By now, almost everyone has seen an online video from a streaming video site like YouTube, Google Video, and Break. Many individuals have probably even come across a video clip they loved so much that they wanted to add it to their personal collection. Without the proper knowledge, however, on how to download streaming video, this could turn into a very frustrating process. To prevent this, read this complete guide on how to download online videos.

Streaming video 101

Streaming video is a fairly new technology, so, before discussing exactly how to download streaming videos, it may be helpful to explain precisely what this is. Streaming video is basically video that is transmitted over the Web. The sending and viewing of the video is done in real time. This means that, right when the viewer receives data transmitted from a sender, the video can be played.

Online videos provide a great amount of convenience for Internet users. With the introduction of streaming video technology, a wide collection of video clips has been made available to the world. Additionally, online videos make viewing a much simpler process, as watching these clips does not require the installation of media software. Videos streamed over the Internet can be downloaded and viewed directly in any browser.

How to download streaming video

You might think that downloading online video is a trivial process. However, you must be reminded that the steps on how to download streaming video are very different than those for simply watching the clips. When you are downloading online videos, you are essentially copying the streamed data permanently onto your hard drive. Downloading online videos will allow you to save videos which can be viewed even when you are not connected to the Internet.

If you feel that you have always been clueless as to how to download online video, you should know that your first step to downloading online videos is simply deciding whether you want to use an online site or a software application. Online sites are a great choice because all you are required to do is input the URL of your streaming video. Finding a website that will allow you to download online videos is made easy, as these sites are abundant on the Web. These sites will give you the option of choosing the format of your saved video. Most sites offer a wide variety of format choices when downloading online videos, including FLV, MPG, AVI, and WMV. An advantage of using an online site is that you don't have to be at your own personal computer to save videos. Any computer with an active Internet connection would suffice.

If you don't think an online site is for you, choosing to use a software application for downloading online video is another option. One particular advantage that a software program has over a website is that some applications allow you to scale your video to the size you want. For instance, you may want your saved video to be optimized for playback on your mp3 player. Some programs would allow you to save videos using such specified resolution.