alt Hacker NewsFor long videos, I have a script that fetches the transcript using yt-dlp and pipes it to an LLM for keypoints. If the content sounds interesting, I watch it; if not, I save 45 minutes.
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sweet jesus share that script.
there are a lot of YT vids that can be summed up essentially in 2 sentences and I don't need to see 4 ads first.
YT's actual AI summary is useless, arguably net negative
YouTube included a summary:
"This video explores dishwasher detergent, focusing on a new powder formulation. The creator details the science behind effective dishwashing, including pre-wash cycles and water temperature. Independent testing results comparing the new powder to leading pods are revealed."
I can always rely on technology connections videos to be interesting to me, so no need to do any of that.
I did something similar a while back, but I treat it as "text thumbnails" and kind of replace YT frontpage with this. I don't use it all the time, but sometimes the clickbait is too much.
Also I should add Gemini (the app) is able to access YT transcripts most of the time, so sometimes I'd just paste the link and ask for a tldr. One of the few reasons to go for Gemini app, not google ai studio.
That said, Technology Connections is worth watching just because videos are very pleasant, it's probably my favorite YT subscription right now.
I did something similar but as a Chrome extension using Gemini 2.5 Flash (or Flash Lite) for summarizing.
On the page it shows an extra TLDR button near the like button.
You can change the prompt to modify how the summary looks and has an optional mode with links to specific timestamps.
Mind sharing the script? It's becoming a big problem to me: people send me links to "must watch videos" but neither the title nor description nor subchapter titles tell me what it actually is about.
In this particular case, it's spending 40 minutes of my life on something that could be explained in 4 sentences.