Seeking Help/Info Please

[catwench.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm such a newbie that I'm not even sure what I'm looking for under the community tags/memories, but a vidding friend of mine recommended this community.

One of my hobbies is making userpics for LJ users. (I belong to lots of graphics comms). Sometimes, I want to make an icon out of an existing video. So here's my question (before I go posting in the community itself). There are certain websites - Hulu for example or Showtime's website - that use a particular type of video that I'm unable to download. [ETA] killabeez did tell me that Hulu probably uses MP4 but Killa doesn't use Windows.

I do know how to download from YouTube and a few other sites.

Would anyone happen to know what the aforementioned example sites use and if so, what (free) program is available to download these videos and clips?

Here's some info as requested in a 'newbie' entry:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.
I'd like to download .avis, MP4s, or whatever formats videos come in.
I would like to start off with cheap/free stuff and the easier the program to start with, the better for me.
My current fandoms include The Borgias, Weeds, House, and any historical/period movies & tv shows.

Thank you in advance. =)

Sherlock | Hot Mess

[danceonstardust.livejournal.com]

Title: Sherlock | Hot Mess
Artist: Cobra Starship
Author:tsukihysteria aka Jude
Download size: 12 MB
Disclaimer: © BBC and Cobra Starship
Program Used: Sony Vegas Pro 9
Description: He's a hot mess and I love it, hell yes.

here @ starsblazing