TUTORIAL: New, much easier-to-use version of YouTube video downloader out – a MUST!!!

Menneisyys · 08-01-07, 06:49 AM

Anyone having read my tutorial “A brand new way to play YouTube clips on your Windows Mobile device!” knows, up to now, downloading and watching “real” (not the mobile version, which is a completely different and, playback-wise, fully unrelated animal – see the Mobile YouTube tutorial HERE) YouTube videos on a Pocket PC was a two-step process, involving a step of actively downloading the clip to the local file system with a separate and non-MS Smartphone-compliant tool, YouTubeDownload.exe, and only after this playing it back.

The latest, 0.4.2 version of TCPMP Plugin for Flash Video on PPC, fortunately, doesn’t any more involve this extra step. This not only makes it easier to watch “real” (non-mobilized) YouTube videos, but also means the entire process is already MS Smartphone (Windows Mobile Standard) compliant, unlike the previous, YouTubeDownload.exe-based download.

In a nutshell, after installing, you just look up the “v” parameter in the URL of the video (as was the case with the earlier version and as is explained in the previous tutorial) OR just make sure you just search for the title / author / genre, fire up http://www.mobytube.net/, search for this info and click the link of the result(s). The playback will immediately start in TCPMP.

Installing

As with the previous version, download the latest build (currently, 0.4.2) HERE. Make sure you download the CAB file (now, it’s named TCPMPflvplugin-v0.4.2.CAB) and just execute it on the PDA. It’ll automatically install itself to the home directory of TCPMP – unlike with previous versions, no manual file copying is needed.

Using

Now, in your Web browser, go to http://www.mobytube.net/. In the upper textfield, enter the v parameter as explained in the article (AGAIN AND AGAIN, you can also just enter the title, author etc. here too). Also, make sure “youtube” is selected in the second drop-down list (but you can also find videos in other video repositories - if you leave the drop-down list untouched, it'll search in all of them):

(the same on a low-res Smartphone (SP for short), in Opera Mobile)

Now, just tap the Search button: It’ll find the given video as can be seen in HERE (SP screenshot). Now, just press the link under the image; if you use IEM (PIE in pre-WM5 parlance) TCPMP will be fired up at once and, after you explicitly start the video, it’ll play (SP screenshot).

Note that if you use Opera Mobile, you’ll need to select “Open” instead of “Save” in the download screen that comes up then.

I’ll explain how NetFront must be configured in the next section.

Another example screenshot with searching for “music” on YouTube (as opposed to searching for the “v” parameter):

(same screenshot under NetFront 3.4)

Configuring NetFront

If you use NetFront as your browser, you must explicitly configure the browser to invoke the external TCPMP application after downloading the M3U file (otherwise, it’ll just download the file to the local file system and doesn’t do anything else). To do this, go to Menu / Tools / Browser settings and, in Menu, select External Tools. There, press the Add button in the “External Application” group. On the next dialog, select ‘.m3u’ in the “Extension” drop-down list and press OK. If everything is OK, you’ll see this:

showing it’s indeed player.exe (TCPMP’s main executable file) that will be invoked upon having downloaded M3U files. After these, clicking MobyTube links will result in (after a download – you can download the files anywhere as can be seen for example in HERE – and an application start request dialog, where all you need to do is tapping OK, TCPMP will be invoked. A quick note: if, in the latter dialog, you check in “Do not show this dialog” any time (as can be seen in here), you won’t be presented the dialog any more. Doing this is, therefore, highly recommended.

Summary

It’s THIS easy! Needless to say, the TCPMP-based playback is WAAAAAAAAAY faster than doing the same with the standard Flash plug-in under either IEM or Opera Mobile, let alone the current, already (super-slow) Flash-enabled TP versions of NetFront 3.4. Playback is just great even on my very slow TI OMAP-based MS Smartphones and Pocket PC’s – without any kind of overclocking! Also, the networking problems adversely affecting Mobile YouTube playback (see the Mobile YouTube tutorial for more info on this) are non-existing.

All in all, keeping this in mind is a MUST for all Pocket PC and Smartphone users wanting to watch YouTube videos on their handhelds whenever they would like to!

08-01-07, 09:02 AM

Yes! finally!

mphayvanh · 08-02-07, 02:48 PM

Drooling..... As always awesome work!

spunker88 · 08-02-07, 06:56 PM

Thanks Menneisyys, this topic needed a tutorial, and your the person to do it.

