Jump to content

YouTube under Windows XP - Downloaders, players and browser support


AstroSkipper

Recommended Posts

On 1/25/2024 at 9:54 AM, FranceBB said:

As for things I wanna watch on my PC without downloading them, with M108 (the chromium fork), all videos work, including VP9 ones and AV1 ones as they're royalty free codecs whose decoders are included/embedded in chromium however they all run via software decoding due to the nature of the XP compatible versions of chromium.

... A tiny bit OT ;) , but could you be so kind as to disclose some additional details about this M108 Chromium fork? Is this something that needs OneCore API installed, hence making it an XP SP3 exclusive "option" ? :dubbio:

Link to comment
Share on other sites


13 minutes ago, VistaLover said:

... A tiny bit OT ;) , but could you be so kind as to disclose some additional details about this M108 Chromium fork? Is this something that needs OneCore API installed, hence making it an XP SP3 exclusive "option" ? :dubbio:

It's a Long Term Support XP Compatible Chromium build that he receives. Unfortunately, no download link to it, and no access to the source.

Yes, it requires One-Core-API.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Correct. The reference contact person is Weolar and the builds are provided by him to the companies who purchase the extended support afaik.

I'm very very very lucky to be one of the people that receives those builds, but of course they're private and I cannot share them, however they do have some bugs.

Anyway, they run just fine on Windows XP SP3 x86 without the need to use One Core API.

Edited by FranceBB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A bit off-topic is no problem. :yes: But keep in mind I created this thread to be no longer off-topic in @roytam1 thread regarding YouTube Downloaders! But that conversely should not mean losing sight of the goal of this thread. Talking about a browser that you can't really use because it's not available to the public makes no sense at all in this thread nimportequoi.gif and is totally off-topic. smilie_denk_24.gif Please, contribute within the generously set framework of the topic of this thread! Here, we want to know all about YouTube using under Windows XP in these days. Thanks in advance! :) 

Greetings, AstroSkipper matrix.gif

Edited by AstroSkipper
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...
Posted (edited)

YouTube videos in their native interface in New Moon 28 on low-performance computers in 2024

 

I made an experiment. Watching YouTube videos on their native interface in New Moon 28 in May 2024, all on my very weak hardware with Intel Pentium 4 single-core processor and only 1.5 GB SD-RAM. I reset my mod uBlock Origin Legacy 1.16.4.35 and activated only some further default lists (Adguard Base, uBlock Annoyances, BPCF + script and my German locale filter lists). Additionally, I installed seven YouTube scripts from Greasyfork to get rid of crap and to style YouTube to my needs. I created one additional rule to cut off all comments when playing a single video. YouTube is completely free of ads. Videos are playing fine without any comments and playlists, isolated in single tabs in 360p quality. Always with autoplay off as I don't like such automatisms. :thumbdown Higher quality does not work well in browsers on my system. In any case, pure YouTube without any ads, ad blocker warnings or other crap. :thumbup Perhaps, I should mention at this point that I normally never watch videos in browsers on my old Windows XP computer, but in an external player directly or downloaded beforehand. Then I am able to watch videos in 480p or sometimes even in 720p quality. :P Sometimes, however, I watch very rarely YouTube videos in New Moon 28 with the help of the great extension uTube:thumbup Here are two screenshots taken from YouTube in New Moon 28 when all configurations have been done:

My new homepage of YouTube only for searching videos (Bye, bye unwanted videos bye.gif):

New-Moon-28-You-Tube-Homepage-2024.png

And here is a tab when playing a single video:

New-Moon-28-You-Tube-2024.png

All is loaded relatively fast on my old machine. :) One of the installed scripts let me select the size of the player myself. Here it is set to the 480p size.

Cheers, AstroSkipper matrix.gif

Edited by AstroSkipper
Update of content
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you don't want to see or write comments, what is the use of the stripped down web interface? You might be able to watch 720p downloaded to disk, with more precise and responsive seeking. Search from Alphabet using site:youtube.com gives better results. The internal YT search tries to guess too much what you really meant and suggest synonyms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
21 minutes ago, j7n said:

If you don't want to see or write comments, what is the use of the stripped down web interface? You might be able to watch 720p downloaded to disk, with more precise and responsive seeking. Search from Alphabet using site:youtube.com gives better results. The internal YT search tries to guess too much what you really meant and suggest synonyms.

I usually do not use the YouTube interface in New Moon 28 or other browsers under Windows XP. It was just an experiment to see whether it is possible at all on my underperforming, old machine in these days. And it is still possible and above all, without ads or anti-adblocker messages. :P As I already said, I normally send YouTube links to one of my external players or download them with one of my YouTube downloaders. For watching them in legacy browsers under Windows XP I use Invidious or the extension uTube:thumbup

Edited by AstroSkipper
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Sup.

I find interesting that all the things u propose or have made, were already done.

https://www.smplayer.info/

SMPlayer can do all the stuff (well, with the mix of alternatives sources of youtube-dl and yt-dlp mentioned here, since WinXP drop support and the creator of SMPlayer hasn't update the sources). It's a mix of mplayer, ffmpeg, and other open source stuff. It's not like VLC, but close, and with a plugin already made for youtube, SMtube

https://www.smtube.org/

FIrst u need to install SMplayer. Second, the SMTube plugin. SMPlayer tries to download yt-dlp or youtube-dl but yt-dlp does not work since the exe is from the official sources. youtube-dl is an outdated version and doesnt work either.

