Content and Background

I usually watch videos on Douyin, TikTok and YouTube. Watching these videos, I found that it is very hard to verify creators' views are credible.When i saw a post, I would verify it by sending text to Grok once or twice. But text is different from video, and it’s unrealistic to sent video to AI. So, I need a tool that can convert video to text.

Research

I asked GitHub Copilot for recommendations, and this was its suggestion:

First, MacWhisper

• Offers both free and paid versions
• GUI and CLI
• Exports transcripts as .txt, .md, and other formats
• Supports local processing for better privacy

Another option is Buzz:

• Totally free
• Exports transcripts only as .txt and .srt files

In my opinion, MacWhisper is the better option. For basic users, the free version is probably sufficient, so there is no need to purchase the paid version immediately.

And MacWhisper feels more polished and convenient for beginners, while Buzz is a good choice if you want a completely free tool.

Getting Started

Download the DMG file, double-click it, and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

When you open the app for the first time, it may take about three minutes to download and install the local model, depending on your network speed.

See It in Action

Fast Speed

After installing the local model, I dropped a 42-minute English video into the app and was very surprised by how quickly it processed the file. It took less than 20 seconds! I tested it on a MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro chip, 16 GB of RAM, and 512 GB of storage.

Privacy

As I mentioned earlier, MacWhisper focuses on privacy. Because the model runs locally, Once the local model has been installed, you can transcribe videos without an internet connection.

Easy to Use

It is a simple app. All you need to do is open it and select your video.

Final Thoughts

Have you ever wondered whether some of the information in online videos is inaccurate? The problem is that verifying video content can be difficult.

For example, There is a Chinese saying say “吃核桃可以补脑”，it’s absolutely wrong, Walnuts just look like brains, but it doesn't mean that eating walnuts can make people smarter. Another example, Whether you watch YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok, or Douyin, you will find that much of the content online is a mixture of facts and personal opinions. However, some creators present their opinions as absolute truths and confidently give advice to others. The problem is that becoming a creator is easier than ever. Even a puppy can go up and bark twice.😂 So the reason why I write this is to share my idea on how to fact-check online content. As small as an individual creator, as big as BBC, CCTV, don't treat their views as facts, the best thing is to fact check. Thanks for reading!

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