Re: [PCWorks] Converter/adapter from YouTube to Windows format
- From: "Clint Hamilton-PCWorks Admin" <PCWorks@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <pcworks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:52:08 -0600
Obviously, "(see post #14)" doesn't apply here. ;-)
-Clint
----- Original Message -----
There are numerous ways of doing it. You first should know
this:
Recently while at YouTube I noticed they appear to be blocking
downloads with the RealPlayer plugin (see post #14), it usually
says "Unable to record", but there's a way around it. There's
also a newer version of the DownloadHelper extension for FF
that appears to work better than the previous versions.
Details:
You can sometimes get a better quality version of a watched
video by putting &fmt=18 at the end of the URL in your address
bar. (You first have to remove anything that may already be
there after an existing & in the URL, like that
"&FeatureRelated" or however it's written).
If there is a higher quality version, it will be played. If
there is not a HQ version, the video and player will just be
stretched and it will actually of course look worse. (They
appear to have removed that red "HQ" button on their players
and replaced it with the 360p/480p toggle button option, which
of course will give you the HQ version if you select the 480p.
And like the previous HQ button, not all videos will have this,
most do not).
The HQ versions (either by using &fmt=18 or clicking 480p) can
be either .flv, or .mpeg, and it depends on the video as to
which will look better. If it's a crappy blocky pixelated
c*ell-phone type clip, the smaller file size (which can
actually vary between .flv or .mpeg!), will look better because
it would have less detail making the clip look a little bit
better.
Like &fmt=18, you can also put &fmt=35 at the end of the URL,
and if there is a HQ version it will be played. Again it
depends on the video as to which of &fmt=18 or &fmt=35 will
look better! And also like the other options, a true &fmt=35
clip may be .flv, or .mpeg, but it's usually a larger .flv file
than the original (again, IF the &fmt=35 file exists).
Generally, there are quality steps: The first default clip
played is usually the worse quality (if other quality versions
exist) and is basic .flv (usually 240p or 360p. 240 lines is
the 1st gen video cameras and VCR's, and most c*ell phone
video). Generally the next step up (IF available) is .mp4 or
.mpeg (usually 480p, and you can usually get to it by using
&fmt=18 ). The next step up (IF available) is usually a large
.flv file that is of much higher quality than the default .flv
and the HQ .mpeg or .mp4 (and get to it by using &fmt=35 or
sometimes "720p" if it's available on the 360p/480p/720p
toggle. But it can be either 480p or 720p).
It's only when you append &fmt=35 onto a URL that it will
download "problem clips" using the RealPlayer plugin. After
doing that, and if the &fmt=35 version is of worse quality,
sometimes you can try the &fmt=18 and that version will then
download, and sometimes even going back to the other quality
versions will also then download. It would appear that &fmt=35
"triggers" something that will sometimes allow RP to download
more of the other versions.
The "DownloadHelper" extension for FF can be confusing and
time-consuming, and always inconsistent, but it works. While
it will almost always download "a" clip, getting it to download
the one you want is where the problems arise:
You can click the "DownloadHelper" icon and see various
versions of a video download....sometimes. Here's the
inconsistency: When first going to a page, you may see only one
version available for download, you may see two, you may see
SIX. These "versions" to download CAN be duplicated, but
called something different or with a different icon next to
them! It may also display different "versions" even when only
ONE version is available for download.
It may/usually first default to 2 .flv entries upon first view
of a clip, different icons on each, but it's the same file. If
that's all you see, you can try the &fmt=18 and &fmt=35
suffixes and see other versions to download (if available), and
you can see if the extensions are different with .flv or .mpeg
or .mp4. Usually, the HQ versions will have "HQ18" or "HQ35"
at the beginning of the names in the DownloadHelper download
list when you click the icon. Sometimes all but one of the
versions you see in the list available for download will
disappear! So you have to keep trying &fmt=18 and &fmt=35,
repeatedly, back and forth, in order for the HQ versions to
appear again in the list.
Time-consuming, and confusing to most. But with this info most
will be able to find the highest quality version of a video.
If it's a clip that's important and you want to keep, sometimes
you just have to download all 3 or 4 versions of it, and play
them to see which looks best, because the best version is not
always apparent at the YT site in their player.
Other info on this thread:
http://www.webproworld.com/other/89407-save-you-tube-videos-pc.html
As for converting the files to an editable (Windows) format,
you don't need to do that since Windows will play FLV files.
But if you want to edit them, and use them in something like
Windows Movie Maker they have to be something like .avi or
.wmv . The "DownloadHelper" extension for FF has a plugin
for it that will convert clips. It's free, but the free version
has a logo on the resultant clip, but it's small and at the
upper left corner. There's a PLETHORA of options for
converting them, thousands of combinations of formats,
codecs, bitrates, frame rates, and on and on. So it could
take a very long time to find the one that best suits any app.
The best stand-alone program I've seen for doing it is
"SUPER.exe". Loads of features and it's free.
http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html#Dnload
http://www.erightsoft.com/Superdc.html
http://www.erightsoft.com/S6Kg1.html (Download link at
the bottom but can only be accessed FROM that page).
Like the DownloadHelper convert plugin, you have to know what
you're doing in order to get the most out of it. Also like the
DownloadHelper convert plugin, there's LOADS of options. I've
found the best results (looking like the original and being
editable) by using either "AVI" or "WMV" as the output, and
"MS-mpeg4-v2" as the output Codec, and by selecting 9600
bitrate for AVI and 6000 for WMV. For AVI outputs you have to
check "Hi Quality" and "Top Quality". For WMV you should only
check "Hi Quality" because with both checked for it, the file
size is much larger and actually looks worse! At upper left
"FFmpeg" should be checked for both AVI and WMV, but
sometimes it won't work with some WMV output files and
for them you have to select "MEncoder".
Be sure in the Aspect Ratio and sizes area to keep the
original's, if you don't it will look worse. To find the frame
rate (FPS), you have to look at the Properties of a clip while
it's playing. But that info is not always listed, it depends
on the file type. Most decent camcorders are 30fps (or 29.97).
If the video appears really smooth, like TV or better, select
29.97fps (30fps is actually a lot larger and takes A LOT longer
to convert), but if you see that a clip really is 30fps in its
Properties and it's not very large, then select 30fps. If it's
more of a movie clip or trailer, select 23.976fps (again, if
the actual FPS is not listed). For clips that are obviously
choppy, like from a ce*ll phone, they are usually 15fps.
-Clint
God Bless,
Clint Hamilton, Owner
www.OrpheusComputing.com
www.ComputersCustomBuilt.com
www.OrpheusComputing.com/cheap_reliable_web_hosting.html
www.OrpheusComputing.com/PCworks-computer-help-email-list.html
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Grossman"
By the way, YouTube is a great teaching aid. I use it in my
computer classes
often. However, they changed their format several months ago,
and my YouTube
Downloader no longer works properly. Are there any good
programs out there
(did I mention free?) that convert YT directly to a standard
Windows format,
without going through Flash?
David Grossman
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