How to download streaming videos

Getting started!

(Video guide also available here)

Download VSO Downloader (free) and install and run it after installation.
Start by navigating to the page containing the video you want to download. Play the video if needed.
By default, the streaming monitoring is activated and a balloon hint will show in the tray as soon as the video is detected and ready to download. (you can disable these features in Options > Settings > Download Settings > untick Download automatically detected media)

You should see something like this:

vso downloader main downloading

The download will start and you can see the process in real time.

Different options are available if you do a right click on the file:
You can start/resume, pause, stop (if still in progress).  If you have had a download error, you can click on restart download and the download will start again from scratch. 

Then, if you want to rename the file, just press F2 after clicking on the file in the main window or right click it and select "Rename".  When renaming, forget about the extension, just name your file and press enter: the extension will apply right away.

You can also select View log file to open the log file specific to this download.

Once a download is complete you can click on Add subtitle opens a window, for you to select your subtitle file that you already have on your computer. The following subtitle formats are supported: SRT, SSA/ASS, SUB/IDX.  Depending on the language of your subtitles, you might need to change the codepage so they can be displayed properly.  If you want to use the same characters used on your PC then simply click on "Select system codepage" and the right codepage will automatically be selected. Then go to the bottom of the software to select your conversion output format: Generic video (also called Avi format), DVD, Apple format (Ipod/Iphone, Ipad) or mobile phone.  The subtitles will be embedded into your video file.

vso downloader renaming

Once the file is successfully downloaded, you can either play it with the default media player on your PC or Play with VSO Media (freeware) with.  Open the output folder will open the folder where your download are stored. The output folder is indicated and can be changed in Options > Settings > Download Settings > Output folder.

If you want to get a clearer view of your download list and keep the completed files in the output folder right click on the file(s) and press "Delete". A pop-up will ask if you also want to delete the output file(s). Leave it unchecked (by default) and select "OK".
For a total deletion, check the box "and delete file(s) in output folder" after pressing "Delete".
Note that you can select several files: keep pressing the mouse left button and drag over the files you want to select.



Convert your video

Right after opening the program, and before your video is detected, if you want to convert your video, you need to select the conversion format in the drop down list at the bottom of the program:



The conversion profiles offered are:
Audio MP3 (the audio will be extracted from the video if needed)
Generic video (AVI)
DVD (will open a third-party paying conversion program, ConvertXtoDVD)
Apple format (Ipod, Ipad, Iphone)
and Mobile phone (generic format)

All the video conversions will have a watermark in the output, because they are paid options, available in the Ultimate version.
The audio MP3 conversion is free, except for the High and Best level quality, also available in the Ultimate version.

Make sure you have selected the option "keep source file after conversion" if you want to keep both the original and the conversion.
You can determine the speed of the conversion by going to Options > Settings > Conversion and selecting the priority, from Idle to Time critical.


Settings

Click on Options > Settings. Here are displayed different categories as below:

vso downloader settings overview


"Notify events with balloon hints in tray": You will get a balloon hint each time a download is starting or complete.

vso downloader balloon hint



Monitor clipboard: Any URL you copy will be scanned in the downloader. Detected files (audio, video, etc.) will be available to download.

Monitor streaming: Media will be detected and downloaded right away as you navigate the web. It works as a real time detection.
Click on the button in the top right-hand corner of the main interface to activate/deactivate this feature.


Here you can choose your output folder. By default, the path is "C:/Users/[your_username]/Documents/VSO Downloader".
  • Accelerator
vso downloader accelerator
*Value may be limited by the file hoster

1: You can set the max number of simultaneous downloads. This is limited to 10.

This part is a bit more tricky:

2: Files will be chunked into several parts named "threads". The higher the value, the faster the download will be. But it will consume more CPU resources.

3: In order to improve download speed, files are split into multi custom parts. A smaller size boosts speed but increases CPU usage.

4: Memory amount allocated before file writing to disk begins. (Higher value will reduce file fragmentation and hard disk writing)
  • Retry

vso downloader retry



1: This is the number of maximum attempts at restarting the download after an error occurred.

2:The download will restart after this period of time.

3: Determine how long a file hoster can be unresponsive before displaying a socket timeout error.
  • Detection

Check the box if you want to download media as soon as it is detected.
Below the selected size, file will not be detected. Be careful not to set the value too low, lots of ads or unwanted contents may be detected. There is no absolute value so you must judge by yourself to adjust it to the best suited size.
  • Ad blocker

All content coming from these websites will not be detected or downloaded. Note that contrary to AdBlock Plus, VSO Downloader will not hide web ads, so no blank or empty spaces here. Ads will show in your browser but are ignored in the downloader.
You can edit the ads list by editing ads_filter.inc located here: C:/Program Files/VSO/VSO Downloader/1 (use NotePad to edit the file)
Beware: Currently we only support simple input method: symbols like *, # or $ will be ignored in the list. Stick to the basic thing, for instance: a.example.com or example.com/ads or example.com/logo.gif.


  • Filters

Checked file types will be detected. Here you can choose files you want the downloader to detect. Each format is associated with a mime and an extension.


  • Network adapter

Your network adapter will be detected at first start of VSO downloader. If you connect to a VPN while the Downloader is running, you must proceed with the detection again. Press "Auto detect", your new network adapter will be found.

  • Ports to monitor

Here are listed the different ports through data is transferred. The downloader will detect port forwarding if a proxy is activated and will add the port in the list automatically.

Help

If your run into any problem, click on the "Help" Tab




The first option will lead you to our different video guides and tutorials, as well as our forum and website for any additional info or trouble shooting.
Click on "Report a bug" if you've run into a technical issue. By filling in the form we will receive all the info we need about the software to help you.
Opening the main log will give you info on the programm behaviour and actions
If you want to make sure you have the latest version available, click on "Check for updates"
Also if you have bought a license for the Ultimate Version, you can unlock it and enter your key by clicking on "Register Ultimate version".

The  "About" option gives info on the version number, license, copyright and gives credits to third party parts used in the application