We need to download updated versions of yt-dlp and/or youtube-dl mentioned by @VistaLover in this same thread (both if u want). Then, we need to copy one or both exes to...

C:\Documents and Settings\usernamegoeshere\.smplayer

...after a first run of the program.

After that, in config, u need to define resolution and what downloader you'll use. DONT UPDATE WITH THE PROGRAM (you already did that :p)

SMTube works like a browser, that links to a couple of sources for YT search (tonvid.com and other one...really sus.). You just search the video, click, and then SMPlayer opens right away. After a while the video starts (needs to download a bit of the file, i guess).

If VLC is executed instead of SMPlayer, u need to change player priority in the config of SMTube.

That's it! If u need screenshots of everything let me know. Tested and working in WinXP (with a 1.6 Ghz Atom, 2 GB of ram, and a normal HDD). i'm not affiliated with the creator, just an average user.

Cheers!

Edited by Berno_sour
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Berno_sour said:

Sup.

I find interesting that all the things u propose or have made, were already done.

Thanks for your contribution! This thread is meant to collect all methods to run YouTube and its videos under Windows XP in these days. I already wrote about SMPlayer here: 
https://msfn.org/board/topic/176299-latest-version-of-software-running-on-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1258461
https://msfn.org/board/topic/176299-latest-version-of-software-running-on-xp/?do=findComment&comment=1258479
For watching YouTube videos, I personally prefer PotPlayer and maroc's release of MPC, now in the version 2.2.1. Inside of UXP browsers on old, weak computers, I would use the extension uTube which is absolutely great. SMPlayer is unfortunately no longer supported but it is also a good one as long as it still works under Windows XP, of course. My experiment in a previous post was only meant to check if YouTube can be used natively inside UXP browsers on old, weak computers in these days:P

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, AstroSkipper said:

SMPlayer is unfortunately no longer supported but it is also a good one as long as it still works under Windows XP, of course.

 

Latest version (24.5.0 - may 2024) it's still updated with a WinXP installer, that works for "other" 32 bit systems. My outdated reference was for the builds that downloads SMPlayer when tries to "update" yt-dlp and youtube-dl.

So, it's still a strong option. No ads, tonvid still its an option to search on YT (without the hassle of the monster webpage that it is YT), download vids, and in my experience, it's the less complicated way to run YT on WinXP.

i'll give it a go with MPC and Pot Player. Thanks for all your work trying to stay updated this old (but functional) HW and SW.

Edited by Berno_sour
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Mon Jun 10 2024 (GMT+0000) at 8:41 PM, Berno_sour said:

That's it! If u need screenshots of everything let me know. Tested and working in WinXP (with a 1.6 Ghz Atom, 2 GB of ram, and a normal HDD). i'm not affiliated with the creator, just an average user.

Hi @Berno_sour, quite interested, really. I have tried the latest smplayer and not only does work in XP as is, but does (on conditions I have not quite yet figure out/explored in detail) play DVD content sequentially, as it is supposed and MPC-HC does (although not always, gotta keep experimenting and most of my dvds I have transformed into mp4, but not all). I would welcome more info on your workflow smplayer-smtube. Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, Berno_sour said:

Latest version (24.5.0 - may 2024) it's still updated with a WinXP installer, that works for "other" 32 bit systems. My outdated reference was for the builds that downloads SMPlayer when tries to "update" yt-dlp and youtube-dl.

So, it's still a strong option. No ads, tonvid still its an option to search on YT (without the hassle of the monster webpage that it is YT), download vids, and in my experience, it's the less complicated way to run YT on WinXP.

i'll give it a go with MPC and Pot Player. Thanks for all your work trying to stay updated this old (but functional) HW and SW.

 

2 hours ago, dmiranda said:

Hi @Berno_sour, quite interested, really. I have tried the latest smplayer and not only does work in XP as is, but does (on conditions I have not quite yet figure out/explored in detail) play DVD content sequentially, as it is supposed and MPC-HC does (although not always, gotta keep experimenting and most of my dvds I have transformed into mp4, but not all). I would welcome more info on your workflow smplayer-smtube. Thank you.

As in the previous releases, the problem is not SMPlayer itself but the embedded mplayer which has been discontinued for working under Windows XP. The last compatible version was 37940 from 2017 if I remember correctly.

Edited by AstroSkipper
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers @AstroSkipper. Thanks for creating this thread. Smplayer devs have started building their last version with qt5.6, which works fine in XP, at least in my set up. Better than ever, actually, although still with issues playing composite (DVD like, multiple) files.

https://www.smplayer.info/en/download-windows

https://github.com/smplayer-dev/smplayer/releases/download/v24.5.0/smplayer-24.5.0-win32-qt5.6-unsigned.exe

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, dmiranda said:

Cheers @AstroSkipper. Thanks for creating this thread.

You're welcome! :) Personally, I prefer the portable version: https://github.com/smplayer-dev/smplayer/releases/download/v24.5.0/smplayer-portable-24.5.0.0-win32-qt5.6.7z
But once again. The outer shell, SMPlayer, has been updated again and again, but neither mplayer nor mpv, i.e. the heart of the SMPlayer. Simply put, it's great on the outside, but a bit of a bummer on the inside. :buehehe: This is the real problem for Windows XP users. :(

Edited by AstroSkipper
Update of content
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...