Radio 4 recordings

[Andy Bircumshaw]

On 19/12/2010, at 11:41am, Alexis Huxley wrote:

>>> I would prefer mp3 rather than flv, or can I convert back to MP3?
>> 
>> Have you tried `get_iplayer --radiomode flashaudio1` ?
> 
> I have similar problems, which I work around by converting to mp3 afterwards,
> but I'm guessing there's no mp3 version available or, if there is no mp3
> version available, then there's a way to tell get_iplayer to do the conversion
> for me?
> 
> The output from get_iplayer with '--radiomode flashaudio1' and with the
> options it itself suggested I use are below.
> 
> Clarification appreciated. Thanks!
> 
> Alexis
> 
> Here's with Andy's suggested '--radiomode flashaudio1' option:
> 
> 	torchio$ ~/get_iplayer/get_iplayer --radiomode flashaudio1 --pvr xxx -o "/pub/incoming/alexis/podcasts"
> 	get_iplayer v2.78, Copyright (C) 2008-2010 Phil Lewis
> 	  This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details use --warranty.
> ...
> 	INFO: Checking existence of default version
> 	INFO: No specified modes (flashaudio1) available for this programme with version 'default' (try using --modes=flashaaclow,rtspaaclow,wma)
> 	ERROR: Failed to record 'Twenty Minutes - Among Animals and Plants (b00wfy9s)'
> 	torchio$ 

My apologies, I made a mistake in my suggestion.

Valid modes are:
$ get_iplayer --longhelp | grep radiomode
 --liveradiomode <mode>,<mode>,.. Live Radio Recording modes: flashaac,realaudio,wma
 --radiomode <mode>,<mode>,...    Radio Recording mode(s): iphone,flashaac,flashaachigh,flashaacstd,flashaaclow,flashaudio,realaudio,wma (default: iphone,flashaachigh,flashaacstd,flashaudio,realaudio,flashaaclow)
$

You might like to try `get_iplayer --radiomode flashaudio`

If that gives the same "No specified modes" error, then please post output following this prototype:

$ get_iplayer --type radio "twenty minute" -i | grep modes
modes:          default: flashaaclow1,flashaacstd1,flashaudio1,rtspaaclow1,rtspaacstd1,rtspaudio1,wma1
modesizes:      default: flashaaclow1=7MB,flashaacstd1=19MB,flashaudio1=19MB,rtspaaclow1=7MB,rtspaacstd1=19MB,rtspaudio1=19MB,wma1=19MB
$ 

Note that if you tell get_iplayer to get "flashaudio" then it will try "flashaudio1" and "flashaudio2". I can see this (for instance) in the output of "flashhigh1=...,flashhigh2=...,flashlow1=...,flashlow2=..." relating to the film "Blame It on Fidel". I'm not sure whether or not radio typically has multiple entries for the same size.

If there's a "modesizes:" entry for the type you're trying to download then get_iplayer should be able to get it. If you don't see any "modesizes:" entries then something has gone wrong, possibly at the BBC.

If you don't see the same modesizes as I do for the above show then refresh get_iplayer's cache (`get_iplayer --type radio --refresh`) and try again. I have a cron job running that does this every hour. This ensures that the cache never gets more than 4 hours old, and thus saves you having to wait for a refresh when running get_iplayer for a search.

The above comments apply to M2 (the original poster), but I have just noticed something whilst writing, and I think they no longer apply to you. I will make a follow-up post in a minute.

> And here is with the options that get_iplayer suggests (in the last output above)
> to use:
> 
> 	torchio$ ~/get_iplayer/get_iplayer --modes=flashaaclow,rtspaaclow,wma --pvr xxx -o "/pub/incoming/alexis/podcasts"
> ...
> 	video:0kB audio:42044kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead 2.512199%
> 	INFO: Recorded /staging/pub/incoming/alexis/podcasts/Twenty_Minutes_-_Among_Animals_and_Plants_b00wfy9s_default.aac
> 	
> 	INFO: id3 tagging aac file
> 	New radio programme: 'Twenty Minutes - Among Animals and Plants', 'Rober Chandler introduces the work of Russian writer Andrey Platonov.'
> 	torchio$ 

Out of curiosity: is this the version you normally download and have been transcoding?

You would help me out a great deal if you're able to determine whether this file plays ok on a Mac or Windows. I would hazard that it plays fine on just about every Linux media player (although if you use speakers &/or a GUI in Linux and you've never tried double-clicking on one of get_iplayer's .aac files then I'd be grateful if you'd try that, too).

aB.