October 2007, freenet, Videoraptor, Quotes and excerpts from the review:
"Videoraptor not only lets you download music videos from the Internet free of charge, but also other video clips and even MP3 files. The software is a meta-search engine that searches through popular portals like YouTube, Yahoo and Clipfish for audio and video files, grabs them with a mouse click and jampacks them onto your hard drive in the desired format. In addition to the converter, CD burning software, a ringtone generator and a synchronization function for MP3 players are also included.
We put the newest release of Videoraptor to the test and discovered that the software's design wasn't the only thing to have changed. Like its predecessor, Videoraptor 2 from RapidSolution (available via download) still searches for music videos. The software can now, however, also hunt down MP3 files. Additional new functions include a conversion function, an ID3 tag editor, the ability to retrieve album cover artwork and lyrics and a tool for creating personalized ringtones.
After a speedy installation process, Videoraptor occupies about 62 MB on the hard drive and is immediately ready for use. The program costs just short of 30 euros. A free demo (available via download) is also available. The demo version limits the number of downloads to five clips from video portals and five music videos.
Self-explanatory software
Videoraptor is intuitively designed and easy to operate. It is divided into two functional parts: "music search" and "Web video." To find music titles, the user can use the comprehensive alphabetically organized index or directly input the name of the desired artist or song. The user can choose whether he wants to find only videos or audio files or both. After searching, the user receives a list of results categorized by artist and title.
For music videos, the software searches AOL, Clipfish, CnetTV, MTV, MyVideo, Yahoo, YouTube and OnlineGlotze. MP3 files are located via m.iask, Mp3Realm and ProjektPlaylist. The various sources can be included or excluded from the search as desired. By default, all are included. According to the software publisher, the list of available sources is regularly extended. The list is refreshed every time the software is started.
Video clips from online portals
The "Web video" function makes it possible to download clips from YouTube, Clipfish, Google Video, MyVideo, OnlineGlotze and even erotic Web sites. Instead of a search, the program offers here a "collector" function: when the user clicks on a link to one of the supported video portals, the corresponding Web site opens in the browser. Only Internet Explorer is currently supported.
Videoraptor then collects the download links of all clips that the user has at the very least started to play, and places these links on a shopping list. After that the user need only select the videos he'd like to have. The software finds and downloads them.
Transfer to the MP3 player and mobile phone ringtones
After selecting any desired search result, the user need only double click (or click on the corresponding download button) to start the download process. One really practical function: the user can specify in advance into which audio or video formats the downloaded file should be automatically converted. For music tracks, the formats WMA, OGG, AAC, M4A and WAV are supported. To convert files into the MP3 format, the free LAME encoder is required. This can be downloaded from the Web and imported into Videoraptor at any time.
Format diversity
Videos can be saved as WMV, MP4, 3GP and AVI files with a resolution of 320x240 pixels. If you want to use clips not only on your PC but also on your multimedia player, you can configure Videoraptor to automatically save the downloaded files onto your hard drive in two different formats at the same time.
The user is able to configure the maximum number of simultaneous downloads using the Options menu (this is dependent on the speed of the Internet connection). The maximum bandwidth is 500 kbit/s. The software publisher also claims that in the future it will be possible to configure the minimum bit rate, providing users with the ability to limit downloads to media having a minimum desired quality. In addition to these options there is an online help facility that describes the most important functions.
Burning software and ringtone tool
The synchronization function makes it possible to easily transfer downloads to mobiles devices like MP3 players. The software also offers a media player that allows the user to avoid having to start additional video and audio applications. The integrated burning software allows downloads to be burned to audio and data CDs.
The mobile phone ringtone generator is another extra that lets users create mobile phone sounds in three steps. The user first selects a music title located on the hard drive or on a CD. A recording can also be used as a source. The user then specifies which part of the song should become a ringtone. Fade-in and fade-out effects are available for the beginning and end of the ringtone. Finally, the desired track is cut and saved as an MP3, AMR or MMF file, as desired...
Bottom Line
Videoraptor 2 has been improved in comparison to Version 1 and has been enhanced with numerous extras. The program finds desired music videos quickly and with a mouse click transfers them to the local hard drive – and even in the desired format: the converter, which supports numerous different audio and video formats, is a big fat plus point. The Web video function that saves all viewed videos on a list is also quite practical.
... Altogether, Videoraptor is a useful program that can save the user a lot of effort and time searching for videos."
Rating: Very good
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