YouTube to Windows Media Player Converter Bigasoft Video Downloader, the professional YouTube to WMP Converter and Downloader, can fast download and convert YouTube to Windows Media Player compatible format in just one click. And it has both Windows version and Mac version. This is a great piece of software, it works flawlessly,fast and its free. I have used it to download all kinds of youtube videos that others will not do. Nov 21, 2016 How to Convert YouTube video to Windows Media Player for Free. Freemake video converter is a YouTube video converter that has the capability to convert a video between five hundred formats and this will convert into MP3, MP4, MKV, IPhone, and Android. A great thing about this application is that. Nov 18, 2010 How To View Various Video File Formats In Windows Media Player. Now that you have downloaded your videos, here comes the tricky part. Per default, Windows Media Player only recognizes a limited amount of file formats, the standard video file format being.wmv. However, none of the options above download YouTube videos in that format.
The digital age is a dream come true for hoarders and collectors. No matter how much digital data or information you amass, it won’t take up a lot of space. This means you don’t have to control your primal instinct to search and collect, you can give rein to it.
Sometimes, however, there are technical obstacles. If you’re looking for a way to download YouTube videos and view them in Windows Media Player, read on. This article will explain how to best extract YouTube videos and subsequently enjoy them on Windows Media Player.
How It Works
YouTube streams content using flash video technology. The respective file format is .flv. To download and view a YouTube video, you basically have three options:
- Download and playback the video in .flv file format.
- Download and playback in an alternative file format.
- Download the .flv file and convert it to another file format for playback.
This article is mainly concerned with how to view YouTube videos in Windows Media Player, regardless of how you obtained the files and what file format they are in. Hence, we can neglect the third option.
Best Download Options For YouTube Videos
To limit the confusion, I have selected only two tools. One is a website, the other a program. Both work flawlessly. You should go with the second one, VDownloader, if you want to download multiple videos in parallel.
Kiss YouTube
Kiss YouTube is a straight forward way to download YouTube videos because you do not need to install any software. In addition, Kiss YouTube can download YouTube videos in three different file formats: 3GP, FLV, and MP4. Paired with ease of use, that’s plenty of great features for an online service.
![Media Media](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126043172/461292234.jpg)
You can either copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video into the respective field on the Kiss YouTube homepage (see screenshot below); OR you can rename the YouTube URL, adding the word ‘kiss’ between ‘www.’ and ‘youtube.com/…’.
In both cases you will be directed to a page that lets you select your download format.
To proceed, click the download link of your preferred file format.
VDownloader
This is a software option, which is more convenient if you want to download multiple videos or wish to download from more sources than just YouTube. Attention! The installation comes with lots of extra software options and adware, all of which you can opt out of. Be sure to carefully screen all your options and go with a custom installation to opt out of the Ask toolbar and homepage.
Once you have completed the installation, VDownloader is a great tool. As soon as you copy a URL, it is pasted into the program’s > Video URL field. Next select your preferred > Output Format and hit the > Download button. While your first video is already downloading, you can proceed to add the next one.
The available output formats include .flv (no conversion), .avi, .mpeg, .mp3 (audio), and several more.
VDownloader was also reviewed by Karl in this article: VDownloader – Really Easy Video Downloader SoftwareVDownloader - Really Easy Video Downloader Software (+ 20 Free PRO Accounts)VDownloader - Really Easy Video Downloader Software (+ 20 Free PRO Accounts)Read More.
How To View Various Video File Formats In Windows Media Player
Now that you have downloaded your videos, here comes the tricky part. Per default, Windows Media Player only recognizes a limited amount of file formats, the standard video file format being .wmv. However, none of the options above download YouTube videos in that format. So what can you do?
You need to download and install codecs so that Windows Media Player can read all those file types. Don’t sweat, it’s a quick and easy three-step-program:
- Go to Codec Guide and download any of the K-Lite Codec Packs, the basic one is sufficient.
- Install the downloaded K-Lite Codec Pack.
- Enjoy downloaded videos in Windows Media Player.
That’s it.
