Bulk Youtube Video Downloader is an add-on for the Firefox web browser that works both directly on Youtube but also on other pages that link to Youtube videos. The video downloader adds an option to the Tools menu and context menur that can be clicked whenever Youtube videos need to be downloaded to the computer. The add-on works both with Youtube video links and embedded videos.

Bulk Youtube Video Downloader is handy when it comes to downloading multiple videos from the video hosting site. It works for instance on the Youtube start page, profile pages, channels, playlists and websites that link to or have embedded a number of Youtube videos. Heck, it even works in Google Search and other search engines if they link to Youtube videos.

Some or all of the Youtube videos that have been found can be selected for download. Bulk Youtube Video Download supports both the flv and mp4 format and can prioritize HQ versions if available.

The Youtube video downloader add-on works even if Adobe Flash is not installed on the user’s computer which is another benefit of it.

Firefox users who want to give it a try can download the latest version of the Youtube video downloader from the Mozilla Firefox add-on page. (via Instant Fundas)

The latest to join the ranks is the S-YouTube Downloader which, as the name implies, is a Google Chrome extension to download Youtube videos.

The extension adds a Download link to the menu bar below each video on Youtube. A click on the link will open the download options below. All available formats that the Youtube video can be downloaded in are displayed on the page.

The available choices are separated into computer and mobile phone formats. The available formats that can be downloaded depend on the original quality of the video but can be as high as full high definition downloads in 1080p.

The extension is excellent as it is unobtrusive and can be displayed only if it is needed. Downloads are started right away without having to use a proxy download site.

S-Youtube Downloader can currently be downloaded from the Google Chrome extension gallery. The extension is currently only capable of downloading Youtube videos with the chance that the developer starts to integrate additional video portals in future releases.

The Youtube search works independtly from installed web browsers. It will process the first five Youtube results pages by default. This setting can be changed to a maximum of ten processed results pages.

Videos are then displayed with their title, description, playing time, view count, url and date they have been added. A double-click on individual videos will send them to the download manager of the Youtube software program. Multiple videos can be send to the download manager together.

The download manager will start Youtube video downloads immediately. Already downloaded videos can be played in the interface or send over to the video converter to convert them into a different video format.

The file manager will list all downloaded Youtube videos giving the user the opportunity to play them at any time from within the interface.

Videos that have been downloaded can be converted into 16 different output formats including iPod, PSP, 3GP, iPhone, DVD, AVI, VCD or Mp3.

There is no option to change the quality settings of the video conversion. It is however possible to automatically convert videos that have been downloaded into a selected video format.

The Free Youtube Utility integrates itself in the Internet Explorer web browser offering one-click downloads of Youtube videos from within the browser.

The software program works pretty well and combines all the tools needed to work with Youtube videos. Users who are interested in alternatives can check out our download Youtube videos article to do so.

The standalone software can download and convert videos from Youtube playlists into mp3 format which makes it an excellent program to increase a music collection. Other programs that we mentioned could do that too but none were as easy to use as Youtube Playlist Converter.

The user needs to enter a username in the application’s interface. A click on the refresh button will download all playlists from the user and display them in the interface. It is then up to the user to pick one of the playlists for download. A download directory has to be specified before the Youtube videos can be downloaded and converted. A click on the convert button will initiate the process.

The software program will then download the Youtube playlist information to display them in a new window. It is then possible to deselect some of the videos in the interface to prevent them from being converted to mp3.

A click on the ok button will then download the Youtube videos and convert them into mp3 format. The original flv files will be deleted afterwards so that only the mp3 files remain on the computer’s hard drive. Youtube Playlist Converter is compatible with Microsoft operating systems like Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It requires the Microsoft .net Framework (not sure which version).

There are basically three ways of downloading Youtube videos: Using a web service, a web browser add-on or a standalone software program. All methods have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. Web services for example are usually independent of operating systems and can be used instantly without having to install software.They do usually lack the ability to download multiple Youtube videos at once.

Web browser plugins require installation. They have the advantage that they work directly on the site which is very comfortable for the user. They also usually do not provide the means to add multiple videos at once to a download queue.

Software programs that download videos from Youtube usually come with the option to add multiple video links to the queue before starting the download. They do need to be installed on the other hand and lack a solid Youtube browser sometimes.

Online services to download Youtube videos:

Web services are websites that provide the means to download videos from Youtube to a local computer system. Some offer advanced features like converting the video to another format. The list has been limited to ten free services that provide options to download Youtube videos.

1. Keepvid: A straightforward service. The user needs to paste the url of the Youtube video in the form provided on the website. Keepvid will then offer low quality and high quality downloads of the video. Works with other video portals like MySpace video or Dailymotion as well. Offers a bookmarklet which works more comfortably than copying pasting Youtube urls.

keepvid

2. Zamzar: A file conversion service that can not only download Youtube videos but also convert the videos into different formats. Great for users who need the video in a different format and do not want to convert them on their computer system.

Zamzar

3. KCoolOnline: Currently supports 231 video portals including Youtube. It has a basic interface. All that needs to be done is to paste a video url in the form to download the Youtube video. Users who like to download videos from many different video portals might like this as it supports a lot of them.

KCoolOnline

4. Video Downloader: Another basic web interface that allows users to download and convert videos from sites like Youtube, Dailymotion or MySpace. Nothing much to say about this service except that it offers downloads in the original flv format but also in mp4 out of the box.

Video Downloader

5. SaveVid: Offers Youtube videos in original flv or mp4 format. Displays a live list of videos that get downloaded by users on the website which can be a great source of videos as download links are displayed directly. Offers top 10 lists, archives and categories as well.

