Hello all! I am currently in an area that has poor or no internet connection. I am curious if anyone has something they could recommend for downloading some youtube videos. None of them are copy-written material or anything like that.

I figure if anyone would know, it would be someone on the forums here:)

Thanks!

I will be back on the grid in a week or so!

http://keepvid.com/

Thanks for that one, until now I used Youtube Downloader HD which comes from a site my AV doesn't like.

I will try keepvid.

YTD might as well be a virus. I installed it for one project and had nothing but problems until I removed it and did several security sweeps.

While you are on YouTube.com just add "ss" to the video URL in order to start the default YouTube downloader. For instance:
Original URL: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YOcmSsBfafg
URL for downloading: http://ssyoutube.com/watch?v=YOcmSsBfafg

seems to work for me altho' I don't download many videos.

Alyn

Alyn, I don't download videos either (I either record the audio in real time, or save the URL). But as a programmer I'm curious about your coding suggestion. What does the SS do, and what does it mean?

Matt,

I haven't got a clue to answer either of your questions. I was told about it, by a friend, a while back when I was doing my version of "Fancy Underwear" with Joanne Cooper, but I instead got the video/files legitimately.

I have just googled "just add "ss" to the video URL in order to start the default YouTube downloader" and got this: http://en.savefrom.net/1-how-to-download-youtube-video/ which doesn't explain anything.

But the last thing I would do is install something from that page.

So no help there, sorry.

Alyn

Swiping videos from the internet is just a bad idea. Find a way that you can live without them for the week. Be creative.

OK, maybe swiping is a term that sounds a bit judgmental.

I realize you are borrowing while not having access to the internet. Do you really even need a computer when you aren't near internet access?

A few years ago, I did ALOT of traveling for work. I wanted to record while on the road. I found that it was more of a hassle to try to take everything along with a PC. Even a uke and my USB mic which functioned as a headphone monitoring interface, just too much hassle.

What off the grid activity requires you to have access to YouTube vids? Just curious.

Both Real Player and Gom offer downloading. If I recall with Gom you have to download a downloader as well as the app. I keep both in my system, Go also has an A to B repeat function which is great for isolating a section of music, or film. This is essential for watching music tutorials IMO.

Z

I don't have a problem with it, never had, but I one doesn't pay attention to what is downloaded and what is installed, a computer might get easily infected.

Avira warns me when I download from that site, after YTD is installed no antivirus software that I have finds malware on my computer.

I've bought RealPlayer once and kept it updated for a couple of years, but download often did not work. When I went from XP to 7 I did't transfer that license to the new computer.

If I pay for a feature, then I want it to work, everytime.

I use YouTube vids for reference. I do have many specially arranged recordings of tunes that I use for my square dance calling. For most tunes I keep the original as a reference since the square dance version might be different, sometimes it sounds heavily disguised. Most originals I have on CDs or vinyl albums, some I don't have.

Most are just saved and never listened to a second time, some I revisit to enhance my performance of that song. I do have a dedicated usb drive for that purpose. On that drive there are all files representing that song, be it a video, sound file, sheet music, lyrics... It is my private sound library. Eventually it will hold all my vinyl albums and singles, CDs, even some cassette tapes, copies of all the sheet music and lyrics that I have. The library grows, one piece at a time.

Matt, I clicked Alyn's download link in his post and was redirected to a website download page. So it appears the 'ss' is to redirect the video to a download webpage.

Thank you for that, Charlie, I should have explained it better in my post but then I don't want to download videos as I watch them on my laptop sometimes using my big TV as a second monitor.

I like it if I ever am in a situation when there is no internet access as I can then do the old fashioned things like read a book or talk to people.

Alyn

Just to clarify, you do not have to download anything with keepvid beyond the file itself? I ask because obviously some of you have used it. If it was safe for you, chances are it would be safe for me as well

As far as adding "ss", that actually changes the website you are going to. As an example, if someone registered sspgmusic.com, you would not being going to pgmusic.com or anything associated with pgmusic.

The rest of the address in the adding "ss" would tell the site where on youtube you wanted to go. It may be ok, but just realize at any point and time, they could change that to something not so good. Just a heads up.

I ended up using real player. Thanks for the reminder on that! It worked great!

Now to answer all of this...



Perhaps I am being creative and maybe my ideas aren't so bad. There are A LOT of assumptions being made here.

I was always taught to ask questions before giving your opinion.




Very much so. I'm sure there are other ways, but to me, that would be complicating it for the sake of being creative. Not needed when there is a simple solution.



I'm sure it would be.



I am have some relatives who aren't into computers for various reasons, and even if they were, don't have great internet service by them. Heck, even my phone, where it normally says "4g" or "2g", only says "g"...I've never seen that before. It's usually one of the first two or nothing at all.

Anyway, a relative serving overseas posts some short videos for the family (it's a big family) and they have heard about them, but haven't seen them. I was looking to download them, drive back to their house and let them see them since they asked "is there any way to see them?" They don't get around well, so I thought I would bring the videos to them.

Like I said starting the thread, not copy-written material or anything. The reason he posted to youtube is, it's easy for him, and he doesn't have a lot of time to be doing this in the first place.

It wasn't about the internet, technology or anything like that. It wasn't about distracting myself and missing out on what is around me or having a problem "unplugging." If that was the case you would have seen a lot more posts from me on here! I'm only responding now because I had to upload a video from them and wanted to say a quick "thank you" to the community for all of their help!

Overall, this was about connecting people...family! Sharing what was meant to be shared within a family. The technology actually became fairly transparent. I feel that's how it should have been too.

I think what I did was a great idea and creative enough. I saw their reactions...the looks on their faces where priceless. It was a shared moment, followed by a lot of great conversation. I'm glad I could do it!

I've used KeepVid for nearly a year. You typically need to download the audio and video and use their utility to combine them. I was using it to save tutorial videos offline.

The only concern for using it is you need to make sure you know what's an ad banner and what's the KeepVid app. Some of the ads on their site are suspicious and you need to be careful.

I use HD Downloader as a Firefox addon and then use Media Player Classic to play them but it seems like all the major media players should play them ok. Inside HD Downloader is a dropdown where you tell it where to save them.

As far as downloading copywritten stuff is concerned I don't see the problem that some of you seem to see. As long as I'm not giving the vids to someone else all I'm doing is the same thing we all do when recording a TV show on a DVR. You can download or record anything you want, you just can't give that content to someone else. That's called Fair Use.

Bob