A few weeks ago Netflix announced that it would allow users to download a small selection of videos for offline use, on mobile devices.
While this is a great step forward, there’s also a large group of users who would like to do the same with other videos on other operating systems.
Free Netflix Downloader is application that offers exactly this. Developed by DVDVideoSoft, it is the first Windows application that allows people to download Netflix videos to their computers through an easy-to-use interface.
After logging in to Netflix, users simply enter the video URL and ‘Free Netflix Downloader’ then downloads any video in a few minutes. The tool also offers the option to convert the output files to AVI, MP3, or a version optimized for iPhone and iPad.
“This is the ONLY app in the world that can do this trick now!” DVDVideoSoft’s Alex informs TF.
The software supports multiple downloads at the same time and according to the developer, it is ideal for people who have slow Internet connections, among other things.
“[It is intended for] users with slow Internet connections, for those who like to store everything on their computer, for those who don’t have smart TVs; it’s also great for downloading a whole series season at a time,” Alex says.
While ‘Free Netflix Downloader’ works as advertised, there is also a major drawback. The video quality appears to be rather low and certainly not what people are used to when watching Netflix.
The developers don’t go into detail on this issue but say higher quality video may follow later. However, it’s likely that Netflix’s higher resolution video is better protected, which makes it much harder to rip.
Finally, it should be stressed that people who use the tool might violate Netflix’s Terms of Service, which forbids users to archive or download content without permission. This is also the main reason why Netflix and rightsholders are probably not too fond of the service.
For now, Free Netflix Downloader’s developers don’t anticipate any pushback from Netflix. However, they realize that this could change if their software becomes very popular in the future.
“Maybe if the program becomes very popular,” Alex says, but she also notes that Netflix just created its own downloader feature for mobile users.
For now, however, the tool is still freely available. More information on ‘Free Netflix Downloader’ and its capabilities is available at DVDVideoSoft’s official site. As always, those who are interested should proceed at their own risk.
