-        if full_response:
-            webpage = self._webpage_read_content(full_response, url, video_id)
-        else:
-            webpage = self._download_webpage(url, video_id)
+        if not full_response:
+            full_response = self._request_webpage(url, video_id)
+
+        # Maybe it's a direct link to a video?
+        # Be careful not to download the whole thing!
+        first_bytes = full_response.read(512)
+        if not re.match(r'^\s*<', first_bytes.decode('utf-8', 'replace')):
+            self._downloader.report_warning(
+                'URL could be a direct video link, returning it as such.')
+            upload_date = unified_strdate(
+                head_response.headers.get('Last-Modified'))
+            return {
+                'id': video_id,
+                'title': os.path.splitext(url_basename(url))[0],
+                'direct': True,
+                'url': url,
+                'upload_date': upload_date,
+            }
+
+        webpage = self._webpage_read_content(
+            full_response, url, video_id, prefix=first_bytes)
+