Tobold's Blog
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
 
YouTube Premium

I’m on holiday. I used to be reading a lot on holidays, but these days I’m often watching videos from different sources instead. So while I was watching YouTube videos (about D&D), I got a bit annoyed about the quality of the Wifi, which is frequently a problem in holiday locations. It would be better if I could download the videos first, and then watch them offline. And lo and behold, there is a “download” button below my YouTube video which I hadn’t seen before. Problem solved, right? No, start of the problem, actually.

It turns out that the download button is not downloading anything, but giving you the opportunity to subscribe to YouTube Premium for a hefty 15.99€ per month. Ouch! But hey, first month is free, so maybe I can just use it during my holidays, and then unsubscribe before paying. But no: It turns out that I haven’t seen that button before because the service isn’t available in Belgium. It is available in my holiday location, which is why the button is displayed now, but when I try to subscribe, the system finds out that my iPad is linked to the Belgian app store, and won’t let me sign up.

This is yet another example of the endless possibilities of the internet being needlessly restricted by national borders. There are probably complicated ways around it, like creating multiple Apple profiles in different countries, but that is more bother than it is worth. Companies really need to up their game and at the very least treat the EU common market as a common market. Imagine where the internet business would be in the US if everything changed everytime you crossed a state border!

Comments:
Alternatively, google for "youtube downloader" and find about a million options.

If they stream it to your PC, it can be recorded by your PC.
 
No problem at home on my PC. Slightly more complicated (but still possible) on holidays with just an iPad.
 
Just for reference, I am now using a combination of Documents by Readdle with the website www.vidpaw.com. That ends up downloading the YouTube video into memory while displaying it (or while pausing the display). In short, it creates a better YouTube video viewer than YouTube has for low bandwith situations. Go figure.

www.vidpaw.com
 
There are some excellent YouTube downloaders for Google. The one on my phone works better the one on my desktop. I can't imagine there aren't good ones for Apple.

Better still, don't read or watch videos when you're away. I used to take enough books on holiday to have one per day to read and often I'd run out before the end. This last time I read one short novel and a few chapters of an eBook. I can read and watch videos at home. Why waste the holiday with that? With luck eventually the only time I'll look at a screen or a page when I'm away will be to check the weather report or book a room.
 
https://videodownloader.ummy.net/
I'd say this one is the best. You can download videos with the resolution you need or just sound as MP3 or OGG.

https://en.savefrom.net/user.php#download
Can be used for other video downloading needs. Good for videos on Instagram for instance.
 
I am always surprised at how small the world can feel at some points and how far we have to go!
 
Ah, the sweet times when police could pursue bank robbers only up to the state's border.
 
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