Download without conversion

[Jirka]

Hi,

If I understand correctly, the license is a conversion license (says so many times on the web). I would like to download a video without conversion. That is why I click "Download" and not "Download & Convert". However, VDH still does the aggregation step that takes ages and adds the watermark anyway, even if I didn't ask for any conversion. I wouldn't mind the watermark, but I don't want to wait days for the aggregation to finish.

So my question is, can I download without conversion and hence watermark? I suspect the answer is no and the "conversion" license is in fact "downloading" license, but I just want to make sure.

Jirka

[Wild Willy]

By coincidence, I just posted an answer to another user over here:

https://groups.google.com/g/video-downloadhelper-q-and-a/c/irKqwExBasI

You will find my answer over there applies to you as well.

[Wild Willy]

I should add that converting & aggregating are not the same thing. Converting is the
function of converting a WEBM file to MP4, for example. Aggregating is the function of
welding separate audio & video tracks into a single file. Strictly speaking, the action
of writing the watermark into a video is neither converting nor aggregating. Aggregating
is usually not something that takes a terribly long time, even for a video of several
hours duration. The writing of the watermark is just that, its own function. You'll
find more information if you follow the link I posted in my previous reply.

[Jirka]

Thank you, Willy, for your answer. However, after going through the links, I am none the wiser (actually, I have read those already before I posted). My question is, put bluntly, what is the action/condition that determines VDH to include watermark. By "action/condition" I mean:

1. action = something the user does, i.e. user can influence if the watermark will be there or not for every video
   
2. condition = something user can not influence, e.g. the video is split into audio and video stream and VDH automatically aggregates that and every unlicensed aggregation results in watermark.
   

An example what happens to me now:

• I download video from site A, no watermark (probably simple video for VDH to process)
  
• Then I download video from site B using exactly the same approach and watermark is there (probably more complex video for VDH to process, but I don't know what the complexity is)

That is confusing! Based on the text mentioning "conversion" about ten times on the "buy license" web page, I thought that only pressing "Download & Convert" or the batch convert funcitonality result in watermark. It doesn't seem to be the case (as evidenced by the A and B examples above), so I am inclining towards the "2." explanation above, stating that for some videos VDH will always produce watermark, whatever the user does, as it is the "fault" of the video, not the user.

Of course, all of this can be solved by buying a license, which I am now considering. I would just sleep better if I knew why I am actually buing it and that indeed it was the only way to deal with the issue I have.

[Wild Willy]

Like I mentioned in my response to the other user, the content on the VDH web site is woefully out of date, several years out of date.  There is no such thing as a conversion license any longer.  There is just the VDH license.  Its single, lonely, unique function is to skip the writing of the watermark.  No license = watermark.  License = no watermark.  That's the only thing you get with a license.  How did I not make that clear in all the things you say you read?

Now, it is very curious that you are able to download certain content that does not have a watermark even though you do not have a license.  It was my understanding that the watermark would be written regardless of the type of download (HLS, DASH, ADP, simple file), type of download processor (browser or CoApp), file type of the download (MP4, MKV, WEBM, separate video & audio, integrated video & audio), Download vs Download & Convert, web site, or any other consideration.  Nobody has ever told me I had that idea wrong but maybe I do.  Perhaps it would be helpful if you provided actual URLs instead of saying site A & site B.  Don't give the names of the sites.  Give URLs of pages on which videos reside.

As for your sleep, you shouldn't lose any over this.  Until somebody like Michel or Jérôme tells me I am wrong, the only thing you will get by buying a VDH license is the absence of the watermark from your downloaded files.  It does not unlock functions of VDH that are absent when you don't have a license.  It does not permit you to download from sites that won't download without a license.  There's none of that.  Unlicensed VDH is the full function VDH.  No features appear once you buy a license.  Like I've been saying, the license determines only that you won't get the watermark.  If you read everything I referred you to, you would have learned that the writing of the watermark is a very time-consuming operation, sometimes running into hours.  Buying a license skips that step.  That's all.

