BBC's iPlayer works when get_iplayer doesn't

[Alan Milewczyk]

Hi there

I'm now back in the UK after 4 months in the Philippines so I'm into 
catch-up mode while new programmes keep on coming relentlessly. Last 
year it took me about 2 months to catch up on 4 months missed TV!

Hit a problem with Monday's episode of EastEnders (yeah, sad, I know!).

The command get_iplayer --pid b08l429m (albeit in a batch file) failed 
to record anything, producing the following output:

"INFO Trying to download PID using type tv
INFO: pid found in cache
Matches:
2455:    EastEnders - 27/03/2017, BBC One, b08l429m

INFO: 1 Matching Programmes
INFO: No versions of this programme were selected (available versions: 
audiodescribed)"

Slightly surprising for a mainstream programme only to be available in 
AD version, I thought. Indeed, doing a

get_iplayer --info --pid b08l429m

confirms the situation with the following output:

"INFO Trying to download PID using type tv
INFO: pid found in cache
Matches:
2455:    EastEnders - 27/03/2017, BBC One, b08l429m
INFO: No versions of this programme were selected (available versions: 
audiodescribed)
INFO: File name prefix = EastEnders_-_5465._2017-03-27_b08l429m_default

available:      2017-03-27T20:30:00+01:00
brand:          EastEnders
categories:     Drama,Soaps
category:       Drama
channel:        BBC One
desc:           Michelle reaches breaking point. Whitney goes all out to 
support Tina.
desclong:       Michelle reaches breaking point. Whitney goes all out to 
support Tina.
descmedium:     Michelle reaches breaking point. Whitney goes all out to 
support Tina.
descshort:      Michelle reaches breaking point. Whitney goes all out to 
support Tina.
dir:            F:\iPlayer-TV
dldate:         2017-03-29
dltime:         20:24:04
duration:       1800
durations:      audiodescribed: 1800
episode:        5465. 27/03/2017
episodenum:     5465
episodeshort:   27/03/2017
expires:        in 28 days 0 hours (2017-04-26T19:30:00+00:00)
ext:            EXT
filename: F:\iPlayer-TV\EastEnders_-_5465._2017-03-27_b08l429m_default.EXT
filepart: 
F:\iPlayer-TV\EastEnders_-_5465._2017-03-27_b08l429m_default.partial.EXT
fileprefix:     EastEnders_-_5465._2017-03-27_b08l429m_default
firstbcast:     audiodescribed: 2017-03-27T20:30:00+01:00
firstbcastdate: audiodescribed: 2017-03-27
firstbcastrel:  audiodescribed: 1 days 23 hours ago
index:          2455
lastbcast:      audiodescribed: 2017-03-27T20:30:00+01:00
lastbcastdate:  audiodescribed: 2017-03-27
lastbcastrel:   audiodescribed: 1 days 23 hours ago
longname:       EastEnders
modes:          audiodescribed: 
dvfxsd1,dvfxsd2,dvfxsd3,dvfxsd4,dvfxhigh1,dvfxhigh2,dvfxhigh3,dvfxhigh4,dvflow1,dvflow2,dvflow3,dvflow4,hvfxsd1,hvfxsd2,hvfhigh1,hvfhigh2,hvfxhigh1,hvfxhigh2,hvflow1,hvflow2
modesizes:      audiodescribed: 
dvfxsd1=319MiB,dvfxsd2=319MiB,dvfxsd3=319MiB,dvfxsd4=319MiB,dvfxhigh1=164MiB,dvfxhigh2=164MiB,dvfxhigh3=164MiB,dvfxhigh4=164MiB,dvflow1=87MiB,dvflow2=87MiB,dvflow3=87MiB,dvflow4=87MiB,hvfxsd1=387MiB,hvfxsd2=387MiB,hvfhigh1=386MiB,hvfhigh2=386MiB,hvfxhigh1=210MiB,hvfxhigh2=210MiB,hvflow1=121MiB,hvflow2=121MiB
name:           EastEnders
nameshort:      EastEnders
pid:            b08l429m
player:         http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08l429m
runtime:        30
senum:          s01e5465
seriesnum:      1
thumbfile: F:\iPlayer-TV\EastEnders_-_5465._2017-03-27_b08l429m_default.jpg
thumbnail: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/150x84/p01vg679.jpg
timeadded:      1 days 11 hours ago (2017-03-28T07:32:35+00:00)
title:          EastEnders: 27/03/2017
type:           tv
verpids:        audiodescribed: p04y79vv
version:        default
versions:       audiodescribed
web:            http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m86d


INFO: 1 Matching Programmes"

At first I wondered if this was an error on the part of the BBC team 
until I went to the BBC iPlayer website. It wasn't reported as an issue 
on the BBC site and curiouser still, not only does it play from the BBC 
website but it also downloads successfully using BBC's iPlayer. It plays 
normally as if it were the "original" version, not a hint of AD!

I've never comes across this situation before, if it's available for 
download on the BBC's iPlayer site then it's downloadable using 
get_iplayer.

As I said earlier, due to me being in "catch-up mode", by the time I got 
round to watching it, it would have long rolled off BBC's iPlayer. As it 
happens, fortunately, I've managed to find the programme online 
elsewhere but I'm wondering am I missing something here?

Any thoughts?

Alan