VSO Downloader

A video and audio downloader with a twist, VSO Downloader bypasses the manual process of entering the site URL with a rule-based automated detection and download procedure. That may sound easy, but when it comes to the practicalities of downloading and managing files, this app disappoints.

PROS

Quick downloads: VSO Downloader lives up to its promise of automatically detecting and downloading media files. Once you define your preferred target folder, you can grab files by just visiting your favorite Web sites, without touching a single button or menu.

Browser-friendly: You don’t have to change your Web surfing habits as it works with any browser.

Audio conversions: We found the audio ripping feature quite interesting for interviews and voiceovers that you can then use to enhance your videography editing workflow.

CONS

Size of downloads: Forget that the downloader is running in the background, and be prepared to exhaust your bandwidth and fill up your hard disk in a matter of days.

Resorting to manual processes: We had to go to the download target folder to rename files to our liking and add sites to the add blocker. Call us traditionalists, but since some kind of manual involvement is unavoidable, we ended up being quite annoyed with the automatic grabbing of anything that moves in our browser.

Irritating vendor proposals: Beyond actual functionality issues, we also had to deal with continuous irritating references to other VSO programs to supplement the Downloader’s incomplete functionality. Swallow the pill, and you will end up with multiple pieces of software you never intended to have that cost $79.98.

BOTTOM LINE

At the end of the day, VSO Downloader tries to lure customers toward VSO’s paid ConvertXtoDVD and Video Converter. For free you only get basic file conversions, while the automated convenience runs thin once manual file tasks start becoming necessary and VSO’s ad messages become tiresome. In other words, think twice before downloading this app.