Now hopefully this way will work on my 2003se device and it will be the best!!!

Pocketbrain · 08-03-07, 10:25 AM

Sweet! Thanks, Werner! I have been YouTubing the older way since I first saw your tute and now it's just easy.

Edit: They appear to have removed any downloadable files from the link you gave.

Menneisyys · 08-03-07, 12:50 PM

Also read http://www.aximsite.com/boards/appli...platforms.html

Menneisyys · 08-03-07, 01:26 PM

UPDATE (08/03/2007): :

an even better plug-in has been released in the meantime. If you have a WM5 (or newer) Pocket PC or Smartphone and don’t object to using the built-in Internet Explorer Mobile, make sure you check out the new tutorial HERE
when mobytube.net is (temporarily) down, use mobytube.net instead (as is recommended HERE)
TCPMPflvplugin-v0.4.2.CAB (and, for that matter, all previous versions) seem(s) to be removed from the download page. Therefore, I’ve mirrored it HERE, should you still want to stick to it, as opposed to the newer, WM5 / IEM-only approach.
Note that you must pay special attention to installing this CAB file in the same memory card (or the built-in memory) where TCPMP has been installed to. Otherwise, playback won’t work. See for example THIS for more info on this.

tOfuTurtLe · 08-08-07, 12:08 AM

does this work for PIE? i keep getting an error message saying "upgrade your flv plugin for TCPMP to 0.4.2 and set mms/m3u/flash/ http in options/file association" I have already upgraded the flv plugin, however i don't know how to set the rest. if anybody knows, please help. thank you in advance.

shortChange · 08-08-07, 07:39 AM

the FOR DUMMIES Like Me version.

Absolutely excellent posting (tutorial), and what a great plugin !!!!!!!!

Please, I hope you dont mind - but this is how I got (a version) of it working,
because I couldn't get it to work on my x50, i tried another similar solution-->

With reference to the above tute;

1. install the TCPMPflvplugin-v0.4.2.CAB

then setup the flv file ssociation in TCPMP
('flash video' under file associations [in settings])

2. get the link (or url) of a youtube video you want to watch

3. goto KeepVid: Download videos from Google, Youtube, iFilm, Putfile, Metacafe, DailyMotion! in your browser and paste link from step 2.

then press the download button, then the >>Download link<<

A hint is to try this with a PC just to get the feel of KeepVid: Download videos from Google, Youtube, iFilm, Putfile, Metacafe, DailyMotion!

you then get a chance to download a file "get_video".
add the .flv extension, so you save it as "get_video.flv"

4. find the get_video.flv file on your device, click it and it should play with TCPMP.

Notes: I don't know why but sometimes i need to tap the screen of TCMP to see the youtube video. Obviously, this is not a streaming solution but I dont watch youtube that much. You can do these steps on a internet enabled device, no need for a PC.
cheerS -

08-08-07, 11:48 AM

THANK YOU!!!

This works great with my X5! :)

shortChange · 08-08-07, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by Menneisyys

UPDATE (08/03/2007): :

an even better plug-in has been released in the meantime. If you have a WM5 (or newer) Pocket PC or Smartphone and don’t object to using the built-in Internet Explorer Mobile, make sure you check out the new tutorial .

Hi,
followed new link, found I need to be a 'treocentral member' to get the file. Found what appears to be the (same .CAB) file I needed at
RapidShare: 1-Click Webhosting

I can now play youtube files direct :)

thanks for all the work put into this !!!!!!

:exc: the rapidshare link I have mentioned above contains a file only 'believed' to be the one as mentioned. Works for stock standard axim x50. :exc:

littlerabbit · 08-12-07, 12:45 AM

My earlier posting didn't seem to go through, so I'm gonna try again.

My followed the steps, downloaded TCPMP 0.72 RC1 and installed it.
Then my also installed the plug-in 0.4.2. Didn't see the "Use TCPMP"
menu under the "Search" button. Not sure why.

When I did file association, I did the MMS, M3U, http, but couldn't find
flash. Do I need to download yet more things?

I'm currently using Opera 8.65 (just commited some $$ on it today).
Heard any wind when Opera will have this figured out and give us a
simpler plug-ins etc, so we can watch streaming videos the way we
do on our PC?

Thanks,
Raymond