For non-computer guys like me, I found the YouTube video Ripper to be perfect. Here's why.

1. Downloaded easy with a desktop icon for ease of use.

2. I was able to download a ton of songs in MP3 to which were then easy to burn to disk. (Some sound quality better than others as are all YouTube videos)

3. For videos, I was able to find the right format for both of my home computers.

4. My son was able to rip videos to his iPod without problem.

5. By using tube as opposed to Limewire, I find my fear of viruses to be non existent.

6. YouTube has all the music that I like and easier to find and cheaper than LimeWire and Itunes.

7. I can download as many songs for as fast as I can go, walk away for a couple of minutes and they will all be in the folder ready to go.

Again, I'm sure many people who are competent with computers could find technical issues to look into more deeper but for a beginner like me, I find it perfect.

it was my fault it crashed and gave me the error not Windows or the Program...awesome

I hope you will repost this, I received an error and now will not launch again.
When I used it when first downloaded works awesome
Great Program

This program installed fine, but when I ran the register program, it didn't register the key, and thought it was still unregistered. I'm running Vista Home Premium.

Installed it, ran it, it crashed my computer. Had to reinstall everything & lost a ton of stuff that didn't backup properly. I don't recommend it.

I get an option to purchase now and so many days left after successful install and activation on Vista 64 bit Home Premium.

#25 Antonio: I clicked on the Keepvid link, typed in a YouTube URL, clicked on the "Download" button and waited a few minutes. Nothing happened! I use the latest version of Firefox, so the "all files have finished downloading" link should have appeared in the lower-right hand corner of my monitor and Firefox's "Download" box should have appeared as the video was being downloaded to show its progress. What gives? What did I do incorrectly? Is there anybody out there that can help me at this late date?

Yeah! Great offering on the same day YouTube goes down for some pretty heavy duty continual maintenance!!!!!

You gotta be kidding me! Outraged!!!! MuthaF***ers@@!!##

tHis Is pretTTy obSOlette# if you arsk me!

As with all of the GOTD youtube downloaders, I get "invalid URL" message for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP0ZOWYGxZw

Anyone have any ideas, or am I missing something?

Seems pretty buggy. I chose to download a Vid in MP3 format, it's telling me that it completed but there is nothing in the download folder. I then downloaded the same vid in FLV format, this time it created a 0 byte icon in the download folder and is telling me that it's complete. Looks like some one needs to work on the bugs if they really want to market this product.

works on windows 7 ultimate! :)

You don't need this BS software. FlashGot is a free Firefox plugin that, along with its standard features of integrating with download managers, can download videos from youtube and other embedded video sites. If you don't want to get that, though, you're in luck. You can just add "pwn" to the beginning of any youtube url (http://www.youtube.com/whatever -> http://www.pwnyoutube.com/whatever) and download the video in either flv or mp4 that way, no extra plugins needed.

i downloaded this software but have been unable to register it following the instructions given

I think that the best option if you want quality in conversion is:PSP Video(H.264 MP4)but make a big files.

@47 Stanz - Strictly a workaround but if you find the vid you want at video.msn.com (and they're all there somewhere) you can use the normal methods - I use RealPlayer and right click on the video and select "Download to RealPlayer", and it's pretty reliable.

Question: Why do some people post "alternatives" that only do SOME of what a particular software that is offered here can do? Such as software that can ONLY download youtube videos, as opposed to ALSO converting the videos into your preferred format, as this nice application does?

I think the answer to that question is because there are a lot of smug, self-important people here who don't actually try the software, but want everyone to listen to them. Is there any way that the rest of us can help these people get actual jobs or maybe somehow be productive in society? Probably not.

to answer #14 question ...
first it is a free download..
second, you can download other places other than youtube (ie google video, dailymotion, etc, etc...)
third, you can automatically convert to other formats or stay at flv format
hope that answer satisfies some people

Don't know what I did wrong but with each video I attempt to download, it says "invalid URL" even though I did the "drag and drop" as well as cut & paste... nothing seems to work. I tried re-installing it and activating it again but have the same problem.

Thank Jobat for this freeware very good.If you have install before:K lite codec 500 f,WM9 codec,ffdshow and divx for viewer in player Media player clasic(from K lite)for some format and use:Windows media player 10 for wmv format it's splendid.To not forget when you make setting to put on high.Convertor and downloader work excelent and if you use this viewers you have a more better quality than if you use:My Simple player from here.Also is free and free from malicious software.

PS: I have VideoGet and a couple others i have tried. I can view it on my computer but not my TV. I am not techno literate ! My brother is a musician and likes to watch some of the videos but does not have a computer. Thanks people.

