New Chrome update lets you easily mute autoplay videos, stops malicious redirects, and...

[William Gayde]

One of the most annoying things about browsing the web is videos that autoplay with sound. For anyone that has tried to browse discretely in the back of a boring meeting or presentation, you know how loathsome these can be. The latest update for Google Chrome aims to make web browsing just less annoying overall.

Chrome 64 beta allows users to easily mute autoplaying videos across an entire website. To enable this feature, click on the green lock or info section to the left of the URL. From here you will have the option to always allow audio, always block audio, or use the default setting.

In addition to this new setting, the latest Chrome also comes with an improved pop-up blocker. This is aimed at preventing websites from using transparent overlays or decoy play/download buttons to open new tabs or pop-ups. Along a similar line, the update will also help prevent malicious redirects. It does this by blocking third-party content hidden in a webpage unless the user has interacted with that element.

Another new feature is HDR playback support in Windows 10. Granted, this will only work with Windows 10 Creators Update and when viewing HDR content with an HDR compatible GPU and on an HDR compatible display. Chrome OS will also get a new Split View feature as announced previously, developers will have more control over page resizing on dynamic websites, and more.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/72347-new-chrome-update-you-easily-mute-autoplay-videos.html

 

[Scshadow]

So from the company that tries to shove notifications and advertisement up your posterior at every, every, every turn, they are going to allow you to mute some video... okay, whatever. Why don't you save us the bandwidth, stop autoplaying your own videos. Why don't stop your browser from prompting the user if we want to allow "notifications" from every site under the sun. How about you fix android oreo from doing the same thing. How about you stop asking every 5 minutes to describe where I'm at, take pictures of what I'm doing. Stop telling me the apps I'm using are "draining my battery", because I can't stop using apps I decided to use. Stop telling me what apps are running in the background, I installed them, I know that they're there and I've already told you I know that they are there, and yet Oreo keeps notifying me. For the sake of sweet baby Jesus, stop sending notifications as a constant beeping to my headset when I'm on a call. I've never been a rabid google hater but I'm getting there. They can mine data in the background all they want as far as I'm concerned but they have no shame as far as trying to pry into people's lives. Let me eat at my restaurant in peace. Let me browse in peace. Just leave me the hell alone.

 

[seeprime]

Using the extension AutoplayStopper is much better, as it stops the ads that Google makes money on from playing, instead of simply muting them.

 

[EClyde]

Using the extension AutoplayStopper is much better, as it stops the ads that Google makes money on from playing, instead of simply muting them.

Will see how it works. What I want is autobuffer stopper

 

[Rippleman]

So from the company that tries to shove notifications and advertisement up your posterior at every, every, every turn, they are going to allow you to mute some video... okay, whatever. Why don't you save us the bandwidth, stop autoplaying your own videos. Why don't stop your browser from prompting the user if we want to allow "notifications" from every site under the sun. How about you fix android oreo from doing the same thing. How about you stop asking every 5 minutes to describe where I'm at, take pictures of what I'm doing. Stop telling me the apps I'm using are "draining my battery", because I can't stop using apps I decided to use. Stop telling me what apps are running in the background, I installed them, I know that they're there and I've already told you I know that they are there, and yet Oreo keeps notifying me. For the sake of sweet baby Jesus, stop sending notifications as a constant beeping to my headset when I'm on a call. I've never been a rabid google hater but I'm getting there. They can mine data in the background all they want as far as I'm concerned but they have no shame as far as trying to pry into people's lives. Let me eat at my restaurant in peace. Let me browse in peace. Just leave me the hell alone.

sounds like you need a feature phone.

 

[wiyosaya]

This is probably socially engineered. Give people something to make them think that you are on their side while continuously spying on them and every move they make using Chrome. Never been a Chrome user and never will.

 

[captaincranky]

I don't suppose they've killed, "google analytics", yet?

(I know what you're thinking, I've become a doddering old fool, with hopes which spring eternal, (and you're probably right)).

 

[VitalyT]

@William Gayde Please re-publish this when such version of Chrome is released.

 

[captaincranky]

@William Gayde Please re-publish this when such version of Chrome is released.

It already has been, it's called, "Firefox, with the NoScript add-on".

 

[toooooot]

Firefox has had it for years

 

[BSim500]

This is probably socially engineered. Give people something to make them think that you are on their side while continuously spying on them and every move they make using Chrome. Never been a Chrome user and never will.

Same here. I don't hate Chrome, but find it laughably naive that people are "waiting" for a web browser written by one of the world's largest advertising companies to have the most integral ad-blocking features. There's a very good reason why VideoDownloadHelper for Firefox will download anything whilst the Chrome equivalent has been intentionally crippled to not download Youtube vids (as a condition for being on the Play Store)...

For disabling HTML5 video autoplay in Firefox, there are two internal settings:-

1. Type about:config in the address bar then search for autoplay

media.autoplay.enabled false stops video's playing altogether

media.block-play-until-visible true stops them playing in background tabs only until they become foreground tabs

2. To enable "click to play" for Flash vids, go to Plugins (CTRL-SHIFT-A) -> Shockwave Flash -> Change "Always Activate" to "Ask to Activate". From then on, when you click on the Activate Adobe Flash place-holder, you'll be given a per-site choice of "Allow Now" or "Allow and Remember".

^ None of this stuff even needs extensions to do. It's all built into the browser.

 

[Darth Shiv]

On my desktop, one of the recent Firefox updates has completely corrupted my install. They botched something in the installer and it's missing a prereq but doesn't know how to install it or look for it. Complete uninstall and reinstall doesn't solve so no FF for me :/

 

[Experimentongod]

Why only mute videos when you can block all ads and save bandwidth.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

This is probably socially engineered. Give people something to make them think that you are on their side while continuously spying on them and every move they make using Chrome. Never been a Chrome user and never will.

I agree, I call BS as well.

Unfortunately I feel Chrome is the best browser out there. Firefox crashes on me too often, Microsoft Edge gets slow and sometimes crashes when I have a lot of tabs open, and well using IE is a sin.

So what browser do you use?

 

[wiyosaya]

This is probably socially engineered. Give people something to make them think that you are on their side while continuously spying on them and every move they make using Chrome. Never been a Chrome user and never will.

I agree, I call BS as well.

Unfortunately I feel Chrome is the best browser out there. Firefox crashes on me too often, Microsoft Edge gets slow and sometimes crashes when I have a lot of tabs open, and well using IE is a sin.

So what browser do you use?

I am using Waterfox and have been for the past several years. While it is a derivative of Firefox, I think it performs better and does not have the annoyances of Firefox, yet maintains Firefox's better parts. In my experience, it crashes only very rarely - and by that, I do not recall any recent (within the past 6-months or so) crashes. I also use uBlock origin, and https everywhere. I have it on several different PCs. YMMV - of course.

 

[wiyosaya]

I don't suppose they've killed, "google analytics", yet?

(I know what you're thinking, I've become a doddering old fool, with hopes which spring eternal, (and you're probably right)).

I have not tried it myself, but perhaps someone else has - that is, filtering google analytics in an ad blocker??

Personally, I have *twitter* and *facebook* filters set in uBlock origin and they seem to work well.