Featured Freeware: Ashampoo ClipFinder

Programs that grab videos from Web sites such as YouTube aren't a dime a dozen--they're a dime for 200 dozen. Most of them aren't that good, either, which makes Ashampoo ClipFinder such a breath of fresh air in the video-grabbing game.

ClipFinder sports an atypical interface that's still simple to navigate. The main window holds a series of long filmstrips. Each of the 14 strips represents a video site, which are searchable either individually or globally. Unfortunately, you can't add new portals, but the ones available include all the major video sites: YouTube, Yahoo, iFilm, and Veoh. Results appear as frames in the strip, with horizontal navigation scrolling through the videos. Mouse-overs load frames in a mini window, while double-clicking loads it in a child window. ClipFinder notably cannot upload and sports mildly irritating ads for other Ashampoo products. But it's such an effortless package to use it should be near the top of everybody's video-grabbing programs.