CBS plugin does not download HD streams anymore

Hello :)

Freerapid 0.9u4
CBS plugin 1.2.2

The HD streams do not download anymore since the start of this week.
The 848x480 is downloaded instead of the 1280x720 stream.
I also tried selecting the 720p version in the plugin settings but still the 480p version is the one that downloads.

Example url:
[www.cbs.com]

I can't find 720p from the sample link's SMIL. Also there is no quality chooser in browser, correct me if I'm wrong.

If you hover your mouse over the fullscreen icon, its says HD available in full screen mode and when you click the fullscreen icon it goes fullscreen and the HD logo comes on the info bar, whether they have the files there or not I don't know.

jm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you hover your mouse over the fullscreen icon,
> its says HD available in full screen mode and when
> you click the fullscreen icon it goes fullscreen
> and the HD logo comes on the info bar, whether
> they have the files there or not I don't know.

Yep that's pretty much how you get the HD steam, sorry for not including this in the first post.

I couldn't find the smil link with URL Snopper, is the smil domain cbsent-vh.akamaihd.net or is it something else?
I'm guessing a new smil is created when switching to HD or the old one is updated.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 12:00AM by luiscuadrado123.

Here is the sample link's SMIL : [link.theplatform.com]

Here is the excerpt:

Language: XML
<video src="video/temp_hd_gallery_video/CBS_Production_Outlet_VMS/video_robot/CBS_Production_Entertainment/2014/09/24/332705347598/CBS_FERGUSON_2003_CONTENT_CIAN_407317_1928.mp4" system-bitrate="1928000" height="480" width="848"/>
	<video src="video/temp_hd_gallery_video/CBS_Production_Outlet_VMS/video_robot/CBS_Production_Entertainment/2014/09/24/332705347598/CBS_FERGUSON_2003_CONTENT_CIAN_407312_1296.mp4" system-bitrate="1296000" height="360" width="640"/>
	<video src="video/temp_hd_gallery_video/CBS_Production_Outlet_VMS/video_robot/CBS_Production_Entertainment/2014/09/24/332705347598/CBS_FERGUSON_2003_CONTENT_CIAN_407312_796.mp4" system-bitrate="796000" height="360" width="640"/>
	<video src="video/temp_hd_gallery_video/CBS_Production_Outlet_VMS/video_robot/CBS_Production_Entertainment/2014/09/24/332705347598/CBS_FERGUSON_2003_CONTENT_CIAN_407312_496.mp4" system-bitrate="496000" height="360" width="640"/>
	<video src="video/temp_hd_gallery_video/CBS_Production_Outlet_VMS/video_robot/CBS_Production_Entertainment/2014/09/24/332705347598/CBS_FERGUSON_2003_CONTENT_CIAN_407312_364.mp4" system-bitrate="364000" height="216" width="384"/>

luiscuadrado123 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I couldn't find the smil link with URL Snopper, is the smil domain cbsent-vh.akamaihd.net
> or is it something else?

Hello from Europe

The streaming method currently employed by the CBS online player is
AdobeHDS with Flash Access DRM encryption.
FRD does support AdobeHDS (HTTP protocol), however Flash Access
DRM protection (recently updated to "Adobe Primetime") has not been
reverse-engineered and is uncrackable, thus not supported.
The CBS plugin of FRD is based on the previous infrastructure of
the CBS online player, which involves streaming un-encrypted (DRM-free)
content via the RTMPE protocol - this RTMPE infrastructure continues to
co-exist in the background, BUT IT IS NOT USED IN YOUR BROWSER.
No-one knows when it will be completely retired, which will signify the "death"
of the CBS plugin...
The .smil file mentioned by tong2shot is part of this infrastructure
and is used to reveal the RTMPE stream details; it's not something
you can now find by examining your browser's web traffic, 'cos,
as already said, the flash plugin of your browser uses another
streaming technique...
I haven't checked myself, but
"cbsent-vh.akamaihd.net"
must be the host of the AdobeHDS manifest files (.f4m)
and/or the host of the fragmented (& encrypted) .f4f files...

