Safari: Download Flash Video

Here’s a neat trick for downloading flash videos right from within the Safari web browser. While there are tons of free programs or plug-ins out there that will do this for you, this trick uses features built right into the Safari browser.

By downloading these videos and a compatible player, you can watch the videos anytime you want, even without an internet connection! Additionally, if you have a handy video converter utility, you can put these videos on your iPod, Android, iPhone, PSP or other personal media player or smartphone.

Most online videos that use a flash player are actually streamed in a file format called “.flv” which stands for flash video. Examples of such videos are located on YouTube, Vimeo, and other popular video sites.

Here’s how to get started:

1. First of all, you’ll want to make sure you have Safari. If you’re using an Apple computer running Mac OS X, Safari should already be either in your dock or your Applications folder. If you’re using a PC, you will have to download Safari from here: http://www.apple.com/safari/
2. Launch Safari and go to the video of your choice. If you’re on YouTube, for example, go ahead and start the video and click play.
3. Now you’ll want to launch the Safari Activity Window from either the Safari Menu Bar on a Mac or the Safari Tool Bar on a PC. This utility allows you to see every single component, as it loads, that is involved in making a web site look and behave the way it does. You’ll also be able to see how much space, ie memory, that the component takes up.
4. You should be able to spot a single component that is bigger in memory size than all the others. Additionally, this component should also still be downloading, ie the streaming video. You’ll see the number go up right in front of your eyes as more of the video loads in the player on the actual website.
5. Double click this downloading component when you’ve found it and Safari should automatically add it to your Downloads list as a file that ends with the extension “.flv”

That’s it! You’ve now got the video downloaded on your computer to watch whenever you want. However, you will need a compatible player.

If you’re on a Mac, I recommend you install Perian, which will enable QuickTime to play back almost any kind of video file.

If you’re on a PC, I recommend you use either VLC or MPlayer. Either player is capable of playing back many, if not all, of the popular video formats.