It is likely that you have heard and used VLC media player for playing streaming videos. But it is more likely that you are fooled by its name — VLC media player is by no means a one-trick pony. Instead, it is a feature-packed powerful tool which is not only capable of playing streaming videos but also able to download videos from all the popular websites, like YouTube.
Software added; Xnoise Music Player, VLC, GIMP, Linphone, Flash, Google Talk plugin, Firefox with Great addons and settings, PCManFM filemanager replacing Nautilus, Gparted, Flush, QpdfView, p7zip, GUI for ufw firewall, epub reader (firefox addon), youtube downloader (firefox addon), time in different cities around the world.
Today, you are going to learn about how to download video with VLC on Mac/Windows and solve a series of problems involved when using it all in one passage.
CONTENTS
- 1. VLC's Hidden Feature — Download Video from Internet
- 2. Problems Tackled in YouTube Downloading Using VLC
- 3. An Alternative to VLC for Downloading Web Video Including YouTube
VLC's Hidden Feature — Download Video from Internet
In fact, there are two methods to download videos with VLC. Here I will introduce the easier one. Please follow the steps below with VLC downloading a YouTube video as an example.
Step 1. Fire up VLC
After installing VLC media player to your Windows or Mac, fire it up.
Step 2. Copy the Video URL from YouTube
Go for the video on YouTube and copy the link from the browser’s address bar above the page.
Step 3. Paste the Video URL into VLC and Start Playing
On Windows:
Click on 'Media' > 'Open Network Stream' in VLC main interface.
Then under the Network tab on the pop-up window, you should then enter the YouTube video URL that you have copied from YouTube. Press the 'Play' button to start playing the video.
On Mac:
Click on 'File' > 'Open Network', enter the YouTube video URL and click 'Open'.
Step 4. Get and Copy Codec Information of the YouTube Video
On Windows:
Hit 'Tools' > 'Codec Information' to copy the full URL besides the 'Location' title. This is the direct URL of the YouTube video.
On Mac:
Select the YouTube video in VLC, hit 'Window' > 'Media Information'. You are looking for the 'Location' input box.
Step 5. Enter the URL into Address Bar and Download the YouTube Video
Open a web browser page and paste the copied Location URL into the address bar before hitting 'Enter' on your keyboard. More clicks of 'Save' button might be needed after that, which depends on the video link and the setting of your browser.
Problems Tackled in YouTube Downloading Using VLC
Now, have you learned about how to download YouTube videos using VLC yet? Don't worry if you encounter some problems when in practice. The first thing you need to do is to repeat the above steps more carefully in order to rule out the possibility of not following the right procedures. If that problem does continue to exist, you might need to read the second part of the passage. We have listed some common problems involved in saving video from websites with VLC and given out our solutions.
Problem 1:
'Sadly this didn't work for me. It downloaded the video but instead of getting a playable video I get a file called 'file' in my download folder.'
Solution A: Put an extension to the file name when it gives you 'Enter file name', like '.mp4' or '.avi'.
Solution B: Use a video converter to convert the file into '.mp4'.
Problem 2:
'I could download some YouTube videos with VLC while others didn't work.'
Solution: Check if the video is tagged 'Age-restricted video (based on Community Guidelines)'. If that is the case, the video will NOT download using the established method due to YouTube policies. There is no way of getting rid of it. So try VLC alternatives.
An Alternative to VLC for Downloading Web Video Including YouTube
The built-in download feature of VLC cannot go without drawbacks since it is not an expert in video download. Indeed, some videos are highly protected by their website program and prevented from grabbing by VLC. To solve such a problem, I suggest you to try some online tools to download videos from popular websites for offline viewing.
VideoSolo Online Video Downloader is one of the best free online downloaders on the internet for grabbing YouTube videos. Aside from YouTube, it claims to support Facebook, Instagram, Dailymotion, Vimeo, SoundCloud, etc. in almost all browsers and all operating systems including Mac/Windows/Android/iOS. With a clean and intuitive interface, VideoSolo Online Video Downloader is very easy to use within just several clicks.
In addition, VideoSolo now released a video downloader which can also download online videos easily.
You can take a try with it from the button below.
Follow the 3 steps to grab videos from the Internet easily with VideoSolo Online Video Downloader.
Step 1. Go to the page containing your loved video and copy the video link from the address bar above.
Step 2. Head to the VideoSolo Online Video Downloader homepage and paste the video link into the search box. Press the 'Download' button to the right of the box to interpret the video.
Step 3. After deciding on the output format and quality, hit the corresponding 'Download' button to the right hand. Then the browser immediately pops up a download dialog; if not, click the menu button > 'Download' on the pop-up window, or right-click the mouse and select 'Save as'.
Hope the above information can settle your problems when downloading videos with VLC on your Mac or Windows. If you are not so satisfied with VLC’s inherent download function, your best bet is to try VideoSolo Online Video Downloader, which is quite easy and efficient to use.
- 1 . What is the VLC 'plugin> What is the VLC plugin?
