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Convert .flv to .mpg or .avi

S

spitkicker

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 6, 2007
12
0
Virginia-USA
Well just like the title says.

I just realized how easy it is to download videos using safari and watch the .flv file.

The question I have is does anyone know of a program that will convert the .flv files to .avi/ .mpg files?
 
VisualHub can do this (I think the free app, iSquint can too).

Also, look into CosmoPod. It adds a toolbar button to Safari which recognizes Flash movies and allows you to download them. Then, they can be converted with the above, or using Perian - optionally installed through CosmoPod. I tend to keep plug-ins to a minimum, and like the options I get with VisualHub, so I only use the download functionality of CosmoPod.
 
For free you have
Isquint and mpeg streamclip

If you want to pay there is
quicktime pro and visualhub
 
Usse Perian

Find the wonderful Perian on http://perian.org/

You can playback flvs in QuickTime Player or any other QuickTime compatible App and convert it, if you like.

But you don't have to...
 
I [heart] TubiTunes by Many Tricks (the guy who makes Butler)... it'll convert flv's you've already downloaded, but even better, it'll give you a "bookmarklet" that you drag to your browser's bookmarks bar. Click that when you're on any page with video (like YouTube), it'll automagically download, convert, and add the video to your iTunes library (and even a specific playlist, if you want). It comes with conversion presets of iPod, AppleTV, etc, but you can customize how you want the conversion done, too.

There are a ton a free apps out there, but this was the best $8 I've ever spent on an app, just because it does in one step what it takes the others three or four steps (or apps!).
 
If these .flv files happen to be coming from YouTube, there is a script you can run from Safari's bookmark bar that will let you download the .mp4 file directly.

Try making a bookmark with the following contents and run it when you're on a video you want to download.
Code: 
javascript:if%20(document.getElementById('download-youtube-video')==null%20&&%20!!(document.location.href.match(/http:\/\/[a-zA-Z\.]*youtube\.com\/watch/)))%20{var%20yt_mp4_path='http://www.youtube.com/get_video?fmt=18&video_id='+swfArgs['video_id']+'&t='+swfArgs['t'];%20var%20div_embed=document.getElementById('watch-embed-div');div_embed.innerHTML=div_embed.innerHTML+'%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cspan%20id=\'download-youtube-video\'%3E%3Ca%20href=\''+yt_mp4_path+'\'%3EDownload%20as%20MP4%3C/a%3E%20'+%20%20((navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Safari')!=-1)?'(control-click%20and%20select%20%3Ci%3EDownload%20linked%20file%20as%3C/i%3E)':('(right-click%20and%20select%20%3Ci%3ESave%20'+%20(navigator.appName=='Microsoft%20Internet%20Explorer'?'target':'link')%20+'%20as)%3C/i%3E'))+'%3C/span%3E';}void(0);
 
dolphin842 said:
If these .flv files happen to be coming from YouTube, there is a script you can run from Safari's bookmark bar that will let you download the .mp4 file directly.

Try making a bookmark with the following contents and run it when you're on a video you want to download.
Code: 
javascript:if%20(document.getElementById('download-youtube-video')==null%20&&%20!!(document.location.href.match(/http:\/\/[a-zA-Z\.]*youtube\.com\/watch/)))%20{var%20yt_mp4_path='http://www.youtube.com/get_video?fmt=18&video_id='+swfArgs['video_id']+'&t='+swfArgs['t'];%20var%20div_embed=document.getElementById('watch-embed-div');div_embed.innerHTML=div_embed.innerHTML+'%3Cbr%20/%3E%20%3Cspan%20id=\'download-youtube-video\'%3E%3Ca%20href=\''+yt_mp4_path+'\'%3EDownload%20as%20MP4%3C/a%3E%20'+%20%20((navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Safari')!=-1)?'(control-click%20and%20select%20%3Ci%3EDownload%20linked%20file%20as%3C/i%3E)':('(right-click%20and%20select%20%3Ci%3ESave%20'+%20(navigator.appName=='Microsoft%20Internet%20Explorer'?'target':'link')%20+'%20as)%3C/i%3E'))+'%3C/span%3E';}void(0);
Click to expand...

Please elaborate...
I mad a bookmark and inserted that code as the URL, clicked it while watching a youtube vid and nothing happened.
How is this suppose to work?

Edit: I got it to work, however, I used a different code I found on the internets.
 
Vlc

You also have vlc, which could convert almost anything into almost anything if you actually bothered to use its not so user friendly interface for transcoding.:D
 
flv to m4v, jpg, mov and 3gp

Snow Leopard (10.6) Safari Activity window to get flv and then QuickTimeX to go from flv to other formats.
 
I too asked this question last year when i got my mac and was pointed to the activity window for downloading, but it doesnt always work. Sometimes it just opens up this black background window with the video in the middle. What do i do then??
 
Why do you need a script to download anything from youtube?

I just go to youtube using safari, i click on a video i want to see, and if I want to download it, I just open the activity window (command + apple + a), then I double click on the video, and Boom! It starts downloading.
 
Black Macbook said:
Why do you need a script to download anything from youtube?

I just go to youtube using safari, i click on a video i want to see, and if I want to download it, I just open the activity window (command + apple + a), then I double click on the video, and Boom! It starts downloading.
Click to expand...

This is an old thread, the OP may not be even reading it anymore.

For iAlexG, you can use a website like www.keepvid.com to save YT videos onto your HDD, it even converts them to a format you might like.
 
StreamClip works great but is slow,
Handbrake works great and is faster, both are free.

Or you can change the ending of the file in the mac, and it will change the file, ie frog.avi change to frog.mp4 in file name, and changed file.
 
Laurencia7 said:
StreamClip works great but is slow,
Handbrake works great and is faster, both are free.

Or you can change the ending of the file in the mac, and it will change the file, ie frog.avi change to frog.mp4 in file name, and changed file.
Click to expand...

MPEG Streamclip and Handbrake have already been mentioned.

But I like how one can easily convert one format to another by changing the file suffix. It works with Pages documents too. One can make a Word document out of it by replacing .pages with .doc(x) I suppose?

Seriously though, how can one change the file format to another by simply editing the file suffix, especially with .avi (mostly used for Divx and Xvid) and .mp4 (mostly used for H264)?

Please show me documentation of this, thus I don't need that many hours to spend on my job doing those stupid conversions.
 
Try using FLV to avi converter for mac , it's completly safe and can convert any movie file including ripping DVD's.
also don't bother downloading an app to download the flv files of youtube just open the activity window in safari then find the little drop down arrow which says youtube, find the file that is downloading the file will be around 3-15mb depending on length and qaulity, double click on that it will download the flv to your downloads folder.
 
Last edited:
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