Enhanced Download Control

Version 1.3 - Quality Selection & Batch Queue

Released: January 2026
Build: Standalone
Size: ~112 MB

Version 1.3 brings the control you've been asking for: choose your video quality and queue multiple downloads.

What Changed

Quality Selection

The biggest addition in v1.3 is quality control. Before this, SNATCH always downloaded the highest quality available. That's great if you have unlimited storage and bandwidth, but not everyone does.

Now when you download a video, you get seven quality options:

1. Best Available - The old behavior, maximum quality
2. 2160p (4K) - For those with 4K displays and storage to spare
3. 1440p (2K) - High quality without the massive file sizes of 4K
4. 1080p (Full HD) - The sweet spot for most people
5. 720p (HD) - Great balance of quality and file size
6. 480p (SD) - Quick downloads, smaller files
7. 360p (Low) - Mobile-friendly, minimal bandwidth

Why This Matters:

A 10-minute video can be:

• 4K (2160p): ~1.5 GB
• 1080p: ~300 MB
• 720p: ~150 MB
• 480p: ~80 MB

That's a 20x difference between 4K and 480p. Choose what makes sense for your needs.

Batch Download Queue

The second major feature is the download queue. You can now add up to 50 URLs to a queue, then process them all at once.

How It Works:

1. Select the new "Batch Download" option from the main menu
2. Add URLs one by one - videos or audio
3. For each video, choose your preferred quality
4. When ready, start the queue
5. Everything downloads sequentially

This is perfect for:

• Downloading multiple episodes of a series
• Grabbing a bunch of music tracks at once
• Setting up downloads before you go to sleep
• Any scenario where you have multiple URLs to download

The queue remembers your quality choice for each item, so you can have some in 1080p and others in 720p depending on what you need.

Cleaner Output

v1.3 also cleans up the interface. Previous versions showed all the technical output from yt-dlp, which included warnings, progress percentages, download speeds, and various status messages. It was informative but cluttered.

Now you see:

• What type of download (video/audio/playlist)
• What quality you selected
• Where it's saving
• Simple status: "Processing... Please wait"
• Success or failure message

All the technical stuff happens behind the scenes. The download still works the same way, you just see less noise.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Downloading at Different Qualities

Let's say you're downloading three videos:

1. A nature documentary you want to watch on your 4K TV → Choose 2160p
2. A tutorial you'll watch on your laptop → Choose 1080p
3. A video for your phone → Choose 480p

With the batch queue:

[Add Video] Documentary URL → Select 4K
[Add Video] Tutorial URL → Select 1080p
[Add Video] Phone video URL → Select 480p
[Start Queue]

Each downloads at its chosen quality.

Example 2: Music Playlist

You have a YouTube playlist of 20 songs:

[Add Audio] Playlist URL
[Start Queue]

All 20 songs download as 320kbps MP3 files, properly numbered.

Example 3: Mixed Content

[Add Video] Movie review → 1080p
[Add Video] Trailer → 4K
[Add Audio] Podcast episode → MP3
[Add Audio] Song → MP3
[Add Video] Gameplay → 720p
[Start Queue]

The queue processes all five in order, each with its specific settings.

When to Use What Quality

4K (2160p):

• You have a 4K display
• You're archiving content
• File size isn't a concern
• You want maximum detail

1440p (2K):

• You want high quality but 4K is overkill
• Good for large monitors (27"+)
• Better than 1080p but smaller than 4K

1080p (Full HD):

• Standard for most modern displays
• Great quality-to-size ratio
• Works well for everything
• Default recommendation

720p (HD):

• Save storage space
• Faster downloads
• Still looks good on most screens
• Good for tablets

480p (SD):

• Mobile devices
• Slow internet connections
• Preview/temporary downloads
• Storage-constrained situations

360p (Low):

• Very slow internet
• Maximum storage saving
• Background videos you'll mostly listen to

Technical Details

Quality Implementation

The quality selection works by sending specific format strings to yt-dlp:

• bestvideo[height<=1080] tells it to get the best video up to 1080p
• +bestaudio adds the best available audio
• These get merged into a single MP4 file

This ensures you get the best quality within your chosen limit, not just any video at that resolution.

Queue Structure

The queue holds up to 50 items in memory. Each item stores:

• URL
• Quality choice (1-7)
• Download type (video/audio/playlist)

When you start the queue, it processes each item sequentially. Sequential processing prevents overwhelming your connection and makes troubleshooting easier if something fails.

Output Redirection

The cleaner interface works by redirecting yt-dlp's output:

• Standard output goes to nul (Windows null device)
• Standard error also goes to nul
• This is the >nul 2>&1 at the end of commands

The download still happens normally, you just don't see the verbose logging.

Upgrading from v1.2

If you're already using SNATCH v1.2, upgrading to v1.3 is straightforward:

1. Download snatch_v1.3.exe
2. Replace your old snatch_standalone.exe
3. Run it - that's it

Your existing downloads folder remains unchanged. The new version adds features but doesn't break anything from v1.2.

Building from Source

For developers who want to build v1.3:

# Ensure you have yt-dlp.exe and ffmpeg.exe in the directory
build_v1.3.bat

Build time: 10-20 seconds
Output: snatch_v1.3.exe (~112 MB)

The build process is the same as v1.2 - using Resource Compiler for binary embedding.

What Didn't Make It

Some features were planned for v1.3 but got pushed to v1.4:

• Progress bars - Visual progress indicator during downloads
• Speed display - Show current download speed
• ETA - Estimated time remaining
• Pause/resume - Ability to pause and continue downloads

These require more complex implementation and will come in the next version.

Known Limitations

Queue Size: Limited to 50 items. This is intentional to prevent memory issues and keep things manageable.

No Progress Indicator: Downloads show "Processing..." without percentage. This will be fixed in v1.4.

Sequential Processing: Queue items download one at a time. Parallel downloads are planned for v2.0.

Windows Only: Still Windows-exclusive. Cross-platform support is planned for v2.0.

Feedback Welcome

v1.3 represents a significant improvement in usability. The quality selection and batch queue were the most requested features, and they're now here.

If you have feedback, bug reports, or feature requests:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Join the discussions
• Contribute code if you're a developer

What's Next

Version 1.4 will focus on user experience improvements:

• Visual progress bars
• Download statistics
• Better error messages
• Possibly a GUI version

Version 2.0 will bring bigger changes:

• Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS)
• Parallel downloads
• More advanced features

But v1.3 is about giving you control while keeping things simple. Download what you want, at the quality you need, in the quantity you choose.

---

Previous Version: v1.2 Release Notes
Next Version: v1.4 (Coming Soon)
Back to Wiki: Home

Updated: January 2026