Convert Streaming Videos To Audio Files With This App

Convert Streaming Videos To Audio Files With This App

My chill-out music of choice is, weirdly enough, incredibly long YouTube videos. I like to nap to the low hum of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, or a 12-hour recording of a box fan.

Image credit: ex animo/Flickr

These days I use my phone more than my PC for listening, and I miss my weird droning sounds. But Softorino YouTube Converter 2 (SYC2), a video conversion app, makes it incredibly easy to transfer those videos to my PC, phone, or straight to iTunes.

Pull Videos From Basically Anywhere

SYC2 is a desktop video conversion tool that takes videos from over 50 supported sites such as Facebook, Youtube and Vimeo, or audio files from Soundcloud, and converts them into a variety of different file formats.

You can add videos to SYC2 by copying the video or playlist URL from your web browser; it can handle anything from Soundcloud tracks to entire playlists of YouTube videos. There’s also a built-in browser that lets you paste your URL and choose from within the app.

SYC2 provides three conversion choices: Video, audio and ringtone. Video conversion can handle files up to 4K resolution, all the way down to 360p. Audio converting lets you choose from MP3, AAC and “original” audio. The ringtone selection lets you create either full-length or 30-second recordings.

You can save these to your desktop, iPhone, iPod, or transfer them to iTunes. The process is incredibly simple. Pick your URL, wait for it to recognise the video or audio source, and choose your conversion option.

Convert Streaming Videos To Audio Files With This App

Quick, Colourful Conversions

SYC2 makes quick work of whatever you throw at it. Converting an hour-long YouTube video into an MP3 took fewer than two minutes. I decided to push it with a 249-track playlist from a video game soundtrack. That took under 15 minutes to convert them all to MP3 files and add them to iTunes and my phone. Your web connection might affect conversion speed, but I found it incredibly quick, whether on Wi-Fi or my wired connection.

SYC2 tries to pretty up the converted file with album art made from a video still, a nice touch that beats dealing with a bunch of converted files, all with album-free faces.

At $US20 ($26), SYC2 is a bit on the expensive side, but offers a 24-hour free and full-featured trial before it asks you to pay up. Its fast conversion time, simple interface and smart design choices make it a great option for easy conversion or ringtone making. Besides, I’ll pay up if it means I don’t have to visit another ad-plastered video conversion site again.


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