We all love spending time watching funny and interesting videos on YouTube.  But what happens if your Internet connection goes down, or they remove a video you love to watch, or if that strict IT department blocks video sites entirely?  Today we will take a look at some of the easiest ways to download those videos to your hard drive. 

VDownloader

I found this cool utility while browsing for Portable Applications to run from a flash drive.  VDownloader is easy to use, has cool features, and is light on system resources.  While watching a video on YouTube just copy the URL and VDownloader will start downloading the video.  There is also cool browser and search feature that allows you to browse YouTube, Vreel, Metacafe, Myspace , and several other video sites.  The other neat thing about VDownloader is being able to convert the downloaded or existing files to a format that works best for you.  It even allows you to rip the audio only from the video to MP3 format.   

Download VDownloader For Windows

Xilisoft’s Download YouTube Video

This YouTube downloader is available as a free download from the Xilisoft site.  It is similar to VDownloader minus the video converter but does include a FLV Player for quick and easy playback.  It allows multiple simultaneous downloads and has a user interface that is easy to navigate.

Download Xilisoft’s YouTube Downloader

YouTube Downloader

This is a small program which is light on system resources and allows you to download videos from YouTube and several other sites.  It also allows you to convert videos so you can play them on your favorite portable device.

Download YouTube Downloader

Fast Video Download – Firefox Extension

For simple one click video downloads from your browser look no further than the Fast Video Download Firefox Extension.  Anytime you are on a compatible video site, simply click the download icon placed in the lower left corner of Firefox.  The extension will only download the .flv format on YouTube so you will have to convert the video later or watch it with FLV Player or VLC.  Also, if you are a fan of Download Them All this extension integrates very well for fast downloads.

Web Options

There are also several websites that allow you to download and / or convert YouTube and other video files.  The one I find to be most feature rich is zamzar.com which not only converts virtually any file format to another, but also allows video downloads.  Simply enter in the URL of the video, choose the format you want, then enter your email address and Zamzar will notify you by email when it’s ready to be downloaded.

What are some of your favorite methods to download video content from the Internet?  Leave a comment and let us know!