SaveVid

6. Vidgrab: Vidgrab offers a web form that can be used to paste Youtube videos into it. These videos can then be downloaded in their original format. One interesting aspect of Vidgrab is the list of popular videos that are displayed on the website. These can also be downloaded directly to the computer system.

Vidgrab

7. Vixy: Vixy is a video converter that supports Youtube videos. It does not offer the means to download Youtube videos in their original format. Videos can be converted into various formats including avi, 3gp, mov or mp4.

Vixy

8. KeepTube: Online service to download Youtube videos with preview and options to download the video in various formats including normal and high quality flv, 3gp and mp4. Offers additional ways of downloading the videos including a bookmarklet and a very ingenious way by adding keep- after the www. of the youtube url.

KeepTube

9. KissYoutube: Offers a similar service as Keeptube by allowing users to add the word kiss after the www. of the youtube url to download videos directly without having to visit the KissYoutube website manually. Comes with the usual form to download videos from Youtube as well.

10. Video Getting: Another service that combines video downloading and conversion in one interface. Users can paste Youtube videos in the form and download them in eight different formats.

Video Getting

Web Browser Add-ons to download videos from Youtube

The following list contains ten web browser add-ons and plugins for popular web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer that allow users to directly download videos from video portals like Youtube. These add-ons have the advantage that the videos can be downloaded directly without having to visit another website to do so.

1. Video Download Helper (Firefox): One of the most popular Firefox add-ons. It supports many different video portals including Youtube. The add-on will change its icon in the status bar whenever a website with media links is visited.

Video Download Helper

2. NetVideoHunter (Firefox):

NetVideoHunter: Will recognize Youtube videos and add them to its queue with the possibility to download the videos immediately or at a later time. Videos can also be played in the interface as well.

3. Viloader (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera): A plugin that installs itself in three different web browsers. It offers a download video right-click context menu option that can be used to download the videos from Youtube and other video portals.

Viloader

4. IE7Pro: IE7Pro supports Internet Explorer 8 as well despite its name. It comes with a userscript engine and a script pre-installed that can download Youtube videos. The browser plugin will display a download video link in the video description on Youtube.

IE7Pro

5. Flash Video Downloader (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera): Flash Video Downloader operates a web service to download videos and an add-on that can be installed in Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera. The Opera is one of the few Youtube video download widgets that currently work with Opera 10.

6. Google Chrome Bookmarklet: Users can use a bookmarklet to download videos in the Google browser. All they need to do is to create a new bookmark in the web browser and add the following JavaScript code as the url:

javascript:window.location.href = 'http://youtube.com/get_video?video_id=' + swfArgs['video_id']+ "&fmt=18" + "&l=" + swfArgs['l'] + "&sk=" + swfArgs['sk'] + '&fmt_map' + swfArgs['fmt_map'] + '&t=' + swfArgs['t'];

A click on the bookmark on any Youtube video page will download that video in the Google Chrome web browser.

Software Programs to download Youtube videos

The following list contains software programs for all popular operating systems that allow a user to download videos from Youtube.

1. TubeQueue (Windows):

TubeQueue: A program for the Windows operating system that can queue, convert and download multiple Youtube videos. The program comes with its own search interface making it completely independent from the Youtube website.

Update: TubeQueue is no longer available. I have uploaded the latest version to the Ghacks servers. You can download the program from this link: TubeQueue (236)

2. Free FLV Converter (Windows):

Free FLV Converter: A software program that can search for, download and convert Youtube videos and videos from other web services. It’s biggest strength is the search that can easily handle thousands of results providing comfortable options to download multiple videos at once from Youtube.

3. Orbit Downloader (Windows) : Orbit is a very popular download manager that supports a variety of popular media sites out of the box including Youtube, MySpace or Pandora. It integrates with web browsers and comes with the Grab++ module that can be used to catch and download media files.

Orbit Downloader

4. Youtube-DL (Linux, Windows): A command line program to download videos from Youtube

Youtube-DL

5. Abby and CCLive (Linux): Abby is a frontend for CCLive that can be used to download videos from various popular video hosting websites including Youtube.

Abby and CClive

6. GetTube (Mac): An application for Apple Mac computers that can be used to download Youtube videos.

There are literally dozens of other applications, web services and browser plugins that can be used to download videos from Youtube. Please leave a comment if you think we should add another free services, plugin or software to the list.

Youtube HQ is a Greasemonkey script that takes that burden away from the user. The script can be configured in two ways: The first mode which is also the default one will always display the video in the highest possible quality on the Youtube website. It will automatically increase the screen size to fit the video on the screen. This makes only sense if the computer is connected to a computer monitor that is capable of displaying the high resolutions.

The second mode of the Greasemonkey script will always load the low quality version of the Youtube video which is excellent for users who are accessing Youtube with a low bandwidth connection or from a system with a small computer monitor.

The benefit of using the Greasemonkey script is obvious. It will automatically resize Youtube videos according to the user’s configuration of the script. Check out out article Youtube Video Download to find out how to download videos from Youtube.

Youtube video download adds two links to one of the right panels that contain the url and embed links. The Download as MP4 and Download as 720p HD MP4 are displayed. They can be saved by right-clicking on one of the two links and selecting Save Link As from the context menu. One should note however that this is obviously only working if a HD video is available on Youtube. If there is no HD video the download will display the file as get_video or videoplayback which will not save the video at all. It is possible that one of the two Youtube video download links is working but there have been cases where none was working.

The Firefox add-on to download Youtube videos in high definition is currently experimental which means that you have to log into the Mozilla website to download and install the extension.