I want to record a video from Niconico Douga and watch it offline, but only to find a black screen. Is there a way to screen-record the videos, or just download Niconico video for offline viewing? Yes, although Niconico doesn't allow you to download videos, we got your back.
This article provides a detailed explanation of how to record Niconico videos without hassle, and introduce one method to download Niconico video. Whether you want to record a clip or download the full video, this post can help.
What is Niconico?
To begin with, let's learn about what is Niconico. Niconico (known before 2012 as Nico Nico Douga) is a popular Japanese website where people can share and watch videos. The name "Niconico" comes from the Japanese word for smiling. It's one of Japan's most visited websites, which is popular for its ACGN feature.
Niconico was a free-to-use streaming site. With the development of various streaming services, Niconico also published its special membership policy. With the subscription fee of 790 yen/mo. or 7,900 yen/yr., users can skip the ads in every video, and watch shows in higher quality up to 1080p.
Apart from streaming videos, Niconico also offers manga, live streaming, pictures and many other ACGN content. If you love Japanese manga or anime, then you can definitely find what you love here.
How to Screen Record Niconico?
However, since some content on Niconico is protected by DRM, and it doesn't provide an official download option, some users may want to record Niconico to save the shows they like. The following part includes 3 different methods to record Niconico Live:
1. Use Time-Shift to Record Niconico Live
In order not to miss any live broadcast programs, you can use the time-shift function to save the live shows you like. Programs that have been reserved for time-shift can be viewed in the open period after the broadcast. If you missed the live broadcast, please make use of time-shift.
Both general and premium members can use the time-shift function, but please note that there are limits on use if you are a general member.
- Users with a free plan cannot watch programs that were not reserved prior to the start of time-shifting.
- Users with afree plan cannot make reservations for programs that are currently on the air or for programs that are 30 minutes short of the start of the broadcast.
- Users with afree plan can reserve 100 time-shifted programs, while general members can reserve only 10.
2. Use N Air to Record Niconico Live
If you want to record and save Nico Nico Live, you can use N Air, the official software of Nico Nico Douga, which is a PC software for Windows that not only allows you to launch Nico Nico Live broadcasts but also to record Niconico Videos and save them as local files.
The most important feature of the N Air recording function is the ability to use replay recording. You can record Nico Nico Douga at any time and go back in time by simply setting the desired timing. You can easily record great scenes and funny clips.
Note: Videos recorded with the Replay Recording feature can only be used for the Niconico Douga that delivered the video, but not for the live video delivery. Also, since this is the official software of Niconico, you can record paid videos for premium members.
3. Use Wondershare DemoCreator to Record Niconico Live
Wondershare DemoCreator is a high-performance PC software developed by Wondershare that can record videos, edit videos, and convert videos. When recording Nico Nico Live broadcasts, you can record both the real-time streaming screen and the actions of the conmen, games, and surveys. After selecting the recording area, you can easily record the Nico Nico Live broadcast screen.
After recording, you can use the video editing function to remove clips, improve the screen, and add special effects. Once edited, you can export and save the video. Personally, if I want to cut out interesting clips, Wondershare DemoCreator makes it easy.
Note: Wondershare DemoCreator is a favorite as an excellent recording software, but it is not capable of double-speed recording, which reduces the efficiency of video saving when recording delivered videos or time-shifted videos. Instead, we recommend double-speed recording and downloading software.
Ultimate Solution: Use KeepStreams to Download Niconico Video
If you pursue a perfect way after knowing about the 3 methods above, KeepStreams Video Downloader can be your ultimate solution. This third-party tool can bypass the limits of low download speed, recording lag, high download failure rate, etc.
KeepStreams Video Downloader is a PC software for both Windows and Mac that allows you to download videos from 40+ video-sharing sites, including Niconico. It's easy for you to download video from Niconico at lightning speed and in bulk with KeepStreams.
The biggest advantage of KeepStreams is that streaming videos delivered in M3U8 format can be easily saved as MP4/MKV. Therefore, you can easily record shows from Niconico, TVer, Nittele, TV Asahi, etc.
KeepStreams can save every video in its highest quality up to HD 720p and 1080p. During the download, it will also remove the ads from downloaded videos. As we all known, the ads on Niconico can be very long and tedious. But with KeepStreams, you should not worry about this!
With KeepStreams, you can easily download both streaming videos and the live shows from Niconico. Below are the instructions for using this tool to download Niconico video on a Windows PC, which is pretty easy and convenient even for computer novices:
Tech Specs:
- Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11 or macOS Catalina/Big Sur/Monterey
- 4GB or more RAM
- 40GB or more free hard disk space
- Internet connection required
If you want to record videos only for premium members, you need to subscribe Niconico in advance.
STEP 1: First, go to the official KeepStreams Video Downloader page or click the button below directly and select the version according to your computer OS (Windows or MAC).
STEP 2: Follow the installation guide to install KeepStreams. Launch the program and check the number of valid downloads remaining for the free trial. Click "Close" to continue.
STEP 3: Copy the URL of the Niconico video you want to download from the browser
Note: Before downloading, if you wish to record a Premium member-only work or a video from the Nico Nico Channel at double speed, please first log in to your available Nico Nico account.
STEP 4. Paste the URL to the top search bar of KeepStreams, and play it using the built-in browser of KeepStreams. Then, the URL will be automatically analyzed.
STEP 5. Click the orange download icon on the right bottom. When the analysis is complete, a pop-up window will appear. You can configure the output settings here. (The highest video quality is up to the original video).
Click "Add to Queue" to add the episode to your queue, or "Download Now" to download the selected video immediately.
STEP 6. Switch to the "Downloading" section on the left side of the KeepStreams to check the progress of the video you are downloading. Here you can control the progress of the download, including "Start All" and "Pause All".
KeepStreams' double-speed recording is fast, and it takes all of 10 minutes to save 3 episodes of a 20-minute video. Recorded Nico Nico Douga can be saved as MP4/MKV. These are the reasons why you should choose KeepStreams to download Niconico video:
- Record videos from Nico Nico Douga as well as many other streaming sites
- Record time-shifted videos at double speed instead of real-time recording of reserved programs
- After subscribing to the Nico Nico Channel, you can download the videos you want to watch and personalize them.
- Once you subscribe to the Premium membership, you can record all the videos you want to watch at once and watch them slowly even after the expiration date
- Save recorded Nico Nico Videos as MP4/MKV and transfer them to smartphones, TVs, and game consoles for viewing
Conclusion
In this article, we have explained 3 methods to record Niconico videos. If you're bothered by the limits posted by screen-recording methods, KeepStreams Video Downloader can be the perfect and ultimate solution for you to download Niconico video.
How to download video from Niconico? With KeepStreams, the process is pretty easy to follow. With its lightning-fast download speed and batch processing, you can download video from Niconico with great efficiency.
And since you're here, you may also be interested in how to download Bilibili video, and how to download Lemino videos for unlimited offline viewing.