MasterClass

[Silas Frisco]

I'm trying to download embedded MasterClass videos to my desktop. When I use VideoDownloaderHelper it either downloads the video only or the audio only. What am I doing wrong?

[Wild Willy]

The first thing you're doing wrong is you're not reporting the problem correctly.  The first thing you should be telling MIG in any problem report is what you are running.  Go to your VDH Settings, expand the sections for VDH version, platform, & Companion App, then copy/paste all of what gets displayed into your problem report.  Also mention whether you have a license but DO NOT POST YOUR LICENSE NUMBER.  Then you should supply at least one URL of a page where you are having trouble.  Screenshots can often be a help.  If there are errors reported, these can also be helpful.  You'll see a red dot with a number inside it on the main VDH menu.  Click that.  What you get should show something on which Details is something you can click.  Click Details & copy/paste the error log into you problem report.

Now, I'm just another ordinary user like you.  But I recall there is a setting somewhere in the VDH Settings that says DASH streams: Aggregate audio & video.  You might want to see what you've got set.

[Silas Frisco]

I apologize for not following the rules of this thread, Wild Willy. I am using a Mac and using a firefox browser with VDH installed. I also have a license that I paid for. The URL of the page I'm having trouble with is:

https://www.masterclass.com/classes/samuel-l-jackson-teaches-acting/chapters/slj-introduction/watch

As far for the settings in VDH that I'm using, I am currently at work and can't look them up here. I'll follow up with you this evening. It took me several unsuccessful attempts to get to the point where I was able to download the video that played smoothly and not jumpy but unfortunately there was no audio, as you are already aware. I just wish there was an easy step by step explanation of what I need to do for this type of file to be downloaded to my computer correctly! It frustrated me most of Sunday/yesterday. Thanks for your time and any help, Wild Willy.

Very respectfully,

Silas (not my real name)

[Wild Willy]

First off, I want to make it clear that I am not enforcing any rules.  I'm just another VDH user like you.

Second, they aren't really rules so much as just good common sense about how to report a problem.  If you say just, "It's not working," MIG has no chance to help you.  But if you describe you platform, what web page you were trying to download from, & what things you tried that didn't work as expected, then there's a chance MIG can work with the information & track something down.

Masterclass is a site that was mentioned recently in another thread.  I clicked the URL you gave in your post above & I did not get Sam Jackson's (no doubt fascinating) lecture on acting.  I got prompted to log in.  I do not have an ID on that site & I have no intention of getting one.  So I never got to the video you were having problems with.  Moreover, I have utterly no experience with Mac.  I know how to spell it & I know Apple makes it.  End of my usefulness there.

If you post some screenshots of what you clicked & how the results were displayed, that would probably be something MIG could work with.  This is likely the only way to communicate your problem since MIG almost certainly also is not a member of that site so would not be able to see your video any more than I could.

[Silas Frisco]

Wild Willy,

When I click the icon for the VDH in the Firefox browser this comes up (see attached screenshot):

MasterClass - HLS streaming - 1920x1080 - EN (MAIN) - 2.6Mbps - MP$

1600x900 - 3:26 - En (Main) - 1.9Mbps

1024x576 - ENGLISH - 1Mbps

640x360 - EN (MAIN) - 581Kbps

384x216 - 3:26 - EN (MAIN) - 332Kbps

MasterClass - HLS streaming - 3:26 - MP4

MasterClass - HLS streaming - 3:26 - MP4

Which do I pick?

After making a selection, which setting do I pick for downloading?

These are my options:

Quick download

Download

Download & Convert

Copy Url

Add to blacklist

Details

Delete

Pin

If I select "Download & Convert" which output option should I select for downloading the highest quality video WITH audio? What settings should I modify in the selected output?

Very respectfully,

Silas

[Wild Willy]

It is my understanding (MIG will no doubt correct me if I am wrong) that VDH presents these variants in descending order of quality.  The top entry says the resolution is 1920x1080, and that appears to be the best resolution offered here.  When you pass the mouse cursor over the right end of the entry in the list, you'll see ... & a little arrow.  Clicking there gives you your list of choices.  It appears that you have not set a default action so simply clicking the entry generates this same menu of possible actions from which to choose.  At the bottom of this menu there is a check box that means, if you click the check box, that whichever selection you make this time, simply clicking an entry in the main VDH menu will perform the action you're about to take automatically next time & henceforth thereafter . . . until you do the ... & little arrow thing again, which allows you to make any selection despite your chosen default.  My personal preference is to never check the check box but that's the beauty of VDH: it allows each user to use it however you want.

The top entry in your list is MP4.  There is no need to convert that (unless you specifically want some other format, which I would not but you may have other requirements).  So I would choose simple Download.  If you need to convert the file to something other than MP4, then of course you should select Download & Convert.  Your next menu will let you choose the directory on your system where VDH will put the resulting MP4 file.  You do have the option on this menu of also changing the file name from what VDH has selected.  Nothing says you have to keep the file name VDH has chosen.  But I would not change the MP4 extension of the file name.

Then click the Save button at the bottom & it will begin downloading.  Once a download starts, a blue dot appears over the VDH icon in the browser window, & the same blue button appears at the bottom of the main VDH menu.  There will be a number inside the blue spot telling you how many concurrent downloads you have in progress.  Click the blue button & VDH will present you with its ongoing download status menu, which is updated (most often) every time the percentage remaining to download increases by 1%.

Good luck!

[Wild Willy]

Oops.  Slip of the finger.  The percentage shown in the VDH status is the percentage of the file ALREADY DOWNLOADED, not percentage left to download.  But this percentage does go up by 1% every so often, so I got the rest of that statement right.

I wish we could edit our posts here . . .