Freeware for compressing DVD files

[guns1inger]

They will be wherever you saved them too with FlashLynx, unless you have deleted them. Use Windows Explorer Search to find them if you can't remember where you put them.

[Ricky_E]

They will be wherever you saved them too with FlashLynx, unless you have deleted them. Use Windows Explorer Search to find them if you can't remember where you put them.

Well, they're suppose to have been saved somewhere in My Documents under a FL folder as avi files, however, those are gone now along with FL. However, somehow my CDBunerXP program was able to access the FL folder in My Documents and from the CDBunerXP "Disc - Data compilation' console, I right-clicked on each file and clicked on 'Send To' and sent them to My Documents. Therefore, they are now also stored in My Documents as avi files(with a WMP icon associated with the files).

So, can the DVDFlick program access those avi files in My Documents? I just opened up the DVDFlick program and clicked on the 'Open Project' icon, and clicked on 'My Documents,' but I didn't see any of the Youtube avi files. What am I doing wrong?

[Ricky_E]

Okay, wait a minute. I see the Youtube avi files when I clicked on the 'Add title' button on the left.

Give me a minute to let me see what I can do from there.

[Ricky_E]

Okay, I just checked the Youtube avi files in My Documents, and somehow the videos are now only a fraction of the size that they were before. Or in other words, the video itself doesn't fill the WMP screen.

But you know what? I found some other programs such as Keepvid.com and Ripzor.com that capture Youtube videos from the internet, therefore, I'm going to just go ahead and start over and capture the Youtube videos that I want again. I'll check back later.

[DB83]

Ricky,

For these 9 (nine) videos to occupy 4.44 gig then the program that 'captured' them has, I as suspected, done some intermediate conversion. Now if these original 'captures' are lost then this bit is somewhat academic but a raw youtube video in .flv format - and that is what you normally get - would occupy approx 25 meg or less than 250 gig for the lot.

Most of these 'capture' programs will do some intermediate conversion. This is not a bad thing but as you are dealing with a low quality source in the first place then that conversion, and the second conversion with DVDFlick is certainly not going to give you Hollywood quality - last night, I did use the program to make a dvd using .flv youtube's source files and the final quality sucked. But it will also depend on the source of the video that was originally uploaded to youtube.

If you just want the raw .flv video, the easiest method is to install a current version of real-player and that will download the source video without any intermediate conversion. Another, not guaranteed to work these days, method is to check your windows temporary files once the clip has fully played as it could be in there.

[guns1inger]

Which is why I suggested Video Download Helper and FireFox. Most youtube clips less than two years old have higher quality versions available that most of the crappy downloaders don't see. These are far better starting pionrs for DVD than the 11 - 20 mb low res flv versions

[Ricky_E]

Ricky,

For these 9 (nine) videos to occupy 4.44 gig then the program that 'captured' them has, I as suspected, done some intermediate conversion. Now if these original 'captures' are lost then this bit is somewhat academic but a raw youtube video in .flv format - and that is what you normally get - would occupy approx 25 meg or less than 250 gig for the lot.

Most of these 'capture' programs will do some intermediate conversion. This is not a bad thing but as you are dealing with a low quality source in the first place then that conversion, and the second conversion with DVDFlick is certainly not going to give you Hollywood quality - last night, I did use the program to make a dvd using .flv youtube's source files and the final quality sucked. But it will also depend on the source of the video that was originally uploaded to youtube.

If you just want the raw .flv video, the easiest method is to install a current version of real-player and that will download the source video without any intermediate conversion. Another, not guaranteed to work these days, method is to check your windows temporary files once the clip has fully played as it could be in there.

Hi all. I had kind of came to a road block the last time that I was here. After leaving the forum, I had deleted all the avi Youtube videos files that were on my computer(and it turned out that some were flv files) and uninstall FL. Well, I tried to get keepvid.com, ripzor.com, and the YouTube Downloader program to capture those Youtube video, but I got error messages from ripzor and YTD, and I couldn't quite get keepvid to work. Also, I had been up half the night fooling around with all of this and was quite frustrated and disappointed when I finally went to bed.

