With the popularity of video sharing sites available on the web, more and more web users are wanting to download and save the web video being viewed. Another popular use of this saved video clip is to go one step further and change the file format to playback on Ipods, Iphones and other such portable devices.
A search on the web for “how to capture web video” will turn up a myriad of sites promoting both free and paid software applications that promise to do this easily for you.
So which one is right for you?
This usually comes down to 3 factors;
1. The video sharing site you wish to capture video from
2. How easy is it to use
3. Price
Firstly, most of these applications work really well on mainstream sites such as Youtube and Dailymotion but can vary when trying to grab video from sites such as on-demand TV sharing sites. You’re best to check the website of the application manufacturer which should list the video sharing sites it supports.
Secondly, most of these software applications are easy to use and simple interfaces where a click of the mouse once on the desired site is all that is required. Where they differ is the playback compatibilty and options for converting the file type for playback on phones, mp3 players, devices etc The best products make this very easy to do with little background knowledge of specific file formats being required.
And thirdly is price. This generally ranges from free up to approximately US$40.00 which is not really a lot for the functionality supplied.
We downloaded and compared the top currently available tools to capture web video which consisted of 1 free tool and 3 paid tools ranging from $29.95 to $39.94. I have to admit to having a personal favourite before the test comparison but it came in second to the surprise winner.
With these tools you can now capture web video from virtually any video sharing site on the web regardless of your technical ability and understanding of streaming video file formats.