- 2. How to install VLC on the VLC plugin on Windows?
- 3. VLC on the VLC plugin How to install on Mac?
- 4. How to install VLC on the VLC plugin on Linux?
- 5. Why, with IE, the site asks to install the VLC plugin when it is already installed?
- 6. Contact Radioways
1. What is the VLC plugin?
It is vital Mac OS and Linux, to play media files that QuickTime can not read.
Important Note 1 Reminder: difference between plugin and player
A plugin is a module that integrates into a browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera, etc. ) and allows the browser to play audio or video file.
A player , is an independent software that allows music playback or video.
Important Note : installatin a plugin:
- Under Windows, the VLC plugin installation is integrated with the installation of VLC player, but must ABSOLUTELY CHECK THE BOX 'firefox plugin' for software installation (see tutorial below) .
- Macintosh the plugin is completely separate and independent of the player.
Besides, he was not at all the same version as the player.
2. How do I install the VLC plugin on Windows?
For Windows:- To Windows 2000 (SP4 + UR1), XP, Vista and 7 : download the VLC 1.1.11 for Windows :
Important 1: : During installation: tick the box Mozilla/firefox plugin pluginet ActiveX
Problem: It starts but I have no picture or sound.
Please check that already VLC plugin is installed by testing the radio reading the following:
https://www.radioways.com/radio/franceinfo.html .
If it starts and you have a black screen and no sound for vlc TVs, thank you write to us at info (at) radioways.com
- Otherwise you can use Chrome pending: download Google Chrome - To Windows 95, 98 SE and Me :
- You can install the version provided above to install the KernelEx .
- Or you can install a previous version of VLC: plugin Version 0.8.0 VLC .
For more information, visit the official website of VLC and downloads for Windows (English only)
After downloading, run the installation program (if not started automatically) from where you downloaded it.
Very important: during installation, please tick the box Mozilla/firefox plugin and ActiveX plugin :At the end of the installation, quit the installer as well as any open Web browsers for the plugin to take effect the next time.
Note : If, after installing IE, the site still asks again to install the VLC plugin here
3. How does one install the VLC plugin on Mac?
1. Important Note 1 : On the Mac, install the complete software (player) VLC will not install the plugin.To listen to radio or watch a video in the browser (Safari, Firefox), you must install the PLUGIN not the software
2 Important Note 2 : the plugin version is to this day is still 1.0.5 whereas the complete software (player) VLC 1.1.7 is
3 Very important !! to install the plugin, be sure to leave BEFORE LAUNCHING browser installation. Then restart your macintosh BEFORE LAUNCHING the browser again, otherwise it will not work !!
This tip can save you hours of wasted time ... (Sic It !! feels lived ...)
Depending on your version of Macos and processor, please select the right plugin.
Note: to know the architecture (v/processor) of your Mac, see help to know his version of Macintosh
For Mac OS X version 10.5 and later:
- For Mac processor-based Intel : download VLC plug-in 1.0.5 intel
- For Mac processor-based PowerPC : download VLC plug-in 1.0.5 powerpc
- For Mac processor-based Intel download VLC plugin 0.8.6i intel
- For processor-based Mac PowerPC download VLC plugin 0.8.6i powerpc
Vlc Plugin Not Working Firefox
It is vlc complete because for Mac OS 10.2, no plugin
For Mac OS X version 10.1: download VLC 0.7.0
It is vlc complete because for Mac OS 10.1, no plugin
Vlc Plugin Not Appearing Firefox
After downloading, run the installation program (normally it starts automatically if you use Safari) by first opening the disk image named vlc-plugin-XXXX.dmg (XXXX varies depending on the version plugin) that you just downloaded, then the file VLC Internet Plug-In.pkg contained in the disk image.
Once launched, the installation program displays the following window:Click Continue of the window that displays the following contents:Select the disk where to install the plugin and click on the Continue
Vlc Web Plugin Firefox
of the window that displays the following contents:Click the button Update to start the installation. Warning: an administrator account and password will be required for the installation starts (the plugin is not installed at the user account, but at the system level).At the end of the installation, quit the installer as well as any open Web browsers for the plugin to take effect the next time.
4. How do I install the VLC plugin on Linux?
For more information, see the following page on the website VideoLAN
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Here you will find explanations on how to install VLC according to Linux distribution.
5. Why, with IE, the site asks to install the VLC plugin when it is already installed?
2. Otherwise, it may be that the plugin is not enabled.
To activate it, choose Internet Options in the Tools Internet Explorer that displays the following dialog:In the Programs , click the Manage additional modules , the following dialog box appears:In the View menu , select the Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer .
In the list of modules, find the row named VideoLAN VLC ActiveX Plugin v2 and select.
In the Settings , activate the plugin by checking the box On and click OK to close the dialog.
Quit Internet Explorer (well close all windows) and restart it, the VLC plugin should now be active.
6. Contacting Radioways?
Do not hesitate to contact us, whatever the meeting point we are at your disposal.
Finally you can follow Radioways on Twitter