Is it possible to block Hulu ads with pfBlockerNG?
-
I am new to pfsense and pfBlockerNG. I have been able to block most ads, Youtube, Twitch, general browsing ads etc. But Hulu is one I haven't been able to crack down on. I am wondering if this is something that can't be done, or if there is something that I am overlooking?
-
@iL0g1cal said in Is it possible to block Hulu ads with pfBlockerNG?:
But Hulu is one
Hulu is a popular streaming service with a basic on-demand streaming package ...
Look closer : the "app" you use to see their content.
"Hulu" (I don('t use/know them) doesn't send you anything : it's you asking for the content. Sure enough : the app you use to have them send the content.
So : control the app, and you control the content.Their own app can't probably be fooled, as it needs to show you the 'adds' so it can continue to show the content you actually want to see. Blocking the host names, and the the app using these to get the content will just "stall". Or this one : it isn't using host names but IP addresses : blocking them, ok, but the same result : the apps blocks.
The final solution would be : use your own app ....Keep in mind t: they have the $$ (your $$ !) to circumvent what you are trying to do, as these adds are another important revenue for them, and the will protect that revenue. W'ell soon se the 'pay more to see less" market.
I'm just making up these words, but if I would work for them, or Youtube, etc, what would I do ? What would you do ?
-
@iL0g1cal Are you talking about ads in the media you watch, or just on say the home screen before you select media?
I have been pretty successful in blocking the ads that roku shows on the home page, and in their screen saver.. With just dns blocks to where the home page pulls these ads.. So normally they have a big poster on the side of the home page that is an ad for something.. I just get a blank box..
This sort of blocking is easier then stuff they show during watching of ad supported media. If you do not like those your best bet is just to pay for the non ad supported tier..
Not a hulu user, so not exactly sure what ads you mean or where they are located. I have netflix, amazon prime and currently peacock because they had a black friday special for like 20 bucks for year, and they had a couple of NFL games you could only watch on peacock ;) so seemed like a pretty good deal to me..
-
@iL0g1cal
I'd be interested in knowing just how you block YouTube ads, since they come from the same servers as the content and not another third party host. That would require more intelligence than a URL/host/IP blocker has.Peder
MAIN - pfSense+ 24.11-RELEASE - Adlink MXE-5401, i7, 16 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD. 500 GB HDD for SyslogNG
BACKUP - pfSense+ 23.01-RELEASE - Hyper-V Virtual Machine, Gen 1, 2 v-CPUs, 3 GB RAM, 8GB VHDX (Dynamic) -
@provels said in Is it possible to block Hulu ads with pfBlockerNG?:
That would require more intelligence than a URL/host/IP blocker has.
If they are the same, any URL host name or IP filtering will be ruled out.
Choices left over : some serious MITM surgery (god luck).
You are aware of the fact that world's richest company did hire the best people available to circumvent just that ? As adds is just "the other trillion" of their income ?
-
Back before DVRs and streaming were common, I used a PC DVR application called "Beyond TV" with a Hauppauge TV card. It had a feature called "Smart Skip" IIRC that scanned content and detected black frames between content and commercials. That kind of intelligence would help, but I'm just the idea man, not the software engineer...
-
@Gertjan This is 1000 levels above my understanding. But how does AdBlock do this, I have no ads on YouTube with AdBlock? And here comes my ignorance, can you do the same with pfBlocker?
-
@iSagen said in Is it possible to block Hulu ads with pfBlockerNG?:
But how does AdBlock do this, I have no ads on YouTube with AdBlock?
What is adblock ? This ?If you're watching Youtube using a off the selves browser, you have more control on what you download in the browser.
-
@Gertjan I was going to comment on the Youtube angle .. its part of their servers that you're getting the content from.. so adblockers like PiHole and pfBlockerNG are helpless .. if they did work .. by blocking the server .. you'd get no movie (yt vids)
Now having said that .. I've used "getadblock.com" Adblock blocks 99% of the YT ads ... and until recently . all of them. I'm always taken back when on a different machine and get an ad every 30 seconds. -
My reality is that I do not use a browser to watch YouTube.
I use the build in app on my ipad, and mostly the living room TV.
I've solved the issue ages ago by going premium. Made my live better, and 4 more other persons.
No maintenance, works every where and every time. -
I didn't read all the replies, but here's what I understand.
Streaming TV on the TV can use ad blocking only if the ads come from a different server than the show. If the ads and the show are on the same server, than you block both the show and the ad if blocking works. This is DNS ad blocking.
I think Hulu ads are served from the same place as the show.
Roku adds massive clutter to your block logs. Even if it is sitting there and the TV is not on. Just live with it.
Some channels, Paramount comes to mind as the worst, requires you to whitelist a lot of sites just to watch their channel even if you pay for it. Same with Tubi.
On your PC: Blockers blocks ad differently. Good ones can enhance ad blocking by identifying ads from the same server and blocking them also. This is not possible for DNS blockers to do. Some sites will never show properly with an ad blocker. Youtube is easy to block ads on.
-
@provels Simple. Use Brave. ABP still works too but its cat and mouse. If they time you out, go watch two ads and then reblock
