4 ms·

tl;dr use the damn youtube-dl. You still get your videos downloaded, you don't spam people who is discussing in the same thread, and Reddit "gods" can't do any

tl;dr use the damn youtube-dl. You still get your videos downloaded, you don't spam people who is discussing in the same thread, and Reddit "gods" can't do anything to block you. If you don't want to download a python script to your machine (why?), then use any of the million youtube-dl-wrapping websites online or one of the hundred browser extensions. I'm 99% sure "SaveVideo" is just wrapping youtube-dl anyway.

Clewza313 5y ago
Wait, youtube-dl works with Reddit/imgur/redgifs hosted videos? I thought it was for, y'know, YouTube.
- itsrajju 5y ago
  It did start with just youtube, yes. But in today's day and age it supports a large amount of sites. [1] [1]: https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html
- jwitthuhn 5y ago
  I believe it was originally just youtube, but it has support for a whole lot of services now including reddit, twitter, and much more. Looking at the file names here should give you a pretty good idea of what is supported. https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_dl/extractor https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_d...
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  Yes. This is precisely what I am complaining about when I said that the SaveVideo spam means every other service that does not spam in the same way gets relegated to obscurity. Practically every downloader program/extension/service works with these videos...
nhinck 5y ago
Because my machine is a phone
- zodiakzz 5y ago
  It's a bit of hassle but youtube-dl runs on Termux for Android.
- doix 5y ago
  Use a 3rd party client. On android, "Reddit is fun" and "RedReader" support downloading videos. Possibly others exist, but those are the only ones I've tried. I suspect iOS has some options as well.
  - Y_Y 5y ago
    "Reddit is Fun" is now called "Rif" because of trademarks.
- skinnymuch 5y ago
  There’s YouTube dl iPhone shortcuts.
- npteljes 5y ago
  Projects like this[0] might be for you [0] https://github.com/yausername/youtubedl-android https://github.com/yausername/youtubedl-android
skytreader 5y ago
> If you don't want to download a python script to your machine (why?) Man, classic HN short-sightedness. Not everyone is comfortable with these tools. Not everyone has a Python interpreter installed by default. Not everyone is in a device/platform that can even run Python. These bots are just damn more convenient. Assuming you are accessing old.reddit.com in mobile (the One True Way), to download a video you need to: 1. Find the URL. With mobile browser's penchant to autohide UI chrome, there's an additional cognitive load in doing it. 2. Open a new browser tab. 3. Fumble on your mobile keyboard to type the address of your preferred save video service. (Alternatively, you Google search the name, scroll past the first "result" because it's an ad, then click.) 4. Paste the URL from Reddit. 5. Wait and download video. In contrast with bots: 1. Fumble on your mobile keyboard to type "!SaveVideo" (or whatever command it is). 2. Wait for the notif and download video. > you don't spam people who is discussing in the same thread Is that honestly spammy? I rarely see more than one subthread for the bot call, it gets upvoted so people can see it easily, sometimes people do search for it first. The worst I can say is that it quickly devolves into a stream of "good bot" comments but at that point, it's just another conversation to collapse. WRT presenting information, there are more problems with Reddit's design decisions than these bots.
- AshamedCaptain 5y ago
  I have literally _a toolbar button_ in my Android web browser that downloads the video of any page that I'm viewing right now. How can there be anything more convenient than that? But your comparison is extremely flawed anyway. E.g. "Fumble on your mobile keyboard to type the address of your preferred save video service." Even if you claim not to know how to use bookmarks, you still have history. Basically, the "unconvenient" method you are describing is literally fewer taps away than the "convenient" method of messaging SaveVideo, which has no autocomplete at all, and _requires me to login to Reddit_. And with SaveVideo you still spam and even reveal to everyone you are downloading the video in the process. I'm even more convinced the only reason SaveVideo is popular is because their viral spamming strategy actually works, and bazillions of people learn about it because every user of it actively spams everyone else while using it. If on every thread of Reddit I was posting a message about my magnificent browser extension/bookmarklet/website for downloading videos, how popular do you think it would get, convenient or not?
MikeUt 5y ago
> use the damn youtube-dl. [..] and Reddit "gods" can't do anything to block you. They can threaten to sue youtube-dl also. Not having a Reddit account doesn't stop a lawsuit.