Well, I had thought about those recovery programs that recover deleted items from your Recycle Bin and used one of them and was able to recovery all(?) the avi and flv YouTube files that I had deleted.

Now the avi files play on WMP, but they are the ones that lost a good percentage of their size. However, I don't know how to play the flv files(because WMP keeps launching, but it can't play the flv files) and I wanted to see whether or not the flv files had been shrunken the way that the avi files had been.

Also, I'm wondering if the shruken avi files are related to what DB83 said about there having been some intermediate conversion that has taken place.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Ricky_E]

Which is why I suggested Video Download Helper and FireFox. Most youtube clips less than two years old have higher quality versions available that most of the crappy downloaders don't see. These are far better starting pionrs for DVD than the 11 - 20 mb low res flv versions

I just looked at guns1inger's post again and it finally computed. Well, I guess I can install FireFox again and use VDH, but hopefully I won't have any problems with it in the way that I had problems with those other capture progams.

I'll check back when I'm through.

[Ricky_E]

Well, I'm here in Firefox land, however, whenever I try to download...I mean Add-On VideoDownloadHelper, I get this:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us


Any suggestions?

[DB83]

Ricky,

Videos, in whatever format cannot simply shrink in size.What I mean to say that if you had a 25 meg FLV file and then a 500 meg AVI then that is what you would always have unless you did something to the video.

To play a FLV video you need err a FLV player - Applian Flv Player does the job quite well. They laso have software to convert the FLV files to other formats which I have not used.

One program I have used is Any Video Converter which probably works in a similar way to the programs you tried before as that one does have a Youtube option. But to use this one you will need some knowledge on video formats and data compression.

As to that error, it just looks like a bad download - internet connection problem. I downloaded the Firefox plug-in the other day with no problem. But I am also using an earlier version of FF.

[Ricky_E]

As to that error, it just looks like a bad download - internet connection problem. I downloaded the Firefox plug-in the other day with no problem. But I am also using an earlier version of FF.

Yes, I am having internet connection problems which is why I am posting from the library right now. But I hope to continue with this soon.

[Ricky_E]

Ricky,

Videos, in whatever format cannot simply shrink in size.What I mean to say that if you had a 25 meg FLV file and then a 500 meg AVI then that is what you would always have unless you did something to the video.

To play a FLV video you need err a FLV player - Applian Flv Player does the job quite well. They laso have software to convert the FLV files to other formats which I have not used.

I could be mistaken, but earlier today, I clicked on the FLV player link and clicked on the "Download from author site" link and it seemed as if I contracted some sort of malware. My WMP kept launching and a little gray box at the top left corner kept appearing that had a rather bizarre website name to it.(I can't remember the name.)

[Ricky_E]

Which is why I suggested Video Download Helper and FireFox. Most youtube clips less than two years old have higher quality versions available that most of the crappy downloaders don't see. These are far better starting pionrs for DVD than the 11 - 20 mb low res flv versions

Okay, I'm going to try this again.

[Ricky_E]

Which is why I suggested Video Download Helper and FireFox.

Okay, I successfully downloaded or Added on VDH, but I don't how to access it. It's not in my All Programs list, nor is there a desktop icon for it. What do I do next?

[Ricky_E]

Also, it seems like I've been a victim of Murphy's Law throughout this whole endeavor, however, I actually have a copy of an exercise DVD that I would also like to learn how to make a copy of. Can you guys help me out with that also?

[Nelson37]

I'm gonna offer some help before the frustration level gets too high.

READ. There are LOTS of detailed guides covering everything you have asked, plus explaining LOTS and LOTS of details that you need to know. Check the How TO section. Spend some HOURS reading. Then some more testing and experimenting. Then some more reading.

Like the error msg you posted. It says right in the message - "bad file hash" - that means an invalid or corrupted file. The msg further states "possible download error". And then you wonder what the problem is? With a file that you just downloaded?

Then there is BITRATE. The fundamental concept that controls video file size AND quality, and you never heard of it.

Your explanation of the lost files that were "found" by CDBurnerXp points to some far larger problems. My guess would be that you failed to notice the "files of type" button at the bottom of the selection screen, wherein you are not seeing certain file types because they are not being requested. Regardless, files do not Disappear and are then "found" by another program.

