4K Video Downloader Issue With YouTube Non-Paid Log-In Restricted Videos

[Frank-0-Video]

For at least the last seven days from today (July 31st 2024), I have experienced failures using 4K Video Downloader to access restricted videos on Youtube which require just a log-in to one's account, but not involving paid services of any kind.

I have the latest paid version of 4K Downloader (released just this week), and have properly set up its YouTube log-in feature. I am not using a proxy.

Assistance and advice appreciated. BTW - it has been some time since I last visited Videohelp-dot-Com. Profound apologies if this post is not in the proper sub-forum.

[2nHxWW6GkN1l916N3ayz8HQoi]

Seeing as no one bothered to answer your comment, you could try yt-dlp until that program fixes the bug. Most of these shiny GUIs use yt-dlp which can give you the same level of maximum quality. If the app breaks, go for the basic program.

yt-dlp can use cookies from the browser which solves the account problem

[Frank-0-Video]

yt-dlp can use cookies from the browser which solves the account problem

Just briefly, how does yt-dlp "use cookies from the browser" ?? Unless otherwise, I presume that means you designate a specific browser for yt-dlp to access, then start and log-in to youtube on that browser, then use yt-dip accordingly.

Also, I'm discovering that yt-dlp will download video and audio separately, and needs ffmpeg to merge them together. So now, where do I install ffmpeg and then get it to work with yt-dlp.

One other thing -- the online documentation shows the commands but does not show actual working examples. Let me illustrate ....

»» Download video which requires account username and password. Would like to see example with the merge command ...

---- c:\yt-dlp\yt-dlp.exe URL username password audio-video-merge-command

BTW -- 4K Downloader was updated on August 2nd (ver 1.8.3.0112), and was working fine until mid-day Monday August 5th. So, once again I play the waiting game.

[2nHxWW6GkN1l916N3ayz8HQoi]

yt-dlp can be downloaded from here:
https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases

ffmpeg from here:
https://www.ffmpeg.org/download.html

Take the executables for your OS. Put them both in a desktop folder. You're gonna have 2 executables in that empty folder. Then you need to make sure you're logged into your account and can see the video in your browser. Just to be safe, use firefox.

For testing, I'll consider this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw Then open terminal in that folder where you placed your 2 executables and run this:

yt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw" --cookies-from-browser firefox --merge-output-format mp4

If it fails try:

yt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw" --cookies-from-browser firefox --referer "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw" --merge-output-format mp4

If it fails even now, show the error message. I never tried this with a youtube account restricted video, but only with vimeo. In theory, it should be the same flow.

[larley]

yt-dlp can just access the cookies that are stored in your browser. Seems kind of insecure (kinda is), but that's how it works.
They may be using MozillaCookieJar or something like my amazon downloader

[ProJiJi]

It seems this is the latest thread related to the 4K Video Downloader tool, so I'll use this.

I'm wondering if there have been others that have had problems with this tool when using the free version?

I also am not sure what the max number of daily downloads are now. I just went for their update of the free version and it seems to have gone from 10 down to 3 or 4 or something. I couldn't find any information when I went poking around. Where it used to be shown it now shows something about March of 2025 and no more support or some such wording. (Well, it did right after the update, but it hasn't worked since then.)

Oh yes, I found this thread using the site's search tool, so if there may be another thread that is better to use, I'll be fine shifting over to that, if you'd care to offer advice I may need because I didn't do the search correctly. Or because I'm just careless.

[ProJiJi]

Not too long ago I was finally able to find out the new daily limit, if one upgrades, is 3. From 10 to 3. And I was wrong, the new little notice where they used to show the limits and such, - - - the new notice states no support on February 1st. Not sure if that means we can't use that free version after February, or what. Frankly, I have concerns about the manner in which this company handles certain matters and so I doubt I would trust them by purchasing any sort of license to use their product.

By the way, in case anyone might come to the conclusion from these posts that I am just in that program for a free ride, it isn't quite that simple. For reasons I won't go into here I stopped using all credit cards some years back and using money transfer from Japan to other nations is mighty difficult, or not possible. Last time there was a change in policy/law with using Paypal I then couldn't pay for something overseas, but I forget the details now.

[ProJiJi]

Well, I see that my attempt to discuss this product did not rotate. Maybe ground maintenance tugged the bird way off into some old hanger where 'no-can-fly' birds are put.

I also tried doing some Net research on folks that might want to discuss this product/company, but that didn't work out so great because I don't much care for them big, new style fancy discussion sites.

But I did archive some sort of spokesperson's response on one of those fancy sites that even though the latest free version of this product would no longer be supported, it would still work. That is hogwash. It started doing an "Error" thing about a week or so before February first, when the support ended. The parsing tool would work and then 'POOF' "No Can Download" and "Error" and so on.

That isn't exactly a great way to get folks to be trusting your company.

And I simply haven't had time to study that "yt-dip" information posted above.

I do remember trying another product last year, or maybe in 2023, and when I watched what was downloaded there was some disgusting watermark showing.

Is there any sort of product I can buy off the shelf here in Japan that does this job that I have been using the 4K thingy for? I actually didn't start using that capturing a video tool until I wanted to grab some news pieces showing up on YouTube. I think I grabbed some of the Britain's Got Talent stuff that was worthy of the effort. I don't think Simon minds that, as long as it is just for my own use. And was great to see he finally found a winner in that business. He'd had some bad luck before he hit on that idea. Well, maybe "luck" isn't the right word.

Anyway, anybody in this Community at all interested in this 4K stuff?

[ProJiJi]

Let's see now; firstly, I saw that stupid error I made - - - it is yt-dlp, not yt-dip.

Secondly, I finally took some time to check that yt-d thingy and that looks mighty interesting and I reckon there is a thread around here just for teaching us yt-d thingy newbies the ins-and-outs of that.

But there is still value in this 4K Video Download oddity because there seems to be this trend at Net based companies to sort of treat customers like - - - well, not sure what descriptive language is best. I suspect I'm interested in doing some research on who owns that 4K bla-bla company, if I haven't done some already and have forgotten, which is very possible; feeble brain function, and all.

I suppose, though, weirdness in services provided on the Net isn't any different than service industry weirdness in the brick-and-mortar world. Lots of folks do that cheating game, in all walks of life, right?

And, yes, I am fully believing there was/is some "cheating" going on with this 4K bla-bla stuff. Some reason I can't seem to get myself to ignore it and that usually means snail-mail efforts end up getting started. Like a most recent skirmish at Google that will take me way too much time to work on. I don't care what size company it is. Well, Google and I have gone at each other a number of times over the past decade or so. Oh yes, and a recent skirmish with Amazon is getting elevated to the snail-mail arena. That one is kind of cute. And so weird.

Sorry, my old, feeble brain me caused me to wonder.

NOTE: Great looking Japanese image in the advert showing up at the top. Had to do a screen grab, if anyone is interested in seeing a fantastic image of classic Japan.