Download official VLC media player for Windows

Step 2: Then open VLC media player and go to Media > Open And you can view the downloaded video file in the location that you have. It is likely that you have heard and used VLC media player for of getting a playable video I get a file called "file" in my download folder.". How to Download Files with VLC Media Player · 1. Open the website that contains the media file you want to download, search the video. · 2.

Download Online Video Using VLC Media Player

VLC Media player is not only a great tool for saving online audio streams, but its features allow us to even download online videos. Online videos that normally play in browsers can be played with VLC Media Player. Additionally, those playable online videos can also be saved to your personal computer. Not many are aware of this feature.

The process of downloading online video from video hosting sites is quite similar to the process of downloading streaming audio. There are two methods that you can follow for this. They are explained below in detail.

To download online video using VLC Media Player

Method 1

Go to Media > Open Network Stream [CTRL + N]
Enter the web address of your video. For this example we will use the liveleak video available at: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0fd_1384073534
Click on the little arrow right next to the Play button. A drop down will display. From there select the “Stream” option. [ALT + S is the shortcut.]
The Source information will be displayed. Just click on next.
In the Destination Setup step, make sure that the new destination is selected as File. Click on Add.
In the Save file dialog box, click on Browse and navigate to where you want to save the video. Then give your video a name. In this example we will save it as an MP4 file, so the video name for this file is: video.mp4. Click on next to go to the next step.
Make sure that the Activate Transcoding option is checked. In that option select “Video – H.264 + MP3 (MP4)”. This ensures that your saved video will be a H.264 video with MP3 audio enclosed in an MP4 container. As usual, hit Next.
In the next option, just click on Stream.
Downloading will start within moments. The seconds (timer) of VLC will begin to increase and the video position in the progress bar will also begin to move.
You will know that your video has been downloaded once the Video progress bar moves to the end.
After everything is completed, you will find the full downloaded video in the location that you chose before.

*Note: Remember that most videos are subject to copyright. Download only videos which come with free license.

Method 2

Using this method, you will get the direct link to the video. Then that URL can be used to save the file using your browser or a download manager.

Click on Media > Open Network Stream. [CTRL + N]
Enter the video URL. For example: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0fd_1384073534
Click on the “Play” button.
Once the video begins playing, go to Tools > Codec Information. [CTRL + J]
Select the full URL from “Location” and copy it. [Right Click > Select All (CTRL + A)] and [Right Click > Copy (CTRL+C)]

You just got the direct link to the video. It is usually long. Example: http://edge.liveleak.com/80281E/ll_a_s/2014/Nov/5/LiveLeak-dot-com-31b_1415195099-_1415195102.mp4.h264_270p.mp4?d5e8cc8eccfb6039332f41f6249e92b06c91b4db65f5e99818bdd6934846d8d3345a&ec_rate=230
Open your browser and paste the URL in the address bar.
From the menu of your browser, select “Save page as” or just press CTRL + S.
Give a file name, choose a file location and save it.