Next, learn that specific programs do specific jobs. Capturing video from the net is ONE job. Converting that video to DVD standard is ONE job. Authoring that video into a DVD structure is ONE job. Burning that structure to disk is ONE job.

And one more thing. Whoever is telling you that Imgburn is "too complicated" is someone to whom you should STOP LISTENING, as they are a totally clueless dumbass. This program is far and away the BEST burning program, expecially for video purposes. Not to mention being just about as simple as you can get.

[DB83]

Which is why I suggested Video Download Helper and FireFox.

Okay, I successfully downloaded or Added on VDH, but I don't how to access it. It's not in my All Programs list, nor is there a desktop icon for it. What do I do next?

Ricky,

First of all, VDH is NOT a program. It is an add-on for a web-browser. There are instructions on how it works on the page, or from the page, you downloaded it from. (Look near the address bar of your browser)

If you are not seeing the 'Any Video Converter' Home page (it has a left-pointing yellow arrow in an orange circle at the top left) something is seriously wrong with your web-browsing experience.

And, to be perfectly frank, Nelson37 sums all this up rather well. We, who want to, will help you. But at the same time we will not hold your hand at every stage of the process. The best way to learn anything is to do it yourself. Learn from your mistakes. And its all here if you just stand back and look for it. No one is going to repeat any process here in how to copy/backup a dvd.

[filmboss80]

Yeah, Ricky, I have to agree with DB83 and others. This thread has gone on much longer than it really should. If you exercise patience and take the time to read how to use the software, a lot of problems will go away, and you'll start having fun. I'm going to try to summarize what has been suggested in this thread:

1. To capture YouTube videos, it is best to use the Mozilla Firefox browser with the Video Download Helper add-on. Once VDH is correctly added to FF, then you should see the spinning balloons whenever you go to a YouTube video link. Click on the spinning balloons to download the media file.

2. FLV Player should work for viewing the clips you download. If there is a problem with the author's download site, Videohelp.com provides a direct link to the software (but only use it when all else fails, so that this site's server isn't burdened too much).

3. You should be able to drop media files into DVD Flick in order to create a DVD-compliant movie compilation. It is best to save the completed project to your hard drive, so that no reencoding will be necessary if a disc burn fails.

4. Use Imgburn to do the final burning to DVD discs.

All of the software listed here is free, and there are tutorials and guides to help you master them.

Ah--one other thing: Don't expect sharp, pretty-looking images if your source is streamed video from the internet. Most clips are highly-compressed, and when showing them on a big TV screen, the compression artifacts and resolution loss will be glaringly obvious.

[Ricky_E]

I'm gonna offer some help before the frustration level gets too high.

READ. There are LOTS of detailed guides covering everything you have asked, plus explaining LOTS and LOTS of details that you need to know. Check the How TO section. Spend some HOURS reading. Then some more testing and experimenting. Then some more reading.

You know what? I was trying to put the YouTube exercise videos on disc as a favor for someone, however, never in my wildest dreams did I think that doing something which seems like a fairly simple task would turn out to be something that is similar to taking a mini college course. I mean geez! And excuse me for saying so, but all this is a bit ridiculous.

And it's not like I already don't have to spend time reading other computer software instructions and other computer-related information, but now you're telling me that I have to do more reading of LOTS of detailed guides explaining LOTS and LOTS of details that I need to know? I mean, Sheesh!!!

Like the error msg you posted. It says right in the message - "bad file hash" - that means an invalid or corrupted file. The msg further states "possible download error". And then you wonder what the problem is? With a file that you just downloaded?

Sorry dude or dudette, but I still don't know what the problem is.

Then there is BITRATE. The fundamental concept that controls video file size AND quality, and you never heard of it.

What...when we're born as babies, we're suppose to already have that information implanted in our brains? Or were we suppose to have learned that in grade school, high school, or college?

Your explanation of the lost files that were "found" by CDBurnerXp points to some far larger problems. My guess would be that you failed to notice the "files of type" button at the bottom of the selection screen, wherein you are not seeing certain file types because they are not being requested. Regardless, files do not Disappear and are then "found" by another program.

