Thursday, November 26, 2009

How to download a YouTube (or other similar video) using Zamzar.com

There are probably several ways to download YouTube and other videos and save them to a DVD or flash drive. Basically, you'll just download them to your computer using converter software and then copy them to your flash drive or burn them using the DVD burning software on your computer.

A free web-based converter can be found at www.zamzar.com (there are also more versions of the same software with added features for a fee at the same website)

The process is really simple but it takes a few minutes because you're converting relatively large files.

1) Find the video you want to use in the classroom on YouTube or TeacherTube and copy the URL for that particular video. It's usually really easy to find but sometimes you have to click on a few links to find the actual URL (not the "channel") It should look something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwLuKEta6hk

2) Go to the Zamzar website and in STEP 1, click on the URL link in the sentence "Select files or URL to convert." The default Step 1 is to convert a file you already have on your computer so the typical "find file" window would appear. By clicking on the URL link, you get a spot to paste the URL of the video you want to convert. (Remember to delete the "http" that's already there before you paste in the URL if you've copied another "http" when you copied the URL; you don't want the "http" repeated.)

3) In STEP 2, select the file format output that can play on your computer. If you have Quicktime, you could select MOV. If you have Windows Media Player you could select WMV. You might have to experiment to find the right format for you.

4) In STEP 3, enter your email address.

5) In STEP 4, click on "convert" to start the process of converting the selected file to the file type you selected. What happens is that the selected video gets uploaded directly to the Zamzar website and starts to be converted. When it's finished being converted, you'll get an email message saying your file is ready to be downloaded with a clickable link included. Click on the link to start downloading the converted file (most likely to your "Downloads" folder. According to the email message, the converted movie is stored at the website for 24 hours only in the free version so get it without delay.

6) View the movie by doubleclicking on it just as you would any other movie file, copy and paste it to your flash drive, or burn it to a DVD or CD using the appropriate software.

Zamzar.com is not the only online or software method but I have used it and it works for most movies you'll find on YouTube or TeacherTube. There are apparently some movies that are protected.