iOS / Android app to loop Youtube videos

[roddy]

I haven't looked at this myself as I don't need it, but it landed in my inbox selling itself as a tool for musicians and it looks like it might also be useful for language learners. 

 

Basically, it looks like an A-B repeater app which lets you choose sections of Youtube videos and local recordings to repeat and slow down. Not sure if something like this is already available, or if this is any good. I'll refund the 99 cents for the first two people who tell me I caused them to waste their money if it turns out to be no good.

 

Loop2Learn

[TheBigZaboon]

@Roddy,

I downloaded a copy of this app, and it is excellent !!! Easy to use, with a number of extremely useful  features. On the menu at the top left corner there's  a simple, but complete tutorial. It works, and does everything  it claims to do, and more.

 

The one fly in the ointment may be the fact that I was only able to download  it to  one device. I don't  know if this is policy, or not, but keep this in mind. I have e-mailed the developers, but haven't  received a reply yet. It may just be a security  feature for the credit card on my Googleplay account, as I received proper cancellation notices for the second and following  attempts, but I don't know. I will update this post when I  find  out.

 

Edit: about two days after my original reply to Roddy's recomendation...

 

I have not yet received a reply on my querry as to why I was initially unable to install this app on more than one device, however, a random attempt this morning to install it on one of the devices in question resulted in a successful installation, without additional payment required.

 

I don't know if this is due to actions taken by the developers to address my question, or if my problem was due to a temporary security issue with my credit card. I don't care enough to pursue the issue further.

 

However, so far, I like what I see with this app enough to try to install it on all my devices. I have a half dozen $50 to $100 cheap Chinese knock-off tablets that I use to support 3 or 4 different languages, and this app will exponentially increase the ease of studying from videos in any language I try to throw at it. I will let everyone know if I get tripped up by going over the traditional limit of three devices per app that I always believed is the rule on googleplay. I am impressed enough by this app to pay for each and every copy if I have to (220 Japanese yen or about USD $1.99).

 

The app is so easy to use, and its benefits so obvious, that I don't think it is worth any further explanation by me. Roddy's description just about sums it all up. But don't take our word for it, try it yourself.

 

And lemme know your experiences, I , for one, am interested in what others think of this app.

 

TBZ

Edited October 26, 2017 at 07:55 AM by TheBigZaboon
Status update...

[TheBigZaboon]

Just bumping up the topic to the most recent part of the activity list, because I noticed my edit didn't include the bump. Egotistical, to be sure, but I really do wanna know what others think of this app.

 

TBZ

[roddy]

If you want, write up a more substantial review - that'll get more attention than my 'This might be rubbish, I don't know' effort. I'll also drop the makers a line, they may not have realised the potential for language learners.

[mlescano]

Yup. For language learners it would be fantastic if they supported YouTube subtitles. Right now I use Lingual Media Player on Windows for this purpose: It automatically stops with each subtitle line, and you can just press a key to repeat the line and another to show/hide subtitles. It would be fantastic to have something similar on mobile devices.

[roddy]

Mlescano has already written up a review of Lingual is everyone wants to go and read that right now.

[Flickserve]

For YouTube it works fine. 

 

For videos on my android phone, it says the media needs to be on internal storage.... Which it is but doesn't play. I don't have another memory card in my device. 

[TheBigZaboon]

On Android, there are permission issues involved with sd cards in the last couple of updates that are a real pain to track down and rectify. I ll see what I can find.

 

With this app, I have found that to play videos other than youtube videos you have saved, it is better  to use the gallery tab rather than the saved tab. Then you can search your device and just select any videos you want to play. That may work with youtube videos too, if they are actually saved, but I  have  seen complaints from people that they think the youtube  videos  in this app are just bookmarked rather than saved. Most of the youtube  videos  I use have been  saved by teachers for a class, but I will try to save a few with this app myself, and see what happens.

 

TBZ

[Flickserve]

1 hour ago, TheBigZaboon said:

With this app, I have found that to play videos other than youtube videos you have saved, it is better  to use the gallery tab rather than the saved tab.

 

Thanks. Didn't work at all on my saved videos. I tried selecting the videos through "explorer " and "videos" icons but both said need to open through internal storage (which the videos are already on).

[TheBigZaboon]

So it didn't work? 

 

I usually use the video selection options at the bottom of the screen in the app rather than the top. I select gallery on Android, and then all videos registered in gallery show up on the gallery app, and I'm good to go...

 

I've tried it on an Android phone (7.0) and a tablet (5.0 or so), and it works the same on both. Are you attempting to open the file from outside the app? With this app, I always open my videos from inside the app, rather than tapping on the video in explorer or another file manager. Sometimes I find that there can be permission problems if you don't obtain permission for a particular app first.

