Preparing for latest update - modes questions.

[RS]

>From: SquarePenguin

>Sent: Sunday, February 5, 2017 22:34

>On 05/02/17 21:19, RS wrote:
>> I would discourage anyone from using the best, better ... mode names,
>>because their meaning has been changed between versions.

>Those 'modes' are not modes, they're shortcuts and by design it is
>expected to change which specific modes these shortcuts triage.

I understand that.

>Remember again that even these daf/dvf 'modes' (and indeed all modes)
>themselves are also shortcuts to specific stream types (as outlined in
>the Stream Types table) and video sizes/audio bit rates (outlined fully
>in the respective TV/Radio modes tables).

At one stage I thought the underlying mode names were defined by the BBC, 
and set in stone.  It was only when HLS radio modes had their names changed 
to HAF modes that I realised they were not.

>Indeed, if you try to use the old names, they'll simply be remapped to
>the new ones and a warning displayed which should bring this new
>behaviour to light, but you'll get the same file you would have before.

I don't see how that is possible with some of the HVF changes.  Some mode 
names have been reused with a different meaning.  That seems to me to be a 
recipe for confusion.  Further the suffixes for radio modes are consistent. 
For tv they used to be consistent between Flash and HLS.  HVFvhigh was not 
too far from other vhigh modes.  The exceptions were the 50fps HVFhd and 
HVFsd.  Is HVFhigh really 50fps?  That does not agree with the release notes 
which say it is what used to be called HVFvhigh.  I have used HVFvhigh in 
v2.95 and v2.97 when there was no HLShd mode (for example Red Button 
programmes and programmes made before HD), and it was 25fps.

>It may be you're just voicing your displeasure at these changes and not
>seeking answers as to why they occurred, so apologies if I've misread
>your intent/question.

Despite my comments on backwards compatibility the explanations are 
appreciated.  Thank you.

>> It seems some DVF modes have been introduced, but they do not appear in
>> the TV Modes table with the detailed descriptions of the modes.

>Check the Wiki again, the details are now there, though the Stream
>Format is stated as HLS, when I would have thought it should be
>MPEG-DASH. Maybe a typo.

Maybe the Wiki had not been completely updated when I saw it.  A minor 
irritation is that information about modes is spread over two pages.  If I 
search in Google for "get_iplayer modes" I get taken to
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/modes
I then have to find a blue link "here" 4 lines down to get to the page with 
the detailed information I want on
https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/wiki/modesref
That may seem a trivial problem, but it is too easy to miss the link and 
conclude the detailed resolution information is not there.