Clewza313 5y ago

Wait, youtube-dl works with Reddit/imgur/redgifs hosted videos? I thought it was for, y'know, YouTube.

itsrajju 5y ago
It did start with just youtube, yes. But in today's day and age it supports a large amount of sites. [1] [1]: https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html https://ytdl-org.github.io/youtube-dl/supportedsites.html
jwitthuhn 5y ago
I believe it was originally just youtube, but it has support for a whole lot of services now including reddit, twitter, and much more. Looking at the file names here should give you a pretty good idea of what is supported. https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_dl/extractor https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl/tree/master/youtube_d...
AshamedCaptain 5y ago
Yes. This is precisely what I am complaining about when I said that the SaveVideo spam means every other service that does not spam in the same way gets relegated to obscurity. Practically every downloader program/extension/service works with these videos...

nhinck 5y ago

Because my machine is a phone

zodiakzz 5y ago
It's a bit of hassle but youtube-dl runs on Termux for Android.
doix 5y ago
Use a 3rd party client. On android, "Reddit is fun" and "RedReader" support downloading videos. Possibly others exist, but those are the only ones I've tried. I suspect iOS has some options as well.
- Y_Y 5y ago
  "Reddit is Fun" is now called "Rif" because of trademarks.
skinnymuch 5y ago
There’s YouTube dl iPhone shortcuts.
npteljes 5y ago
Projects like this[0] might be for you [0] https://github.com/yausername/youtubedl-android https://github.com/yausername/youtubedl-android

skytreader 5y ago

> If you don't want to download a python script to your machine (why?) Man, classic HN short-sightedness. Not everyone is comfortable with these tools. Not everyone has a Python interpreter installed by default. Not everyone is in a device/platform that can even run Python. These bots are just damn more convenient. Assuming you are accessing old.reddit.com in mobile (the One True Way), to download a video you need to: 1. Find the URL. With mobile browser's penchant to autohide UI chrome, there's an additional cognitive load in doing it. 2. Open a new browser tab. 3. Fumble on your mobile keyboard to type the address of your preferred save video service. (Alternatively, you Google search the name, scroll past the first "result" because it's an ad, then click.) 4. Paste the URL from Reddit. 5. Wait and download video. In contrast with bots: 1. Fumble on your mobile keyboard to type "!SaveVideo" (or whatever command it is). 2. Wait for the notif and download video. > you don't spam people who is discussing in the same thread Is that honestly spammy? I rarely see more than one subthread for the bot call, it gets upvoted so people can see it easily, sometimes people do search for it first. The worst I can say is that it quickly devolves into a stream of "good bot" comments but at that point, it's just another conversation to collapse. WRT presenting information, there are more problems with Reddit's design decisions than these bots.

AshamedCaptain 5y ago
I have literally _a toolbar button_ in my Android web browser that downloads the video of any page that I'm viewing right now. How can there be anything more convenient than that? But your comparison is extremely flawed anyway. E.g. "Fumble on your mobile keyboard to type the address of your preferred save video service." Even if you claim not to know how to use bookmarks, you still have history. Basically, the "unconvenient" method you are describing is literally fewer taps away than the "convenient" method of messaging SaveVideo, which has no autocomplete at all, and _requires me to login to Reddit_. And with SaveVideo you still spam and even reveal to everyone you are downloading the video in the process. I'm even more convinced the only reason SaveVideo is popular is because their viral spamming strategy actually works, and bazillions of people learn about it because every user of it actively spams everyone else while using it. If on every thread of Reddit I was posting a message about my magnificent browser extension/bookmarklet/website for downloading videos, how popular do you think it would get, convenient or not?

MikeUt 5y ago

> use the damn youtube-dl. [..] and Reddit "gods" can't do anything to block you. They can threaten to sue youtube-dl also. Not having a Reddit account doesn't stop a lawsuit.