RTL+ Rtl+ drm?

[Sebastian001]

Some RTL+ videos are analyzed at a lower bit rate. It mostly affects newer uploads. Normally it is always 7800. Please check whether it is a DRM change!

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[jpp72]

I already thought about that. But that would also be partially illogical. Because it is only partly like that. A few more facts from me. Maybe they'll help!

1. I was able to download this movie correctly with the high bitrate 14 days ago.

2. I downloaded the series CSI Cyber with 2 seasons. Season 1 was ok with the high bitrate. Season 2 with the low.

3. RTL + has taken some episodes of its own TV shows and reality shows offline. The reason is that you first have to recode for the new player on the new website, then they will be uploaded again.

I'm connected with 110 Mbit/s and tested with slower connections..
never got the 7800k cbr mpd in browser and always the same vbr mpd

I think it has changed bit by bit since last month, when api.tvnow.de was shut down.

So there you go Sebastian001. You have your answer. RTL+ made changes. It's not due to your network speed or StreamFab. Looks like they are moving away from the High@L4 CBR profile and moving towards the Main@L4 VBR profile (Which is more widely supported by players/hardware) it's probably a gradual thing.

The people behind the tool Germania is using figured out the CBR .mpd file is static apart from the video id and that is what they use to download the "better" version. I put better in quotes because people need to understand bigger does not mean better in a lot of cases.

[Sebastian001]

....
Log.zip

[Cats4U]

If it was a DRM change, you would get nothing. 4987 kbps is quite an acceptable bitrate. Bitrates have less effect on quality than most people think. Bigger is not always better and can sometimes make quality worse.

[Sebastian001]

Well, you may be right. you sometimes hear that 2160p doesn't have to be better than 1080p etc...

But that's not what it is about.
I don't want to put the problem into perspective.

It must be checked whether it is due to Streamfab or whether the videos actually only have this bit rate. I paid for it too. :-) The result of the file is even lower. She only has around 3xxx. The same problem was also checked on Max a few days ago. It was also about bit rates, which were suddenly much lower.

I even have a series that only wants to load 720p. Although it is actually supposed to be available in 1080p. So there must be something hidden.

[Sebastian001]

Mona Wilson.Wang

[Germania]

Some RTL+ videos are analyzed at a lower bit rate. It mostly affects newer uploads. Normally it is always 7800

rtl+ offer only fixed bitrates.

After checking the mpd file for 935946, there is only one bitrate at 1920x1080 resolution:

ID             EXT RESOLUTION FPS │   TBR
─────────────────────────────────────────
audio_1=128000 m4a                │  128k
audio_2=128000 m4a                │  128k
video=400000   mp4 640x360     25 │  400k
video=800000   mp4 640x360     25 │  800k
video=1400000  mp4 960x540     25 │ 1400k
video=2800000  mp4 960x540     25 │ 2800k
video=5800000  mp4 1280x720    25 │ 5800k
video=7800000  mp4 1920x1080   25 │ 7800k​

[jpp72]

Well, you may be right. you sometimes hear that 2160p doesn't have to be better than 1080p etc...

But that's not what it is about.
I don't want to put the problem into perspective.

It must be checked whether it is due to Streamfab or whether the videos actually only have this bit rate. I paid for it too. :-) The result of the file is even lower. She only has around 3xxx. The same problem was also checked on Max a few days ago. It was also about bit rates, which were suddenly much lower.

I even have a series that only wants to load 720p. Although it is actually supposed to be available in 1080p. So there must be something hidden.

A lot of streamers have now decided to optimize the encodes of their files because they realize it was very wasteful space wise and bandwidth wise. Amazon has done it, Netflix has done it and Max has done it.

It is very possible that your older files with higher bitrates were using the H264 Main Profile and newer files now use the H264 High Profile. We cannot know unless we see the MediaInfo output of both files.

As for knowing if it's a StreamFab issue or the site just changed their encoding settings, you can look inside the manifest file with a text editor.

For users who don't know how to find the manifest file, download it, open it and format it in a "readable" format, you can use the YoutubeToMP3Process.exe to list the available formats.

Here is how to do it:

In a Chromium based browser, install and enable .
Go to the media you wish to analyse and play it.

The icon for The Stream Detector will show a number for the amount of manifest and/or external subtitles it finds



Click the icon to open the dialog



Right-click the filename and copy the link

On your PC, open a command prompt and navigate to C:\Program Files\DVDFab\StreamFab\YoutubeDL

Run the command:

YoutubeToMP3Process.exe --allow-u -F TheURLYouCopiedFromTheStreamDetector

This will list all the formats available for that video, based on that manifest file.



If you are not comfortable using the command line, you can create a file on your desktop where you double-click and then paste the manifest URL.

All you need to do is copy the code below and paste it in a text editor. You then save it on your desktop with a .cmd or .bat extension. For example, MPD_Analysis.cmd (If you use Notepad, make sure it's not MPD_Analysis.cmd.txt):

@Echo off
REM **************************************
REM Analyze Manifest w/StreamFab or yt-dlp
REM
REM        (c) 2023-11-22 - jpp72
REM **************************************
setlocal ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
set /P "url=Please enter the URL of the video to analyze: "
Echo.
Echo 1: StreamFab
Echo 2: yt-dlp
Echo.
set /P "analyze=Please select the tool to use for the analysis: "
IF %analyze%==1 GOTO streamfab
IF %analyze%==2 GOTO ytdlp
echo Analyzing provided URL...
:streamfab
"C:\Program Files\DVDFab\StreamFab\YoutubeDL\YoutubeToMP3Process.exe" --allow-u -F "%url%"
GOTO done
:ytdlp
yt-dlp.exe -U --allow-u -F --cookies-from-browser edge "%url%"
GOTO done
:done
pause​

This file will let you pick if you want to analyze it with StreamFab or with yt-dlp. You can try with yt-dlp if StreamFab is using an older version of yt-dlp or if you need to be logged in to access the manifest file. It defaults to using the cookies from edge but you can switch that to chrome or firefox if that is what you are using to log into the website.

