One mouse click puts internet video at your fingertips

By Christof Kerkmann Oct 30, 2011, 4:06 GMT

Berlin - It doesn't matter if you're looking for Lady Gaga's Pokerface or Monty Python's Vikings. You can be looking for a film classic, a TV series, shaky homemade movies or professional documentation. You can find it all online.

But there are some rules. First, you need to have a speedy internet connection and some way to download and format them if you want to keep the videos. But, with the right tools, this can all be done simply and legally.

Firefox's DownloadHelper is the most favoured and versatile tool for downloading video, partially because it's so easy to use. The company reported in September that the tool had been installed more than 100 million times.

Once it's set up, a button appears in the browser's menu bar and 'when DownloadHelper detects it can do something for you, the icon gets animated and a menu allows you to download files by simply clicking an item,' the company's website explains.

A menu then allows users to pick which images and videos to download. Whereas some browser add-ons only support YouTube, DownloadHelper supports dozens, including DailyMotion, Vimeo and Clipfish, multiple TV channels and the site for the National Basketball Association. Right-clicking gives you an option to see a list of supported websites.

The tool is especially useful with broadcasters who choose to - or are required to - remove video content from their websites after a certain period of time. Downloading them on to your computer gives you access to them for longer. Mediathek View offers a similar service for Mac users.

'These tools list the entire programming guide,' explains Volker Zota of German computer magazine c't. With a single click, you get 'something that works like a podcast manager,' he says.

Your computer can master just about any format as soon as it is installed. To take the video files with you you'll have to convert them into the proper format for viewing. For example, your iPad won't play flash files.

'For watching videos when you're on the move, you should just download the files directly as MP4s,' advises Zota. 'That works on practically every device.'

If that doesn't work, there are dozens of free converter programmes online. You can pick your favourite for preparing files, whether you use a PC or Mac, or the XBox or Playstation 3 consoles. Video Downloadhelper also has conversion functions.

For more complicated jobs, Zota recommends XMedia Recode. It provides a menu where users pick which device they have. The tool then converts files into the appropriate format. 'You don't have to think about the settings,' says Zota. There are 150 profiles from which to choose, including those for the Blackberry and Android smartphones.

The FreeMake programme allows users to set resolution and video codecs and save them. Commercial programmes like Nero 11 have similar functions.

But is it all legal? Exchanges like Pirate Bay are seen as a destination for contraband, and negative headlines have put fear into just about everyone. But downloading items from YouTube and similar programmes is perfectly legal. Just follow a few rules and you'll be safe.

'I'm allowed to download anything from the internet, as long as the source isn't obviously illegal and distribution isn't clearly against the law,' says Christian Solmecke, a lawyer in Germany. 'Videos are sometimes deleted from YouTube, that's a good sign that the other videos there aren't obviously illegal.'

Solmecke recommends software that directly accesses YouTube, like DownloadHelper. There are websites that download online data, convert it immediately and spit out an MP3 file. But that can quickly put a person in a legal grey zone.