[youtube-dl] Download files from youtube.com or other video platforms

well. you did the summary so I assumed you knew what you talked about. you sounded as though you knew of all these similar files


stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_akamai_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_akamai_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_bidi_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_bidi_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k (best)
 
well. you did the summary so I assumed you knew what you talked about. you sounded as though you knew of all these similar files


stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_akamai_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_akamai_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_bidi_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_bidi_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k (best)
The -f "best[height<=?1080]" switch is included in the default settings file for youtube-dl. This will download the best available version as long as the video is not more than 1080 lines. So the program will automatically download the last file in the above list without you having to define it youself by adding an '-f' switch to the command line.
 
It will vary for each video.

When using the -f command you need to specify enough -f parameters that will uniquely identify which of the rows you want. In your example you want the one that states "(best)" and so you only need to specify the URL and -f with "best".

If you don't want the default "best" then you will need to enter more parameters to narrow it down to the one you want.

Edit: or see MountysEvilTwin's post immediately above this one that explains that even specifing "best" isn't always necessary.
 
The Python backtrace just repeats what we already knew, that yt-dl's HLS module punted to the external downloader and that failed.

My expectation was that the repo versions of Python and ffmpeg must have been built against the OpenSSL version that is provided with them. Not really so.

As you point out, ffmpeg is actually built against no version of OpenSSL.

python has a module ssl.py apparently linked (_ssl.so) against OpenSSL 1.0.0 but that only supports https, not general encryption. The system (at least on the HD I'm examining) has OpenSSL 1.0.0 in /usr/lib, presumably as part of the Opera installation used by the Humax settop binary, but perhaps python can use it as well.

A bit of digging in yt-dl's GitHub reveals that the hlsnative error message relates to the absence of support for encryption. Indeed, the repo Python doesn't have either of the packages (Crypto, pycrypto) that might do so. Sadly it doesn't support the documented ways of acquiring them (no doubt installation will involve building an interface library similar to the existing _ssl.so).
Thanks for the explanation. Hopefully @af123 will see these posts and comment. I have no idea whether what is required is a straightforward job or a lot of work. Hopefully the former, as I'm sure that being able to download from the ITV hub would be quite a popular feature.
 
well. you did the summary so I assumed you knew what you talked about. you sounded as though you knew of all these similar files


stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_akamai_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_akamai_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_bidi_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_bidi_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k
stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls_https-5714 mp4 1280x720 5714k , avc1.640020@5070k, 50.0fps, mp4a.40.2@320k (best)

I agree there's nothing to distinguish those lines except the first field, but that field identifies the compatibility mechanism with the media players/downloaders rather than the content of the download itself - so they are all the same thing as far as we are concerned, it's up to youtube-dl to pick the one that suits it. Nothing to worry about.
 
I agree there's nothing to distinguish those lines except the first field, but that field identifies the compatibility mechanism with the media players/downloaders rather than the content of the download itself - so they are all the same thing as far as we are concerned, it's up to youtube-dl to pick the one that suits it. Nothing to worry about.
Looking around at various additional documentation and forums the first field is the 'format code'. This can be used with the -f and the URL to uniquely specify which row to pick. In Mihaid's example the format code is "stream-uk-iptv_streaming_concrete_combined_hd_mf_limelight_uk_hls".
See https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/yout...other-video-platforms.8462/page-3#post-120326 and that link's link to for more information and other options, in particular the FORMAT SECTION which uses 22, 17 and 18 as one extractor's examples of format codes.
 
Thanks everyone. My worry was that I should avoid downloading 4k stuff or higher unnecessarily by using best. 1080 would do me just fine.

One question : downloading from ch4od or 5od or eventually from itv, does it just download the programme or it does ads too?
 
My worry was that I should avoid downloading 4k stuff or higher unnecessarily by using best. 1080 would do me just fine.
That's why the option is set in the package to limit it to 1080.
One question : downloading from ch4od or 5od
I don't think you can - at least it doesn't work for me, on the PC.
 
Thanks everyone. My worry was that I should avoid downloading 4k stuff or higher unnecessarily by using best. 1080 would do me just fine.

One question : downloading from ch4od or 5od or eventually from itv, does it just download the programme or it does ads too?
I don't think that there is much out there in above 1080p quality anyway: not which is not heavily protected by DRM. Standard iPlayer and ITV hub don't have readily accessible 1080 streams. Sky appears to have access to such streams but there is no easy way to download these recordings, other than with a Sky box.
It is possible to download from the ITV hub, but not on the HDR-FOX. This may be fixable if python and/ or ffmpeg are reconfigured to handle https downloads (see other recent posts in this thread). Downloads from the ITV hub are ad free and don't even have the annoying ITV logo in the top left-hand corner.
 
