Even the casual YouTube browser can easily get caught up in the delights of dancing kittens, random rants, or other entertaining clips. Some of these videos that you have “safely” saved to your favorites section may not be as safe as you think. Users may delete videos or they may be deleted for legal reasons. You’ve probably at least considered downloading your favorite YouTube videos.
Fortunately, you’re not the only one who has ever wanted to download a favorite clip. There are actually many ways to achieve this goal – some more successful than others. Here’s a look at some of the best ways to download YouTube videos.
Web-based
This program is really simple, but it gets the job done. It allows you to share a YouTube video via email. The downside is that all the videos are called “get_video,” but you can remedy this by saving them to separate folders with the title of the video. Don’t forget to add “.flv” as your extension so your recipients can view them.
- VideoDownloader
This is another relatively easy-to-use download. The only real difference from Videodownloadx is that streaming videos from other sites can be downloaded too. All downloads are placed into .flv format.
- YouTube Downloads
YouTube Downloads is unique in that it uses a proxy to download videos. This program allows you to access videos even when they are restricted by country or by your server. You simply copy and paste the URL of the video you wish to download.
This is a video encoding service offering several options. The good thing about this option is that it supports multiple formats, which makes it great for various portable media player formats. Nearly all video converters have issues with out of sync video and audio, but that rarely happens with Hey!Watch.
- Media Converter
Media Converter tends be somewhat slow, but the results are usually good. In addition to video conversion, the site supports document and audio formats. This makes it a good choice for any video or audio you wish to capture as a saved file from just about any online source.
Windows Applications
YouTube Grabber has some nice features that make using the program a pleasant experience, starting with the Internet download accelerator tool. A “grab” button also makes it easier to select the videos you wish to download. It also gives you stats as you download, such as remaining time and transfer speed.
This program allows you to download videos from YouTube and other sites, including Facebook and Google Video. All downloads are automatically converted to mpeg or avi formats. This program also has a video accelerator feature to speed up the download process.
Linux
This small command-line program is not platform specific, a feature that sets it apart from the crowd. The videos can then easily be viewed via mplayer, VLC, and any other player that accepts the “flv.” format.
- YouTube Ripper
YouTube Ripper isn’t really an app, but it gets the job done. All you do is copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video you wish to download in the input box. The video will be linked to an “flv.” format, so you will need to rename the file with that extension to be able to view it. The site claims that it can be used for videos from any site, not just YouTube videos.
Plugins
- Vidtaker
Vidtaker is exclusive to Firefox, which is free to download anyway. It allows you to download videos from not only YouTube, but just about any streaming websites such as Google Video and various other sites. All videos are automatically converted to a DivX avi.
This is another Firefox plugin that allows you to download videos from many video share sites, including YouTube. An attractive feature of this plugin is a single click feature for downloading. The site also allows integration with Firefox’s popular DownThemAll plugin.
Avoid the temptation to download everything. Think about which clips you really are likely to watch and enjoy more than once. Video files can bog down your hard drive, so this advice is practical as well. YouTube videos come in all shapes and sizes, so do a little experimenting to find a method of download that works best for you. Consider putting your stored videos in labeled folders to help you find them easier when you get the urge to dig through your archives.