#33 and > others.. I just want to put the video on a DVD and put the DVD in a DVD player and watch it on TV. I don't have any 'toys' such as Nintendo and Wii or such as them. I feel my 'wants' are simple I just don't know the extension needed or how to get them to view on the TV. Thanks peeps.. ;) Brenda

I just use download helper add on in FF. If you are watching a low res flv it will also let you download the mp4 version if it has one. But I autamatically default to the HQ mp4 if available anyway.

Another reason to use Fire Fox not IE, and especially not IE8.

Does anyone know how this compares to SoThink that was offered on here awile ago?? (i downloaded this, but must've missed VideoGet)
Thank you!
Vicky

Applian Technologies says they have a program which will download flash/streaming/any videos from CNBC etc. I don't have it because of the cost but you can try it out for free. Maybe GOTD could get them to offer their program? Would like to see a discussion here about Applian Replay Media Catcher.

#45, I think I figured it out. The same thing happened to me. Don't open the program after you run setup. Run activate and when that's done. Then open the download and it's registered and the 30 day trial message is gone.

Brenda #27, Below is how I do it for myself:
1. I hooked up a PC with WIRELESS keyboard and mouse to my HDTV LCD(Samsung). Set my PC to the lowest resolution (800x600) when viewing Youtube video for best quality in fullscreen, switch to HIGHEST for DVD/AVI playing for 1080 resolution.

2. I installed FLVplayer4free from http://www.flvplayer4free.com/. Also, I installed codec from this site since I want this player to play other formats of video besides FLV. I like this program over VLC becuase of its' interface and you can save playlist easily.
3. I use aTube Catcher from http://atube-catcher.dsnetwb.com/get-video-software-windows-home/ ,and realplayer to collect my FLV collections. Rememer to delete the _M*.dat files from your \Local Settings\Temp from times to times because aTube catcher doesn't clean up after itself. You can use today GAOTD if you like it. I like aTube Catcher because it has Queue manager for dowload. You just copy a link from YouTube playlist, and click download. Then the program presents you selection list so you can place a check mark for video you want to download. I keep my download in FLV format to save time. You can also use LINK extractor from http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/link-extractor.shtml to get the video URL for your download.

4. I run FLVplayer4free, create the playlist and save it on the desktop. when others or I want to watch the videos, just double click on the saved playlist and enjoy.

*** Or, you can use today giveaway or aTube Catcher to download to mpg or avi format, burn to a DVD, and play it on your DivX dvdplayer for another method (I haven't done it).

Hey folks,

does anybody know of a freeware proggie which is capable of downloading videoclips from CNBC?

I know of none and I tried quite a bulk ...

#16: "whenever I download a video with VideoGet, even when I simply paste the video link into VideoGet, without actually visiting the YouTube site, an identical copy of the .FLV (standard) or .MP4 (High Quality) footage still gets created in my Temporary Internet Folders (IE8 cache). These files which usually have generic names such as “video[1].flv” linger in the cache,"

Depending on the site, video etc, Flash video gets downloaded to your hard drive, hopefully faster than you can play it, so you don't get stuttering, pauses & such. Sometimes you don't need a download program, & can simply copy that stored file wherever you like -- sometimes it's named .tmp & you have to change that to .flv. Often it's locked &/or hidden so you can't copy it, which is why there are so many downloaders.

At any rate, there's only one reason not to empty the cache for your browser, & that's if you visit the same site, with the same content up, & want to save from downloading the same stuff twice. While the cache is usually a managed folder, that won't grow beyond whatever maximum you set, for privacy, security, & efficiency you're in my opinion better off to empty it, along with any cookies, every time the browser closes -- something Firefox will gladly do for you, as will ie except for cookies which it keeps... I always delete those separately, but also normally use Firefox so I don't have to.

"I strongly recommend installing VideoLAN VLC media player."

It is good -- I usually recommend it -- but for those with limited disc space, it might help to know that it's a 17 MB download that expands to a 70+ MB folder. Usually safest just before/after a version update, videolan.org also hosts nightly builds without any installer -- the 7zip format download is usually around 13 MB, which while still large, the 4 MB savings can be a big difference on dial-up.

* * *

#26: "Windows media wont play the files"

You didn't mention what format you can't play... WinMedia Player depends on whatever codecs you have & how they're installed. Media Player Classic & VLC are two hugely popular alternatives. Or there are a few *just* flv players out there if you prefer -- check out Riva.

* * *

#27: "I need software that makes videos able to be viewed on television…"

#33: "...if you have an xbox/PS3/Media centre PC then just stream the vid from your puter to the telly."

Most PC video cards & laptops have a video out or HDMI for connecting a TV (you can use a 2nd DVI connection with many LCD TVs) & there's loads of 3rd party hardware, like players that work with external hard drives or flash memory cards. However you do it you don't need Windows XP Media Center, or the media center in Vista or 7... You just need to be able to play the video, & physically connect to whatever screen.

