Developer(s) Hotger | ||
Initial release January 15, 2013 (version 0.3.0) Stable release 0.6.0.40 / November 30, 2014 Operating system Size 28MB (Mac), 672.9KB (Windows) Available in available in 21 languages | ||
FLVTO is the name of a music-file conversion software, developed by the Russian-based firm Hotger. It is available online directly at the FLVTO site, for desktops and laptops as a program, and also as an app available for Windows 8 and other smartphones and tablets. It is compatible over a wide range of video and audio formats. FLVTO has been featured in several tech reviews and spotlights with an estimated 8 million users across its platforms and 200 million file conversions.
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Overview
FLVTO is a YouTube converter that can queue as many as ninety-nine songs at once. Users select the URL of a desired video and paste it into the converter template, whereupon a downloadable audio file is generated. Its file conversion is also compatible with Vimeo, Dailymotion, SoundCloud and other flash based video websites. FLVTO offers a wide range of audio file format options including MP3, MP4, AVI, WMA, WMV, FLV and MOV. The online converter also automatically generates an html code for users to embed the file on sites or messages. In addition to the online converter, the software is supported on both Windows and macOS operating systems. FLVTO has additional add-ons available for Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. The app is increasingly popular in the United States and European Union. It ranks in the top 7,000 websites in the US and in top 10,000 globally.
Developer
FLVTO was developed by Hotger, a Russian-based tech company registered in San Francisco, California with company headquarters in Rostov-on-Don. Hotger is a software development firm founded in 2004 that provides several online media services. In addition to FLVTO, Hotger has developed several more online software platforms and services. Hotger is founded by Kirill Belov, a Russian angel investor, software developer, and business owner. He holds an associate degree in mechanics and applied mathematics from Southern Federal University (Formerly Rostov State University). Belov has headed several software and tech ventures both in Russia and globally.
Online converter
The online converter was FLVTO's first incarnation of the software and is available on the websites's main page. It was launched in 2007 and has gone through several updates and design changes. The website requires three steps for conversion, by first prompting its users to copy and paste the URL from their desired YouTube clip, or other video format, into the entry space. Next, the website will download the video and automatically convert it into an audio format. It can be converted into several different file types. Conversion can take anywhere from a few seconds to roughly a minute depending on users' bandwidth. The file converts to FLVto YouTube to MP3 by default, although a number of options are available, including MP3, MP4, AVI, AAC, WMV and MOV. The site will next generate a download prompt, where the user chooses to save or open the new file. Also generated is a new URL for users to embed the new audio file on a site, an email, or a message.
Desktop software
A free desktop version of the software is also available by download for Apple and Windows desktop and laptop computers. Similar to the online version, it converts YouTube and other video files into an audio format, with several file options. However it immediately saves files into a computer destination folder of the user's choice. The tools for this application are customizable within the settings and are supported across Windows (XP SP3 and later) and Apple macOS (Mac OS X 10.7 Lion and later) operating systems. It is also capable of downloading audio files from YouTube, and other flash video players, and converting them into several formats, with an MP3 format as the default option. It offers the same file format options as the online version. After download, files are saved under the name of the original video title. Another feature of the software is the ability to convert entire video playlists at once. These entire playlists are then saved into the same destination folder the same as other audio files. The desktop version has an estimated 780,000 downloads.
Mobile version
The mobile version of the software was introduced to provide the same FLVTO features on mobile devices, including iPhone, Samsung and Android smartphones. YouTube URLs, or those of other video sites, are input into the query bar just the same as the other versions. The video is converted into an MP3 format by default and generated as a file under the same name as the video. If a user has an MP3 app on their smartphone the audio file will appear there. If not, it will automatically open in Quicktime. The mobile software boasts a file conversion speed close to its desktop and online versions.
Add-ons
In addition, FLVTO offers several additional internet browser add-ons for improved performance. Available for Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari, the add-on installs a conversion button directly onto YouTube within the browser. Users simply click this convert button and the video immediately begins converting to an audio file, without any manual input of the URL. It is compatible across these web browsers on YouTube's site and can convert videos to audio formats, with MP3 as the default, and ultimately prompting the user to either open or download the file.