't imagine watching TV like this anymore. 3 minutes of ads every 5-10 minutes of the show, and it was the same 3 ads every time. At least TV mixed up the ads back in the day. I ended up muting my computer every time and just tabbing away for a bit. I don't know how I ever dealt with it back in the day...

This is why I sail the high seas to get my media, and feel 0 remorse about it. The way media is handled these days is unjustifiable.

What annoys me is that for some of those shows (most? all?), you either watch ads or you don't watch it. Had that happen with Alex Rider. Looks like a decent show when there's nothing else of better quality on. IIRC, the "first one's free", then it's ads after that.

"Take my money and turn off the ads!"

"We don't want your money, we want you to watch ads."

There's nothing I need to watch that badly, thanks. But thanks to COVID, I haven't been in a hotel room for a while, so thanks for reminding me how hideous ad-supported television is.

We have a shared experience of TV the last 10 years or so it seems. I think I am older and grumpier and that is why the cringe and annoying nature of ads trigger me. My lack of exposure to ads and cheesy pop culture advertising means I am extra sensitive to it.

Back in my day things were better is basically never true.

TV ads have certainly gotten louder, from what I remember, but are otherwise the same to me.

Yes, that sounds right. Louder than the damned show you've just been watching.

TV stations should not allow that, or we should be able to counter it with technology.

Having said that, less of an issue now with streaming.

It seems that there is such regulation in place, in the US at least. But regulation regards average loudness throughout the ad, so you can blast away if you compensate with silence.

I don't normally really like the YouTube channel Cheddar, but they recently had a video on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmydvmxWUsE

Apparently its FCC regulation (I'm not in the US), and the FCC cannot create legislation for streaming services so they are currently free to do as they wish.

Technology marches on. They're doing stuff like testing ads on people in MRI-scanners nowadays.

LMAO, this is some black mirror episode material.

This could also be a function of your watch list. Twenty years ago ads during NFL were much

Reply on news.ycombinator.com