How to Download and Save Videos from YouTube
Posted by Grant C. Roberts | Posted in General Advice | Posted on 09-04-2010
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When you sign up for the YouTube (YT) service you’re required to agree to follow their rules and regulations. Most downloaded programs on the Internet require the same promise — that you’ll play by their rules or not play at all. If you don’t check the little box saying you agree with their terms of service, they won’t let you in. In order to download YouTube videos you must first agree NOT to download them (terms of service forbid it), and then go against your word and do it anyhow.
How many people actually read the lengthy terms of service anyway? Not many, for sure. Yes, clicking the agree box says you’ve read and understood the terms, but no one is looking over your shoulder to make sure you’ve done what you said. It’s become an accepted white lie, kind of like the old 55 mile-per-hour speed limit that was a law that just about every motorist broke.
It’s not too hard to apply the old, “rules were made to be broken, ” or, “what they don’t know won’t hurt them, ” in this instance. Who’s to know anyway? Still and all, be aware that downloading from YT is technically illegal and let your conscience be your guide.
There is, however, an exception to the rule. YouTube allows the original poster of a video to download it in the form of an MP4. They’ll only let you do this two or three times before the option disappears, but it comes back eventually and then you can do it again. But if you’re the one who did the upload, you probably already have a copy, so it’s kind of redundant. And it doesn’t make it possible to download someone else’s content.
If you Google the keywords found in this article’s title you’ll find numerous sites which make it possible to download from YT. Some are free but a few have a fee you must pay to use their service. Some are easy to use, requiring that you only put in the URL for the content you wish to download and then pressing the download button. All that’s left to do is to save it and play it.
Others are a little more involved, necessitating that you change the title and add an extension, such as . FLV. Some of these sites are clean and hassle-free. Others are chock full of pop-ups and ads which can be distracting and sometimes fake you out into clicking a wrong button.
Trying out a few of these downloading sites proved the old KISS principle — the simpler, the better. Just putting in the URL and clicking one button to download and a couple more clicks to save was all it took. There were no problems encountered and the quality of the transfer was perfect.
If you can download YouTube videos or music it’s a great way to fill up an MP4 player or your computer hared-drive with your favorite stuff. If your intention is just to enjoy and share the videos with friends it shouldn’t be a big deal. If your purpose is geared towards somehow profiting financially from these downloads… Well, that’s a different story. Let your conscience by your guide.
If you are interested in downloading YouTube videos, you can find information on tools to download YouTube videos as well as other information, tips, and resources for online video marketing at ReelSEO.com – the online video marketing experts.
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