Bear in mind, while on-line video can be quite good, even HD, a lot of stuff can look pretty nasty if you have to up-size it to fit your TV.

NOW I AM CONFUSED!!!! I downloaded/activated this program as per instructions and then it requests reg name/number and says this is only a 30 day trial offer otherwise. If this is a trial offer I am NOT interested and will remove it as such.

Video YouTube Ripper works, but seems a bit buggy. Using the latest Firefox in XP Pro SP3 32, dragging video links to the download basket [a small floating window] didn't work. However, selecting the link YouTube provides for sharing automatically inserts it into an add url window, so you just have to click download & you're done. The main window shows download progress, which happens in spurts - I kept getting an error window about the clipboard, but it didn't seem to effect anything. Destination & format are selected in the program settings before selecting video & downloading -- selecting flv downloads the video without any conversion... in that case what you get is identical to what's on-line.

The program itself is small, with minimal impact to Windows registry, BUT, it's set to add a "lib" folder to Windows System32 or SysWOW64 folder on installation... this folder holds 5 files for video conversion, & it's location in the Windows folder *might* cause problems for other video software.

Far as alternatives go, there really are too many to begin to list. Orbit's popular, but some find it's integration with your browser a pain. Firefox extensions are popular too, but some object to what they feel are violations of your privacy. Cache viewers have always been popular, but as more DRM's added, they work on fewer & fewer videos.

For converting flv [Flash video] files to something more portable, GOTD has hosted quite a few converters, & every time they have folks have contributed loads of alternatives. Personally I prefer AviSynth to get the flv into VirtualDub, where I crop/resize it to fit the portables & re-encode, but that's me.

here's how I do it with no program: open folder options, click show hidden files and folders, goto doc/and settings, owner, local settings (which should now be visible),temporary internet files (which should also be visible now), scroll down list until you find FLV file you want, which if it isn't named will usually be at the bottom if you haven't gone to any other page, copy and paste on d. top or wherever convert with fav converter. I get all my video this way except for some like national geo. You do have to wait until the entire file is loaded into temp i-net files...no problems and it works 98% of the time...just my way of doing it is all, don't know about vista but it works on XP.

I have used Internet Download Manager for some time now. When I first downloaded it was free but now sells for $29.95, I think. IDM has very good support which is good if you need help. My other down-loader it Orbit which will download just about anything. It is more complicated but worth learning. There are other very good free down-loaders on Firefox which are mentioned elsewhere in today's comments.

#27 - Brenda, depends on what you mean by playing on the TV. Basically, there's two ways to do it. If you mean by connecting your computer to your TV, or through an intermediate device like an old vcr, a vcr/dvd combo or a dvd recorder, then you don't need to worry about types of software. When you connect to your TV, whatever you would see on your computer monitor, you'll see on your TV. So you could even watch the videos right off youtube.

If you mean burn them to DVD then watch them on your TV, what you need is DVD burning software. The formats used to watch the videos on your computer are not related to the formats needed to play them on a reguar DVD player. Roughly, the burning software takes the computer formats and converts the videos to a DVD format. It will also allow you to organize your videos and create a menu for the DVD, etc.. You should understand that it's not the same as just copying files to a DVD, which you can also do with most burning softwares. You have to use the burner's function that does video DVDs, or sometimes you could use the older Video CD format (VCD) which is slightly more friendly to lower quality videos. The other kind, data DVDs, won't play on a home DVD player. You can find more than one software - some free - that will both grab videos and burn video DVDs and GOTD gives one away once in a blue moon.

However, you shouldn't need that because you likely already have DVD burning software and may not realize it. My Vista Home Premium machine comes with the very simple Windows DVDmaker software, which will also burn photos to play on your TV, as most burners should. And my computer manufacturer bundled in Roxio's fully featured CD and DVD burning software. If you can't find what you may have, just type something like "make video DVDs" into your Windows help.

For you, the real issue in selecting a way to get videos downloaded from the clip sites is quality. YouTube got started using Shockwave Flash, and, although it's gotten better, Flash isn't a high quality video format. A lot of the clip sites now encourage people to upload high quality - also called high resolution or "high res" - videos. Those are the kind that are going to look better on your TV. To put it roughly, the lower the quality the smaller the screen needed to make it look decent and vice versa. The most appropriate format for what your talking about is MP4. You want to start with these higher quality formats if possible. Converting a Flash to an MP4 is almost trying to "make a silk purse out of sow's ear". It's not really going to create quality were there wasn't much in the first place.

Since people say today's software doesn't deal with zeroing in on these high res videos - and is designed only for YouTube - it really isn't what you're looking for. Look at some of the other options mentioned here and you can also read up and find all kinds of software on other sites, like this one:

videohelp.com

See, we wanna help. A lot of people don't get answers, though, because they don't know what to ask for. It helps to be as specific as you can.

