firefox extension downloadhelper lets you download to where you want....

You can download from YouTube in high-quality mp4 format. Copy & paste this javascript code into a bookmark in your browser (i.e., put this code in the place where you would normally put the URL of the web page):

javascript:if(document.location.href.match(/http:\/\/[a-zA-Z\.]*youtube\.com\/watch/)){document.location.href='http://www.youtube.com/get_video?fmt='+(isHDAvailable?'22':'18')+'&video_id='+swfArgs['video_id']+'&t='+swfArgs['t']}

Then, navigate to the YouTube video you want to download. While it is playing, click on the bookmark you created. Unless you have a popup blocker activated, you should get a dialog asking you where you want to save the video. Give the video a name (the default "video.mp4" should be changed) and save it.

Done.

That's a sweet script, John. It works, Thanks!

Wow John, that is amazing

johnmeyer, where do you get this stuff?

Very slick John! However, my Vegas 8 has some problems with the MP4. It pixelates and jerks. Doesn't seem to like MP4s, but others responding to your post don't seem to have any problems.

What am I doing wrong?

Are your project properties set to match the downloaded clip? If you go to the project properties, in the top right hand corner of the project properties window is an icon that looks like a folder. That is the "Match Media Settings" function. Select the downloaded mp4 with that function and it will set the Vegas project properties to match that particular mp4 clip.

The preview might still be a little jerky, but it should render just fine.

If you just want to watch it, download the VLC media player. Google it. It's free and will play many formats

where do you get this stuff?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookmarklet
https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets

Laurence,

The project has a mix of HD from my Sony Z7, archive SD clips, etc. What will changing the Project Properties do to my project that I ultimately end up Blue ray-able

I tried using that icon on a test project with the mp4, but it is still playing badly with the same issues.

I wish I could claim authorship of the script. I think someone else here in the forum posted a link to it about a year ago.

As to getting the MP4 files to play on the Vegas timeline, well, I haven't figured out a way to make that happen natively. In other words, I haven't figured out how to just install some codec and then be able to put the MP4 files on the Vegas timeline and have them play. Like you, I find that they pixealate, stop & start, and generally don't behave (although some of them -- including most of the ones I create in Vegas -- go on the timeline and play just fine). So, some work, and some don't.

Bummer.

However, I had a client who really needed some YouTube video included in a project. Strangely, he could get permission from the YouTube video owner to use the footage, but couldn't get the footage.

So I had to come up with a way to make it work. And, I did, but it ain't pretty. In fact, it is one of the most convoluted things I've done lately.

But it works. Here it is.

1. Demux the MP4 file. I use DVBPortal MP4Muxer. This gives you just the video, which the next tool needs (i.e., the following tool will NOT work on an MP4 file). This takes just a few seconds.

2. Download DGAVCDec. This is a tool that creates a proxy file from the demuxed MP4 file. You simply open the demuxed file, and then immediately "Save Project [F4]". This takes under a minute for most videos, and FAR less than a minute for YouTube-length videos.

3. Create an AVISynth script which opens this project file. This is just a two line script:

LoadPlugin("E:\Documents\Dnload\UNPACK\DGAVCDecode.dll")
AVCSource("E:\Documents\Dnload\UNPACK\video.mp4.dga")

Save it with the extension "AVS". This takes about ten seconds to edit the script once you have created it the first time. I use Notepad to create and edit AVS scripts.

Obviously you will want to change the paths to point to wherever the DLL and the video project file reside.

4. Download the VFAPIConv file and open the AVS file. Choose an AVI file name and click on Convert. This creates an AVI file This takes less than one second.

... and ...

THIS file CAN be opened in Vegas.

Right click on the AVI file once loaded in Vegas and make sure the interlace and PAR values are correct and if they are not, change them.

I created a crude tutorial on how to do all this for MPEG-2 and VOB files. Except for the initial step above (demuxing the MP4 file) the steps are the same. The only difference is that you won't need to worry about the audio, because I have so far found that the audio in the original MP4 file plays just fine in Vegas. In other words, just ungroup the MP4 video and delete the video, and then put your AVI file (created above) on the timeline and line it up with the audio. I usually group the AVI file with the MP4 audio so they stay together.

Tutorial on Using DG project files in Vegas via VFAPIConv

If someone has a simpler way to do this, please let me know. Also, in the highly unlikely event someone from Sony actually reads this, they might consider actually including some functionality in Vegas to let us put MP4 files natively on the timeline, since they are become a major reality for portable video.

i was not able to get that script to work, but i did find a tool called, oddly enough, youtube downloader, on the cnet download site. works well and has a coupla options.

http://download.cnet.com/YouTube-Downloader/3000-2071_4-10647340.html

Have tried multiple programs to capture to mp4, but regardless of what I use to change the format, it doesn't play correctly in Vegas.

Jaums, I've been using a program called Free Studio for over a year and it's always worked for me.

Mike

Johnmeyer,

Thanks for the script. I have been able to load these in QT Pro and convert to another Vegas friendly format with that. (both HD and normal youtube)

Dave T2

there are various websites where I've been able to cut-n-paste a youtube URL and then have them convert to one or another video format and download to my hard disk. Some work pretty well, but I haven't found any that can capture the new HD format. Moreover, seems that I've found some URLs on other websites that won't work with these websites.

However, I found that Camtasia set to 24 fps is able to capture from a medium-sized window playing a high-motion video on YouTube works quite well. I'm using a Q6600 @ 2.7 gHz with an nVidia 9600GSO for this - perhaps slower rigs might have problems keeping up (although Camtasia disables vid acceleration by the GPU when capturing - so I don't know how important the GPU speed is - and the 9600GSO is no king of the hill, either). The advantage is that Camtasia captures .AVI files that Vegas likes - no need to render out to a new format.

If you don't have Camtasia, it's my understanding that jing is the free version of Camtasia and you might try that.

I just found the Video Download Helper for Firefox:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3006

Don't know how I missed it, it seems incredible!!

did mention it in the third post......

I've been using FlashGot in Firefox for years, it doesn't get any easier than that...

Did anyone mention keepvid.com (free)?

just add kiss to the URL and voila!
for instance:
replace
with http://www.