How can I download Youtube videos? [closed]

Question

First i tried with youtube-dl and all the times ( and all days) for all videos it gives this same error:

youtube-dl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zWwTTAc7O8
[youtube] Setting language
[youtube] 6zWwTTAc7O8: Downloading video info webpage
[youtube] 6zWwTTAc7O8: Extracting video information
ERROR: format not available for video

Then I tried minitube latest version. but it just cant open the video. it just keeps trying to open video. it is unable to even play or download any video.

Also in old days, whenever i play video in youtube.com that was automatically was saved in my /tmp. But that is also not happening these days.

What can I use for downloading Youtube videos? I am using Lucid 64 bit.

Edit1: I dont want to use any extensions to Firefox. I like my firefox without any extension. With extension it becomes soooooo slow and inactive.

Answer 1

YouTube often changes their system, breaking such tools (probably deliberately) which means that the tools in the repositories quickly become out of date.

I recommend downloading the latest version:

wget --no-check-certificate https://github.com/rg3/youtube-dl/raw/2011.02.25c/youtube-dl

then running:

python youtube-dl URL

to download a video.

Answer 2

1 - xviservicethief :

http://xviservicethief.sourceforge.net/

2 - Minitube :

http://flavio.tordini.org/minitube

3 - FatRat : available in the software center

4 - slimrat : available in the software center

5 - Jdownloader

Answer 3

You can use Mobile Media Converter, which will do this task with ease in 32 bit systems.

The producers haven't delivered yet a 64 bit version, but the 32 bit will download videos for youtube as in a native 32 bit system.

Nowadays they have released a 64 bit version right here.

Additionally, take a look at this: https://askubuntu.com/questions/27646/youtube-dl-error-please-help-in-this-to-resolve/27659#27659

Pasted here for your convenience:

If you are interested on obtaining the video take a look at this, other way look into another answer in order to see if you can solve your problem with youtube-dl. Thank you.

Notwithstanding that youtube-dl is great in a terminal, there are several ways to gather the videos from the youtube buffer, one of which is the usage of totem in order to play the video and then extract the buffered video from the /tmp folder.

In the past (and depending on how updated is your system: maybe your case), the buffered videos were saved into the /tmp folder also by some browsers (Google Chrome and Chromium Browser tested by me), but somehow after updating that behaviour simply stopped.

When watching the videos or simply by open it to allow the buffer to increase via web browser, now they are saved into the /home/USERNAME/.cache/google-chrome/Default/Cache folder. (where USERNAME is your username or home folder name).

As I said before, the usage of totem is yet observing this behaviour.

Answer 4

I use clipgrab. I've only even been able to get it to work with Youtube, even though it claims to work with other sites. It has, however, never failed to download a Youtube video. Not sure how well it'll work on a 64 bit system.

Answer 5

I use a launcher for running this script.

#!/bin/bash

FLASH_TMP=`ls /tmp | grep Flash*`

if [[ $FLASH_TMP ]]; then 
    vlc /tmp/Flash*
else
    if [[ `ps x | awk '/libgcflashplayer.so\ /{print $1}'` ]]; then
        flashvids() { lsof -p `ps x | awk '/libgcflashplayer.so\ /{print $1}'` -n 2>/dev/null | perl -lne '@F = split(/ +/, $_, 9); print "/proc/$F[1]/fd/${\($F[3] =~ /(^\d+)/)[0]}" if $F[4] eq "REG" && $F[8] =~ /\(deleted\)$/'; }
    else
        flashvids() { lsof -p `ps x | awk '/libflashplayer.so\ /{print $1}'` -n 2>/dev/null | perl -lne '@F = split(/ +/, $_, 9); print "/proc/$F[1]/fd/${\($F[3] =~ /(^\d+)/)[0]}" if $F[4] eq "REG" && $F[8] =~ /\(deleted\)$/'; }
    fi

    NOW=$(date +"%b-%d-%Y-%T")
    WHERE="/home/ashfame/Videos/youtube/$NOW.flv"
    echo $WHERE
    cp $(flashvids) $WHERE
    notify-send -i /home/ashfame/Dropbox/Ubuntu/icons/devil.png "Flash Video saved!" "It was named flash-video-$NOW.flv"
    vlc $(flashvids)
fi

Just change the locations as per your machine, make it executable and create a launcher pointing to it. Now whenever you run it, it will save the flash video (it will work for many sites other than youtube too) & open up the video in vlc. If you run it in between of the video being streamed, the video till that point will be saved and played in the player. So, if you just want to watch it, press as soon as you play & then pause the video or run it in the last.

It was originally only for viewing (found at http://www.webupd8.org/), but with some extra efforts, it saves them too.

Answer 6

FlashGot

FlashGot is the free add-on for Firefox and Thunderbird, meant to handle single and massive ("all" and "selection") downloads with several external Download Managers. FG contextual menu

Answer 7

What if you use jdownloader? it will give the option of downloading every video you watch in youtube (as long as jdownloader is running when you do)

Answer 8

"FlashGot" Addon for Firefox works great for me (10.04 64bit).

http://flashgot.net/

Click on a youtube video, then in the bottom right of the status bar is an icon that starts pulsing. Click on it and it gives you options to download the video. Works for much more than youtube.

Answer 9

i shall give a easy way. when the video loading is complete in the firefox. just go to filesystem > tmp .you can see the flash video there. just copy it and save to any other place in hard disk.