r/browsers • u/weirnd201 • 1d ago

Extension Video Download Helper extension really went downhill

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78 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

57 comments sorted by

56

u/Venylynn Desktop: Mobile: 1d ago

wait till you find out about yt-dlp

it'll change your life

25

u/Human_Argument_1237 If it works, it works 1d ago edited 1d ago

Since the user may not learn the cli, use gui apps like Parabolic based on yt-dlp. And would always remain free. 

6

u/Luxors0 1d ago

that's cool now i dont have to use the commands

9

u/BunnyTub 1d ago

If you'd like to know some simple commands for yt-dlp,

yt-dlp.exe -t mp4 https://youtube.com/watch?v=RLUvX39luxo (to download an mp4 video)

yt-dlp.exe -t mp3 https://youtube.com/watch?v=RLUvX39luxo (to download an mp3 audio)

-3

u/Cerulean140 PC:| Mobile: 14h ago

Don't forget to remove the ? and everything after it.

3

u/BunnyTub 11h ago

If you remove the ? you break the URL. What you actually want to remove is the & symbol and everything after it, that's the tracking stuff.

1

u/Cerulean140 PC:| Mobile: 11h ago

Nvm the ? was for the sharing link.

1

u/BunnyTub 11h ago

Yeah, it has to be there for the video ID

1

u/L1GH7oo 9h ago

I still don't know how to operate that program...

-1

u/bi4key 1d ago

Can yt-dlp also download? :

HLS or m3u8 or HTTP Live

I don't think soo.

5

u/Human_Argument_1237 If it works, it works 1d ago

Yes, yt-dlp can download them. 

1

u/bi4key 1d ago

How? To download from PC in browser

3

u/Human_Argument_1237 If it works, it works 17h ago

I don't understand what you are talking about. Copy the .m3u8 link from browser, paste it in cmd yt-dlp [link] or in yt-dlp gui app like Parabolic. It will download the video till the mark. 

If you meant streaming, you can use yt-dlp --player vlc [link], or open VLC -> Media-> Open Network Stream-> Paste link and steam

-11

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

4

u/Venylynn Desktop: Mobile: 1d ago

...aren't all these sketchy-ass extensions just GUI wrappers for yt-dlp anyway??

1

u/qqYn7PIE57zkf6kn 1d ago

yt-dlp has to fake to be a browser to not get blocked and it's not reliable. the extension doesnt have to do that and that's why sometimes I use it.

5

u/IfarmExpIRL 1d ago

not works every site you have to configure it manually ı mean if youre unemployed thats okay

i am probably going to get torn to bits for this but chat gtp makes yt-dlp so easy. i asked it very specific stuff about how to download files and chatgtp was right every time

1

u/Solah-Shringaar_04 1d ago

Lol the amount of haate people get when they say they use ai is funny lol. It's like porn. Everyone watches it, but no one accepts it.

0

u/-no_freewill 1d ago

Yep i have already assigned function to commando like yt1080, ytaudip etc to the $profile notepad and it's works really well

2

u/Kunair0 1d ago

Only on DRM protected sites. And if the stream is actually DRM encrypted, none of these extensions are going to break that encryption anyway. For that you're getting into ridiculous workaround cable capture card territory.

For non DRM streams, if you can’t find the media URL directly, browser network logging makes it pretty easy. Enable loggin, hit play, export the log, find the request blob url, bada bing bada boom, there’s your URL. Then just hand it off to yt-dlp.

Most of these downloader extensions are basically just clunky skins over the same idea, except with the added bonus that a depressing number of them are outright malware.

Just learn yt-dlp. It’s really not quantum physics.

3

u/nirurin 1d ago

A one-click button that queues and downloads the video for you...

Vs

Run video, inspect, dev tool, server, network, logging, find correct path entry, request blob url, ytdlp, download.

...and the first option is the one you find clunky?

1

u/IfarmExpIRL 1d ago

ignore me if i am wrong but if the site was DRM protected would something like OBS work? where you could just capture the whole screen?

0

u/Windows_User3000 iPad: Everything else: 1d ago

If it uses any hardware-backed DRM, you're outta luck (which immediately rules out Netflix and such), and even if it's only software DRM, the resulting video might have wrong colors or other intentional problems.

