Google Now Automatically Converts Flash Ads To HTML5

An anonymous reader writes "Google today began automatically converting Adobe Flash ads to HTML5. As a result, it's now even easier for advertisers to target users on the Google Display Network without a device or browser that supports Flash. Back in September, Google began offering interactive HTML5 backups when Flash wasn't supported. The Flash-to-HTML5 conversion tools for the Google Display Network and DoubleClick Campaign Manager created an HTML5 version of Flash ads, showing an actual ad rather than a static image backup. Now, Google will automatically convert eligible Flash campaigns, both existing and new, to HTML5."

Comments

No wonder.

[roc97007]

I have flash turned off (who doesn't?) but lately I've noticed that ads have begun to autoplay again.

So, how do you make html5 "always ask first"?

Thank you!

[darkain]

While everyone else is bitching about ads being displayed (hey, adblock targets the CONTAINER, not the AD itself, so it is still blocked, just like static images were before!)...

I'm extremely THANKFUL for this! Seriously, can we not count the number of end-user exploits that have been transmitted through Flash advertising on some of the worlds largest and most visited web sites!? Adobe and the Flash platform have a horrendously bad reputation in the security market. As someone who has to constantly fix other people's computers, this is a much MUCH welcomed change!!

oh wait, shit, what am I saying... less broken computers = less paychecks for me... FUCK. NNNOOOO, BRING THE FLASH BACK!!! :-O

Too CPU hungry

[Blaskowicz]

Single thread CPU performance stopped improving a good while ago - or more strictly speaking it goes up very slowly. Please.. these ads will only make everyone's life worse.
End result, everyone will have to block ads. I'm not buying a new motherboard, CPU and RAM to have the PC not struggle under the load of ads.

Re:Google had Flash ads?

[mjwx]

Great Scott! It appears I've been leading a sheltered life thanks to AdBlock, Ghostery and the like. I did not expect that level of douchebaggery from them, though. Well, hope AdBlock is ready for this.

Yeah, it's like the HORROR the web looks like when you are working on an end user's PC and they only have Internet Exploder.

I guess there will be HTML5 blocker extensions soon.
And I'll use them. Why? I hate ads. To me there is NO SUCH THING as an acceptable ad. I will never surf without ad blockers running. And if you don't like it, take your site offline.

And now that its happened, I'm going to blow my own trumpet.

For all the people who bashed Flash and said HTML5 is our lord Geezus and Saviour, I hope you enjoy it because now that you've more or less killed flash all the things flash was being used for (I.E. annoying the living shit out of you with ads) is now in HTML5. The problem is, Flash was a plugin, you cold block it completely at that level and easily select the bits you wanted to play. Now with HTML5 the ads and annoying videos are part of the code so in order to block them you need to parse the code. This means advertisers can get even trickier in hiding ads as part of the content and ad blockers are going to have to wrestle with a higher number of false positives.

If you thought adwords was annoying, wait until you have adword videos in HTML5 (and if I've thought of it, you can bet that someone with less scruples has too). So you've killed flash and all the evil that was in flash is not moving to HTML 5 where it'll be easier to hide and harder to block. There's your victory, drink it in.