Title: Downloading & Converting Media Files
Course: Tech Tools for Teachers > Section: Multimedia

How to download online material.

If you will be sharing multimedia content with students online, you should always embed or link to the orginal material. However, if you will be using the content in class, it is a good idea to download the material, to ensure smooth playback (no buffering or freezing) and to reduce bandwidth use. Try to perform these downloads before or after school to avoid time of peak bandwidth use. Remember to always follow the Copyright Guidelines for Classroom Use or Copyright Guidelines for Online Use, when downloading video for in-class or online display.

File formats

Before downloading a file, you need to decided what file type you need. Use the information below to decide which file type you need. Existing files (video and audio) can be converted using the Freemake Video Converter, which can also be used to rip portions of a DVD (following fair use guidelines) for online playback.

Video

If you will be adding a movie to a presentation, such as SMART Notebook or Prezi, you will need your video to be in a flash (.flv) format. Good news is that most videos download in this format.

If you need to edit a video, each video editor is compatible with different file formats, but generally .avi or .mpeg are compatible with most software. If you are downloading from a camera, keep the video in its native format, if possible. If your editing software will not import your video (e.g. the XP version of Movie Maker will only take .wmv), you'll need to convert to a compatible file type first.

Audio

The most common audio format is .mp3, which is compatible with most software and can easily be shared. Most software will output in .mp3. If you'll be adding audio to a flash-based presentation, such as Prezi, you'll need to convert it to flash (.flv). See Preparing Audio for a Presentation for more information.

Downloading

There are several methods for downloading online material, each with their own adavantages and disadvantages. If you frequently need to download videos, it is advisable to take the time to install a desktop software. Most of the tools are intended for dowloading videos, but may work with audio as well; the Orbit Downloader is usually best for downloading streaming audio.

Method | Advantages | Disadvantages
Website | Nothing to install, ready to use. | Requires switching between browser tabs/windows. Only compatible with popular video sites.
Browser Add-on | Easy, one-click downloading directly from video site. Compatible with most websites. | Too many add-ons can slow a browser. Best for downloading streaming audio.
Desktop Software | Run multiple downloads at once. | Needs to be launched in addition to browser.

Websites

No installation or sign-up is required for the following tools.

SaveVideo.me (How to download using SaveVideo.me)
SaveVideo.me download from a variety of video sharing sites into FLV, MP4, HD, MOV, AVI, or 3GP format.

Savevid
Savevid.com is a tool which gives you the ability to download videos from streaming video sites. You can download videos from Youtube, Google Videos, Metacafe and more in FLV, AVI, MOV, MPG or WMV formats. Bookmarklet available.

KissYoutube
A Youtube-specific site that enables a user to download videos by adding "kiss" to the front of the video's URL. See the website for more information.

ZamZar
Download streaming video (or upload video from your hard drive) and then convert it to a variety of formats. Users have the option to convert the video to an audio file, if just the audio is needed.

Browser Add-ons

Orbit Downloader (How to download using Orbit Downloader)
If you download a lot of videos, Orbit Downloader is you best option, since it installs add-ons on your browsers to download videos without leaving the webpage and works on almost any website with streaming video. However, Orbit Downloader is not the most user-friendly.

Desktop Software

Freemake (How to download using Freemake)
Freemake can be use to download and convert videos from a variety of streaming video websites, by either copying & pasting the URL or by installing the browser add-on. This software can also be used to rip portions of a DVD (following fair use guidelines) for online playback.

StreamTransport (How to download using Stream Transport)
StreamTransport can download videos from Hulu, and other video-sharing sites, such as YouTube, MySpace, Veoh, Yahoo!Video, etc. Works on almost any website with streaming video. Videos are downloaded in FLV format only.

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