The Competition

JeffDavis

It's been over 3 months since StreamFab imploded and no sign of recovery in the near future. We don't even get honeyed words of light at the end of the tunnel. Of course if there is no hope, I'd rather they follow Dante and tell us so straight out. Anyway, after lurking in the Competition's forum and reading accounts of others here who have ventured over there, I took the step of trying out the Competition's software. Here are my observations.

StreamFab offers a full refund if you are not satisfied in the first 30 days after purchase. The Competition takes a different approach. Once you buy it, you cannot get a refund. However, they allow you to download the software and use it on a trial basis, downloading up to 30 videos. That should give you a good idea of how well it works and whether you want to purchase it.

I downloaded it and used it to download videos from Amazon and Peacock. It did so successfully, with NO re-encoding, and on newer videos that StreamFab cannot download from Peacock or in 1080p from Amazon without re-encoding. It has overcome the problems that StreamFab has been unable to overcome for over 3 months.

When downloading from Peacock, it is not necessary to re-login before each download as must be done with StreamFab.

My first download had no subtitles and a mysterious binary file with an "astlog" file extension was created. A quick search of the Competition's forum revealed that the astlog file is a log file created for diagnostic use. It is not needed for viewing the video, and there is a setting to turn off the automatic creation of astlog files. There is a check box to enable download of subtitles. The check box is easily overlooked because the program uses a dark interface and the check box is a small borderless bright white rectangle. Once you click it a check mark appears and seems to remain and become the default. My subsequent downloads included subtitles.

The downloaded filename had the streaming service prepended to it. I didn't like that, but quickly found that in the Settings (on the File menu) you can change that and indeed customize the file naming to suit your preferences.

It has a dark user interface. I don't like dark user interfaces, but it works. Others may even prefer it to a light user interface.

The downloaded video file does not have cover art. A quick search of the forum revealed that this is by design and there is no option to enable cover art download, and probably never will be. Curiously, the Competition seems to find the idea of downloading cover art revolting: they download videos! Oh well. I like getting the cover art with the downloaded file, but its lack is not a deal breaker.

The user interface is different from that of StreamFab. I prefer StreamFab's user interface, but that is in part due to my familiarity with it, having used it for over 3 years. While the Competiton's user interface is different, it still works.

Just a couple days into my trial period, I was sold and wanted to purchase the Competition's software. Here's the strangest thing about it. They do not accept credit cards. You have to purchase it with cryptocurrency, something I have never done. This would be a big red flag if I was not already familiar with the Competition through lurking on its forum, and reading accounts of others on this forum. Purchasing with cryptocurrency is not easy. They have a link to a cryptocurrency vendor. I googled the vendor and convinced myself that it was as reputable as any cryptocurrency vendor can be. So I tried to effect a purchase using the cryptocurrency vendor. Unfortunately the cryptocurrency vendor does not like credit cards, even though they claim credit cards can be used. I suppose Europeans are more likely to use debit cards, but I only have a credit card. I found a note that Americans have sometimes had success using PayPal to purchase cryptocurrency. I created a PayPal account years ago but had not used it for many years. Surprisingly it still existed and I was able to get into it. However, PayPal also does not like credit cards when you are buying cryptocurrency. You have to have cash in your PayPal account to buy cryptocurrency. So I have transferred some cash from my bank account to my PayPal account so that I can purchase some cryptocurrency to use to purchase the Competition's product. According to PayPal I'll have to wait a week for that cash transfer to complete. If StreamFab is still lying flat then, I will try again to purchase the Competition.

hizbf

It's been over 3 months since StreamFab imploded and no sign of recovery in the near future. We don't even get honeyed words of light at the end of the tunnel. Of course if there is no hope, I'd rather they follow Dante and tell us so straight out. Anyway, after lurking in the Competition's forum and reading accounts of others here who have ventured over there, I took the step of trying out the Competition's software. Here are my observations.

StreamFab offers a full refund if you are not satisfied in the first 30 days after purchase. The Competition takes a different approach. Once you buy it, you cannot get a refund. However, they allow you to download the software and use it on a trial basis, downloading up to 30 videos. That should give you a good idea of how well it works and whether you want to purchase it.

