Freevine - A downloader for free streaming services (discontinued)

New update!
I added a new feature and some functionality to filenames and quality settings. I also made some major reconstruction, so I'd be surprised if something didn't break. Let me know.

Changelog #(20230924):

Code:

Added --info option:
    Use --info to print video and audio profiles for single episode or movie (Pluto and Tubi not yet supported)
    A simple info box will display description, video and audio profiles
    Example: python freevine.py --info --episode s01e01 URL

Filename customization:
    You can now customize your filename output in config.yaml for both series and movies
    Use the keywords in curly brackets to remove/re-arrange however you want
    NOTE: Any empty spaces will be automatically replaced by dots

Video and audio quality settings:
    You can now use Video and Audio in config.yaml to set base settings for N_m3u8DL-RE
    See "N_m3u8DL-RE --morehelp select-video" for guidance

Added functionality:
    Ability to download a mix of full seasons with --season S01,S04,S07 (no spaces)
    You can now use --titles along with --episode and --season to print titles per episode or season

Thanks man. I will give this a proper thrashing (in a nice way of course and report any funnies).

Originally Posted by ehurdler

Awesome!! Thank you. I love the info block that comes up using --info
So far no issues in my playing around with ROKU.

Actually after trying a few more things, playing around really.... I started getting this. first 15 episode will download, then 16-21 give this error.
Started getting this error a bit more and more on ROKU now. Not sure if it is my IP trying too many times?

KeyError: 'Request failed. IP-address is either blocked or content is paywalled'

Yeah, it's possible you're being rate limited. Does it work if you wait a while? Or if using a VPN?

Either way, I need to fix that error message to be more informative.

New update!

I've added Channel5/My5 service to the project. Thanks to the great work by Diazole, we now have an easy way to retrieve the hmac and aes keys needed to automate this service. Use their tool to retrieve the keys and add them to the new "services.yaml" located in the services folder. These will need to be refreshed regularly, and the script will tell you when it's time.

I've tested 20+ titles, both series and movies, and they all worked fine. But as always, there will be outliers. Feel free to report any bugs.

Other additions:
I feel like it's finally developed enough to warrant version labels, so it's now at v0.5.0-beta.

I also added some subtitle options to the config file (thanks to @sipho).

Thanks for all this
Hope you can make more free services like localnow.com (USA) no need keys to decrypt

Frikkin brilliant!

What a superb downloading suite you've created for us stabbedbybrick. Excellent and thank you.

I think this program is terrific. I am getting more tempted as time goes by to invest in a VPN so I can see what is on free streaming services beyond Canada.

Originally Posted by Tom Saurus

I think this program is terrific. I am getting more tempted as time goes by to invest in a VPN so I can see what is on free streaming services beyond Canada.

This is what I use to access UK shows.

What is particularly useful is that if you configure the service on your router then any device behind that will be able to play or download videos.

Great to see you guys are enjoying it

The latest update fixes the issue with standalone episodes on My5 and with some SD-only manifest not being fetched properly. Shows without defined seasons are prefixed with S00 (e.g S00E01).

When in doubt, use the --titles argument to print episode titles.

I must say the -i option is very useful. My5 is notorious for taking their time to make HD videos available. By using the -i -e options I can easily determine if HD is available before download.

Originally Posted by sipho

I must say the -i option is very useful. My5 is notorious for taking their time to make HD videos available. By using the -i -e options I can easily determine if HD is available before download.

That was indeed the goal. Free streaming services like these lack the consistency of the premium big boys, so being able to see the quality before downloading helps.

Now I just need to make it prettier to look at.

I haven't upgraded yet but I am considering getting Mulvad VPN for six month to give VPNs a try. One of my big motivations is checking out more free streaming video services around the world. I haven't upgraded to the latest version yet but I can see it is getting better all the time. The only other free Canadian streaming service where you don't have to sign in and such is Global Freeplay and I don't know if it is worth your time to add in or not as it has a scant library at the moment. If I can hold out on the VPN I might see if they have a Black Friday deal in November.

Thank you for this terrific program and all that you are doing to make it even better.

New update! (20230930)

Added BBC iPlayer service with support for up to 1080p.

Also fixed some odd season numbering on My5.

I get these errors for BBC.

