I want to download a couple of videos from creators I like, to keep them in case they are ever lost later (whether due to censorship or drama, etc). What is the best method to use for getting files from youtube? bonus points especially if they result in file types that I can burn to a dvd.
What file types can’t you burn to a DVD? Or in case you mean a file format that can be played natively on a DVD player, just get an authoring tool like dvdstyler that will convert any format into something you can play directly.
On the other hand most DVD players newer than 10 years will also just play mp4 without any issues.
Beware it will not last like a factory made DVD or Bluray. Home burned optical media is more volatile, so not a great solution for decades-long backups.
To add on to this, you’d need archival grade discs for this. Last time I looked, they were around $4/$5 per disc in a spindle for blurays, with a 50yr min lifespan.
mp4 is not really a video format. Depending on how recent they are they’ll play a broader or narrower range of MP4 files, depending on codec selection.