I downloaded it and used it to download videos from Amazon and Peacock. It did so successfully, with NO re-encoding, and on newer videos that StreamFab cannot download from Peacock or in 1080p from Amazon without re-encoding. It has overcome the problems that StreamFab has been unable to overcome for over 3 months.

When downloading from Peacock, it is not necessary to re-login before each download as must be done with StreamFab.

My first download had no subtitles and a mysterious binary file with an "astlog" file extension was created. A quick search of the Competition's forum revealed that the astlog file is a log file created for diagnostic use. It is not needed for viewing the video, and there is a setting to turn off the automatic creation of astlog files. There is a check box to enable download of subtitles. The check box is easily overlooked because the program uses a dark interface and the check box is a small borderless bright white rectangle. Once you click it a check mark appears and seems to remain and become the default. My subsequent downloads included subtitles.

The downloaded filename had the streaming service prepended to it. I didn't like that, but quickly found that in the Settings (on the File menu) you can change that and indeed customize the file naming to suit your preferences.

It has a dark user interface. I don't like dark user interfaces, but it works. Others may even prefer it to a light user interface.

The downloaded video file does not have cover art. A quick search of the forum revealed that this is by design and there is no option to enable cover art download, and probably never will be. Curiously, the Competition seems to find the idea of downloading cover art revolting: they download videos! Oh well. I like getting the cover art with the downloaded file, but its lack is not a deal breaker.

The user interface is different from that of StreamFab. I prefer StreamFab's user interface, but that is in part due to my familiarity with it, having used it for over 3 years. While the Competiton's user interface is different, it still works.

Just a couple days into my trial period, I was sold and wanted to purchase the Competition's software. Here's the strangest thing about it. They do not accept credit cards. You have to purchase it with cryptocurrency, something I have never done. This would be a big red flag if I was not already familiar with the Competition through lurking on its forum, and reading accounts of others on this forum. Purchasing with cryptocurrency is not easy. They have a link to a cryptocurrency vendor. I googled the vendor and convinced myself that it was as reputable as any cryptocurrency vendor can be. So I tried to effect a purchase using the cryptocurrency vendor. Unfortunately the cryptocurrency vendor does not like credit cards, even though they claim credit cards can be used. I suppose Europeans are more likely to use debit cards, but I only have a credit card. I found a note that Americans have sometimes had success using PayPal to purchase cryptocurrency. I created a PayPal account years ago but had not used it for many years. Surprisingly it still existed and I was able to get into it. However, PayPal also does not like credit cards when you are buying cryptocurrency. You have to have cash in your PayPal account to buy cryptocurrency. So I have transferred some cash from my bank account to my PayPal account so that I can purchase some cryptocurrency to use to purchase the Competition's product. According to PayPal I'll have to wait a week for that cash transfer to complete. If StreamFab is still lying flat then, I will try again to purchase the Competition.
JeffDavis

At present, no one in the streamfab team is able to solve the DRM problem, even the company's strongest technician Fengtao cannot solve it:(

AllNight

The competition though, still cannot solve Netflix 1080p downloads. But they won't turn their software into a screen recorder in order to solve this, which I think is the right choice. They also make this very clear to anyone who is currently purchasing the software, also a good choice.

The competition has a YouTube downloader, but it will not work on any encrypted content like StreamFab can (if it still works, I haven't checked). I found this confusing and had to search their forums to learn that their YouTube module only works on non encrypted content, which to me seems pointless, as yt-dlp is free and works very well and can do things that their software can't. Their software includes no error handler to inform the user that their software does not work on encrypted YouTube content, which confuses users. Yt-dlp also imposes no limit on the number of downloads a user can make in any given time period.

Their "stance" on never downloading cover art is pretty stupid IMHO.

And finally I also find using cryptocurrency a hassle. If you want to use Coinbase, they require that you send a picture of your face and a picture of the front and back of your driver's license. That's a HUGE ask... how do they store this? Whether or not this information gets hacked or leaked seems to be more a question of when not if these days. That being said, once you have a verified Coinbase account, they allow instant use using a debit card... if you have a checking account with a bank in the USA, then you should also have a debit card.

