VCatcher

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on September 09, 2012

If you like to download the occasional YouTube video to watch later on, you have lots of programs to choose from, most of them free. But if you regularly grab and save videos from YouTube and other sites, you'll find that the free tools often leave something to be desired in the functionality department (if not always in the adware department). And if you like to convert videos to play on your smartphone, tablet, or other device, the bar is set even higher, and fewer tools make the cut. VCatcher is a shareware video downloader and converter that offers a lot of convenience as well as performance, plus some extras such as a screen video recorder. We sampled the trial edition, which is limited to 15 downloads and two minutes of conversion time.

VCatcher's user interface has some unique and useful touches, starting with the main file window. It displays your loaded files as Explorer-style icons instead of a file list, though you can switch to a table view, too. Either view can be sorted by length, size, format, and other categories. VCatcher's black-and-white outline icons give the program a slightly different look from the usual fare, though the layout isn't unconventional, with its embedded video player, drop-down menus, and file entry fields. The left sidebar displays icons for all of the program's major functions, including Record, Convert, Rename, Import, Export, and Share. There's also a series of buttons to Cut, Change, Open, and Convert video files from the conversion tool's settings. The Web-based Help file is basic, but VCatcher opened with an instructional video loaded in its player. Titled "How VCatcher Works," this 2-minute tutorial depicts how to get started with the program.

It's hard to imagine an easier way to add files than with VCatcher, which automatically starts downloading any video you play, even multiple videos simultaneously. Once our videos were saved, we could convert them easily by selecting our device type (such as "Apple Phone") and file format. Of course, conversions are limited in the trial version, but we saw no glitches. The neat screen recorder uses a compact control panel.

Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of VCatcher 3.46.

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