Ever tried to watch a YouTube video only to be bombarded with ads, suggestions and other nonsense? Sometimes I just want to watch a quick video, but the forced beginning ad is actually longer than the clip I wanted to see. Add to this the annoying comments that make you wonder how much time people really have on their hands. Luckily, two amazingly simple tools strip YouTube and down to the bare basics.
Pick Your Favorite
ViewPure and Quietube are almost identical. Both offer a bookmarklet that lets you click the button and immediately clean up a YouTube video. Both even let you send shortened links to friends so they can enjoy a purified YouTube video.
If you’re looking for more options, ViewPure might be the best choice. You can create a custom link to share with friends that’s easy to remember. For instance, instead of the long YouTube ID, you could create a link such as viewpure.com/funnycatvid. You can also password protect your link, change video screen dimensions, choose between black or white web page background and even set a start time so your friends can get straight to the good part of the video.
The Benefits
Sometimes suggested videos and comments aren’t appropriate for some locations and ages. The ads and backgrounds that appear outside the video window itself are distracting. By using one of these tools, you’ll no longer see anything but the video window. No video suggestions, no list of comments, no ads in the video itself. If you’ve never viewed a YouTube video without clutter, you’ll be amazed at the difference and find yourself using these tools more and more.
Another major benefit – both tools are completely free to use. If you’re worried about adding unnecessary loading time to your videos, I only experienced a few second delay in extensive testing.
Using ViewPure
Your first option is to copy and paste a YouTube URL on ViewPure’s page and click Create. The screen will suddenly change and all you’ll see is a plain white or black background and the video screen. You may see the occasional ad at the bottom of the window, but not on the video itself.
Alternately, drag the Purify button on ViewPure’s site to your browser’s toolbar. When you’re on a YouTube video page, click the Purify button on your toolbar to instantly clean the video for basic, uninterrupted viewing.
Using Quietube
Quietube only offers one way to use it. You have to first drag the quietube button to your browser’s toolbar. Next, visit any YouTube, Vimeo or Viddler video page and click the quietube toolbar button to clean the video. As with ViewPure, you may notice an occasional ad at the bottom of the page, but nothing inappropriate or distracting.