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Many times we download a song we like from YouTube, or other sites, as a FLV video. But how to convert it to a regulare audio-only MP3 file? Here is a nice solution I found on the net, using FFMPEG.

The syntax of the command is:

ffmpeg [[infile options][-i infile]]... {[outfile options] outfile}

So, to convert a flv video to mp3, we could use something like:

ffmpeg -i filename.flv -acodec mp3 -ac 2 -ab 128 -vn -y filename.mp3

-i filename

Specifies the input file name

-ac 2

Specifies the number of audio channels to use

-ab 128

Specifies the audio bitrate (in k). For youtube videos, 64 is enough.

-vn

Disables video recording.

-y

Overwrites output file.

-f fmt

Force format.

-metadata key=value

Set a metadata key/value pair.

You could also use:

ffmpeg -i filename.flv

to see informations on the input file, before converting it

ffmpeg -filters

to see all available codecs/filters

Bibliography/Links

Extracting an MP3 From a YouTube Flash (FLV) Download

A nice post I found on the youtube-to-mp3 topic I've found

http://vixy.net/

An online FLV-to-* converter, that should enable direct-download from youtube videos.