We've had a question from reader Dave about downloading high definition video from YouTube:

"I can download almost all videos on the net into .flv files and convert them to .MOV for use in Final Cut Pro, except HD. When I choose the HD settings on YouTube it goes right to a screen that plays the video in HD but I can't download it in HD. Any suggestions?"

Yes! There are lots of ways to download video from YouTube, and one extension I know allows you to download HD FLV files is Download Youtube Videos +. This Firefox add-on puts a toolbar in the browser which flashes whenever video is available to download. It's available to download here.

Once installed, and Firefox has been restarted, go to your YouTube page and choose the video quality that you want from the pop-up menu on the video player.

Once chosen, simply click the flashing Save Video button on the toolbar, and a menu will drop down. There will be more than one file available to download, but basically if you want the highest definition, choose the biggest file! This will be downloaded to the same location as all of your Firefox downloads, ready for use whenever you want.

If you have any questions, please email us at: ask@onsoftware.com