Overview
This one is built around a queue rather than around a single download. Paste several addresses, or a playlist, or a channel, and they line up in a list that works through itself while you carry on doing something else. Each item shows its own progress and can be paused, reordered or removed without disturbing the rest, which is the difference between a tool you use once and one you leave running.
The build has the licensing applied, so the concurrent transfer cap is lifted and the playlist and channel limits are gone. Format conversion on the way out is available for every supported target, subtitle downloading is included, and there is no counter, no nag panel and no trial period anywhere in the program.
The queue and how it behaves
Items are added by paste, by dragging a link in, or by pointing the program at a playlist or channel address. The concurrency setting decides how many run at once, and the sensible number depends on your connection rather than on your patience. Failed items retry on their own a set number of times before being marked, so a temporary problem does not empty half your queue.
The queue persists across a restart. Close the program with fifty items pending and they are still there when it opens again, in the same order and with the completed ones still marked as done. For a large archive job spread over days, that persistence is the feature that makes it possible at all.
Formats, quality and conversion
Video downloads at whatever resolutions the source carries, and the choice can be set once as a default so the queue does not stop to ask on every item. Where a source offers a separate high resolution video track and audio track, the program fetches both and combines them rather than falling back to a lower combined stream.
Conversion happens after the download and covers the usual video and audio targets. Audio extraction supports the lossy and lossless formats with the bitrate carried from the source where possible, and metadata including the title, the uploader and the thumbnail information is written into the file tags so a music queue arrives properly labelled.
Subscriptions, subtitles and organisation
A channel can be subscribed to rather than downloaded once, after which the program checks it on an interval and adds new uploads to the queue automatically. Each subscription can carry its own quality, format and destination folder, which is what keeps a large archive organised without manual sorting.
Subtitles download in the available languages either as separate files or written into the container. Output file naming follows a configurable pattern that can include the uploader, the playlist position and the title, so a downloaded playlist lands in the right order rather than alphabetically.
What you get
- Persistent download queue that survives a restart with its order intact
- Unlimited concurrent transfers with a configurable cap
- Automatic retry on failed items before they are marked
- Separate high resolution video and audio tracks fetched and combined
- Conversion to the common video and audio targets after download
- Metadata and tag writing from the source information
- Channel subscriptions with per subscription quality and destination
- Subtitle download as separate files or embedded
- Configurable output naming including uploader and playlist position
Inside the archive
- MediaHuman YouTube Downloader installer, 32 and 64 bit
- Conversion component for the supported output formats
- Language packs for the interface list shown above
- Notes on concurrency and retry settings
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 7 or newer, 32 or 64-bit |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any current x86 or x64 processor, faster helps conversion |
| Memory | 2 GB |
| Storage | 200 MB for the program, plus space for downloads |
| Network | Any, concurrency should be tuned to the connection |
| Graphics | Any |
Installing it
- Run the installer as administrator.
- Set the destination folder and the naming pattern before adding anything to the queue.
- Set the default quality so the queue does not stop and ask on every item.
- Tune the concurrent transfer count to your connection rather than leaving it at the maximum.
- Disable the update check in preferences to keep the build where it is.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Not needed at this size | Online |
Release history
- Extraction updated for the current source page structure
- Queue persistence fixed after an unclean shutdown
- Retry count made configurable per queue rather than globally
- Separate video and audio track combining reworked for high frame rate sources
- Tag writing extended to the lossless audio formats
- Per subscription destination folders added
- Reduced processor use while the queue is idle
Questions about this release
Is the concurrent transfer limit removed?
Yes, along with the playlist and channel caps. You set the concurrency yourself in settings.
Does the queue survive closing the program?
Yes. It reopens in the same order with completed items still marked.
Why did downloads start failing?
Sources change their page structure periodically. Extraction has to be updated to follow, which is what most releases here are.
Can each subscription go to its own folder?
Yes, with its own quality and format as well, which is how a large archive stays organised.
Comments
Tags and thumbnails written properly on audio extraction. My player picked it all up without editing anything.
Six at a time on a fibre line, no throttling problems. Cap is definitely gone.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Left it running on a 2000 item job over three days. Closed it twice, queue came back both times.