But yes, all modules the competition offers except for Netflix are working as advertised. This was also no problem for StreamFab before January 25th of 2024, so something must have changed at StreamFab that is not known to the public.

october262

It's been over 3 months since StreamFab imploded and no sign of recovery in the near future. We don't even get honeyed words of light at the end of the tunnel. Of course if there is no hope, I'd rather they follow Dante and tell us so straight out. Anyway, after lurking in the Competition's forum and reading accounts of others here who have ventured over there, I took the step of trying out the Competition's software. Here are my observations.

StreamFab offers a full refund if you are not satisfied in the first 30 days after purchase. The Competition takes a different approach. Once you buy it, you cannot get a refund. However, they allow you to download the software and use it on a trial basis, downloading up to 30 videos. That should give you a good idea of how well it works and whether you want to purchase it.

I downloaded it and used it to download videos from Amazon and Peacock. It did so successfully, with NO re-encoding, and on newer videos that StreamFab cannot download from Peacock or in 1080p from Amazon without re-encoding. It has overcome the problems that StreamFab has been unable to overcome for over 3 months.

When downloading from Peacock, it is not necessary to re-login before each download as must be done with StreamFab.

My first download had no subtitles and a mysterious binary file with an "astlog" file extension was created. A quick search of the Competition's forum revealed that the astlog file is a log file created for diagnostic use. It is not needed for viewing the video, and there is a setting to turn off the automatic creation of astlog files. There is a check box to enable download of subtitles. The check box is easily overlooked because the program uses a dark interface and the check box is a small borderless bright white rectangle. Once you click it a check mark appears and seems to remain and become the default. My subsequent downloads included subtitles.

The downloaded filename had the streaming service prepended to it. I didn't like that, but quickly found that in the Settings (on the File menu) you can change that and indeed customize the file naming to suit your preferences.

It has a dark user interface. I don't like dark user interfaces, but it works. Others may even prefer it to a light user interface.

The downloaded video file does not have cover art. A quick search of the forum revealed that this is by design and there is no option to enable cover art download, and probably never will be. Curiously, the Competition seems to find the idea of downloading cover art revolting: they download videos! Oh well. I like getting the cover art with the downloaded file, but its lack is not a deal breaker.

The user interface is different from that of StreamFab. I prefer StreamFab's user interface, but that is in part due to my familiarity with it, having used it for over 3 years. While the Competiton's user interface is different, it still works.

Just a couple days into my trial period, I was sold and wanted to purchase the Competition's software. Here's the strangest thing about it. They do not accept credit cards. You have to purchase it with cryptocurrency, something I have never done. This would be a big red flag if I was not already familiar with the Competition through lurking on its forum, and reading accounts of others on this forum. Purchasing with cryptocurrency is not easy. They have a link to a cryptocurrency vendor. I googled the vendor and convinced myself that it was as reputable as any cryptocurrency vendor can be. So I tried to effect a purchase using the cryptocurrency vendor. Unfortunately the cryptocurrency vendor does not like credit cards, even though they claim credit cards can be used. I suppose Europeans are more likely to use debit cards, but I only have a credit card. I found a note that Americans have sometimes had success using PayPal to purchase cryptocurrency. I created a PayPal account years ago but had not used it for many years. Surprisingly it still existed and I was able to get into it. However, PayPal also does not like credit cards when you are buying cryptocurrency. You have to have cash in your PayPal account to buy cryptocurrency. So I have transferred some cash from my bank account to my PayPal account so that I can purchase some cryptocurrency to use to purchase the Competition's product. According to PayPal I'll have to wait a week for that cash transfer to complete. If StreamFab is still lying flat then, I will try again to purchase the Competition.
JeffDavis

also note that the competition no longer has the Lifetime license any longer.

hizbf

also note that the competition no longer has the Lifetime license any longer.
october262

Anystream has cancelled its lifetime membership. Currently, only two years of membership can be purchased at a time, and credit card payments are not supported. Payment can only be made using cryptocurrency. Previously, there were Anystream and Anystream Plus, but now Anystream has been cancelled. Only a few websites that support downloading are available

hizbf

The competition though, still cannot solve Netflix 1080p downloads. But they won't turn their software into a screen recorder in order to solve this, which I think is the right choice. They also make this very clear to anyone who is currently purchasing the software, also a good choice.

