If your smart tv is android based you can try side loading Smart Tube, which integrates ad block, sponsor block and a whole pile of QoL settings you can tweak to suit you.

https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTube

on android it's possible. i use firefox with ublock origin, and revanced.

You can set custom DNS to block ads and whatnot on androids and most smart TVs AFAIK. It should just be a setting somewhere. I use

base.dns.mullvad.net

For TV you might need IP address in which case it's 194.242.2.4.

Source and more info about this here: https://mullvad.net/en/help/dns-over-https-and-dns-over-tls

@McDropout

How to block #ads on #Android

Block ads on the web: Firefox + uBlock Origin.

A must have, if you want to browse the web without ads, trackers, malware and more. There are other browsers you could use, but with #firefox, you can install add-ons to help you mitigate all the tracking and ads. You can even install desktop only add-ons now, and supporting a engine which is not #chromium (controlled by Google) like every other major browser.

There are multiple forks available on the F-droid if you don't want to use plain firefox. This works on desktop too, I recommend #LibreWolf.

Block ads on any app with: #TrackerControl.

My favorite way of blocking ads, you have control over which domain the app can connect. It works like a VPN, but it does not make any outgoing connection. The bad thing is, if you want to use an actual #VPN, you can't have both at the same time and you need to disable your custom DNS.

I recommend to enable in settings > advanced options > block system apps, and individual domains too. When you open the app for the first time, it asks you if you want to block essential request for the apps to work, I recommend to enable this if you don't want apps breaking.

You android vendor may be killing the app, for this reason is necessary to add the app in the list of apps not be optimized by the system. If this issue keeps happening follow the guide from dontkillmyapp.com (advanced)

Official website: TrackerControl.org

Set a custom #DNS in the settings.

A DNS works like a translator, computers are good with numbers, but we are not good at memorizing long numbers. Computers communicate with each other using the Internet Protocol (IP), which are pure numbers. For example, your instance #IP is 104.26.8.209 but is easier to us just type lemmy.world.

A DNS is like a table where it has a relationship between keys pointing lemmy.world to 104.26.8.209, so your computer knows where is the computer is trying to connect.

Let's imagine an app is trying to connect to "https://ads-from.company.com", if you are using a DNS which blocks known domain ads it will redirect that request to "0.0.0.0" which is like sending it to a black hole. There are multiple DNS available, which different purposes, for ads, malware, porn, gambling, etc.

#Mullvand VPN has a guide in how to use their DNS for multiple devices.

Alternative front-ends.

Have in mind that these are not full bulletproof protections, one may work better than the other, and can break from time to time. With popular services with ads, like social media, you could use alternative front-ends to their official client or website.

Here is a list of alternative front-ends and an add-on to automatically redirect to them, you have to use it with a browser and you can add as a shortcut to the home screen, better if it works like a #PWA https://libredirect.github.io

Alternative apps

1. YouTube: NewPipe, LibreTube, NewPipe x SponsorBlock
2. Twitter: Squawker
3. YouTube Music: Harmony Music
4. Twitch: Xtra, Twire

if you’re using an iphone, you can sideload uyou+enhanced through Altstore. it comes with an adblocker, shorts blocker, sponsorblock, a downloader and more.

What about DNS level AdBlock + FOSS front ends? NewPipe x SponsorBlock and ViMusic.

They only scan the videos whether they can put ads on them, and content id so they can get music labels to upload their stuff to the platform. They don’t care about the rest.

Shoot, I didn’t even consider Google purposefully allowing scam and malicious advertisements as a means to sell YT premium

"You either die a product, or live long enough to see yourself become a customer.

-Bruce 'Capitalism' Wayne