NetShort Video Downloader – 1080p MP4 Episodes

What does NetShort Video Downloader do?

NetShort Video Downloader downloads accessible NetShort episodes in bulk as ready-to-use MP4 files, with playback quality up to 1080p. Enter one numeric short_play_id; the Actor discovers the episodes available to a free NetShort visitor, downloads each video directly from the CDN, and stores every successful MP4 in Apify Key-Value Store (KVS).

Each stored video gets a predictable filename plus a Dataset record containing the drama title, episode number, episode ID, returned clarity, subtitle languages, file size, and direct KVS record URL. No code is required in Apify Console, while developers can automate the same NetShort video download workflow through the Apify API, SDKs, schedules, webhooks, and integrations.

Availability: this Actor downloads only episodes NetShort currently makes accessible to the visitor session. It does not unlock paid, member-only, geographically restricted, or otherwise unavailable content.

Why use this NetShort MP4 downloader?

• Batch download NetShort episodes: resolve all currently accessible episodes from one short-play ID.
• Get MP4 files: save complete video/mp4 records directly to the run's default KVS.
• Use the best available quality: request playback up to 1080p and record the clarity NetShort returns.
• Recover from temporary failures: retry downloads and use a backup playback URL when one is available.
• Keep files organized: name videos with the drama ID, episode number, and episode ID.
• Track every attempt: inspect successful and failed episodes in a structured Dataset.
• Protect signed links: exclude temporary source playback URLs from Dataset output.
• Automate at scale: connect runs to the Apify API, schedules, webhooks, monitoring, and integrations.

NetShort API discovery requests use the configured proxy policy. Large MP4 downloads connect directly to the returned CDN URL without a proxy, reducing unnecessary proxy transfer usage.

What data does the NetShort downloader return?

Field	Type	Description
shortPlayId	string	Requested NetShort drama identifier.
dramaTitle	string or null	Drama title returned by NetShort.
episodeId	string or null	NetShort episode identifier.
episodeNo	integer	Episode position within the drama.
success	boolean	Whether the MP4 was downloaded and stored in KVS.
error	string or null	Safe failure reason for an unsuccessful download.
playClarity	string or null	Playback clarity returned by NetShort.
selectedSource	string or null	Whether the primary or backup URL succeeded.
subtitleLanguages	array	Subtitle language labels found for the episode.
fileName	string or null	Predictable MP4 filename and KVS key.
kvsRecordUrl	string or null	API URL of the stored MP4 record.
contentType	string or null	MIME type, normally video/mp4.
sizeBytes	integer or null	Downloaded MP4 size in bytes.

Temporary signed playback URLs are intentionally not returned in the Dataset. Use the companion NetShort 1080p Video URL Scraper when you need playback links without downloading files.

How to download NetShort episodes as MP4

1. Obtain the drama's numeric short_play_id from NetShort search, recommendations, or drama metadata.
2. Open the Actor's Input tab.
3. Try the prefilled example or replace it with your own short-play ID.
4. Click Save & Start.
5. Open Downloaded MP4 files to browse the KVS video records.
6. Open Download results to review episode metadata, file sizes, links, and failures.

Signed NetShort playback URLs can expire. This Actor resolves and downloads within the same run so the files are requested while the links are fresh.

Input

See the Input tab for the full configuration. short_play_id is the only input field and must be a string containing 1–32 digits. Keeping the value as a string prevents large IDs from losing precision in JavaScript clients.

The Input tab includes a runnable prefilled example:

{
  "short_play_id": "1894649306163933185"
}

Unknown fields and malformed IDs are rejected before any NetShort request is made.

Output: MP4 files in Apify KVS

Every successful episode download creates one KVS record using this pattern:

video-{shortPlayId}-{episodeNo:04d}-{episodeId}.mp4

Example Dataset item:

{
  "shortPlayId": "1894649306163933185",
  "dramaTitle": "Example drama",
  "episodeId": "1894649306868576297",
  "episodeNo": 1,
  "success": true,
  "error": null,
  "playClarity": "1080p",
  "selectedSource": "primary",
  "subtitleLanguages": ["zh_CN"],
  "fileName": "video-1894649306163933185-0001-1894649306868576297.mp4",
  "kvsRecordKey": "video-1894649306163933185-0001-1894649306868576297.mp4",
  "kvsRecordUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/example/records/video-1894649306163933185-0001-1894649306868576297.mp4",
  "contentType": "video/mp4",
  "sizeBytes": 12582912
}

You can download the dataset in various formats such as JSON, HTML, CSV, or Excel. Video files are binary KVS records and can be downloaded through Apify Console or their authenticated KVS API URLs.

NetShort Video Downloader pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. A charge occurs only when one episode has been downloaded successfully, stored as an MP4 in KVS, and indexed in the default Dataset.

Apify user tier	Price per successful MP4	Price per 1,000 successful MP4s
Free plan	$0.004	$4.00
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond	$0.003	$3.00

Failed downloads, invalid video responses, KVS write failures, unavailable episodes, and retries are not charged. There is no separate Actor start fee. Users also pay the Apify platform costs generated by their runs, including compute, applicable proxy traffic, storage, and data transfer. Check the run's Usage tab for exact charges and use the maximum run cost setting to control spending.

Use NetShort Video Downloader through the API

Every Apify Actor can be called through HTTP, JavaScript, Python, CLI, OpenAPI, or MCP-compatible workflows. Send the same input object shown above and read the run's default Dataset and Key-Value Store after completion.

Typical automation workflows include:

• scheduled authorized media backups;
• localization and subtitle review queues;
• transcription preparation;
• media quality assurance;
• internal short-drama catalog maintenance;
• downstream processing triggered by Apify webhooks.

Reliability and advanced settings

• NETSHORT_MEDIA_MAX_CONCURRENCY controls simultaneous direct video downloads and defaults to 2.
• NETSHORT_MAX_VIDEO_SIZE_BYTES defaults to 250 MiB per episode and rejects unexpectedly large responses.
• NETSHORT_MEDIA_DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT_SECS defaults to 900 seconds.
• NETSHORT_FAIL_ON_ERROR=true fails the run when any episode download fails; partial success is allowed by default.
• Source responses must be HTTPS and contain a valid MP4 signature before storage.
• KVS retention follows your Apify storage settings; move important files before their retention period ends.

FAQ, responsible use, and support

Can this Actor download every episode of a NetShort drama?

It downloads every episode for which NetShort returns an accessible playback URL during the run. The number can be lower than the full catalog when later episodes are paid, locked, expired, or restricted.

Does it always download NetShort videos in 1080p?

The Actor requests playback up to 1080p, but NetShort controls the qualities available to each visitor session. Check playClarity in the Dataset for the returned quality.

Are failed NetShort video downloads charged?

No. The successful-video-download billing event is triggered only after an MP4 is stored in KVS and its successful Dataset record is saved. Failed rows are retained for troubleshooting without a result charge; platform usage is still billed separately.

Why is a video missing from KVS?

Check the Dataset row and run logs. Common causes include an expired signed URL, upstream HTTP error, invalid non-MP4 response, the per-file size guard, or a KVS write failure.

Use this Actor only for legitimate and authorized purposes. Follow NetShort's terms, respect copyright and applicable law, and verify that you have permission to download and retain the resulting media. The Actor does not intentionally collect private user data. If results could contain personal data, ensure that your processing has a lawful basis under the GDPR and other applicable regulations. Use the Issues tab for reproducible problems and the API tab for programmatic examples; never post active playback URLs or credentials in a public issue.