 

Because we're both in Asia, maybe we can agree on a time, and work through this real-time with dueling posts to give the folks their money's worth. If I can get it to work, then anybody can...

 

TBZ

[TheBigZaboon]

Stop the presses!!!

I just ran into the same message you got with certain files. I don't yet know why. But I don't have this problem with all files. Maybe it's a format issue. I have to look more closely at the format, and figure out why it will play some mp4s, but not others, if that is, in fact, the case. It may have something to do with the software I used to make the mp4 from the original dvd, etc. I have used several different programs over the years. I  will check other formats like avi, too.

 

Watch this space...

TBZ

[TheBigZaboon]

It seems I mispoke too soon...

 

Originally, I said using the gallery tab inside the app allowed one to view almost any prerecorded video (tap gallery from web_gallery_saved at the top of the screen, then tap the 3 bars icon at the top left..a menu with a list of locations appears, select gallery at the bottom of the list). On the list that appears, one of the options was sd card, which you have already said you don't have. If I select sd card, then a video, most mp4 videos seem to play, but a couple give me your error message. If I select gallery, then even some videos that gave me the error message from the sd card item will play from gallery. You may have to fiddle with the settings on the gallery app itself to get file information instead of thumbnails displayed, but it works fine for me.

 

The only reason I can think of is that the developers wrote intentionally for the use of gallery.

 

Anyway, when you have time, let me know if you got it to work. I really think this is a video app dream come true.

 

TBZ

[TheBigZaboon]

I'm assuming it didn't work, but that you've also lost interest. So I'll stop here, unless anyone else asks about this app.

 

But I find it extremely useful, especially for textbook related videos, and movies or tv programs. It seems to do everything people are asking for, except subtitle manipulation...

 

 

[Flickserve]

Nope. It didn't work on my Xiaomi phone. 

 

When I got home from work (been out at work the whole day), I downloaded the app on an older Samsung tablet. When I click on the gallery and then 'open video'  icon, strangely it doesn't show any video folder. But I can open videos by first opening the photos folder and finding the relevant video. . Very strange. Then I can open these videos which are on the SD card. 

 

So it seems the problem lies with the xiaomi phone. 

[TheBigZaboon]

Try this: click gallery, then open video, and then, if nothing happens, click the three bars at the top left of the app frame, above the blank screen where the video should play. I mentioned a permissions issue before. I think that by fiddling around around with various options, you give ad hoc permission where there was none previously.

 

I've been able to get this app to work on two Samsung phones (4.3 and 7.0), and two Huawei tablets (5.2 and 6.0), as well as on a Japanese spec no-name made in China (5.2 or so). I can't see why it shouldn't work on your xiaomi. If the xiaomi photo storage app has a different name than gallery, maybe downloading gallery from the google play store might work.

 

The key seems to me to be creating a situation where you can select gallery consistently from the opening screen to the drop down menu from the three bars at the top left of the open video screen. If it doesn't work once, close the app, then try a slightly different sequence each time. It wasn't necessarily smooth on all five of the devices I got it to work on, but when it choked, I tried again, and it never took more than three times to work.

 

加油， 加油...

 

You've got me obsessed with helping you make this work. I won't be able to sleep tonight...

 

TBZ

[Flickserve]

Finally got it working! I have to go to open videos' and then press on the Google photos icon instead of the folders or videos icon. a list of videos turn up and then I press on the one I want. Strange pathway to go through. 

 

BTW, the three bars method that you describe doesn't happen on my version. My three bars have nothing to do with opening up videos. It only has things like 'tutorial' 'write a review' 'contact us'.

 

Thanks for the discussion help! 

[TheBigZaboon]

Very happy to hear you finally got it working!!!

 

On all of the implementations of android on all of my devices, there's  a simple photo management  app called gallery. I never noticed until you mentioned it, that it might not be the google standard app. I've  never used anything  else.

 

As for the issue of the drop down  list from  the  three  bars, it depends on where you click it in the selection sequence. Initially, from the opening screen, you get the tutorial list. You might also get it initially on the open video screen (I did get it a few times, too.). But if you try  it later from the open video  screen, for example, you should be able to display the drop down list (menu) I am referring to. It has a number of different  locations that may not be of any use if you don't  have an sd card, but give it a try.

 

Try this: tap open video, you should get a selection of maybe four file manager and photo manager apps. Tap the back arrow  to go back to the open video screen. Then try tapping the three bars to see what  you get. I can't  be the only person in the world  whot gets that drop  down list on my odd collection  of devices.!!!

 

In any case, I m relieved you finally  got it working. There's  about four apps I use for video segmenting and repeat tasks, but this one is by far the best, most stable, and simplest to use. 

 

TBZ