Is there a problem with --start and --stop?

[Jeremy Nicoll - ml get_iplayer]

Using v2.90, modified a bit... but I've not changed anything in the fetch
logic.

I'm testing something and don't want to download more than a few seconds of
a tv programme, so used:

  --force --start 10 --stop 45

along with the same search criteria as I'd used for a previous
whole-programme fetch.  (The fact that I'd already fetched the programme
shouldn't have made any difference [apart from the need for --force] because
every fetch I do is to a unique sequence-numbered file.)  

Get_iplayer went into retry, which I Ctrl-C-ed after a while.  

In what follows note that log lines generated by the g_ip perl program have
leading date/time stamps; that's one of the modifications in my version, so
I can match what's going on in g_ip commands to other things happening at
the same time on my machine.  

The first fetch started:

DEBUG: StopTime      : 45000 msec
DEBUG: live     : no
DEBUG: timeout  : 126 sec
DEBUG: SWFSHA256:
DEBUG: db fc 74 e9 51 dc f0 b6 7a 43 d5 31 73 9b b4 5e
DEBUG: ef fd e9 03 2a 4d 78 7f fa fd 91 3a 6a c0 da d5
DEBUG: SWFSize  : 974043
DEBUG: Setting buffer time to: 36000000ms
Connecting ...
DEBUG: RTMP_Connect1, ... connected, handshaking                   

...
DEBUG: SendPlay, seekTime=10000, stopTime=45000, sending play:
mp4:secure/800kbps/modav/bUnknown-d
e61601c-adc1-4099-b627-fd5840b3bf06_b01pf8qm_1415203135216.mp4?auth=daEcrdMd0b6cCcLa5a_dtaPddd3a7a
aarb6-buzNFo-bWG-IqtGCoEpNDuEuwF&aifp=v001&slist=secure/800kbps/modav/bUnknown-de61601c-adc1-4099-
b627-fd5840b3bf06_b01pf8qm_1415203135216.mp4
DEBUG: Invoking play  
...

DEBUG: Continuing at TS: 10000 ms

Starting download at: 0.000 kB
For duration: 35.000 sec
DEBUG: RTMP_ClientPacket, received: notify 24 bytes  
...

and then got to the end:

DEBUG: HandleInvoke, server invoking <onStatus>
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, onStatus: NetStream.Play.Stop
DEBUG: Invoking deleteStream
DEBUG: Got Play.Complete or Play.Stop from server. Assuming stream is
complete
3462.085 kB / 45.00 sec (2.6%)
DEBUG: RTMP_Read returned: 39364
Download may be incomplete (downloaded about 2.60%), try resuming
DEBUG: Closing connection.

20141114 214516 INFO: Command exit code 2 (raw code = 512)
20141114 214516 DEBUG: Record using flashhigh1 mode return code: 'retry'
20141114 214516 WARNING: Retry recording for...

and off it went to do the whole thing again...     I Ctrl-C-ed it when it
had reached attempt 4 or 5 ...



I tried again with an extra option: --attempts 1

This time I saw in the initial output 

20141114 222650 INFO: Attempt number: 1 / 1

followed by RTMPDUMP doing its thing, with the same final exit code:

DEBUG: HandleInvoke, server invoking <onStatus>
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, onStatus: NetStream.Play.Stop
DEBUG: Invoking deleteStream
DEBUG: Got Play.Complete or Play.Stop from server. Assuming stream is
complete
3462.085 kB / 45.00 sec (2.6%)
DEBUG: RTMP_Read returned: 39364
Download may be incomplete (downloaded about 2.60%), try resuming
DEBUG: Closing connection.

20141114 222720 INFO: Command exit code 2 (raw code = 512)
20141114 222720 DEBUG: Record using flashhigh1 mode return code: 'retry'
20141114 222720 INFO: Trying flashhigh2 mode to record tv: Show Me What
You're Made Of: Series 2 - 5. Chocolate
20141114 222720 INFO: Attempt number: 1 / 1                 

and then it went on to try again... though this second attempt stopped
almost immediately, with:

RTMPDump v2.4
(c) 2010 Andrej Stepanchuk, Howard Chu, The Flvstreamer Team; license: GPL
DEBUG: Protocol : RTMP
DEBUG: Hostname : bbcmedia.fcod.llnwd.net
DEBUG: Port     : 1935
DEBUG: Playpath :
mp4:iplayerstream/secure_auth/800kbps/modav/bUnknown-de61601c-adc1-4099-b627-fd5
840b3bf06_b01pf8qm_1415203135216.mp4
DEBUG: tcUrl    :
rtmp://bbcmedia.fcod.llnwd.net:1935/a1414/e3?as=adobe-hmac-sha256&av=1&te=connec
t&mp=iplayerstream/secure_auth/800kbps/modav/bUnknown-de61601c-adc1-4099-b627-fd5840b3bf06_b01pf8q
m_1415203135216.mp4&et=1416011210&fmta-token=d601dc4313bfa24d2bf1d4e2dc413c79f4ccc53be97468aa6deb9
fa3b4677902
DEBUG: swfUrl   :
http://emp.bbci.co.uk/emp/SMPf/1.9.41/StandardMediaPlayerChromelessFlash.swf
DEBUG: pageUrl  :
DEBUG: app      :
a1414/e3?as=adobe-hmac-sha256&av=1&te=connect&mp=iplayerstream/secure_auth/800kb
ps/modav/bUnknown-de61601c-adc1-4099-b627-fd5840b3bf06_b01pf8qm_1415203135216.mp4&et=1416011210&fm
ta-token=d601dc4313bfa24d2bf1d4e2dc413c79f4ccc53be97468aa6deb9fa3b4677902
DEBUG: StopTime      : 45000 msec
DEBUG: live     : no
DEBUG: timeout  : 126 sec
DEBUG: SWFSHA256:
DEBUG: db fc 74 e9 51 dc f0 b6 7a 43 d5 31 73 9b b4 5e
DEBUG: ef fd e9 03 2a 4d 78 7f fa fd 91 3a 6a c0 da d5
DEBUG: SWFSize  : 974043
ERROR: FLV file contains neither video nor audio, aborting!
DEBUG: Closing connection.

20141114 222733 INFO: Command exit code 1 (raw code = 256)
20141114 222733 DEBUG: Record using flashhigh2 mode return code: 'retry'
20141114 222733 ERROR: Failed to record 'Show Me What You're Made Of: Series
2 - 5. Chocolate (b01pfrmd)'
20141114 222733 INFO: Loaded history for first check.

so no many-retries loop this time.   


It seems to me that the retry logic isn't taking into account smaller than
expected files being fetched because of --start & --stop.  I also don't
understand why in the --attempts 1 case, RTMPDUMP was called for a second
time.
 
-- 
Jeremy Nicoll - my opinions are my own.