How to create a podcast from YouTube

For a while YouTube has been making its videos available as downloadable MP4 files. Here is how you can change a regular YouTube RSS feed into an MP4 video podcast.

You will need a server or webspace that supports PHP. Create a PHP file containing the following:

<?php
if ($_GET["source"]=="youtube") {
if ($_GET["user"]!="") {
$url = "http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/base/users/".$_GET["user"]."/uploads?alt=rss&v=2&orderby=published";
} else if ($_GET["q"]!="") {
$url = "http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/base/videos?q=".urlencode($_GET["q"])."&alt=rss&v=2&orderby=published";
}
}
if ($url!="") {
$xml = file_get_contents($url);
$items = explode("<item>",$xml);
$output = $items[0];
for ($i=1;$i<count($items);$i++) {
$tmp = explode("http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=",$items[$i]);
$tmp = explode("\"",$tmp[1]);
$tmp = $tmp[0];
$output.= "<item><enclosure url=\"http://www.youtubemp4.com/video/".$tmp.".mp4\" type=\"video/mp4\"/>".$items[$i];
}
echo $output;
}
?>

Video podcast of a certain YouTube user:

http://your.file.name?source=youtube&user=USERNAME

Video podcast based on a search on YouTube:

http://your.file.name?source=youtube&q=SEARCH+THIS

This script makes use of a site named youtubemp4.com which spits out the MP4 file of any given YouTube video.

Comments

2 thoughts on “How to create a podcast from YouTube

  1. Thanks a lot, I was searching for this kind of script.
    Can you pleases explain where I do need to make changes in the script?

    Video podcast of a certain YouTube user:

    http://your.file.name?source=youtube&user=USERNAME

    Video podcast based on a search on YouTube:

    http://your.file.name?source=youtube&q=SEARCH+THIS

    This script makes use of a site named youtubemp4.com which spits out the MP4 file of any given YouTube video.

    Where in the script I need to insert these lines?

    Thanks

  2. Hey Peter

    Could you please add some more details here of how to implement this? I really would like to submit my YouTube RSS feed to iTunes and get it to work.

    I am not a technical person, but it seems like you have found a solution. A step by step guide would be so much appreciated!

    Gideon Shalwick

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