How to Capture YouTube Videos on the PC
Do you ever wish you could save that funny YouTube video to show your mom who's still using an old dial-up modem, or maybe doesn't have the Internet at all? Now you can. Capturing YouTube videos to your PC for viewing at your own leisure is as easy as making a series of mouse-clicks. All you need is the right web browser with the right browser plug-in, and you'll be able to store your very own library of YouTube videos to enjoy regardless of whether or not you're online.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
-
Install Firefox
-
1
Go to http://www.mozilla.com to download and install the latest version of the Firefox web browser, if you have not already done so. If you already have Firefox installed on your PC, skip to the next section.
-
2
Click the "Download Firefox" button. If a box pops up asking, "Do you want to run or save this file?" click "Run."
-
3
Follow the instructions on the Mozilla Firefox Setup Wizard to complete installation of Firefox.
-
4
Launch Firefox.
Install Download Helper
-
1
In the Firefox web browser, go to http://www.downloadhelper.net.
-
2
Locate the link that says, "Install the extension!" and click on it. On the next page, locate a button that says "Add to Firefox" and click it.
-
3
A screen will pop up that says "Install add-ons only from authors whom you trust." Allow the installation countdown to complete, and then click "Install Now."
-
4
A new window labeled "Add-ons" will pop up and show the status of the installation. When installation is complete, a "Restart Firefox" button will appear. Click this button.
Download Videos from YouTube
-
1
Re-launch Firefox and go to http://www.youtube.com. Locate the video you wish to download and go to its Youtube page.
-
2
Click the Download Helper icon, located directly to the left of the video's title, to bring up the Download Helper menu. Click the third menu item from the top, "Download & Convert."
-
3
From the drop-down menu on the "Converter Options" pop-up box, select the format that is compatible with the device or program on which you wish to play the video (e.g. MPEG-4 for Quicktime or WMV for Windows Media Player). Click "OK."
-
4
A "Save File" dialog box will pop up. Locate the folder in which you wish to save the video. Click "Save."
-
5
A DOS-based command prompt box will appear. Do not touch anything. When conversion is complete, this box will close on its own and a message will pop up on the bottom right corner of the screen letting you know that conversion is complete. Locate the video in the location where you saved it and watch it to your heart's content.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you don't want to bother with the conversion step, Real Player will play videos on your PC that are saved in the original YouTube FLV format.
Download Helper is meant to download streaming videos for offline viewing by the same user who would have viewed it online. It does not break DRM protection, and videos saved in this manner are intended for personal use only and should not be transferred or uploaded to other sharing sites.
The Download Helper plugin does not currently work with the Firefox 4.0 beta release.
Related Searches
References
Resources
- Photo Credit video shooting on the open air party image by Alexey Klementiev from Fotolia.com