To conclude, just because you are able to get a HD (720p)
stream in your browser via AdobeHDS does not
necessarily mean that an equivalent HD file has been made
available via RTMPE, for FRD to grab...

Regards.

tong2shot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here is the sample link's SMIL :
> [link.theplatform.com]?
> format=SMIL&Tracking=true&mbr=true
>
> Here is the excerpt:

OK, so no new one is created then when switching to HD I guess, so as TVjunkie is saying below nothing can be done?


TVjunkie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello from Europe
>
> The streaming method currently employed by the CBS online player is
> AdobeHDS with Flash Access DRM encryption.
> FRD does support AdobeHDS (HTTP protocol), however Flash Access
> DRM protection (recently updated to "Adobe Primetime") has not been
> reverse-engineered and is uncrackable, thus not supported.
> The CBS plugin of FRD is based on the previous infrastructure of the CBS online player, which involves streaming
> un-encrypted (DRM-free) content via the RTMPE protocol - this RTMPE infrastructure continues to
> co-exist in the background, BUT IT IS NOT USED IN YOUR BROWSER.
> No-one knows when it will be completely retired, which will signify the "death" of the CBS plugin...
> The .smil file mentioned by tong2shot is part of this infrastructure and is used to reveal the RTMPE stream details;
> it's not something you can now find by examining your browser's web traffic, 'cos, as already said, the flash plugin of your browser
> uses another streaming technique...I haven't checked myself, but "cbsent-vh.akamaihd.net"
> must be the host of the AdobeHDS manifest files (.f4m) and/or the host of the fragmented (& encrypted) .f4f files...
>
> To conclude, just because you are able to get a HD (720p)
> stream in your browser via AdobeHDS does not necessarily mean that an equivalent HD file has
> been made available via RTMPE, for FRD to grab...
>
> Regards.

Thanks for the clarifications.

I remember being able to find the smil link in URL Snooper on some occasions, that's why I asked :), URL Snooper gets all the traffic the PC produces including the Flash plugin.

How does someone get the smil information by the way, is there a tutorial I can read on this somewhere online?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2014 12:32AM by luiscuadrado123.

luiscuadrado123 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> How does someone get the smil information by the
> way, is there a tutorial I can read on this somewhere online?

Use preferably Mozilla Firefox;

1. Load your sample link:

The Late Late Show - S11E2003 - 24_09_2014

2. right click -> "View Page Source"
3. In the new window that opens, go:
(Top Menu Bar) Edit -> Find (a bottom search bar appears).
4. Type the search term: "video.settings.pid" (without quotes).
5. this will get you to line 516:

video.settings.pid = '_PykXEJqNML2';

6. copy the string:

_PykXEJqNML2

This is your video's "PID"
7. Go to the following URL:

http://link.theplatform.com/s/dJ5BDC/_PykXEJqNML2?format=SMIL&Tracking=true&mbr=true

Firefox will prompt you to open/save a file titled "_PykXEJqNML2"
Just save it somewhere on your disk with a .txt extension.
8. Now you have file "_PykXEJqNML2.txt"
The URL in previous step uses geo-location; if in the US,
when you open the file with an editor, you get what tong2shot posted here
If, like me, you're not in the US, you get the following:

Language: XML
<smil xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/SMIL21/Language">
	<head>
	</head>
	<body>
	<seq>
		<ref src="http://link.theplatform.com/s/errorFiles/Unavailable.mp4" title="Geographic Restriction" abstract="This content is not available in your location.">
			<param name="isException" value="true"/>
			<param name="exception" value="GeoLocationBlocked"/>
			<param name="responseCode" value="403"/>
		</ref>
	</seq>
	</body>
</smil>

PS: The URL in step 7 is just a remnant of the old RTMPE infrastructure...

It's very late/early in my time zone now, make the best of what's been posted...

TVjunkie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> luiscuadrado123 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> It's very late/early in my time zone now, make the
> best of what's been posted...

Thanks :)