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Computer Support For Individuals And Small Business |
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12/20/10 |
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How Can Videos From YouTube Be Downloaded? |
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Q - B.B. from Littleton, CO. asks: I've got a question for you. Is it possible to copy a YouTube video to a disk or thumb drive? I am giving a presentation and have found some videos on YouTube that would be helpful.
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A: YouTube has a vast array of wonderful content in video form. It uses Adobe Flash technology. YouTube provides no easy way to download the files to be saved on your computer, so third party software is required.
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Before continuing, it is imperative to mention some content on YouTube (and other sites) is copyright protected. It is the responsibility of the user to assure compliance with any copyright laws when using videos from the internet.
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There are a number of software packages available to download the files, but one that is easy to use, and free, is VDownloader. It provides the ability to download video files based on the URL of the video and the ability to save it to your computer. The interface is straightforward and self-explanatory. Here is more information about VDownloader and a link to download.
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VDownloader also can convert a file to a number of file formats such as AVI, MPEG, iPhone, iPod, iPad, and a number of others. However, there may be some degradation of fidelity in the conversion.
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For best quality when playing a video downloaded from the internet as discussed above, we recommend downloading the files without conversion, then playing them with a media player that can handle the Adobe Flash file format (.flv extension).
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One piece of software which is easy to use is VLC media player. Another is RealPlayer. There are other media players available that can play Adobe Flash files, but either of the above will provide a quality viewing experience.
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Once a file is saved to your computer, it can easily be saved to a disk or thumb drive. However, the computer on which it is ultimately played must have a media player which can deal with the format of the file.
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