Taking Notes from YouTube Videos

Introduction

• Importance of capturing notes from multimedia for personal knowledge management.
• Focus on integrating YouTube video notes into Obsidian.

Methods for Note-Taking from YouTube

1. Manual Note-taking in Obsidian

• Setup: Open Obsidian and YouTube side-by-side.
• Process: Create a new note in Obsidian and take notes while watching.
• Embedding: You can embed videos in Obsidian using the share/embed option from YouTube.
• Limitations:
  • The YouTube player within Obsidian is not fully featured.
  • Issues with losing place if accidentally clicking back into the code.

2. Media Extended Obsidian Plugin

• Installation: Enable the Media Extended plugin in Obsidian.
• Functionality:
  • Provides a similar experience to the manual method but more robust.
  • Allows timestamps to be taken and automatically links them to notes.
• Limitations:
  • May not always get timestamps accurately.
  • Opens links in a web browser, not in the Obsidian app.

3. Timestamp Notes Plugin

• Setup: Requires URL pasted to engage the video player within the sidebar.
• Features:
  • Allows timestamping during note-taking.
  • Timestamp acts as buttons to replay specific parts of the video.
• Limitations:
  • Short notes due to real-time note-taking.
  • No easy way to pause and resume note-taking efficiently.

4. Yeenote Chrome Extension

• Integration: Not an Obsidian plugin but a Chrome browser extension.
• Features:
  • Automatically pauses video when taking notes.
  • Exports notes in Markdown format.
• Limitations:
  • Requires manual export of notes.
  • Opens timestamps in the browser, not in Obsidian.

5. Readwise Reader

• Introduction: A service recently integrated with YouTube.
• Features:
  • Uses YouTube captions for text-based notes.
  • Highlights text directly linked to the video progress.
  • Syncs with Obsidian via a Readwise plugin.
  • Supports advanced AI functionalities like summarization and question generation.
• Limitations:
  • Text-only highlights, not timestamped in video.
  • Relies on the existence and quality of YouTube captions.

Conclusion

• Usage: Different methods suit different needs and situations.
• Preference: Timestamp Notes for desktop setup, Readwise Reader for mobile/tablet.
• Trending: Readwise Reader's integration with AI offers promising future capabilities.
• Educational Evolution: YouTube is increasingly a source for in-depth learning.

Additional Information

• Readwise Reader is evolving, and more features are expected.
• Importance of integrating multimedia consumption into personal knowledge management systems.