What did he just say?

Next, learn that specific programs do specific jobs. Capturing video from the net is ONE job. Converting that video to DVD standard is ONE job. Authoring that video into a DVD structure is ONE job. Burning that structure to disk is ONE job.

Duh! You would at least think that people would think that I understood that from this thread.

And one more thing. Whoever is telling you that Imgburn is "too complicated" is someone to whom you should STOP LISTENING, as they are a totally clueless dumbass. This program is far and away the BEST burning program, expecially for video purposes. Not to mention being just about as simple as you can get.

Gee, that certainly is a rather harsh and arrogant thing to say about someone. And if you'd like, you could let that person know what your opinion is about them. And his name is Han in post #19:

http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showpost.php?p=1553722&postcount=19

And you can click the link in the upper right corner to see the full thread.

[Ricky_E]

Yeah, Ricky, I have to agree with DB83 and others. This thread has gone on much longer than it really should. If you exercise patience and take the time to read how to use the software, a lot of problems will go away, and you'll start having fun. I'm going to try to summarize what has been suggested in this thread:

1. To capture YouTube videos, it is best to use the Mozilla Firefox browser with the Video Download Helper add-on. Once VDH is correctly added to FF, then you should see the spinning balloons whenever you go to a YouTube video link. Click on the spinning balloons to download the media file.

2. FLV Player should work for viewing the clips you download. If there is a problem with the author's download site, Videohelp.com provides a direct link to the software (but only use it when all else fails, so that this site's server isn't burdened too much).

3. You should be able to drop media files into DVD Flick in order to create a DVD-compliant movie compilation. It is best to save the completed project to your hard drive, so that no reencoding will be necessary if a disc burn fails.

4. Use Imgburn to do the final burning to DVD discs.

All of the software listed here is free, and there are tutorials and guides to help you master them.

Ah--one other thing: Don't expect sharp, pretty-looking images if your source is streamed video from the internet. Most clips are highly-compressed, and when showing them on a big TV screen, the compression artifacts and resolution loss will be glaringly obvious.

You know, some people here at this forum seem a bit arrogant and stingy with their information, but I would like to thank you, filmboss, for your kinder and more generous demeanor. But I guess I'm the type of person who even though may have worked hard and taken the time to learn some detailed technical electronic instructions, I don't mind sharing information with someone else who doesn't seem to know that they're doing. And yes, I know that it's important for someone to read the instructions or the manual, but I personally don't have a problem in sharing a tip or some information to someone else in the way that filmboss explained how once VDH is correctly added to FF, I will then see the spinning balloons once I go to a YouTube video page. I mean, what's so hard about saying something like that?

But anyway, I'm going to try to accomplish what I want to accomplish by reviewing the information that's in this thread, however, if I have any questions, I'll probably look for another forum where more of the people have friendlier and more generous demeanors.

[lordsmurf]

There's a certain frustration level, as certain tech with promise has stagnated (due to whining that it's "too hard"), or has been far too dumbed down (yet people still complain it's "too hard").

I was trying to put the YouTube exercise videos on disc as a favor for someone, however, never in my wildest dreams did I think that doing something which seems like a fairly simple task would turn out to be something that is similar to taking a mini college course

Why did you think that? Even operating a lawnmower or chainsaw correctly takes some degree of learning. Video is very complex, and does take more education.

[filmboss80]

...never in my wildest dreams did I think that doing something which seems like a fairly simple task would turn out to be something that is similar to taking a mini college course.

There are actually university degrees in this field. My initial Bachelor's degree (many years ago) was in Radio-TV-Film. From thereon, I attended many refresher seminars to keep up with changes in technology. So, yes, it is more difficult than it appears; but I can attest from personal experience that the latest developments in hardware and software have made the task of creating video material much, much faster, cheaper, and easier than I ever dreamed.

Please remember that most of us contributing here have real jobs and responsibilities, and that we only have time to periodically poke into this site and offer quick answers. We don't know how much or little you actually know, and oftentimes, we do not have the time to write detailed instructions for you. We can only point you in the proper direction.

