How to download YouTube videos

It's pretty simple to download videos from http://www.youtube.com. You don't need to be good with computers really and it's practically self-explanatory. All that's needed is a basic understanding of using Windows and search engines. But even the search engine part isn't needed as the links necessary will be provided.

What you need to do first is to locate and download some software, which enables you to download whatever it is you want off Youtube to your hard drive. There are several programs you can use and I will list them below, alongside the web site you get them from. Note: some videos simply refuse to download at times for some reason, so if you're not having any luck with them, it's best to not keep trying unless you grow frustrated.

The first program (Real Media Catcher) that you can use to download videos can be acquired at (not recommended):

http://www.applian.com/replay-media-catcher/index_youtube.php

You should select the try now option and download, then install. When done, run Replay Media Catcher and let it update the necessary files. Once that is done, you should have another box/program open letting you know it's completed, so click the okay button on that. Ignore the enter code' box and click on start demo.

Once the program is up, minimise it by clicking the _ button at the top right of the program box and go to http://www.youtube.com. Once that's done, maximise the program and tell it to not auto-record. Delete any programs that were started by selecting them and then use the delete option under transfer. Now then, open your browser and when you've found the video on Youtube that you want to download, you can go back into the Real Media Catcher program and start recording. It'll take a while to start and will automatically begin. It doesn't matter whether or not the video is playing in the background. It shouldn't anyway.

The default directory it saves them to is under your username, my documents and then my recordings. These directories can be found via Windows Explorer. The videos are saved as FLV files. To play them, you will need Flash Video Player. The player can be found on the linked web site above where you got Real Media Catcher from. Real Media Catcher also features a converter so that other player types can play what you download.

This tool is rather cumbersome and it's really only good for the FLV files. Another place you can find FLV converters is located at http://www.flv-converter.com/.

I've found that the next tool (Easy Video Downloader) can download a lot of the videos you'll want. So it's probably best to stay clear of the Real Media Catcher altogether.

You can download Easy Video Downloader, which is recommended, at http://www.videodownloader.fdrlab.com/.

It's simple to use and it isn't cumbersome at all. I can also vouch for the program. You simply click the link and take the necessary steps to download the program. It should download to whatever directory your files normally download to (or to your desktop). Go to the default download directory and run the installation program. Once installed, open the program. Open your web browser, go to Youtube and find the video you want to download. Once found, go to your address bar and highlight the web address (should be done automatically by clicking the address bar once and if not, use your mouse), then press Ctrl + C. You can now minimise the browser and maximise the Easy Video Downloader window. The next step is to move your cursor to the video URL section, click there and press Ctrl + P. Once done, feel free to select whether you want the program to download a high quality version or not. Once happy everything has been done correctly, click start and voila. Your video will hopefully be downloaded without any problems. If the program fails to download the video, then you might be best using the first program mentioned. It should be mentioned that Video Downloader downloads files in a variety of formats. Some of them (VLC files) can be played using a player found at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/.

Also, where Easy Video Downloader can be found, you should also be able to find more file converters that can be used to convert files to allow other types of media players to run the videos.