Code:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "D:\GitHub\freevine\freevine.py", line 42, in <module>
    main()
  File "D:\github\freevine\.venv\lib\site-packages\click\core.py", line 1157, in __call__
    return self.main(*args, **kwargs)
  File "D:\github\freevine\.venv\lib\site-packages\click\core.py", line 1078, in main
    rv = self.invoke(ctx)
  File "D:\github\freevine\.venv\lib\site-packages\click\core.py", line 1434, in invoke
    return ctx.invoke(self.callback, **ctx.params)
  File "D:\github\freevine\.venv\lib\site-packages\click\core.py", line 783, in invoke
    return __callback(*args, **kwargs)
  File "D:\GitHub\freevine\freevine.py", line 36, in main
    Service(config, srvc, **kwargs)
  File "D:\GitHub\freevine\services\bbc.py", line 37, in __init__
    self.get_options()
  File "D:\GitHub\freevine\services\bbc.py", line 234, in get_options
    content, title = self.get_content(self.url)
  File "D:\GitHub\freevine\services\bbc.py", line 210, in get_content
    pid = parse.path.split("/")[3]
IndexError: list index out of range

Used this command.

Code:

(.venv) D:\GitHub\freevine>freevine.py -t https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b094mjv0

I checked if any further modules were required but didn't dig any further. Will try again in the morning.

Originally Posted by iamghost

use that link

Code:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b094mjv0

Thanks!

@deccavox:

First of all, if you're already using something like get_iplayer then this script won't be a major improvement. Get_iplayer is an old beast and a lot more comprehensive, and will list every single little stream it can find, whereas I just stick to DASH for the moment.

As for your issues, most of them can be solved by following the regular instructions: Always use the main series URL, not specific episode. BBC is admittedly extra confusing with their links, but the easiest way to get the proper URL is to simply search for it on iplayer. Don't use TV schedules or guides. When you search for "nadiyas simple spices", you get the proper URL: "https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001qwzj/nadiyas-simple-spices". This is true for all services, not just BBC. Grabbing stuff directly from the frontpage or other lists, the URL often leads to latest episode.

Printing the episode info with --info, we get this:

Code:

╭──────────────────────── Nadiyas.Simple.Spices.S01E01 ────────────────────────╮
│                                                                              │
│   Feelgood dishes with a spicy twist, from a delicious daal to a cinnamon    │
│   cheesecake.                                                                │
│                                                                              │
│   Video:                                                                     │
│     1920x1080 @ 8490 kb/s                                                    │
│     1280x720 @ 5070 kb/s                                                     │
│     960x540 @ 2812 kb/s                                                      │
│     704x396 @ 1570 kb/s                                                      │
│     704x396 @ 827 kb/s                                                       │
│                                                                              │
│   Audio:                                                                     │
│     audio_eng_1=128000 @ 128 kb/s                                            │
│                                                                              │
│                                                                              │
╰──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

Those are the available formats for DASH. HLS will have additional variations, but unless there are titles where HLS give top quality where DASH doesn't, I see no real reason to add it.
For those times you want to specify between best and worst variations of the same resolution, you can do that in the config file.

The episode also most definitely comes with subtitles:

Nadiyas.Simple.Spices.S01E01.1080p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264.srt:

Code:

1
00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:07,120
For as long as I can remember, spice has been a part of my life,

2
00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10
effortlessly elevating ordinary ingredients

3
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12,400
into something sensational.

A movie is downloaded using --movie. But your "Psycho" link highlights a genuine bug in the script where it seems to grab the wrong manifest. I'll have to look into that.

-------------------------------



Other known issues are some numbering for episodes that have several episodes in the same week. This is typical for game shows or similar. I'll have to look into a good solution.

Nicely explained stabbedbybrick. Thanks.

I still don't get subs for BBC (I've tried a few shows). Maybe it doesn't like my mods in my config.yaml (although all other webplayers are fine with them):

Code:

# Specify file format. Default: mkv
format: mp4

# Specify muxer (ffmpeg or mkvmerge) Default: mkvmerge
muxer: ffmpeg

# Set subtitle options
subtitles:
  no_mux: "true" # If "true", subtitles will be stored separately
  clean: "true" # Clean and convert subtitles. If "false", subtitles remain untouched

filename: 
  series: "{title}.{number}.{name}.{resolution}"
  movies: "{title}.{year}.{resolution}"

Using py freevine.py -e s01e01 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001qwzj/nadiyas-simple-spices
This is what N_m3u8DL-RE output shows:

Code:

11:15:35.427 INFO : Extracted, there are 6 streams, with 5 basic streams, 1 audio streams, 0 subtitle streams
11:15:35.427 INFO : Vid 1920x1080 | 8490 Kbps | video=12000000 | avc3.640020 | 452 Segments | ~28m55s
11:15:35.428 INFO : Vid 1280x720 | 5070 Kbps | video=5070000 | avc3.640020 | 452 Segments | ~28m55s
11:15:35.428 INFO : Vid 960x540 | 2812 Kbps | video=2812000 | avc3.64001F | 452 Segments | ~28m55s
11:15:35.429 INFO : Vid 704x396 | 1570 Kbps | video=1570000 | avc3.64001F | 452 Segments | ~28m55s
11:15:35.429 INFO : Vid 704x396 | 827 Kbps | video=827000 | avc3.4D401F | 452 Segments | ~28m55s
11:15:35.430 INFO : Aud audio_eng_1=128000 | 128 Kbps | mp4a.40.2 | en | 2CH | 452 Segments | ~28m55s