The competition has a YouTube downloader, but it will not work on any encrypted content like StreamFab can (if it still works, I haven't checked). I found this confusing and had to search their forums to learn that their YouTube module only works on non encrypted content, which to me seems pointless, as yt-dlp is free and works very well and can do things that their software can't. Their software includes no error handler to inform the user that their software does not work on encrypted YouTube content, which confuses users. Yt-dlp also imposes no limit on the number of downloads a user can make in any given time period.

Their "stance" on never downloading cover art is pretty stupid IMHO.

And finally I also find using cryptocurrency a hassle. If you want to use Coinbase, they require that you send a picture of your face and a picture of the front and back of your driver's license. That's a HUGE ask... how do they store this? Whether or not this information gets hacked or leaked seems to be more a question of when not if these days. That being said, once you have a verified Coinbase account, they allow instant use using a debit card... if you have a checking account with a bank in the USA, then you should also have a debit card.

But yes, all modules the competition offers except for Netflix are working as advertised. This was also no problem for StreamFab before January 25th of 2024, so something must have changed at StreamFab that is not known to the public.
AllNight

Streamfab should cancel the re encoding of the video, which makes things worse and worse！:mad:

artsunlimited

At present, no one in the streamfab team is able to solve the DRM problem, even the company's strongest technician Fengtao cannot solve it:(
hizbf

Please don't promote misinformation that he's still at the helm and actively working on the issue, to no avail. Your suggestions that somehow he'll swoop in and solve this are (sadly, dammit) misplaced, and seem kind of misleading for anyone who's reading this forum with an eye toward purchasing..

Streamfab should cancel the re encoding of the video, which makes things worse and worse!
hizbf

And replace it with what? It can't download no matter what, so to argue that re-encoding "makes things worse and worse" is questionable, since that's all there is. But it should at least function better than it does, right? Without a screen recorder, they'd have nothing to sell other than a product that can download from a few providers - in lower-quality AAC 2-channel audio. All they're doing now is attempting to patch up the two+ new things that the last rollout broke so they can claim they're making progress. *eyeroll*

artsunlimited

The downloaded video file does not have cover art. A quick search of the forum revealed that this is by design and there is no option to enable cover art download, and probably never will be. Curiously, the Competition seems to find the idea of downloading cover art revolting: they download videos! Oh well. I like getting the cover art with the downloaded file, but its lack is not a deal breaker.
JeffDavis

This is SO true, and one reason why I preferred SF - it's like icons are made for namby-pamby artsy-type dilettantes, we're real downloaders here and if all the no-frills cover art looks the same, well, then that's how we like it! *hawks and spits*

So yeah, pretty stupid is exactly right. They also don't like VPNs much, either - but there are plenty of people on the forum who do use 'em, so you can get help there.

One thing that I can recommend, is that their Forum never sleeps. If you have an issue, you get a prompt response - and my God, do they get on top of things and help you resolve it.

Just a couple days into my trial period, I was sold and wanted to purchase the Competition's software. Here's the strangest thing about it. They do not accept credit cards... If StreamFab is still lying flat then, I will try again to purchase the Competition.

They're styled as a "project" - they're not a CEO-led licensed business, which is presumably why they're not doing credit card payments at present (they used to, I don't know when that stopped). They may not give refunds, but when they rolled out AS Plus about 9 months after I'd bought the original AS (only Amazon and Netflix), I felt pretty raw that I'd have to buy the damn thing all over again - and they DM'd me and promptly adjusted the price because customer retention is one thing they absolutely get.

Brozilla

The competition though, still cannot solve Netflix 1080p downloads. But they won't turn their software into a screen recorder in order to solve this, which I think is the right choice. They also make this very clear to anyone who is currently purchasing the software, also a good choice.

The competition has a YouTube downloader, but it will not work on any encrypted content like StreamFab can (if it still works, I haven't checked). I found this confusing and had to search their forums to learn that their YouTube module only works on non encrypted content, which to me seems pointless, as yt-dlp is free and works very well and can do things that their software can't. Their software includes no error handler to inform the user that their software does not work on encrypted YouTube content, which confuses users. Yt-dlp also imposes no limit on the number of downloads a user can make in any given time period.

