Today on Nit Nerds News: YouTube’s latest crackdown on ad blockers makes videos unplayable. Get an 85-inch TV for $60 if you live in or around Ohio. New Beats Buds under $100 are on the way. Marantz has a new all-in wonder box that unites audiophiles and videophiles. And Asus has a new OLED monitor for everyone.
Welcome to Nit Nerds News, all the need-to-know news about the stuff you watch and the stuff you use to watch it on in just a few quick minutes.
YouTube cracks down on ad blocking
Our top headline this week: YouTube’s latest effort to abate ad-blocking now makes videos unwatchable to any YouTube viewers who use a browser extension to block ads. With an ad blocker turned on, viewers will now find that YouTube videos simply skip to the end. And It looks like those using ad-blockers on their phone will experience the same.
In what has been an ongoing cat-and-mouse game, we can expect workarounds from popular ad blockers like AdBlock before too long, though it stands to reason that YouTube’s latest effort may be harder than ever to circumvent.
YouTube’s premium subscription tier offers an ad-free experience for a recently hiked rate of $14 a month. And while ads on YouTube certainly line the pockets of those at Alphabet, Google and YouTube’s parent company, those ads also support the creators who upload content to YouTube.
Ohio Stadium selling 85-inch TVs for $60
Want an 85-inch TV for $60? Well, if you don’t mind getting a used TV and you happen to live in or around Ohio, you’re in luck. Hamilton County, Ohio, is selling off TVs that were once in use at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium. Forty-inch to 49-inch TVs go for $40, 50 to 55s for $50, and anything larger than that — up to 85 inches — sells for $60. Buyer beware, though: While the TVs were working when they were removed from the stadium, they come with no warranty and no remote. No word on what brand these TVs are. But at those prices? Do you really care?
This section is sponsored by Hisense
Hisense U8N Mini-LED ULED 4K Google TV
The Hisense U8N ULED carries on Hisense’s tradition of providing more performance for your dollar than you thought possible. They come in screen sizes ranging from 55 to 85 inches. The 65-inch U8N I tested produced over 3500 nits peak brightness while also displaying incredibly deep black levels and super-vibrant color. It’s got a long list of gamer-friendly features, runs Google TV smooth as silk, and, as I said in my full review of the U8N, its picture quality is going to drop jaws. Its mini-LED-powered backlight system delivers high brightness that makes the U8N particularly well-suited for daytime viewing in bright rooms, but it can present HDR content as the creator intended in dark rooms as well. Oh, and the onboard 2.1.2 sound system will shock you by how much bass it can produce, plus dialogue was naturally clear without the aid of onboard dialogue clarity settings, though Hisense makes that available should you want it.
Beats introduces new affordable buds
In non-nit-news, Beats has introduced a new line of its Solo earbuds. The new Beats Solo Buds will cost about $80, and come in myriad colors, including Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple and Transparent Red. If you want the purple, you’ll have to get them at Apple or Target. The battery life is quoted at up to 18 hours, and they are Beats’ tiniest buds yet.
Asus $750 OLED monitor
Looking for an inexpensive OLED gaming monitor? It looks like Asus has you covered. The new Asus ROG Strix 27-inch OLED gaming monitor comes in at just $750 and, according to Digital Trends’ Jacob Roach, who reviewed the monitor, not only is it well priced, but it’s a great performer.
Marantz M1 digital streaming amp
Premium audio brand Marantz has a new piece of gear that promises to unite digital music lovers and videophiles. The new M1 streaming amplifier is an all-digital amplifier with a suite of digital audio inputs and a streaming interface built-in. One of those digital inputs happens to be an eARC port to accommodate TV audio.
The amp section is 100% digital, so all signals will stay in the digital domain before being delivered to nearly any passive speakers you’d like to use at a claimed 100 watts per channel. The M1 boasts extremely low distortion numbers, too, so it looks like this amp might sound as good as it looks. The M1 supports high-res digital audio and a host of streaming services. Expect to spend about $1,000 or just under for this bit of kit.
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