Signed programmes not downloading

[Rob Dixon]

On 23/02/2012 14:13, dinkypumpkin wrote:
> On 23/02/2012 13:38, Rob Dixon wrote:
>> If I use, for instance
>>
>> get_iplayer --pid b01b45zh -g
>>
>> to retrieve the Horizon programme "2011-2012: 7. Playing God", it
>> correctly shows me the info line and then says
>>
>> WARNING: No programmes are available for this pid
>>
>> This is because it is pulling the XML metadata from
>>
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/b01b45zh
>>
>> which has a <noItems reason=""/> element instead of from
>>
>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/b01b45zh/sign
>>
>> which is valid for signed programmes.
> 
> Thanks for the info. Your problem has nothing to do with the playlist 
> XML. You need to specify that you want the signed version by adding 
> "--versions signed" to the command line. See the man page or --longhelp 
> output.
> 
> get_iplayer only attempts to download the "default" version unless you 
> specify otherwise. The '<noItems reason=""/>' is correct in this case 
> since there is no "default" version of the programme available. This is 
> true for programmes which are, e.g., only broadcast in the Sign Zone and 
> are thus only available in signed and/or audiodescribed versions.

OK, but it seems counterintuitive that if I enter

  get_iplayer Horizon

without specifying any specific version, I get

  328:    Horizon - 2009-2010: 4. Who's Afraid of a Big Black Hole?, BBC Two, Audio Described,Factual,Science & Nature,Science & Technology,TV, default,audiodescribed
  329:    Horizon - 2011-2012: 7. Playing God, Audio Described, Audio Described,Factual,Science & Nature,Science & Technology,Sign Zone,TV, audiodescribed,signed

but then I use

  get_iplayer 329 -g

and it tells me

  WARNING: No programmes are available for this pid

So I have to notice that the listing is of a signed version and say so
when I ask for the download, when get_iplayer knows the version is has
displayed is a signed one all along! The fix I made was just to modify
the URL if the programme selected from the match list happened to be signed.

Rob