Update: New Ashampoo ClipFinder version (HD v2.01) is out with new features and a new look. Click here for more details.
Doing my usual reconnaissance of the internet I stumbled upon a free software that acts like a search engine for 14 popular video hosting websites. You can either search all the websites at once with one query or you can run individual searches for each website. The videos you find can be played right inside the program so you never have to even open your browser. You also have the ability to download the video you are viewing if you wish to do so. All this for free. Yes free (do I ever advocate non-free programs? =P). However, you will have to register to get your CDKEY - but all registration requires is a valid email address. But be warned, don't use your main email address because Ashampoo spams. A lot. Update: Ashampoo blocks Hotmail email addresses so you must use an alternative - Hotmail won't work!
The video hosting websites that this program can search are:
- YouTube.com
- iFilm.com (aka Spike.com)
- Veoh.com
- Dailymotion.com
- Video.Google.com
- Livevideo.com
- Blip.tv
- Video.Yahoo.com
- Metacafe.com
- Vids.MySpace.com
- Sevenload.de
- MyVideo.de
- VideU.de
- ClipFish.de
At first I was skeptical about this program - then I used it. Now I am a believer. The program I have been talking about this whole time is Ashampoo ClipFinder:
Here is a screenshot of the all video hosts listed in order that ClipFinder displays them:
Don't worry if you don't like the order of video hosting websites - you can customize the order as you please. For example, you can put video.google.com at the very top so you don't have to scroll down to view it every time. You can do this via Settings.
Anyway, to find videos, just type in your search query in the "Portal search" box and hit "Search". ClipFinder will then search all the video hosting websites mentioned above and display them for you:
As ClipFinder finds more videos relating to your search query it will keep adding to the list (you will see the number "## Clips" going up). You can scroll through the video via the left and right arrows.
If you hold your mouse over a video, the video will start playing in that small box like a preview. To view the video just double click on it. The video will then start playing in the built in ClipFinder media player:
In addition to watching the video, you can download the video (video will download to your Documents if you are in Vista and probably My Documents if you are in XP), add it to a playlist, or copy the url of the video. Unfortunately you can't view the video in full screen mode - the best you can do is maximize the ClipFinder window. To view the videos in full screen mode, double click on the video and the video will be opened in your browser on the video hosting website. From there you can view it in full screen.
If there is a video hosting service that you just dislike or don't want to search, you can 'minimize' that video hosting service and prevent ClipFinder from searching it by clicking on the 
button. Additionally, if there is a video service that you really like, or would like to specifically just search that video service, clicking on the 
button will give you a dedicated view of that video hosting service:
If you are the type of people who like to search for a video, then search for another one but leave the search for the video of the first still open (i.e. having lots of tabs open while surfing the web), ClipFinder also has a tabbed interface which you can use to leave multiple searches open at once:
If you would just like to download a specific video from a specific URL and would rather not mess with having to search for it, you can also use ClipFinder to do that. Just click on "URL - Adress" and paste in your URL and start downloading. The video will download to your Documents in Vista and probably My Documents folder in XP:
While this program is fairly simple, there are a few settings you can change around:
Lastly, in case you or someone you know does not speak English, this program can be run in multiple different languages:
Still interested? You can download Ashampoo ClipFinder from Download.com.
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David Roper
A freeware search engine for YouTube type videos. My world is complete now. Thanks, Ashraf.
Ashraf
I was amazed when I first saw it too :)
And you are very welcome (and so is everyone else who says thanks).
Ambuj Saxena
I am surprised it doesn’t support vimeo.
Ashraf
It doesn’t support vimeo because I have never heard of it. Jk :P
I wonder if it would be possible to add custom websites to search with this. Lets see what Ashampoo says.
Muhammad
ashraf i downloaded the SW however it says your trial 10 days exp.
you need to get the full version.
is there any free alternative SW.
regards,
Ashraf
Muhammad,
You have to register the software – then you will get a full version key. During installation there should have been a checkbox that said “attain full key” or something. Leave it checked.
Rune
Ashampoo do not accept hotmail-addresses. I only have one e-mail-address and it is on hotmail. But when I try to register the ashampoo-website denies my e-mail-address. And when I try to send them an e-mail their web-form for this refuses to accept my e-mail-address. They do not have any other way to get in contact with them, so no free software if you have a hotmail-address.
BAD policy Ashampoo!!!
Muhammad
thanks its done
first i tried to register with my hotmail account but it didn’t work
when i used yahoo account it worked, strange isn’t it!!
thanks Ashraf
Chewie Chewball
@Rune: Idiot, use your damn brain, there is always a way. Hotmail might be blacklisted, so why don’t you use the alternative address they give you. Why don’t you make a quick fake one at live.de or live.ca, takes 1 minute max to create. Goto a proxy website like hidemya s s and use their email forwarder. I can list many ways while you say its not possible.
Ozzie
@ Rune: I agree with Chewie Chewball (where do you guys come up with these names?!): there are myriad ways to post fake email addresses. For these sorts of things I use the Firefox extension Trashmail. Couldn’t be simpler. That way you can have your cake and eat it too – and never any annoying spam afterwards to give you indigestion!
Rune
Dear Mr Chewie Chewball,
You must be very pleased with yourself giving me bad names and everything. But I hope the good feeling you may be having right now is based on the fact that you did not give me any information on the real issue that I posted about, you just sent out an insult with no help for other readers.
So keep your bad temper to your self and let other give facts that may be of use for other people, and maby give a company with a bad policy a hint that we do not like their strange and unreplyed background for this policy.
Regards
Rune
laduqesa
I have the key to register it – but how do you do it. I’ve pressed every button and tried every option, but I can’t see where to put the key in.
Please help.