MP3 players

Master Your Media

Take YouTube Off the Intertubes

The iPod and other portable media players can play movies, but why not YouTube clips, too? Well, the reason is that YouTube normally doesn't play traditional video files for QuickTime and Windows Media. Instead, the site relies on Flash videos that aren't inclined to play outside your browser. Fortunately, two free tools permit you to download and convert such files for playback on an iPod.

Use FLV Downloader's scroll bars to help you see the entire Web page. If you're playing back multiple videos, click 'Check All' to download each one.

Unlike pictures and most types of movies, Flash files require a special utility to perform the downloading. First, use FLV Downloader to save the Flash movie file to your PC. (FLV Downloader is included in the trial version of the FLV to Video Converter tool, but it's free by itself; install FLV to Video Converter to get FLV Downloader.) Click Show Browser, and enter the URL for the YouTube video you want to download, just as if you were simply surfing in your browser. Play the Flash file in the window--again, as you would in any browser--and the source URL should appear below the window. Click the checkbox next to the URL, click Download, and then choose Add.

Now that you have a copy of the Flash file, use Videora iPod Converter to make the file iPod-ready. Click the Convert button, choose the Video File tab, and click Normal Mode. Click the Select File button, and choose the clip; the Flash file will likely be in My Documents, Downloaded FLV. Click Next three times, and then click Start Converting. Add the finished file to iTunes, and sync it over to your iPod.