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.
I just use grayjay :)
Consider uploading them to a peertube instance, so others can also see them
You can use Invidious or Piped as a frontend, and there will be a link you can click to download, no need to install anything.
If you don’t feel confortable with CLI tools their is graphical front-ends for yt-dlp such as Open Video Downloader or stacher but using yt-dlp is always better
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.