Despite frustrating remarks, this forum is, as far as I have seen, much nicer and friendlier than most.

My last piece of advice is to try and find retail DVDs from this exercise person you found on YouTube. It will save you a lot of time, energy, and endless frustration if you just lay down a few bucks and pick up a ready-made disc.

...I would like to thank you, filmboss, for your kinder and more generous demeanor.

Nice of you to say. Obviously, you've not read some of my posts in other threads. I TRY to be nice and helpful at all times, but there is the occasional weasel who pushes my buttons too. Whether our advice helped you or not, we always hope our efforts to assist are appreciated. We do this because we've been in your shoes, and we know what it is to need help in getting out of a jam.

[Nelson37]

I am so sorry, it would appear that I may have completely mis-identified the totally clueless dumbass.

You are seriously telling me that you downloaded a program, got the message "possible download error", and you have no idea what the problem is when the program did not work?

If people DID think that you DID understand about single-purpose programs, they MIGHT suspect that the difference between IMGBURN and other "burning suites" mentioned in both this and the other thread would be more obvious to you. It's not, so I don't.

Since you have at least concisely stated your target goal, best advice at this time would be to capture the video as described, burn the files to disk, with IMGBURN, and tell your friend to watch them on their computer. The reason you use IMGBURN is that it will NOT, repeat NOT, convert your files in any way. Many "burning suites" will butcher them terribly in an attempt to make them DVD compliant.

A further discussion of the process, while not impossible, would take an exceptionally long time at your current level of understanding. It would involve, for just one item, a discussion of BITRATE. You would also have to keep track of some files and directories. Never mind interlacing, audio frequency and type, frame rate, resolution, PAL vs NTSC, etc, etc. These topics are covered quite well in the How to section I mentioned. Some folks who are reasonably sharp can pick up the necessary info in 15 minutes or less. The "hours" estimate was just for those who can't locate files on their PC or find IMGBURN too complicated.

[Ricky_E]

If you want a DVD that plays in a standard DVD player then look at DVD Flick (free). It will convert your files to a standard DVD Video format, ready for burning with Imgburn.

Okay, I've successfully downloaded and installed the VDH and the FLV Player and captured the desired FLV files to my hard drive. Plus, I was able to add those files(or drop those files) into DVD Flick, and I think that I converted my FLV files to a standard DVD Video format....and I also just downloaded and installed Imgburn, however, I'm not sure what to do next.

The What would you like to do? Imgburn screen that's up has two options: 1) Write image file to disc and 2) Write files/folders to disc. Both options sound like they could apply to me, however, I'm just not sure which option I should choose. And I've already spent a lot of time with all of this and I even had to change some plans that I had for today, plus, I tried searching on the Imgburn Support Forum, but there's just too much information there to plow through. Therefore, if there is anyone who is generous enough to help me with this, I would really appreciate it. Also, I have the "DVD Flick Done" GUI with the 'Prepare files' through 'Finalize' steps completed, and it's just hanging around on my PC screen(Time Elapsed: 1:39:33 hours), however, I would just like to make sure that I don't lose all that work.

So any help with the next phase of transferring my converted FLV files inside of DVD Flick to the Imgburn program for shrinking and then to burning onto disc, will be really appreciated.

[Ricky_E]

...never in my wildest dreams did I think that doing something which seems like a fairly simple task would turn out to be something that is similar to taking a mini college course.

There are actually university degrees in this field. My initial Bachelor's degree (many years ago) was in Radio-TV-Film. From thereon, I attended many refresher seminars to keep up with changes in technology. So, yes, it is more difficult than it appears; but I can attest from personal experience that the latest developments in hardware and software have made the task of creating video material much, much faster, cheaper, and easier than I ever dreamed.

Please remember that most of us contributing here have real jobs and responsibilities, and that we only have time to periodically poke into this site and offer quick answers. We don't know how much or little you actually know, and oftentimes, we do not have the time to write detailed instructions for you. We can only point you in the proper direction.

Despite frustrating remarks, this forum is, as far as I have seen, much nicer and friendlier than most.

My last piece of advice is to try and find retail DVDs from this exercise person you found on YouTube. It will save you a lot of time, energy, and endless frustration if you just lay down a few bucks and pick up a ready-made disc.