Their "stance" on never downloading cover art is pretty stupid IMHO.

And finally I also find using cryptocurrency a hassle. If you want to use Coinbase, they require that you send a picture of your face and a picture of the front and back of your driver's license. That's a HUGE ask... how do they store this? Whether or not this information gets hacked or leaked seems to be more a question of when not if these days. That being said, once you have a verified Coinbase account, they allow instant use using a debit card... if you have a checking account with a bank in the USA, then you should also have a debit card.

But yes, all modules the competition offers except for Netflix are working as advertised. This was also no problem for StreamFab before January 25th of 2024, so something must have changed at StreamFab that is not known to the public.
AllNight

There are many more wallets
u doesnt need to use coinbase

hizbf

Please don't promote misinformation that he's still at the helm and actively working on the issue, to no avail. Your suggestions that somehow he'll swoop in and solve this are (sadly, dammit) misplaced, and seem kind of misleading for anyone who's reading this forum with an eye toward purchasing..

And replace it with what? It can't download no matter what, so to argue that re-encoding "makes things worse and worse" is questionable, since that's all there is. But it should at least function better than it does, right? Without a screen recorder, they'd have nothing to sell other than a product that can download from a few providers - in lower-quality AAC 2-channel audio. All they're doing now is attempting to patch up the two+ new things that the last rollout broke so they can claim they're making progress. *eyeroll*
artsunlimited

Someone in this forum said today that Fengtao cannot solve the DRM problem this time either:(

Kattanders

Streamfab should cancel the re encoding of the video, which makes things worse and worse！:mad:
hizbf

Why? How does re-encode make things worse? Is the streaming police trying to hold my high-quality content hostage? Re-encoding might not be perfect, but it's the only way to access stuff they're locking away from download. SD quality? No thanks, I'll take a little compression over nothing at all!

artsunlimited

Someone in this forum said today that Fengtao cannot solve the DRM problem this time either:(
hizbf

Ah, I get it now. I think you misunderstood. The remark was that he couldn't do it now, but he'd certainly be decent enough not to leave people with radio silence.
Since he's not managing the company any longer and the product has deteriorated significantly after he stopped, as the developers on the later versions were nowhere near as good, whether he could or couldn't save it at this point is kind of subjective - but I think you shouldn't interpret it to mean that he actually did try, but failed.

One thing's for sure, whoever's working - and I use the term loosely - on this clusterfluck now is sure as hell not in the same league.

artsunlimited

Why? How does re-encode make things worse? Is the streaming police trying to hold my high-quality content hostage? Re-encoding might not be perfect, but it's the only way to access stuff they're locking away from download. SD quality? No thanks, I'll take a little compression over nothing at all!
Kattanders

What's wild is SF thinking that new customers (or people whose license is about to renew) aren't going to check out the competition - but will still somehow decide go all in for a screen recorder that only delivers AAC 2-channel audio (which won't necessarily be synced due to re-encoding). Seriously, someone make it make sense. If AS had another payment method apart from crypto they'd probably be cleaning up at this point. Calling SF a "downloader," when it isn't any longer, is only gonna fly until people wise up and read either the reiews, or the comments on this forum.

Kattanders

What's wild is SF thinking that new customers (or people whose license is about to renew) aren't going to check out the competition - but will still somehow decide go all in for a screen recorder that only delivers AAC 2-channel audio (which won't necessarily be synced due to re-encoding). Seriously, someone make it make sense. If AS had another payment method apart from crypto they'd probably be cleaning up at this point. Calling SF a "downloader," when it isn't any longer, is only gonna fly until people wise up and read either the reiews, or the comments on this forum.
artsunlimited

I suspect most people downloading don't know the difference between stream download or screen record nor the technical aspects nor the vaious codecs and AAC or EAC simply are "letters" 'cause they don't have a high end sound system nor a hugh TV - and probably don't even know about this forum. They are happy to be able to download at all. Obviously some are even happy with SD (which indicates they don't know what re-encode actually is)... Then there is the fear about copyright and trying out another downloading platform would take too much guts.... The hardcore downloaders are probably torenting or go via newsgroups rather than using a streaming downloader service.
I currently download the screen recording stuff in the highest H.264 bitrate available and AAC and re-encode to H.265 NVEC middle quality - so far I did not have any syncing problems.

