Howto Download Youtube Videos on Ubuntu

There are many ways to download Youtube videos, but I wanted to highlight a couple of ways to download them using free software on Ubuntu.  The first one that I wanted to mention is a program called Utube Ripper.  This program uses Gambas 2, so you need to add this repository in order to install it:

deb http://azores.linex.org/gambas-other/ yourubuntudistro main

Then you need to install Gambas through your package manager or terminal.  After that, you can download the DEB, binary, or source code for Utube Ripper.  Once Utube Ripper is installed, you can then enter in a URL for the video that you want to download.  It will then download the video and save it for you.  Utube Ripper even allows you to convert your video to mpg, although I have had trouble with it not giving me audio.

Another way is to download youtube-dl, which is available for me in the Ubuntu repositories or you can download and install it from its homepage.  Once you install youtube-dl, you just run the script with the video URL and it will save it to the folder that you run it from.  It’s quick and easy, and doesn’t overload you with features.

One last method that I wanted to mention is File2hd.com.  I’ve mentioned this site before, but I thought that I’d remind my readers.  It will allow you to get basically any file from any site, including Youtube videos.  The nice thing about File2hd.com is that it will detect both the low and high quality versions (if available) of the video.  You can then choose which version you want.

Do you know of any other ways to download Youtube videos in Ubuntu?