Software : Download review: aTube Catcher review |
- Download review: aTube Catcher review
- You can now choose which drive to install Windows Store apps
- Need help making a video advert? YouTube's got an app for that
| Download review: aTube Catcher review Posted:  Free download review - aTube CatcherSpecificationsDeveloper: Diego Uscanga Licence: Freeware System requirements:
What does it do?aTube Catcher is one of a growing number of tools that download videos from the likes of YouTube, Dailymotion and Metacafe. While it's often easy to browse the web on your phone will you travel, there are times when there's no connection available - this is when it pays to have downloaded videos in advance! The videos you download can be converted to a number of popular formats, suitable for playback on a variety of devices. So whether you're looking for the best possible quality to view on a high resolution monitor, or the emphasis is on smaller file size to fit on your smartphone, aTube Catcher can do the job for you.
User experienceAs with many free tools these days, you need to take care during the installation process to ensure that you aren't accidentally duped into also installing a browser toolbar. Thankfully, this is not selected by default, but it's worth keeping an eye out for. After firing up the program, a neat splash screen provides an inviting introduction to what aTube Catcher has to offer. Rather than forcing you to hunt through endless menus to find what you're looking for, a series of clear buttons provide instant access so you can get to work without delay. The initial interface is pleasingly unintimidating, and downloading videos from any of the supported sites – of which there are many – is a simple matter of copying and pasting the URL, choosing the format you'd like to save the video in, and clicking 'Download'. There are several formats to choose from, and in many cases there's a variety of preset resolutions to choose from. The screen recorder feature is a very nice, and can be used in a number of ways. You could use it to record whatever you're doing on your computer, but it is also possible to use to capture live streaming video that you would not otherwise be able to download. Just draw a selection box around the video you want and you're good to go.
ProsYou might not expect it from what many people would not consider 'serious' software, but aTube Catcher includes an automatic updater that ensures you're always using the most recent, most secure, and most feature-packed version of the program. For hardcore users, there is the option of batch processing files so you can download multiple videos at once. This is a somewhat hands-on task that requires the creation of a text files to tell the software what to do. It's a little inelegant and long-winded, but it works. It's nice to see the option to not only convert videos between formats, but also to create VCDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs from the content you record or download.
ConsThe bundled browser toolbar is a little off-putting, but as long as you (slightly confusingly, perhaps) click 'Cancel' when it presents itself, it won't be installed. The program interface, while approachable, does hide the fact that this is a very powerful program. There are lots of extra options and settings - such as the ability to create time-saving video profiles - that are no immediately apparent, and anyone who doesn't investigate the menu system could miss out on valuable tools. ConclusionaTube Catcher has so many bases covered, it's hard to consider it anything other than essential. Even if you're not a prodigious video downloader and converter, this is a great piece of software to hand installed for when you will inevitably need it.
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NoteYou should only download videos when you have the copyright owner's permission to do so. YouTube's terms of service prohibit unauthorised downloading. |
| You can now choose which drive to install Windows Store apps Posted:  Microsoft has changed the way large games and apps are installed from the Windows Store, so users can now select which drive they wish to use rather than being stuck with the default. This is a pretty basic feature that should have been in there from the start, to be honest, but at least now it's arrived – in preview versions of Windows 10, that is. Insiders testing Windows 10 are able to pick which drive they want to install their app or game on, providing it's a large download (smaller apps will still install automatically on the default system drive). Basic functionalityThis works on preview builds 14361 and 14366 of Windows 10, Neowin reports, and quite possibly others. But also note that you only get to pick a drive (any drive), you don't get to specify a directory or anything further. Still, for those with multiple drives, and perhaps a small system drive – it can often be the case that folks will use a small SSD for the OS and primary apps – the ability to freely choose which disk to install a huge game on is an obvious boon. Presumably this feature will be going live on the full release of Windows 10 with the big Anniversary Update coming next month, so even if you're not a tester, you've not got long to wait now.
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| Need help making a video advert? YouTube's got an app for that Posted:  YouTube has introduced a new suite of three products designed to allow small businesses to produce professional-looking video ads on a shoestring (or even non-existent) budget, with no filming or editing expertise required. The central element of this new initiative is the YouTube Director for business app for iOS (an Android version is in the pipeline – as you would imagine, given that this is Google), which lets you create an advert simply using your smartphone. The app is dead simple to use and boasts various templates to help you get going. It's a simple matter of pointing and shooting, with the software providing step-by-step instructions on how to polish your video advert and embellish it with things like text and animation. All you have to do then is upload the video clip, and one of Google's AdWords experts will be on hand to help you formulate your advertising campaign.
Pay for a professionalFor those who want to step things up another gear, there's also a YouTube Director on-site service which will send a pro filmmaker over to your premises to make an ad – the only stipulation being you must be spending at least $150 (around £105, AU$200) to advertise on YouTube. Do note that this service is only available in certain cities in the US at the moment: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC. (The app is also only available in the US and Canada right now, but should hopefully be rolling out to the UK pretty soon). The third prong of this SMB advertising initiative is YouTube Director automated video, whereby Google will do everything for you and create a video advert from the likes of logos and app screenshots. All in all, this seems a useful initiative to help spread the word about your business in a world which is increasingly video-centric. As Google itself noted, its own statistics for YouTube in 2016 show that the time spent watching videos on the site is up over 50% year-on-year.
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