You mentioned some numbering of episodes. BBC is a law unto itself.
Try this:
py freevine.py -t https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b006nb9z/bargain-hunt
For pretty much all series, they're all E00

You're actually correct regarding the subtitles. I made an error where if you choose to store the subtitles separately, the path was wrong and the subtitles were deleted along with the temp files. Woops

It's also worth pointing out that the subtitles aren't stored in the manifest, and they don't use VTT or SRT, but TTML. Because of course they do. N_m3u8DL-RE won't fix them, so my temporary solution right now is to manually clean the subtitle and save it as SRT. But I suspect I'll have to find a dedicated module for it down the line.

Yes, I've noticed that BBC don't follow the conventions of other services. Every step of the way has been a headache. Their API in particular was designed by a drunk, I'm pretty sure.
I've fixed the missing subtitles and the issues with grabbing the wrong manifest for certain titles (like "Psycho"). Once I figure out a good way to deal with the episode numbering, I'll push another update.

Thanks for the feedback, though! There's always stuff I can't catch on my own, so getting outside input is always appreciated.

A heads up when it comes to the TV Show "21 Jump Street" on CTV. Season 4 Episode 5 when you do the list command shows it is there. However you can't play it or download it. The episode when you go to the website if you hover your mouse over it there is no mouse icon to click. So if you have set freevine to get this episode in the series or season command it will result in an error. This is not the fault of the program it is just something with CTV. The episode in question "Twenty 21 Jump Street S04E05 God Is A Bullet" can be found and downloaded from the Filmrise YouTube Channel with YT-DLP.

I have got some private messages from another Videohelp member regarding this program. He only has a Windows 7 computer currently. I have suggested to him to snap up a cheap Beelink mini-computer for Windows 11 because that has been working fine for me. However he may not be able to afford to get one so with this relying on Python and possible ANSI problems because of N_m3U8DL-RE has anyone been able to use Freevine on Windows 7? ANSI problems is what I found on Windows 7 because it deals with the various colors of text in N_m3U8DL-RE. Thank you in advance for any advise you can give me in regards to this matter.

peacocktv have 21 jump street tv series so
here key for S04E05

Code:

mpd: https://g003-vod-us-cmaf-prd-cl.cdn.peacocktv.com/pub/global/eX7/Eoo/PCK_1617124354077.721_01/cmaf/mpeg_cenc/master_cmaf.mpd?c3.ri=3777202375631605628&audio=all&subtitle=all&forcedNarrative=true
--key 0016eb99393944cfefc41bedf4ec9bca:8a176e793c6bdf80fdfc89df3e5297ee

All right, after scratching my head for a bit, I've pushed a small update to at least improve the season and episode numbering for BBC. I also fixed the missing subtitles and fetching the incorrect manifest for certain titles.

The issue with the episode numbers is that all traditional series have regular seasons/episodes with clear distinction in numbered labels, and then extras and standalone seasons/episodes are conventionally labeled as "0". So a season or episode that is considered outside of the main series, is prefixed with "00". And since these game shows and similar series often don't have that regular structure, they're all labeled as "00".

What I did to improve it was to basically count the non-traditional episodes in order of how they are displayed on the API. So series with daily episodes are now correctly labeled for the most part, with names that make it easy to request when downloading. There will undoubtedly be outliers, but it seems to work fine for the most part.

The Richard Osman House of Games is a show where the episode numbering is all over the place.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b094mjv0

S07E02 is named Wednesday. It is Wednesday's episode so should really be S07E03.

Code:

Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S07E00.Week.1.Friday
Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S07E01.Week.1.Thursday
Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S07E02.Week.1.Wednesday
Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S07E03.Week.1.Tuesday
Richard.Osmans.House.of.Games.S07E04.Week.1.Monday

Thank you for fantastic program! It works really well.

Just a question I had, hope its not rude to ask here. I use the ITVX script by Angela but its now broke. Apparantly ITV has made changes and requires some login cookies and tokens. But your ITV still work perfectly without any login. Is ther a reason for this?

Simply searching on iPlayer for Antiques Roadshow doesn't produce the correct URL at all. Still needs to be fudged.