The quickest and most non-technical way to go about this (in our humble opininon) is to use any of the web video capture tools we have tested here.  For example, download the trial version of Movavi Flash Converter or just buy the full version without the trial limitations, heck it only costs $29.95.

Here’s how;

1) Once you have downloaded Movavi Flash Converter 2, open the program.

2)Browse Youtube until you find the video clip you want to download and save.  Copy the URL information from the top of your browser window, for eg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTasT5h0LEg  now paste it into the window in Movavi Flash converter program.

3)Choose any file conversion preferences, for eg. save for playback on your Ipod, hit convert and you’re done.

Its that easy, try it out here.

Replay Media Catcher has been around longer and is a great and proven product.  Its main claim to fame is the ability to capture streaming video from a lot of different sites on the web.  It works very simply by automatically catching any video you happen to be browsing at the time.

Riptiger on the other hand is the relatively new kid and it also works by automatically detecting and capturing streaming web video while you’re watching it.  However, where I believe Riptiger is the better product for 3 reasons;

1. It can capture streaming video but you also have the option of directly inputting the url of a video being watched such as those on Youtube
2. In our tests, Riptiger had quicker download speeds.
3. And lastly but not least, it is cheaper!

So there you have it, both great products but Riptiger is the winner for us.  You can read our full product comparisons here or you can download the trial version of Riptiger here.

A search on the web for “how to capture web video” will turn up a many sites promoting both free and paid software applications that promise to do this for you.

So which one is best for you?

This will usally comes down to 3 factors;

1. The video sharing site you wish to capture video from
2. Ease of use and functionality required
3. Price

Firstly, most of this software works really well on mainstream sites such as Youtube and Dailymotion but can vary when trying to grab video from sites such as on-demand TV sharing sites.  You’re best to check the website of the application manufacturer which should list the video sharing sites it supports.

Secondly, most of these applications have easy to use and simple interfaces where a click of the mouse once on the desired site is all that is required.  Where they differ is the playback ability/compatibilty and options for converting the file type for transferring to Ipod, phones etc  The best products make this very easy to do with little background knowledge of specific file formats required.

Thirdly is price.  This generally ranges from a very reasonable free cost to approximately US$40.00 which is not really a lot for the functionality supplied.

We downloaded and compared the top 4 currently available tools to capture web video which consisted of 1 free tool and 3 paid tools ranging from $29.95 to $39.94.  I have to admit to having a personal favourite before the test comparison but it came in second to the surprise winner.

No matter what video sharing site or your technical ability, there is a tool here that will help you to download and capture your favourite web video clips.

1. Capture the web video
2. Convert it to a specified file format

I will explain the process using the Riptiger software which came out on top in our tests.

Once you have installed the software go to the video website to find the video clip  you wish to capture and convert.  Riptiger will automatically start downloading the streaming video and store it in a specified folder.

Once you have located the file in your Riptiger control panel, click it and then click the “convert video” button on the left hand side.

This will then give you a range of options from the drop-down menu that you can convert the file format to such as Ipod, Iphone etc

Select the desired format and path to save the file and you’re done.

Easy as that, you’ve converted your web video to another format.

RipTiger scored the highest marks due to the 3 main factors of our tests;

• Ease of use
• Functionality
• Video sites supported

The products main benefit is the wide array of video sharing sites it can capture web video from.  This is mainly due to its ability to capture from direct URL input (such as Youtube type sites) and its ‘live’ recording feature which is used on TV sharing sites such as ESPN type sites.

Although not as cheap as some of its competitors, it wins out with its functionality and download speeds (which surprised us).

We can thoroughly recommend RipTiger as the tool of choice for capturing web video.