[TASK] get_iplayer - an alternative to Addon-on IPlayer

[IriDium]

Do you like to watch BBC programs with the Add-on IPlayer but suffer from buffering issues, frustrated with retention periods or always seem to miss your programs, then you may find this useful.

Easy Commands
Full commands

Allows the downloading of BBC programs and works with a proxy as well. You can get listings, download a program and it even works as a PVR searching for programs and installing them as they become available. Best of all there is no retention period - just fair use.

I've installed it on Xbian and it works.

(Beware this will install a LOT of additional libraries - all seems to work on my machine!
- BUT YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED -

(If it does not work on your machine, it is not an Xbian problem)

I just did :-

Terminal

sudo apt-get -y install get-iplayer

If you also install ffmpeg, it will decode the files from flv to mp4.

Terminal

sudo apt-get -y install ffmpeg

Some of the basic commands.

get_iplayer "Programme Name"
i.e get_iplayer --get "Top Gear"
i.e get_iplayer --get xxx xxx xxx (Where xxx is the index number - multiple allowed)

--tvmode=best (Gets highest quality)

--output=/media/FLASH (Output to external HDD)
--type=radio or tv
--channel="BBC Two"
--category=
Comedy
Leisure
Factual

Standard commands:
get-iplayer --get xxx yyy zzz --tvmode=best --type=tv --output=/media/FLASH

get-iplayer --info xxx (Details of the program)

[IriDium]

Due to the BBC wasting more of the tax payers money they have rewritten iplayer with something called Nitro.

The upshot is that get_iplayer and I guess the iplayer addon will no longer work.

See iPlayer

[Skywatch]

It does still work sometimes, but you have to use the PID method to download.

So no more program name or index numbers, now you go to the iplayer page for the program you want and look up the number at the top in the page index (something like b04pxxxx) and use --pid=bo4pxxxx command in get iplayer. - It doesn't seem to work on all titles though, not sure why at the moment.

Pity that they put so much effort into this when freeview boxes with massive HDD's are openly used by thousands to do the same thing!

Skywatch.

[rikardo1979]

latest iPlayer seems to be broken but have you guys tried the TVCatchup 2.0 with EPG
http://www.tvcatchup.com/



requires login and 1st time load might take long

[martinhugh]

(2nd Nov, 2014 03:22 AM)rikardo1979 Wrote:  latest iPlayer seems to be broken but have you guys tried the TVCatchup 2.0 with EPG
http://www.tvcatchup.com/



requires login and 1st time load might take long

Please correct me, but TVCatch Up is for Live TV only isn't it ?

The point of iPlayer is that it allows playing of programmes in the past.

[IriDium]

Catchup TV is Ok I guess but it is now missing a load of channels it used to have.

Also it is only in real time, so no difference to freeview just with less channels.

get_iplayer still works with the PID command on my RPi but not on Windoze.

i.e. get_iplayer --pid=b04nxxxx --tvmode=best type=tv. Shame it takes over 4 hours to download and decode an hour long program :-)

[mprowe]

Just a quick enquiry to ask if anyone else is having problems?

It (the iPlayer addon ver. 2.5.9) had been working fine until the start of the month. Now I can only play live streams. No individual programs are listed and the program search function returns no hits.

My suspicion is a change in format by the BBC or a filtering (blocking) my my ISP. But days of googling and trawling the forums has drawn a blank! If this is affecting many/all/some other users, I would have thought that they also would be looking for solutions.

Best regards, Martin

[rikardo1979]

(4th Nov, 2014 04:38 AM)mprowe Wrote:  Just a quick enquiry to ask if anyone else is having problems?

It (the iPlayer addon ver. 2.5.9) had been working fine until the start of the month. Now I can only play live streams. No individual programs are listed and the program search function returns no hits.

My suspicion is a change in format by the BBC or a filtering (blocking) my my ISP. But days of googling and trawling the forums has drawn a blank! If this is affecting many/all/some other users, I would have thought that they also would be looking for solutions.

Best regards, Martin

merged your thread, same subject. please read above

[mprowe]

(4th Nov, 2014 06:24 AM)rikardo1979 Wrote:  merged your thread, same subject. please read above

For other "simple souls" (like me) not fully understanding the technical speak above, this blog and more importantly the comments following it may be of interest?

Like DJ & Squirrel, I am a mere casual user, I can't be coping with the get_iPlayer route, I just want to use XBMC on my Pi to browse a list of previously transmitted programs and pick and play one.

I do hope that the iPlayerV2 developers can find a way around this problem, I look forward to an announcement that they will be trying.
If I could find their "home" I may even be motivated to make a contribution to help their efforts. There! That's how angry I am....

Best regards, Martin

PS - Can anyone (in a simple way) tell me how a change in the back-end (by the BBC moving to Nitro) can effect the iPlayerV2 but not all my other iPlayer devices (some, firmware enabled), like my Smart TV, BluRay player, PC, iPad & Android tablet?

[Skywatch]

There's a new version of get-iplayer (version 2.90) available.

I've had trouble trying to get it to install, if anyone else manges it I would appreciate it if they can post what they did!

skywatch.

[IriDium]

From what I can tell, get_iplayer is now fully functional (Windoze and Linux) even the search function.

Don't ask me what has changed. One day it just seemed to work!! This is also true of the Addon.

Maybe the BBC was swayed by public opinion and my email (but I doubt it).

[Skywatch]

I still need pid under xbian here.

What version of the plug in are you using and how did you install it?

Skywatch.

[rikardo1979]

I have just tested iPlayer 2.6.10 and is working just fine on XBian 1.0 RC3, for a quick test and I live local in UK so not sure about overseas it may required proxy etc

[Skywatch]

Just added version 2.91 to Xbian RC3 and that is working as well....But the 7 day rule still seems to apply. Anything older and it won't find it.