Macstarter Project 1 pt II

Viewing and Converting

In part I of this project, we downloaded a YouTube Video, and have it saved ready to watch on our iWhatever device. Before we can convert it, let’s make sure the video is watchable to start with.

You may have noticed that your downloaded file has got a .flv at the end. This means that it is a Flash Video. These are the videos that a lot of websites have, but our hand held devices generally don’t play these movie files. To view a flv movie on your Mac, you should first install Perian, which is by far one of the most useful things you can have on your Mac. Once this is installed, you’ll be able to watch almost any kind of video file without problems.

View your downloaded YouTube movie, and see if it’s ok. Now it’s time for converting it, and for this we use our old friend Handbrake. Simply follow the instructions given on the Movies on the Go article, and you will have a converted movie ready to go!