You ever want to download a video from Youtube to watch it without an internet connection? Maybe you need it for a long ride, or you are amassing a collection of your favorite videos on the off chance that they are removed. Whatever your reason you are going to want a Youtube MP4 Downloader. There are two main ways to do it, either you find an extension that allows you to download from the site, or you get an external program to do the job. The core differences between the two solutions are the quality of the video, the speed of the service and the ability to batch process. I prefer an external solution, less clutter in the old Firefox to save on RAM, a bigger concern for Chrome users that, but still a consideration for myself. I have taken a look at a number of options online and decided to go with WinX YouTube Downloader. I have been in contact with them in the past, and am very happy with the layout of their product suite.
So let’s get into it, see what this program can do.
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WinX YouTube Downloader Design and Features
The first thing I noticed about the program after booting it up is the fact that it looks like a piece of OSX software. Not too much of a surprise, seen as how everyone is enamored of Apple’s design sensibilities, and it looks lovely here. There is a minor issue I noticed off the bat, the top right of the screen has the kill and minimize commands, but no maximize option, so I could not get it to full screen. You also cannot resize the window. I have a 1440p screen, and even with the font settings up on large it is somewhat difficult to read the text here. I went down to 1080p for the purposes of this review.
The layout is lovely, nice big buttons offsets the aforementioned font issue, but the lack of alt text pop ups means you have to click them to figure out what each does. Granted, they are fairly obvious, but not entirely so. The check updates button is a bit ambiguous, but I go there. The right hand of the screen is given over to the videos, while the right allows you to preview and select the destination folder. Below that is the download button, that triggers the process, and to the left of that is the convert button. That button is really more of an ad for WinX HD video converter than an actual feature though.
Using the program is simple, click the add YouTube video URL button then paste in the videos’ URL. You can add as many as you want at this point, and select the resolution and format. There are a large number of available resolutions, but the only formats available are MP4, WebM and 3gp. It also works on higher FPS video too, downloaded a 60fps video and it worked like a charm, always a feast for the eyes those. Download times were very quick, but then I have a 70mbps line it will vary depending on where you are, and the batch download feature runs sequentially, rather than concurrently. Not bad, lets you fire and forget it, but less impressive than it could be. I know that WinX can do concurrent processes, but perhaps that is limited to LAN connections. Either way it’s a pretty awesome Free MP4 converter.
Regardless what we have here is a full featured program, providing a wealth of options for downloading your favorite videos from Youtube. Last point, it is not limited to just YouTube. I tested it out on a few other sites and it seems to work most of the time. Give it a go wherever you go. You may be pleasantly surprised.
WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe
HD Video Converter Deluxe is a very similar piece of software from the same developers. It acts as a bit of an upgrade over the free WinX YouTube Downloader, with an expanded feature set but, seemingly, a different focus. It can do all that WinX YouTube Downloader can do but can also combine videos, chop up videos, create slideshows by combining videos from your computer, YouTube (and other sites) and photos too.
The conversion suite is ludicrously impressive. You can convert any video into any other format you can think of. Bevel, I tried to catch them out here, and I thought I had them when I couldn’t find MKV as an option. Turns out it was down in PC general formats. The problem I had, as a fairly computer literate person, is the layout is heavily skewed in favor of folk who aren’t. Formats are laid out in front of you, instead devices are the order of the day, iPhone video, iPad video, Xbox video, it simplifies it nicely. Plus it works with Facebook as well so it’s kind of a Facebook Youtube Downloader if you will!
Overall this was far more impressive than I thought it would be. There is a free trial for it, but eventually you will have to pay, and right now that price is $29.95.
How to Use WinX YouTube Downloader
Back to WinX YouTube Downloader for a second, using it is incredibly intuitive, but I’ll break down the core steps here.
First you have to click either the paperclip looking symbol in the top left, or the larger add video URL option in the middle.
Then you go and get the URL from the video you want to download and paste it in. There is a handy paste and analyze option to skip the next step, but for now let’s just paste it into the box.
Next we hit the analyze button. only takes a second, and when it is done we are presented with the resolution options and file formats. There are usually a little over a dozen of them, but this depends on the native resolution of the video you are downloading.
Once you have selected a file format you click the Ok button and it will be added to the right hand bar. If you want to add more videos just repeat the process and watch the bar begin to fill up with all the videos you’ve added.
Once you are satisfied just hit the big Blue download button on the bottom right it and will download them all to the specified folder, which seems to be (root directory):\users\username\videos\.
And that’s that. Doesn’t take very long and in the end you get what you are looking for. You can easily Download and covert the video in one go!
Who Are Digiarty?
Digiarty are the authors of WinX YouTube Downloader, and a whole host of other useful programs. I have been using a number of them over the last few months, and by and large the quality is excellent. They got started back in 2006 with a DVD making suite and have been expanding ever since. I am a big fan of the MAC software suites, and the fact that they have carried over the aesthetic of OSX to the Windows platform. I love my PC, but some of the software made for it looks a little dated. They have been able to craft a variety of programs that look good and work great. WinX Youtube Downloader is just one of them, be sure to check out the others they have available, I am sure I’ve reviewed a number of them as well.
WinX YouTube Downloader:Â https://www.winxdvd.com/youtube-downloader/
WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe:Â https://www.winxdvd.com/hd-video-converter-deluxe/