YouTube Ripper great assistant to work with music. I was surprised at the assessment, do not understand why the low ratings of more than high.
поиск

Instlation wet well no problems there and the download was quick and efficent my only problem was the quality of the video after it was downloaded to my computer. The video quality was so horrid that I couldnt even tell what I was watching and the audio quality thou not as bad still hurt my ears. Other then those two things I had no problems with this software

Realplayer can do this also and is my preferred choice. For most systems, you probably already have RealPlayer and it's free ALL THE TIME.

I use a free alternative by DVD Video Soft. The program is actually a free studio with a bunch of free programs that do different things. Downloading any one freeware will download the studio. From the Studio you can install (or open if they are already installed) additional programs. I use this all the time and it converts a full quality full length movie (Xvid) to 300-400 mb for IPOD, PSP, etc. The link goes to the freeware page (22 programs, all by DVD Video Soft).

http://dvdvideosoft.com/

I prefer Ashampoo Clipfinder, it is free, you see a video preview, you can search and it just doesn't do only YouTube, also can save in different formats not just .flv

Free alternative: Youtube Downloader. Also converts the file to muliple formats including mp3, if you just want a song. You do have to cut the video url and then run your mouse over the input line for the video download where it where auto paste. But, it's worth it becuase Youtube downloader won't cause some downloaded videos to throw codec errors like Firefox's download helper sometimes does does.

http://download.cnet.com/YouTube-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html

Why use 2nd party program would normally have to pay for if wasn't free today which uses more resources on system. Like already mentioned Firefox download helper extension does same thing on almost all video sites with choice of how want to download...fvl.mp3...ect Not only youtubes but almost all i have stumbled upon.

#27 - Brenda - Depends on what you want to do and what videos you want to watch. If you just want to watch you tube vids on your telly and you have a Nintendo Wii just use the internet channel and surf to You Tube. If you have Vids on your puter some dvd players play Xvid's so just burn a disc and away you go. I have seen these on sale in Lidl/Aldi for under £30.

Another way is if you have an xbox/PS3/Media centre PC then just stream the vid from your puter to the telly.

It downloads the files well enough and can convert to different formats. There's a large icon that gives instructions to "drag and drop the URL" to. This is a little confusing. I could drag the brower's tab onto it but it's easier to just select the URL. The program will automatically enter it if highlighted and copied.

I don't like the large icon that appears on screen, always on top, and there doesn't appear to be a way to turn it off. It's fine when actually downloading but it's not something I would want running all the time. And considering the program will find it from a highlighted URL, it's not really necissary.

Minor bug: The config setting for setting the download location says "browser" instead of "browse."

There's so many free YouTube downloaders that one wonders how a company could even sell such a program. And like many GotD programs, it appears to be just part of a package. This program could be better if it handled Veoh and other sites like a few other programs. The conversion is one feature many free downloaders don't have, although with more and more player programs designed to handle flv it isn't always necissary.

I have only used it twice this morning, but it is flawless. Downloads the video and saved it to an AVI.

Another very good freeware downloader comes with the installation of RealPlayer. It dynamically adds a "download this video" button to the browser page above the video display area, and is real easy to use.

At the risk of being voted down, I still say that when so many free and very good downloaders are available, one would have to be crazy to pay $24.95 (or anything) for another one.

I personally use youtubedownloaderhd.com. A lot of times one option doesn't work, but one of the two high quality settings always does. This ensures the best possible quality video taken from the best video originally uploaded to youtube.

I need software that makes videos able to be viewed on television... Will this do that? I have asked this several times on gaotd but no one ever responses .. will someone please do so this time. All I need is to be able to watch the videos on Television. Thanks Brenda at kingsley@aol.com

works for windows 7.
quick setup
help full if you know your enternet is going to be down

Windows media wont play the files

Hi everybody.
To download videos from Youtube no sotfware is needed.
Just go to http://keepvid.com/, type the Youtube url of the video you want to download and download it, that is all.

1-Click YouTube Batch Downloader
#11, this downloader looks promising, but requires you to sign up - and then won't let you do that because the database is full and is an awful mess.
Without signing up and giving them your email address, you can't download anything!

Considering the fact that the YT terms of service disallow ripping the videos, I'd say this is hardly the kind of software GOTD would want to support, unless this software is specifically designated as as "authorized" by YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/t/terms

C. You agree not to access User Submissions (defined below) or YouTube Content through any technology or means other than the video playback pages of the Website itself, the YouTube Embeddable Player, or other explicitly authorized means YouTube may designate.

B. You may access User Submissions solely:

* for your information and personal use;
* as intended through the normal functionality of the YouTube Service; and
* for Streaming

Thumbs down, just for what it does, and is.