wyhtmgm

I currently download the screen recording stuff in the highest H.264 bitrate available and AAC and re-encode to H.265 NVEC middle quality - so far I did not have any syncing problems.
Kattanders

I do the same, except that I re-encode to H.265 using CRF to get smaller files. It would be nice to be able to control the encoding used by the screen recording instead, but that's unlikely. The extra step still gives quality that's good enough for me.

bricks

For me, it is mainly the audio track of the video that is important, since my language is not English. the video itself can be easily downloaded from a torrent and then remuxed to the desired audio track. aac two channels - the quality is deplorable.

Kattanders

I do the same, except that I re-encode to H.265 using CRF to get smaller files. It would be nice to be able to control the encoding used by the screen recording instead, but that's unlikely. The extra step still gives quality that's good enough for me.
wyhtmgm

I use Vidcoder which is utilising handbrake. CRF I think corresponds to Vidcoders CQ (constant quality) (bigger file for more complex video), while the CQ (constant quantisation) corresponds to Vidcoders "Average Bitrate" option meaning that you know the resulting filesize in advance. NVEC is just the envidia hardware encoding. I mostly use the average bitrate which also gives higher bit rate to complex scenes. In regard to CRF I still have not found a "perfekt" RF (CQ) value. I only have a 31.5 Inch 1080p TV so I don't really notice much quality difference between CQ20 and 30, however, the filesize if significantly different. What settings have you made good results with?

wyhtmgm

I use Vidcoder which is utilising handbrake. CRF I think corresponds to Vidcoders CQ (constant quality) (bigger file for more complex video), while the CQ (constant quantisation) corresponds to Vidcoders "Average Bitrate" option meaning that you know the resulting filesize in advance. NVEC is just the envidia hardware encoding. I mostly use the average bitrate which also gives higher bit rate to complex scenes. In regard to CRF I still have not found a "perfekt" RF (CQ) value. I only have a 31.5 Inch 1080p TV so I don't really notice much quality difference between CQ20 and 30, however, the filesize if significantly different. What settings have you made good results with?
Kattanders

For most FHD files I use CRF 29 with DVDFab 12. DVDFab 13 uses Unifab for converting, and I've avoided Unifab because of problems I had when it first came out, but 29 with DVDFab 12 seems to correspond to 30 or 31 with Unifab. I've been doing mainly animated FHD files lately. 29 is fine for that, but is perhaps marginal for live action and especially SD. When experimenting I look for the largest number (smallest file) where surfaces like walls looks good to my eye, and add 2. "Blinking" walls seems to be the first sign of quality problems.

NewMelle

also note that the competition no longer has the Lifetime license any longer.
october262

I'd have to be drugged, flogged, tortured, beaten, raped, stabbed and shot before I'd ever consider a lifetime license again. And even then it's iffy. SF has taught me a very expensive lesson indeed!

I don't re-encode myself as my system is starting to show it's gray muzzle and getting a little stiff in the joints. It was much easier to buy a pair of large external drives (Mirrored). A 16TB cost me $280. That's $0.0175 per Gig if my math is right (280 / 16000). I can recall a time when $280 wouldn't get you 10MB, the drive was the size of a Volkswagen, the controller card was extra and everything was command line in a 480K environment (even using loadhigh). Yes, I've been at it that damn long. :cool: If I were limited on storage space I probably would re-encode larger titles. Just set them up to bake overnight.

With regards to re-encoding. If I enjoyed watching sluggish progress bars and exponentially slower processing times I'd be in 7th heaven. That is not what I bought when I bought it. I will say I don't have Netflix so I can only imagine the pain there.

If a restaurant changes management and the food turns to shit I won't be eating there and I won't be back until I am absolutely certain they aren't still serving shit on a plate.

I look at it this way. You buy a diamond ring and some time later it shrinks and yellows. Would you just roll over and take it or be banging on the jeweler's door?

Chameleon

Can someone explain something to me, what is "Cover art" and what use is it?