Also check out the following YouTube-related articles on MakeUseOf:
- 3 Free Ways To Download YouTube Movies To Your iPhone (& Other Mobile Phones)3 Free Ways To Download YouTube Movies To Your iPhone (& Other Mobile Phones)3 Free Ways To Download YouTube Movies To Your iPhone (& Other Mobile Phones)Read More by Jeffry
- 10 Youtube URL Tricks You Should Know About10 YouTube URL Tricks You Should Know About10 YouTube URL Tricks You Should Know AboutLove YouTube? You can make it even better with these cool YouTube URL tricks that let you download videos, make GIFs, and more.Read More by Varun
Conclusion
Youtube To Mp3 Converter
If you’re now wondering, why you would want to use Windows Media Player in the first place, I congratulate you. The answer is, I don’t know. Fact is, it’s much easier to download a media player that naturally supports all these file formats. Obviously, you will save yourself the hassle of installing codecs and trying to make it work with WMP. If you can live without WMP and would prefer an easy option, I highly recommend [NO LONGER WORKS] VLC Media Player.
Here are some more MakeUseOf recommendations:
- Top 5 Free Media Players For Windows5 Best Free Media Players for Windows5 Best Free Media Players for WindowsThe best media player for you is the one you most enjoy using. Here are the best free media player apps to consider on Windows.Read More by Will
- Kantaris – A Great New Media Player Based On VLCKantaris - A Great New Media Player Based On VLCKantaris - A Great New Media Player Based On VLCRead More by Simon
- Splayer – A Portable Play-All Media Player for WindowsSplayer - A Portable Play-All Media Player for WindowsSplayer - A Portable Play-All Media Player for WindowsRead More by Jessica
This is the time to fess up! Do you download YouTube videos to your computer and in case you do, what is your reason? Do you mind sharing how many gigabytes the YouTube videos take up on your hard drive?
Explore more about: Online Video, YouTube.
From Youtube To Windows Media Player
- Have been using the free version of iFunia Free YouTube Downloader in the past couple of years.
Comes with no bundled crapware, is easy to use and does the job for me. - Thank you for these instructions, really helpful!! I always use acethinker video downloader to save YouTube video as wmv video, and then play wmv with windows media player, free and works quite well. Acethinker is a web-based application, you don't have to download or install anything. Share it here as an alternative.
- Time to time I want to download some music video or movie trailer, but lot of youtube downloader don't work for this content. Finally I found http://videater.com and now I can download everything. Great!:)
- aha, thanks, I hava already got iFunia Free YouTube downloader for my favourite YouTube vdieo downloading, as after I read this full guide on wikihow: How to Download and Convert Videos Using iFunia Free YouTube Downloader for Mac
and now it also can do some converting when my iPad don't support the flash video~~ - aha, thanks, I hava already got iFunia Free YouTube downloader for my favourite YouTube vdieo downloading, as after I read this full guide on wikihow: http://www.wikihow.com/Download-and-Convert-Videos-Using-iFunia-Free-YouTube-Downloader-for-Mac
and now it also can do some converting when my iPad don't support the flash video~~ - aha, thanks, I hava already got iFunia Free YouTube downloader for my favourite YouTube vdieo downloading, as after I read this full guide on wikihow: How to Download and Convert Videos Using iFunia Free YouTube Downloader for Macand now it also can do some converting when my iPad don't support the flash video~~
- aha, thanks, I hava already got iFunia Free YouTube downloader for my favourite YouTube vdieo downloading, as after I read this full guide on wikihow: http://www.wikihow.com/Downloa...
and now it also can do some converting when my iPad don't support the flash video~~ - Or u can use Audials Tunebite Youtube downloader to download youtube videos, for example.Easy to use plus it can both download and convert youtube flv videos to other formats:
- I suggest xVideoServiceThief,//www.makeuseof.com/tag/x...
- Or u can use Audials Tunebite Youtube downloader to download youtube videos, for example.Easy to use plus it can both download and convert youtube flv videos to other formats:http://audials.com/en/how_to_r...
- Audio from YouTube Videos,Zamzar is a good free Online Video Conversion.
http://zamzar.com/ - Audio from YouTube Videos,Zamzar is a good free Online Video Conversion.
http://zamzar.com/ - FreeDVDSoft youtube downloader is also the best one, you can download entire youtube playlist also check here. http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/products/dvd/Free-YouTube-Download.htm
- or you can use Opera-browser. All you have to do is open your browsers cache and there it is.
