Reduced resolution and sync problems

[RS]

From: Dave Widgery
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2018 12:24 AM

>I have been doing some checking to try and find out what has been 
>happening.

>If I use the latest Death in Paradise as an example, below is a cut
>down output from.

>get_iplayer --pid=b09m6cg2 --info

>Matches:
>1873:    Death in Paradise: Series 7 - Episode 2, BBC One, b09m6cg2

>modes:          editorial:
>dvfhd1,dvfhd2,dvfsd1,dvfsd2,dvfhigh1,dvfhigh2,dvfxhigh1,dvfxhigh2,subtitles1
>modesizes:      editorial:
>dvfhd1=2195MB,dvfhd2=2195MB,dvfsd1=1218MB,dvfsd2=1218MB,dvfhigh1=680MB,dvfhigh2=680MB,dvfxhigh1=358MB,dvfxhigh2=358MB,subtitles1=126kB
>[estimated sizes only]
>I am using

>   --tvmode=vgood

>according to the documentation.

>  --tvmode=vgood  =
>hvfxsd,dvfxsd,hlsvhigh,hvfxhigh,dvfxhigh,hlsstd,hlsxstd,hvflow,dvflow

>I have examined an old episode of "Death in Paradise" that was
>recorded last year and it has the following characteristics

>File Size=623Mb
>Frame Width=832
>Frame Height=468

>So looking at the tables in the documentation it must have been
>recorded using hlsvhigh

>If I run the command

>C:\Users\User>get_iplayer --pid=b09m6cg2 --tvmode=vgood

>                    I get the following output

>get_iplayer 3.09.0, 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.


>Matches:
>1873:   Death in Paradise: Series 7 - Episode 2, BBC One, b09m6cg2
>INFO: 1 matching programmes


>WARNING: A UK TV licence is required to access BBC iPlayer TV content 
>legally

>                     Then about a 20 second wait before is starts
>downloading in dvfxhigh


>INFO: Downloading tv: 'Death in Paradise: Series 7 - 2. Episode 2
>(b09m6cg2) [editorial]'
>  3.2% of ~55.42 MB @   0.6 Mb/s ETA: 00:12:39 (dvfxhigh1) [audio]

>Obviously it is dropping back to dvfxhigh but I cannot see what is
>happening, I am sorry I am sure that this has been posted before but
>what is the best option to add to give a more verbose output to give
>me an idea what is happening.

If you compare the translation of --tvmode=vgood
--tvmode=hvfxsd,dvfxsd,hlsvhigh,hvfxhigh,dvfxhigh,hlsstd,hlsxstd,hvflow,dvflow
with the list of modes --info says is available to you, dvfxhigh is the only 
mode common to both lists.  That is the reason get_iplayer is downloading in 
DVFxhigh.  I have never used DVF, but my understanding is that it always 
downloads audio and video separately, and they are then stitched together by 
ffmpeg.

DVFxsd, 960x540 at 25fps, may be closer to what you want.  You can set
--tvmode=dvfxsd

If I use --info I get

modes:          audiodescribed: 
dvfxsd1,dvfxsd2,dvflow1,dvflow2,hvfxsd1,hvfxsd2,hvfxsd3,hvfhigh1,hvfhigh2,hvfhigh3,hvfxhigh1,hvfxhigh2,hvfxhigh3,hvfstd1,hvfstd2,hvfstd3,hvflow1,hvflow2,hvflow3
modes:          editorial: 
dvfhd1,dvfhd2,dvfsd1,dvfsd2,dvfxsd1,dvfxsd2,dvfhigh1,dvfhigh2,dvfxhigh1,dvfxhigh2,dvflow1,dvflow2,hlshd1,hlsvhigh1,hvfhd1,hvfhd2,hvfhd3,hvfsd1,hvfsd2,hvfsd3,hvfxsd1,hvfxsd2,hvfxsd3,hvfhigh1,hvfhigh2,hvfhigh3,hvfxhigh1,hvfxhigh2,hvfxhigh3,hvfstd1,hvfstd2,hvfstd3,hvflow1,hvflow2,hvflow3,subtitles1,subtitles2,subtitles3

I don't know why you are not getting the full list of modes.  One 
possibility is that one or more CDNs thinks your ISP is outside the UK.

Best wishes
Richard