Selected YouTube videos get download option

Advertisement (Why?)

U.S President-elect Barack Obama's ChangeDotGov Channel on YouTube has become the first channel to receive the download video option from YouTube. Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford Law School professor noticed this feature this weekend in a weekly address by Obama. The videos with the download option can be downloaded in a High-quality MPEG4, H.264 format. These download links are not available for any other normal user accounts and channels in YouTube and doesn't show up in embedded videos.

Till now YouTube has allowed users to watch videos by streaming online. Even though dozen of other tools (VideoDownloadX, Keep Vid, VidGrab) allow video downloads from YouTube, nothing will make it so simple as clicking the Click to download option from YouTube.

There is no official word yet from YouTube whether this feature will be made available to other accounts. But this feature may soon become available to those who do not mind their personal videos being downloaded. If so, next comes the question on how YouTube will handle the download of copyrighted videos and also whether will there be different video formats available for download.

#1 ermax on 19 Jan 2009 - 12:16

Looking to save bandwidth no doubt.

(1 reply) #2 creamhackered on 19 Jan 2009 - 12:22

MP4 format too so will happily go onto iPhone

#2.1 Intelman on 19 Jan 2009 - 17:35

Or any other mobile device that is worth anything. Zune, LG Phone, and the like.

#3 SniperX on 19 Jan 2009 - 12:53

Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford Law School processor....

A school processor?

#4 +.Vamp on 19 Jan 2009 - 13:11

@SniperX

Quad Core-curriculum don'cha know

#5 +dead.cell on 19 Jan 2009 - 13:52

Watch in HD! Check out his pores!

(1 reply) #6 Airlink on 19 Jan 2009 - 14:04

I guess YouTube decided that since people download TouTube videos anyways, it might as well try and take some control of that scene.

#6.1 C_Guy on 19 Jan 2009 - 18:47

Well it does save a bit of hassle.

(1 reply) #7 2Cold Scorpio on 19 Jan 2009 - 19:09

Maybe next YouTube will let us download videos actually worth downloading...

#7.1 excalpius on 19 Jan 2009 - 19:15

Nah, they just muted the audio on the only things worth watching there...buh bye!

(1 reply) #8 jasondefaoite on 20 Jan 2009 - 02:16

If you are using Firefox, you can add this bookmarklet to download anything on youtube.

Don't need to wait for Google to add it for you.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/04/d...-mp4-files.html

#8.1 Doli on 20 Jan 2009 - 04:04

That works on IE also.

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Neowin.net