- FreeDVDSoft youtube downloader is also the best one, you can download entire youtube playlist also check here. http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/pr...
- I am slow to all of this tech stuff. Used to be a guru when the floppy disk was 5 inches in size. I want to store the content on either a CD or an external drive is that possible if I do this with the media player instructions above?
- You can burn the downloaded video files to a CD or save them on an external drive, that's no problem.However, when you use the external storage media on another computer, make sure it has the necessary codecs installed to playback your videos.If you would like to share the videos with someone on their computer and you don't want to mess with their system, the easiest way is to use a portable application. That means you use a media player installed on your own external hard drive or flash drive. You should also use one that does not rely on video codecs installed on the respective computer.Try VLC Portable. On that page you will also find instructions on how to install VLC Portable and how to use it. Just look under Support. Note that you can not run this application from CD, you have to use a hard drive or flash drive.
- i loved the conclusion :P ditch windows media player in favour of vlc lol
youtube videos can also be downloaded by using addons in firefox, chrome or other browsers.
for firefox, the most popular is [url=https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/201/?src=api]DownThemAll![/url]- Thanks for mentioning browser addons! They are indeed much more convenient. My way of thinking was that anyone who seriously uses Windows Media Player, probably also uses Internet Explorer, so I went with a universal tool.
- i loved the conclusion :P ditch windows media player in favour of vlc lol
youtube videos can also be downloaded by using addons in firefox, chrome or other browsers.
for firefox, the most popular is [url=https://addons.mozilla.org/en-...]DownThemAll![/url] - Instead of typing 'kiss' into YouTube's URL, try typing 'pwn'. The result is a meta-tool that links you directly into several different downloading tools, some of which are nearly identical to kissyoutube.The difference? Typeing 'pwn' will take you to http://deturl.com which has a lot more to offer than kissyoutube, such as conversion to more file formats, links to simulcasting tools, youtubeproxy, youtu.be links, sharing tools, etc, etc.However! The **FASTEST** and most safe way simply to download the FLV or MP4 files is with this BOOKMARKLET: http://marklets.com/PwnYouTube...It lets you download directly from YouTube without any middlemen.
- http://keep-tube.com is the best!
- Jdownloader works great for youtube videos; gives you the option of downloading the different qualities and formats.
- Instead of typing 'kiss' into YouTube's URL, try typing 'pwn'. The result is a meta-tool that links you directly into several different downloading tools, some of which are nearly identical to kissyoutube.The difference? Typeing 'pwn' will take you to http://deturl.com which has a lot more to offer than kissyoutube, such as conversion to more file formats, links to simulcasting tools, youtubeproxy, youtu.be links, sharing tools, etc, etc.However! The **FASTEST** and most safe way simply to download the FLV or MP4 files is with this BOOKMARKLET: http://marklets.com/PwnYouTube.aspxIt lets you download directly from YouTube without any middlemen.
- Thank you for bringing up these tools DG! The bookmarklet is awesome.
- Another good app for downloading video and audio is FreeMusicZilla. It works with virtually any site streaming this kind of content.
- I suggest xVideoServiceThief,
- Or, instead of worrying about spyware, and in the unlikely event you're using a moderately civilized operating system, you can achieve better results by running two commands from an Ubuntu shell:sudo apt-get install youtube-dl
youtube-dl --all-formatsyoutube-dl is written in python and the above command will download all formats of a video that youtube makes available (flv, mp4, webm, etc...) in all resolutions available. You can, of course, narrow it down by using different options.And if you need to transcode the video to any format under the sun you can just use Handbrake. - http://keep-tube.com is the best!
- Or, instead of worrying about spyware, and in the unlikely event you're using a moderately civilized operating system, you can achieve better results by running two commands from an Ubuntu shell:sudo apt-get install youtube-dl
youtube-dl --all-formats <youtube url='>youtube-dl is written in python and the above command will download all formats of a video that youtube makes available (flv, mp4, webm, etc...) in all resolutions available. You can, of course, narrow it down by using different options.And if you need to transcode the video to any format under the sun you can just use Handbrake.</youtube>