get_iplayer - works at first... then doesn't

[Jim Lesurf]

Hi,

I've just joined the email list as a result of starting trying it out a few
days ago. I'll summarise the symptoms of the problem, then give more
details...

Summary:

I'm using the current LTS version of xfce mint on my laptop for all the
following. I initially installed get_iplayer via synaptic and its 'as came'
set of distros on the day the BBC abruptly ceased supplying feeds. All of
what follows is for 'radio' programs, not 'tv' ones. Unless otherwise
stated, I'm using the --pid way to get programmes.

Having installed get_iplayer I was able to fetch a randomly chosen set of
programmes (R4 and R4ex) Ok. Worked nicely and I was happy with the
results.

However having shut down the laptop, done other things, and powered up the
laptop again later, I found I could no longer get anything.

I've spent some time raising this in detail in newsgroups and elsewhere
(can give more backstory if required). And did more tests. These included
un-installing the 'distro' verion and trying a userland install of the
current version. This also gave me problems, perhaps for different reasons.

However I then tried installing the version offerred by synaptic again.
Once again it worked fine during the session and I downloaded some more
programmes OK. But once again, having shut down the laptop and then booted
it up again later, I could no longer get anything.

So I guess something is being changed or lost - either because of the
shutdown and restart, or due to a lapse of time meaning something vital
changes. Question is, what? And then of course, how to fix it? That's why
I'm asking here for help. :-)

More info:

I'm using command line and issuing commands like

get_iplayer --type=radio --verbose --not-tag --pid b04lsjkv --o <outdir>

in a terminal. The --no-tag avoids the fetch working but getting a
complaint about inability to fetch some metadata to tag the results. I've
also experimented with variations like using --url with much the same
results.

When working, all goes fine and I get what I want - an flv of the programme
content. When not I get something like

get_iplayer v2.83, Copyright (C) 2008-2010 Phil Lewis
  This program comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details use
--warranty.
  This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under
certain
  conditions; use --conditions for details.

INFO: User prefs dir: /home/jim/.get_iplayer
INFO: System options dir: /etc/get_iplayer/options
Current options:
	notag = 1
	output = /media/jim/Xtra32/GetIplayer/
	packagemanager = apt
	pid = b04lsjkv
	type = radio
	verbose = 1

INFO: Search args: ''
INFO: Will try prog types: radio
INFO: Loaded history for first check.
INFO: Loading recordings history
INFO: Programme not in history
INFO: No file cache exists for radio
INFO: Getting page http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04lsjkv.rdf
INFO: Episode-only pid detected
INFO: Trying pid: b04lsjkv using type: radio
INFO Trying to stream pid using type radio
INFO: pid not found in radio cache
INFO: Cleaning pid Old: 'b04lsjkv',  New: 'b04lsjkv'
INFO: Loaded history for first check.
INFO: Loading recordings history
INFO: Programme not in history
INFO: iPlayer metadata URL = http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/b04lsjkv
INFO: Getting page http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/b04lsjkv
WARNING: No programmes are available for this pid with version(s): default
ERROR: Could not get version pid metadata

Note that thoughout I can use wget OK to fetch other things. This works
when get_iplayer fails. So I can use, say,

wget http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlist/b04mcmnl

to get an xml file of the metadata for b04mcmnl even when get_iplayer fails
to get the actual programme file.

As luck would have it, I first installed and tried get_iplayer on the day
the BBC removed the deckchairs. So at first I thought that was the reason
for the problems. But this doesn't now seem likely given the way the same
"works at first then stops" behaviour can be recycled by a fresh install of
the same version of get_iplayer.

The distro version is 2.83. The one I tried in a user directory was 2.90
obtained via git.

I've been looking at the archives of this list, but haven't spotted the
problem/solution there - maybe because I'm not sure how it would have been
labelled. So I don't know if this is an 'old friend' for people here, or a
new puzzle. Nor do I know if I'm just doing something dumb or not. Not
played this particular game before. :-)

Background:

I actually decided to experiment because I want to compare the 'raw' data I
get with the results I routinely can obtain by recording the digital output
from a computer. i.e. compare how the 'flash' decoder in a webpage window
does this relative to possible alternatives. In addition, although my
interest is mainly audio, to compare the audio from some HDTV with the
content of ts files recorded from FreeviewHD. (That in turn was prompted by
*finally* having FTTC reach our area so I can now actually choose to access
HDTV via the net.)

Oh, and FWIW I may well write something about the BBC changes for a
magazine. But that's another story for perhaps another thread. ;->

Thanks in advance for any help, apologies if the problem/fix should have
been obvious to me.

Jim

-- 
Electronics  http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/intro/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio  http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc  http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html