How to Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux

This updated guide examines How to Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Part 1of 3:

Preparing Your Ubuntu Linux System

1. Issue the following commands below to prepare your Ubuntu Linux system to capture embedded Adobe flash videos from websites.
   • Type:sudo -s apt-get update. This will update your repository sources.
   • Type:sudo -s apt-get install perl. This will install the Perl, programming language, you will need Perl to run your FlashVideoCapture.pl script.
   • Type:sudo -s apt-get install lsof. This will install lsof if it is not already installed.
   • Type:sudo -s apt-get install firefox. This will install the Mozilla Firefox web browser.
   • Type:sudo -s apt-get install vlc. This will install the VLC multimedia player to playback your captured *.flv videos.
   • Important Note: You must use the Firefox browser to view your FLV videos because this does not work in Google Chrome.
2. Open up a text editor such as gedit or nano.
   • Type:gedit FlashVideoCapture.pl
   or
   • Type:nano FlashVideoCapture.pl
3. Type the following perl script located in the box below and save it asFlashVideoCapture.pl:

   #!/usr/bin/perl[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 1 Version 5.jpg|center]]#Filename: FlashVideoCapture.plusestrict;[[Image:CaptureAdobeFlashVideosonUbuntuLinuxStep2Version5.jpg|center]]###################################################Setup the variables[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 3 Version 5.jpg|center]]##################################################my$PROGNAME=$0;$PROGNAME=~s|.*/||;my$LSOF='lsof';my$FIND='flash';# Find flash filesmy$POST='flv';# Postfix to save to#Where we save files[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 4 Version 5.jpg|center]]#%f is $FIND[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 5 Version 5.jpg|center]]#%d is the next available number[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 6 Version 5.jpg|center]]#%p is.$POSTmy$DEST="found%f.%d%p";[[Image:CaptureAdobeFlashVideosonUbuntuLinuxStep7Version5.jpg|center]]###################################################Usage[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 8 Version 5.jpg|center]]##################################################subfatal{foreachmy$msg(@_){printSTDERR"[$PROGNAME] ERROR: $msgn";}exit(-1);}subusage{foreachmy$msg(@_){printSTDERR"ERROR: $msgn";}printSTDERR<$FIND,post=>$POST,dest=>$DEST,};while(my$arg=shift(@ARGV)){if($arg=~/^-h$/){usage();}if($arg=~/^-d$/){$MAIN::DEBUG=1;next;}if($arg=~/^-find$/){$opt->{find}=shift(@ARGV);next;}if($arg=~/^-post$/){$opt->{post}=shift(@ARGV);next;}if($arg=~/^-dest$/){$opt->{dest}=shift(@ARGV);next;}if($arg=~/^-/){usage("Unknown option: $arg");}usage("Too many files specified [$arg and $opt->{file}]")if$opt->{file};}usage("You need to specify a destination with -dest")unless$opt->{dest};usage("You need to specify something to search for with -find")unless$opt->{find};$opt;}subdebug{returnunless$MAIN::DEBUG;foreachmy$msg(@_){printSTDERR"[$PROGNAME] $msgn";}}###################################################Main code[[Image:Capture Adobe Flash Videos on Ubuntu Linux Step 9 Version 5.jpg|center]]##################################################subfindFiles{my($opt)=@_;my@found;#'lsof /' (The '/' just does files, no sockets, and is faster)open(LSOF,"$LSOF /|")||usage("Can't run [$LSOF]");while(){nextunless/delete/i;nextunless/Q$opt->{find}E/i;nextif/.adobe/;# Ignore adobe 'flash' db fileschomp;[[Image:CaptureAdobeFlashVideosonUbuntuLinuxStep10Version4.jpg|center]]#procname pid user fdusage("Found it, can't parse it [$_]")unless/^S+s+(d+)s+S+s+(d+)/;push(@found,[$1,$2]);}usage("Couldn't find any deleted cached $opt->{find} files")unless@found;@found;}subprocPath{my($pid,$fd)=@_;my$path="/proc/$pid";usage("Couldn't find $path")unless-d$path;$path.='/fd';usage("Couldn't find $path")unless-d$path;$path.="/$fd";usage("Couldn't read $path")unless-e$path;$path;}subdestPath{my($opt)=@_;my$p=$opt->{dest};$p=~s/%f/Q$opt->{find}E/g;$p=~s/%p/. Q$opt->{post}E/g;my$num=0;my$path;do{$path=$p;$num++;$path=~s/%d/$num/g;}until!-f$path;$path;}submain{my$opt=parseArgs();my@found=findFiles($opt);foreachmy$found(@found){my$src=procPath(@$found);my$dest=destPath($opt);print"$src -> $destn";system("/bin/cp",$src,$dest);}}main();

Part 2of 3:

Configuring a Capture Directory and Enabling the FlashVideoCapture.pl Script

1. Copy the FlashVideoCapture.pl script to your /home/"your_user_name"/Videos directory.
   • You will either need to change into your Videos directory or create a dedicated directory where you store your multimedia videos.
2. Create a directory. If you don't have a Videos directory on your system, the command below will allow you to create one.
   • Type:mkdir -p /home/"your_user_name"/ Videos.
     • This command will create your Videos directory.
   • Type:cd /home/"your_user_name"/.
     • Change into your home directory.
   • Type:cp -r FlashVideoCapture.pl /home/'your_user_directory'/Videos
     • Copy the FlashCaptureVideo.pl script to your Videos directory.
   • Type:cd /home/'your_user_name'/Videos.
     • Once the FlashVideoCapture.pl script is in your Videos directory, you will open up terminal and change into your Videos directory.
   • Type:chmod +x FlashVideoCapture.pl.
     • This command will make the FlashvideoCapture.pl perl script executable.

Part 3of 3:

Capturing Your Flash Video

1. Start up your Firefox web browser and go to a site which has embedded flash videos in it.
2. Allow the Flash video to play/load in the internet browser until it is completely loaded into the browsers cache. You can tell the video has completely loaded by the grey bar at the bottom of the Flash video, which will usually indicate the load and completion of the video. Once the grey bar load cycle is complete and 100% of the video has been loaded it's time to capture the video stored in your web browsers cache.
3. Keep your Firefox web browser open with the video completely loaded. Return to your open terminal and run the FlashVideoCapture.pl script by issuing the following command:
   • Type:cd /home/"your_user_name"/Videos
     • This will change you into your Videos directory, make sure you are in the Videos directory and you have the FlashVideoCapture.pl script in this directory.
   • Type:./FlashVideoCapture.pl
     • This command will execute the FlashVideoCapture.pl script and capture the *.flv video files to your /home/"your_user_name"/Videos directory.
4. Review the results. If this was done correctly, you will see a statement such as this:
   • /proc/13509/fd/28 -> foundflash.1.flv
     1. This means the flash video was captured as foundflash1.flv. to view the video you can use the VLC mediaplayer to view the captured *.flv file.
5. Play back your captured *.flv video files. Make sure you are in the /home/"your_user_name"/Videos directory before running the following commands.
   • Type:cd /home/"your_user_name"/Videos
   • Type:vlc foundflash1.flv.
     • or
   • Type:vlc *.flv
     • This will playback all *.flv video files stored in your /home/"your_user_home"/Videos directory.
6. Rename the foundflash1.flv to anything you like. So that you can view the captured *.flv video over and over again using the VLC media player without loading it from your Firefox web browser.