BBC iPlayer
Introduction
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows.
Documentation
https://github.com/jjl/get_iplayer/wiki/Documentation
Original Web Site
http://www.infradead.org/get_iplayer/html/get_iplayer.html
Latest Version
METHOD A
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/unix
sudo apt-get -y install libwww-perl liblwp-protocol-https-perl libmojolicious-perl libxml-libxml-perl libcgi-pm-perl wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/master/get_iplayer sudo install -m 755 ./get_iplayer /usr/local/bin get_iplayer -v get_iplayer --cache-rebuild --type=tv,radio get_iplayer --type=tv ".*"
METHOD B
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jon-hedgerows/get-iplayer sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install get-iplayer get-iplayer --help get-iplayer --refresh get_iplayer ".*" get_iplayer --prefs-add --tvmode=best
Documentation - https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/documentation
Old Version
git clone git://git.infradead.org/get_iplayer.git
get_iplayer Options File
Make sure you have (at least) the following settings in your ~/.get_iplayer/options file. Configure to taste.
quality = sd fps25 = 1 quiet = yes ffmpeg = /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg tv-quality = sd nocopyright = yes releasecheck = 1 atomicparsley = /usr/bin/AtomicParsley subtitles = 1 ffmpegloglevel = quiet ffmpegforce = yes
You can add each option manually with this ...
get_iplayer --prefs-add --subtitles INFO: Added option 'subtitles' = '1'
Then, you can check to make sure it's worked with ...
get_iplayer --prefs-show
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/prefs
Showing Your Downloads History
get_iplayer --nocopyright --history |awk -F ', ' '{ print $2 }' |sed '/^$/d' |tac
Setting Up PVR Searches Recordings
The following commands allow you to set up saved searches to be run from cron for any number of different shows... a bit like a video recorder, hence the term Personal Video Recorder.
Adding
get_iplayer --pvr-add=the_midwives --type=tv "The Midwives"
Listing
get_iplayer --pvr-list
Running
get_iplayer --pvr
Deleting
get_iplayer --pvr-del the_midwives
ERROR: flv to mp4 conversion fails
FIX: temporary
ffmpeg -i filename.flv -vcodec copy -acodec copy filename.mp4
FIX: permanently
Make sure you have (at least) the following settings in your ~/.get_iplayer/options file. Configure to taste.
nocopyright yes modes flashhd,flashhigh,flashnormal,iphone ffmpeg /usr/local/bin/ffmpeg flvstreamer /usr/bin/flvstreamer output /home/paully/Videos
To find out where your programs are, issue the following commands:-
which ffmpeg which flvstreamer
ERROR: RTMP_ReadPacket, failed to read RTMP packet header
NEW Solution - 2013 June / September
Edit your ~/.get_iplayer/options file...
rtmpdump /usr/bin/rtmpdump rtmptvopts --swfVfy http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/releases/iplayer/revisions/617463_618125_4/617463_618125_4_emp.swf
http://makingtechnologyeasier.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/getiplayer-rtmpreadpacket-failed-to.html
OLD Solution: install rtmpdump alongside flvstreamer.
sudo apt-get install rtmpdump
get_iplayer will use rtmpdump automatically if it is installed. The result? Faster, smoother downloads with no errors. If it occurs again. delete the file ~/.swfinfo because the BBC have changed the flv specification for iPlayer.
Originally from: http://www.mail-archive.com/get_iplayer@lists.infradead.org/msg00279.html
ERROR: WARNING: Your version of flvstreamer/rtmpdump does not support SWF Verification
The BBC have started SWF Verification to their files. The standard software of flvstreamer does not support this, so switch back to rtmpdump instead. To do this, just change the line on your options file.
~/.get_iplayer/options
nocopyright yes modes best tvmode best ffmpeg /usr/bin/ffmpeg flvstreamer /usr/bin/rtmpdump output /home/paully/Videos
Switches
--category film --category HD --get --output ~/Videos/ --channel hd --get --vmode=flashvhigh --subtitles --output ~/Videos --type=radio --type=podcast
Modes / Resolutions
To show the video and audio options for an item, use the switch --info on it...
/usr/local/bin/get_iplayer --info 6874
To show the get_iplayer modes, use the --help option...
/usr/local/bin/get_iplayer --long-help | grep 'modes '
To download in worst mode at 25fps...
/usr/local/bin/get_iplayer --fps25 --tvmode worst --get 6874
To download in good mode at 25fps with subtitles... (THIS IS MY DEFAULT)
/usr/local/bin/get_iplayer --fps25 --tvmode good --subtitles --get 7030
To download in best mode at 50fps...
/usr/local/bin/get_iplayer --fps50 --tvmode best --get 6874
Streaming
Rather than downloading, you can stream your TV or Radio programme:-
./get_iplayer 518 --stream --vlc="/usr/bin/vlc" --flvstreamer="/usr/bin/flvstreamer" --player="vlc -" --modes=flashstd --tvmode=flashstd
or
./get_iplayer 518 --stream --player="mplayer -cache 3072 -" --modes=flashstd --tvmode=flashstd
Older Programmes
Sometimes, you will not see older programmes in the command line software, that do show on the official app or web site.
This is because get_iplayer can only search for programmes that were scheduled for broadcast on BBC linear services within the previous 30 days, even if some are available for more than 30 days on the iPlayer/Sounds sites. BBC Three programmes, red button programmes, iPlayer box sets, web-only content, and BBC podcasts are not searchable. Old programmes that are still available after 30 days must be located on the iPlayer/Sounds sites and downloaded directly via PID or URL.
For example, the complete series of the TV show Spooks is not shown in the command line but is available at the page below, so all you do is copy and paste the URL at the end of the get_iplayer command...
Main Page - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b006mf4b/spooks
Series 1 Episode 1 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p008wnc7/spooks-series-1-episode-1
get_iplayer "https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p008wnc7/spooks-series-1-episode-1"
Here are some other shows which I like ...
WORK IN PROGRESS
Retrieve list of urls from a web page to use with jq and get_iplayer ...
curl "https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/group/b00vk2lp" | grep 'REDUX' | jq '.entities[].props.href'
