v2.97 with sensible TV download sizes?

[Vangelis forthnet]

On Sun Oct 2 16:01:54 BSTT 2016, Sharon Kimble wrote:

> I'm currently using v2.94
> (snip)
> that gets sensible download sizes
 > (snip)
> 'Ambulance' is 651.8 MB

Hi Sharon, it isn't that often that this
list is graced by a female presence :-)

Let's first start with what you get
currently (and wish to continue getting
with GiP 2.97+). By 'Ambulance'
I presume you're referring to

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07xst16/ambulance-episode-1

GiP 2.94 used to download by default the flashtvmodes;
we can decide what it is you get with greater certainty
if you (we) run in 2.94:

perl get_iplayer-294.pl --pid=b07xst16 -i | FindStr "modesizes"

(*Windows here, so adapt your cmd to Linux) =>

modesizes:      audiodescribed: 
flashhigh1=332MB,flashhigh2=332MB,hlshigh1=350MB
,hlshigh2=430MB,hlslow1=153MB,hlsstd1=248MB,hlsvhigh1=792MB
modesizes:      default: 
flashhd1=997MB,flashhigh1=332MB,flashhigh2=332MB,flashs
td1=213MB,flashstd2=213MB,flashvhigh1=622MB,flashvhigh2=622MB,hlshd1=1056MB,hlsh
igh1=350MB,hlshigh2=430MB,hlslow1=153MB,hlsstd1=223MB,hlsstd2=248MB,hlsvhigh1=65
7MB,hlsvhigh2=792MB,subtitles1=90KB
modesizes:      original: 
flashhd1=997MB,flashhigh1=332MB,flashhigh2=332MB,flash
std1=213MB,flashstd2=213MB,flashvhigh1=622MB,flashvhigh2=622MB,hlshd1=1056MB,hls
high1=350MB,hlshigh2=430MB,hlslow1=153MB,hlsstd1=223MB,hlsstd2=248MB,hlsvhigh1=6
57MB,hlsvhigh2=792MB,subtitles1=90KB

Those figures are good approximations,
so it's a safe bet you're now getting
--tvmode=(flashvhigh1|flashvhigh2|hlsvhigh1)

flashvhigh uses rtmpdump to download,
hlsvhigh uses (in 2.94) FFmpeg. All 3 variants
yield the same end .MP4 file, which is
832x468p at 25FPS

> I would use 2.97 if I could only train it to get
> sensible file sized download sizes, but how please?

The good news is that the 832x468p at 25FPS
video files are still supported in 2.97, but...
1. The Flash modes have been DEPRECATED; this doesn't
mean they do not work; if you do have rtmpdump installed
(I gather you do), they work fine with a benign forewarning
(that the maintainer plans to remove support for those
in a future release).
2. hlsvhigh mode uses a native pure perl downloader
and is lower in the "hierarchy" than the "hvf" modes.
"hls" modes had been suffering from stream corruption
when 2.95 was first released, hence the "hvf" modes
were given precedence over "hls" in 2.96+.

> I've looked at 'https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/modes'
> (snip)
> but I'm still unable to get a sensible download size with 2.97.

Have you scrolled all the way to the bottom?
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/modes#overriding-configured-maximum-quality
will inform you that:
>> You wish to revert to the pre-2.95 default for TV programmes 
>> [DEPRECATED]:
>> get_iplayer --tvmode=flashbetter [...]

And there's also mention of the 832x468p at 25FPS
files I referenced previously in the table:
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/modesref#tv-modes
you linked to...

> When I've tried 2.97 it only seems to download 1GB+ sized files

That's because the default best tvmode for 2.97 is "hvfhd"
(as explained by Shevek is 1280x720p at 50FPS)

> Can anyone help with a 'tvmode' for my config file
> that works to fulfil my requirements please?

You have several options:

--tvmode=
flashvhigh or
flashbetter or
flashvgood or
hlsvhigh or
hlsbetter or
hlsvgood

There have been occasions (like Red-Button-only
Summer Olympics coverage) where the 468p files
were unavailable; in that case you can resort to the
new "hvfvhigh" tvmode, which fetches files only
slightly bigger in size (960x540p at 25FPS, i.e. still SD).
Specify:

--tvmode=
hvfvhigh or
hvfvgood or
tvvgood

If you decide to take up Shevek's advice,
i.e. --tvmode=tv25fps, that will fetch you
HD files (1280x720p at 25FPS) whose
filesize is ca. 1GB/hr.

My discussed options will get you
SD files with sizes ~ 600-750MB/hr.

Have a nice week,
Vangelis.