I don't think that there is much out there in above 1080p quality anyway: not which is not heavily protected by DRM. Standard iPlayer and ITV hub don't have readily accessible 1080 streams. Sky appears to have access to such streams but there is no easy way to download these recordings, other than with a Sky box.
It is possible to download from the ITV hub, but not on the HDR-FOX. This may be fixable if python and/ or ffmpeg are reconfigured to handle https downloads (see other recent posts in this thread). Downloads from the ITV hub are ad free and don't even have the annoying ITV logo in the top left-hand corner.
I see. I thought the download options were wider than iplayer itv and YouTube
 
I see. I thought the download options were wider than iplayer itv and YouTube
There is a long list of different global sites supported if you look in the documentation online. I doubt that sites streaming in 4K are doing so without DRM, but I don't know this for a fact. If you want to check a particular site, when attempting a download first add '--list-formats' to the command line. This will show all available streams. If you do find a better than 1080 stream and want to download it you could add '--ignore-config' to the command line to override the default 1080 limit then add the '-f' switch with an appropriate specifier to grab the stream you want.
Bear in mind that the youtube-dl (as configured for the HDR-FOX) is more limited than the version available on Windows, for example, as both the native hls downloaders and ffmpeg lack the features required to download some https streams.
 
I see. I thought the download options were wider than iplayer itv and YouTube

The point is that the relevant catch-up services have to not have been bolted down. Somebody somewhere (clever and persistent people) are dedicating (or have dedicated) a lot of time to work out how to fool the iPlayer service into serving the Beeb's content as if it were being sent to a media player. They don't want their stuff being stored without DRM. Download it with the iPlayer app and it will try to expire the downloaded file when the download itself becomes unavailable.

We don't know what the limitations of youtube-dl are. From the name, I assume it was originally a way to grab stuff off YouTube and has since been widened to attempt download of any media file linked from a URL. That it works with iPlayer is a bonus, and if it works with anything else is icing on the cake (I have not tried ITV). Suck it and see.

What we need here is reports of sites tried and what the results were.
 
Youtube-dl supported sites can be found here.
I can report that downloads from the ITV Hub and CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) work on Windows, the latter with both 1080 video and 5.1 audio, but not on the HDR-FOX currently.
 
MET means the PC version of youtube-dl can download from those sites, not the version ported to the Humax. It doesn't mean the download is necessarily incompatible for Humax playback.
 
I'll rephrase the question. Does that file work on the t2?
Yes and no. Download the H264 video with the available 2.0 AAC stream into mp4 and it plays fine. The 5.1 stream is AC-3; the HDR-FOX won't play AC-3 in an mp4 container (even though it is permissible in the mp4 standard) so you have transcode the audio to 5.1 AAC (ffmpeg) which is playable in an mp4 container. Alternatively you can download H264/ 5.1 AC-3 to mp4, process the video stream with a bitstream filter (ffmpeg: -bsf h264_mp4toannexb) and copy to a ts (m2ts) file. The HDR-FOX does play AC-3 if it is in an m2ts stream.

EDIT:
I have tested this again. Some of the above is incorrect. Recordings in mp4 containers with AC-3 audio (both 5.1 and 2.0) do play on the HDR-FOX. You get an annoying 'Dolby Digital' logo for about 10 seconds but they do play. I don't know how I got this wrong.
 
Last edited:
Yes and no. Download the H264 video with the available 2.0 AAC stream into mp4 and it plays fine. The 5.1 stream is AC-3; the HDR-FOX won't play AC-3 in an mp4 container (even though it is permissible in the mp4 standard) so you have transcode the audio to 5.1 AAC (ffmpeg) which is playable in an mp4 container. Alternatively you can download H264/ 5.1 AC-3 to mp4, process the video stream with a bitstream filter (ffmpeg: -bsf h264_mp4toannexb) and copy to a ts (m2ts) file. The HDR-FOX does play AC-3 if it is in an m2ts stream.
I m sure there was a thread here about transcoding and if you would be kind enough to describe in a bit more detail how "to process" and how to "copy" either here if it is not majorly off topic or on the transcoding one if I can find it.
 
ffmpeg -i <input_file>.mp4 -bsf h264_mp4toannexb <output_file>.ts

Or, if ffmpeg insists on outputting a .m2ts file, rename it to .ts afterwards (for HDR-FOX compatibility)
 
Back
Top