iDesktop.tv provides a really useful and user friendly service for anyone who wants to use video clips from sources like YouTube, but doesn't want their students looking around at anything unsuitable, or for anyone who has ever found a really useful clip, only to go back later and find it has moved or been removed.
You can use the site to search through a huge collection of videos from various video sharing sites and when you find something you like the site will download and convert it to a file type of your choosing.
The range of file types is great and includes ones suitable for mobile phones and i-pods, so if you want to get your students doing some mobile learning then this is a seriously useful site.
The site is free and you can use it without login or registration, though if you do register, it's free and you do get other services too.
Hope you find this useful and by all means leave a comment here if you've tried it.
Best
Nik
You can use the site to search through a huge collection of videos from various video sharing sites and when you find something you like the site will download and convert it to a file type of your choosing.
The range of file types is great and includes ones suitable for mobile phones and i-pods, so if you want to get your students doing some mobile learning then this is a seriously useful site.
The site is free and you can use it without login or registration, though if you do register, it's free and you do get other services too.
Hope you find this useful and by all means leave a comment here if you've tried it.
Best
Nik
8 comments:
Any ideas of how this product compares to Zamzar?
Thanks for the tip
Hi Gladys
It's a lot more comprehensive than zamzar. With Zamzar, you find a video on Youtube you want, put in the URL and they convert it to your file type and email you a link to download it. With iDesktop.tv, you can just go straight to the site to search for sources of video and it pulls in content from a range of sources. The interface is easy to use and you can get the videos downloaded in a good range of files etc without having to part with your email address or any registration. I found it to be pretty quick too. On the whole I think it's a much better all round product, though if you have found a clip on Youtube you want and you just want it downloaded then Zamzar will do an okay job at that.
Hope this helps
Best
Nik
Crystal clear!
I've already had a look, and their collection seems really vast... Also, I liked the idea of searching by areas, and the thumbnails...
I'll give it a try!
Thanks once again!
Gladys
Do let me know how you get on. I haven't registered yet with the site and I'd be curious to know how good the service is once you register and what you get in exchange for your details!
Best
Nik
Thanks for the heads up! I have spent all week looking for an easy way for teachers to turn flv to windows movie maker friendly formats and here it is! This is a great find and a very clever site.
Hi Nick
I guess you are using these converted files in school. What about breach of YouTube's copyright. As I understand it you can embed to YouTube but not copy or convert.
Thanks
Al
Hi Al
Some really good points here, though I think it would be a little hypocritical of YouTube to start suing people for breach of copyright! But you have a very good point that all of these videos are somebody's creative works and so somebody's property. I'm not sure how the site itself gets around that (doesn't say much on its terms of use), but it does seem to be a legitimate site so ...
Personally I think that if you are using something for non profit educational use then that's okay, but that is a moral position rather than a legal one.
I haven't actually used any of the videos with students, but I did download one (A Stockhausen string quartet being played on four helicopters!!!!)
I think the bottom line for mee is that if you use anyone's work in any commercial way or republish it in any way it's always a good idea and a it more polite to get permission and to acknowledge / credit the source.
Best
Nik
I have signed in!! Let´s see how it works. Thanks for sharing!
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