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03 October 2010
Are you looking for a way to download Google videos? Perhaps you want to download video clips off YouTube or some other site?
I’ve been providing technical services for over a decade. Computer and gadget repairs, software training, digital art and media projects, websites – the list goes on and on. Some of the more mundane “issues” can become tedious, which is why I truly enjoy when someone presents me with something I haven’t yet encountered.
Last week, someone dropped by and asked me if I could possibly obtain a copy of a certain news clip from a national news service, that will remain nameless, and burn it to DVD for them. Allow me to provide a simple disclaimer before I go any further – Dodisdodat.com does not condone or encourage illegal downloading. This tutorial is for educational purposes only and the information and or tools provided herein should not be used to obtain copyrighted materials without the express permission of the owner of said materials.
I half expected this to be a simple chore – something I’ve done 20 or 30 times before. Now for those of you who may not yet know, it is fairly simple to download Google videos, YouTube videos and such. For those using the Firefox Web Browser, there are myriad “Add Ons” that you can install to get the job done.
Video DownloadHelper - The Free Firefox Add-On:
One of the more popular ones is “Video DownloadHelper”, though there are others that work equally well. Simply have a look here: Video Download Add Ons . If you don’t know about Firefox or haven’t installed it yet, believe me - get it now! It’s free, fast, secure and, with thousands of add ons – incredibly powerful.
Fetching a video with the Video DownloadHelper add on installed is easy. Take this video of " target="_blank">Cut My Wings” that I found on YouTube.
Right-click on any white space on the page and select “DownloadHelper>Media>” and the name of the video file you wish to download from the contextual menu that pops up. You will be automatically prompted to save the file.
What if the site hosting the video isn't supported?
This is essentially what I expected to encounter when I was asked to download a news clip and burn it to DVD. However, the link I was given was not for YouTube, Google Video or any one of the major video services supported by the Video DownloadHelper add on – or any other Firefox Add On I know about. So off I went in search of a means to download this clip. After hunting around several forums and trying a few of the suggestions I found there, unsuccessfully, I did come across this great little software from Applian called “Replay Media Catcher”! All I can say is WOW!
At the end of the day, all I will say is that if you are looking for a tool that will download ANY media from ANY page easily – this software is for you. Not only will this download your audio or video file – it will convert it on the fly into one of dozens of popular formats.
You can select your desired format from the “Conversion Settings” drop down or opt to import directly into iTunes. Click the big green button at the bottom to start “capturing” and open up the page containing your video. 
Automatically, Replay Media Catcher detects the media files on that web page and begins downloading AND converting your video.
Once your video is completely downloaded, you will see the word “Complete” in the Status column. Click the big red button to stop recording. You are done!
You may be thinking: “Ok! So, other than the built in format conversion, what’s the difference between the $40 Replay Media Catcher and the completely free Video DownloadHelper?”. Well…there are a few differences. The first is that while Video DownloadHelper is an add on that integrates into Firefox, Replay Media catcher is independent software you install on your PC. Replay Media Catcher works with ALL browsers (not just Firefox). But the real difference…it will download from absolutely ANY site.
For example, here we have a clip from CBC.
Using Firefox with the Video DownloadHelper add on, we right-click on the page and quickly note that the add on does not detect ANY media files on this page.
Replay Media Catcher, on the other hand, has detected the video files (lead in advertisement and the news clip). Were I inclined to download these videos (which I am not), Replay Media Catcher would have allowed me to do so simply by clicking the big green record button. 
So there you have it! Replay Media Catcher is great for people who want to download or capture media (audio MP3/FLAC/OGG or video) and convert it to another format on the fly. It’s great for people who want an easy way to download videos or other media using ANY browser without the need for add ons or extensions. Finally, it’s great for those of you who need to download video or audio from ANY site.
To buy your copy of Replay Media catcher, click Buy Replay Media Catcher!
Hope this helps!
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