Opera integrates adblocker and video popup in browser

The latest version of Opera has a built-in ad blocker and the option to display video streams from all websites in a popup. The ad blocker also provides insight into the loading time difference between the same page with or without ads.

According to the Opera team, some websites may load 90 percent faster without bloated ads, which is the main reason the team previously decided to add its own built-in ad blocker to the developer version of the browser. That version has now reached stable status and blocks ads at the web engine level.

The company says that browsing is on average 62 percent faster than without ad blocking. Also, the native operation of the adblocker would reduce memory usage even further, to nearly half that of Opera without the adblocker, and about 35 percent less memory usage than Opera together with AdBlock Plus.

By default, the feature is disabled, but when Opera is launched for the first time, the browser asks if the user wants to block ads. You can enable or disable the adblocker on individual pages by clicking on the shield on the right side of the url input bar. By clicking on the shield, you can also test the difference in loading time between a page with or without ads. The adblock feature has also been added to the Android version of Opera Mini.

In addition to blocking advertisements, Opera also offers the option of playing video streams in its own pop-up, even if that option is not offered by the stream provider by default. The page on which the video is played must remain open; the pop-up closes when the relevant tab is closed. Furthermore, the pop-up has the necessary buttons, such as ‘play’, ‘pause’, volume control, a time bar and an option to close the pop-up immediately.

The latest version of the browser can be downloaded for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Video popup in Opera 37