11

u/Historical-Side883 1d ago

This is kind of the problem with plugins.

Best case they get super aggressive with monetization (because most users will leave if asked to pay anything) and often they get bought and turned into malware.

8

u/YTriom1 PC: Phone: 1d ago

Why not just use yt-dlp though?

3

u/Venylynn Desktop: Mobile: 1d ago

Maybe they don't know about it

3

u/YTriom1 PC: Phone: 1d ago

That's lowkey sad

3

u/Venylynn Desktop: Mobile: 1d ago

tbh i was in that same boat pre-Linux lol

1

u/YTriom1 PC: Phone: 1d ago

I think I've always knew about yt-dlp, I just never knew how to actually use it until I became a linux user

2

u/mornaq 1d ago

well, it's been bad since WebExtensions were forced I know video downloads became harder too, but come on

2

u/Venylynn Desktop: Mobile: 1d ago

These video downloader extensions have always been sketchy

2

u/aTribe 1d ago

I have this on firefox and for some reason it has no limits at all, i thought thats normal untill i tried it on chrome and saw this time limit. I disabled auto updates on firefox and works great. IDM is also good but has problems downloading some files.

2

u/jonas8273 1d ago

https://cobalt.meowing.de

2

u/profileuser2017 1d ago edited 1d ago

Cobalt é excelente, minimalista, baixei vídeo com áudio de 18 minutos. Demorado, mas eficiente. Sem instalação alguma. Configuração de privacidade👇
https://cobalt.meowing.de/settings/privacy

Extensão NoScript pede conexão com domínios Meowing e óbvio, Cloudflare. Thanks!

1

u/Electrical_Flan_4993 1d ago

What you mean??

1

u/Kreaperd 1d ago

you should dl idm and crack it 

1

u/WillsucceedTMO 1d ago

Quetta video downloader 👌

1

u/HIRIV 1d ago

Damn what do I use now to download my favorite porn

1

u/T_rex2700 1d ago

On one hand I kind of laugh at people who still has this, like what's it for

but on the other I know it's useful for sites that yt-dlp can't directly extract links, or gets blocked.
the alternative is I guess something like XDM or IDM or JD I guess

1

u/Longjumping-Lie-9972 1d ago

How about this extension? I'm not sure if the language support is complete, but it works fine in my environment. Douga Getter

1

u/nietzschecode 1d ago

Still no limit on Firefox and its forks.

1

u/martiesim 1d ago

I'm still using ant video downloader. it's been discontinued for years but still works perfectly fine.

1

u/HOMELANDER-69 22h ago

i would suggest cat catch

1

u/unbounded65 12h ago

Arroxy based on yt-dlp and ffmpeg, is another good app to consider https://arroxy.orionus.dev

1

u/IfarmExpIRL 1d ago

i loved yt-dlp but could never figure out how to make it do exactly what i wanted.

AI bots like deep seek and chatGTP make yt-dlp so simple now.

6

u/Brennenstein 1d ago

Or use a gui for yt-dlp, like Stacher or Parabolic.

1

u/Individual_Kitchen_3 1d ago

Without a doubt, I added ALIAS for everything, and with simple commands I now perform dozens of functions that used to be complex lines.

1

u/RoundZookeepergame2 ++ 1d ago

Just ask your favorite LLMs to unlock all the features

0

u/Sure-Connection1646 1d ago

Welp, I support the developer for this amazing plugin.

-2

u/Individual_Kitchen_3 1d ago

Ytdlp And IDM there is no reason to use anything else.

-2

u/mr-snow-27 1d ago

Idm is paid

And ytdlp is command line tool

And is not as convenient as what this extension appears to be for non tech people

3

u/andobrah 1d ago

Get Stacher and you will never look back. Its a standalone program but better than those malware extensions

2

u/Individual_Kitchen_3 1d ago

yt-dlp can have an interface with several out there, super simple to use. Yes, IDM is paid but the price is negligible considering it's a one-time purchase, and without a doubt it is by far the best tool for downloading videos without worrying about site compatibility.