...I would like to thank you, filmboss, for your kinder and more generous demeanor.

Nice of you to say. Obviously, you've not read some of my posts in other threads. I TRY to be nice and helpful at all times, but there is the occasional weasel who pushes my buttons too. Whether our advice helped you or not, we always hope our efforts to assist are appreciated. We do this because we've been in your shoes, and we know what it is to need help in getting out of a jam.

Yes, yours(and some others) efforts to assist have been appreciated, but please see my post #54 because I am almost through with this and would like to be on my way.

[DB83]

IIRC DVDFlick creates folders. They will be found where you asked the program to store them and they will be called VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS (the program may not create AUDIO_TS but the fact that it is missing will not effect the final dvd from playing)

If DVDFlick creates an 'image' that will be called ******.ISO and again will be found where you asked the program to store it.

[Ricky_E]

I am so sorry, it would appear that I may have completely mis-identified the totally clueless dumbass.

Nelson37, you know what you can do with your "dumbass."

[Ricky_E]

IIRC DVDFlick creates folders. They will be found where you asked the program to store them and they will be called VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS (the program may not create AUDIO_TS but the fact that it is missing will not effect the final dvd from playing)

If DVDFlick creates an 'image' that will be called ******.ISO and again will be found where you asked the program to store it.

DBB3, I think that I messed up on this, therefore, I'm going to call it quits for right now. However, I just don't see where DVD Flicks instructs it's customers as to what to do, step by step.

There are actually university degrees in this field. My initial Bachelor's degree (many years ago) was in Radio-TV-Film. From thereon, I attended many refresher seminars to keep up with changes in technology. So, yes, it is more difficult than it appears; but I can attest from personal experience that the latest developments in hardware and software have made the task of creating video material much, much faster, cheaper, and easier than I ever dreamed.

Also, I wanted to say that while I do agree that there is a measure of difficulty to this, I think that the bottom line is knowing what steps to take and what buttons to click on. I mean, it's not like learning how to play the guitar or how to play the piano. I just needed to know what steps to take and what buttons and icons to click on and I could have completed this project a long time ago.

[Nelson37]

What program are you burning with, again? Does it, in fact, perform a "shrink" function? What does "NOT convert your files in any way" mean to you?

Further, by actually doing some reading, did you or did you not obtain at least one clue? How long do you think it will take you to determine the difference between "files and folders" and an "image file"?

Would you rather have a single fish or a pole?

Answers, in order : IMGBURN, No, Apparently nothing, Possibly even two, An hour or more, and finally, Neither, you'll wait till somebody takes you to Long John Silvers and buys you dinner.

[filmboss80]

Did DVD Flick save a VIDEO_TS folder to your hard drive, or was it an .iso file? Either will work, and as long as it is stored on the hard drive, you won't lose it. Imgburn (which can burn that same DVD Flick project output to as many discs as you want), can burn either a VIDEO_TS folder (in Build mode) or an .iso image. You'll just need to follow the appropriate steps, and there are tons of guides and tutorials. You really needn't ask us to do everything for you.

To some extent, even the harshest critics have their point. Basic steps in how to use every piece of mentioned software are easy to find. For example, no one had to tell me (or anyone else that I know of, other than you) about the "spinning balloons" in Video Download Helper, because the instructions on how to use the software was right there on its download page. Links to lots of helpful guides and "how-to" publications are usually found on each software's download page in the VideoHelp Tools section. Like myself, thousands of us learned how to use every tool mentioned here on our own, just by reading the readily-available instructions. We didn't have to ask anyone in a forum to repeat those instructions for us.

From your writings, it is obvious that you are very intelligent. However, the direction of this thread indicates to me that there may be an issue with patience, and just taking the time to really READ instructions (as opposed to scanning them) and going through the process. I have re-read many of the posts, and the solutions have already been provided here. (I even summarized things in post #48, and you got very far. There's just one more little push.)

New hardware and software are constantly coming out, and WE ALL hit a few snags here and there. You just have to keep plodding through it without getting too exasperated--either at the software or at us. (And by "us," that includes Nelson37.)