[mjs]

I can explain what it does without a license as I don't have one.

For downloading, YouTube ( ADP )  and Vimeo & other sites using Dash streaming adds a watermark to the video.

Simple mp4 videos and HLS videos = no watermark

Chrome & Edge though have a 2 hour limit for HLS downloads.

For Download and convert, convert local files and the aggregation tool all add a watermark with no license.

That should make it clear what it does.

[Wild Willy]

That is a terrific explanation. You should add it to this thread:

https://groups.google.com/g/video-downloadhelper-q-and-a/c/12-fRkVJ8qo

[Jirka]

Thank you very much - both. Now I understand it.

I'll buy the license, that will solve it then.

Jirka

[Jirka]

And just FYI, after buying the license, the Aggregation step is now from 26 minutes down to to 0.1 seconds. And what is more, the addition of watermark previously crippled the video so the seeking funcion was seeking just audio. The video just stopped and didn't change after seek. So buying a license was a huge improvement for me.

Anyway. I am not sure if the authors of the program read the forum (seems they do, from time to time), but i present some suggestions for improvement:

• Remove the mentions of conversion on the licensing page and state clearly what the license buys for you. Even if it is something like "when more complicated ways of downloading are needed or conversion is requested by the user, we add a watermark. Adding a watermark takes a long time. If you don't want watermark and want to speed up the aggregation and/or conversion process, buy a license." - simple, easy to read and even a simpleton understands it. Takes about 10 minutes to do.
  
• Lower priority: Do something with the watermark embedding. I understand why it is there. However, making the aggregation process 1 000 000 times longer and crippling seek function isn't the proper way to attract potential paying customers. You do that by presenting well functioning software for which they want to pay. And this piece of SW is quite good, in the end. I would actually keep the "delay" in aggregation fo non-licensed users, as that was the selling point for me. But it should be clearly stated that the delay would disappear after buying a license. Again, 1 minute work for the webmaster to state this on the license buying page.
  

I just had a bottle of wine, so I hope I wasn't too crude in expressing myself. Just trying to help, for me it works now :-)

Jirka

[Wild Willy]

Like I said upthread here, & like I've said in numerous other places in this forum, the
VDH web site is woefully out of date. The things you've pointed out are just a few of a
very many things on the web site that need updating. Several people have complained
about it over a long period & nothing changes. I suppose all we can do is continue to
complain about it & maybe some day it will get fixed. But updating the web site does not
seem to hold any priority with Michel. Michel is the only developer, as far as I can
tell. He has been the only visible person making changes to the product. I have always
assumed VDH was his idea. He decided he wanted a tool to solve a problem he was having.
Once he had it working, he decided to try to monetize it somewhat. He wrote it by
himself & he is the only one who modifies the code. I would not be surprised to learn
that VDH is more of a hobby than a primary source of income for Michel. I have always
speculated that he has a regular job & he does VDH in his spare time. Speculated. I'm
guessing. I don't want to lead anyone to jump to any conclusions. I'm guessing. I've
posted these thoughts before but Michel has never addressed them. I suppose that's his
right.

As for the speed of the writing of the watermark, I don't think that will ever be
changed. The incentive should be there to get a license & I heartily endorse that. As
for being able to skip around in one of those videos with a watermark, I don't recall
anybody reporting that before. That seems rather surprising. What are you using to play
back videos? If it's not VLC, you will probably not get much sympathy around here. VLC
is regularly touted as the player you should use. I can't try this myself since I have a
license so I don't have any content that has the watermark. But I'd be curious to know
what happens when you play your watermarked content back on VLC. I will say that I have
noticed even in VLC that sometimes skipping around in a video is rather sluggish. But
this has always been in connection with my solution to the too-fast video problem. When
I've processed a faulty video with ffmpeg to slow it down to normal speed, skipping
commercials takes so long it's almost not worth doing. But I've never seen a problem
with VLC playing any normal videos.