For the yt-dlp to work, it needs to be in your PATH or you can point directly to its location by editing the above code.

HTH,
Jack

[Cats4U]

Jack,
You just blew me away. What a post that was! Although I am very familiar with the subject and the methods of manifest reading, you simplified it so that almost everyone here could understand the concepts. It probably took me a month or two of reading on VideoHelp.com to gather the knowledge of what you presented in just one post. They know their stuff there but they rarely want to share to you but dribs or drabs. You gave it all. I actually bookmarked your post for safe keeping in case I forget any of the specifics.
In a rare expression of good sense DVDFab made you a Moderator here. In a PM to congratulate you I embarrassingly called you a Monitor. Truth is, it looks like you are going to be a Mentor to us all. You wrote "HTH". It sure did.

[jpp72]

Jack,
You just blew me away. What a post that was! Although I am very familiar with the subject and the methods of manifest reading, you simplified it so that almost everyone here could understand the concepts. It probably took me a month or two of reading on VideoHelp.com to gather the knowledge of what you presented in just one post. They know their stuff there but they rarely want to share to you but dribs or drabs. You gave it all. I actually bookmarked your post for safe keeping in case I forget any of the specifics.
In a rare expression of good sense DVDFab made you a Moderator here. In a PM to congratulate you I embarrassingly called you a Monitor. Truth is, it looks like you are going to be a Mentor to us all. You wrote "HTH". It sure did.

Thanks for the kind words!

After trying to see the issue for myself, i realized there will be many instances where i will not be able to test out issues on International sites, even with a VPN.

So i figured let's explain to people how to at least check the available formats as that is pretty easy

[Sebastian001]

rtl+ offer only fixed bitrates.

After checking the mpd file for 935946, there is only one bitrate at 1920x1080 resolution:

ID EXT RESOLUTION FPS │ TBR
─────────────────────────────────────────
audio_1=128000 m4a │ 128k
audio_2=128000 m4a │ 128k
video=400000 mp4 640x360 25 │ 400k
video=800000 mp4 640x360 25 │ 800k
video=1400000 mp4 960x540 25 │ 1400k
video=2800000 mp4 960x540 25 │ 2800k
video=5800000 mp4 1280x720 25 │ 5800k
video=7800000 mp4 1920x1080 25 │ 7800k​

Yes, that's how it was all along!

[Sebastian001]

A lot of streamers have now decided to optimize the encodes of their files because they realize it was very wasteful space wise and bandwidth wise. Amazon has done it, Netflix has done it and Max has done it.

It is very possible that your older files with higher bitrates were using the H264 Main Profile and newer files now use the H264 High Profile. We cannot know unless we see the MediaInfo output of both files.

As for knowing if it's a StreamFab issue or the site just changed their encoding settings, you can look inside the manifest file with a text editor.

For users who don't know how to find the manifest file, download it, open it and format it in a "readable" format, you can use the YoutubeToMP3Process.exe to list the available formats.

Here is how to do it:

In a Chromium based browser, install and enable .
Go to the media you wish to analyse and play it.

The icon for The Stream Detector will show a number for the amount of manifest and/or external subtitles it finds



Click the icon to open the dialog



Right-click the filename and copy the link

On your PC, open a command prompt and navigate to C:\Program Files\DVDFab\StreamFab\YoutubeDL

Run the command:

YoutubeToMP3Process.exe --allow-u -F TheURLYouCopiedFromTheStreamDetector

This will list all the formats available for that video, based on that manifest file.



If you are not comfortable using the command line, you can create a file on your desktop where you double-click and then paste the manifest URL.

All you need to do is copy the code below and paste it in a text editor. You then save it on your desktop with a .cmd or .bat extension. For example, MPD_Analysis.cmd (If you use Notepad, make sure it's not MPD_Analysis.cmd.txt):

@Echo off
REM **************************************
REM Analyze Manifest w/StreamFab or yt-dlp
REM
REM (c) 2023-11-22 - jpp72
REM **************************************
setlocal ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION
set /P "url=Please enter the URL of the video to analyze: "
Echo.
Echo 1: StreamFab
Echo 2: yt-dlp
Echo.
set /P "analyze=Please select the tool to use for the analysis: "
IF %analyze%==1 GOTO streamfab
IF %analyze%==2 GOTO ytdlp
echo Analyzing provided URL...
:streamfab
"C:\Program Files\DVDFab\StreamFab\YoutubeDL\YoutubeToMP3Process.exe" --allow-u -F "%url%"
GOTO done
:ytdlp
yt-dlp.exe -U --allow-u -F --cookies-from-browser edge "%url%"
GOTO done
:done
pause​

This file will let you pick if you want to analyze it with StreamFab or with yt-dlp. You can try with yt-dlp if StreamFab is using an older version of yt-dlp or if you need to be logged in to access the manifest file. It defaults to using the cookies from edge but you can switch that to chrome or firefox if that is what you are using to log into the website.

For the yt-dlp to work, it needs to be in your PATH or you can point directly to its location by editing the above code.

HTH,
Jack

Thanks in advance, I'm still trying out your instructions...

[Sebastian001]

I managed to save your code in a text file. After opening, the program asks me for the link and whether I want to take 1 or 2 for analysis. I take 1 the program runs and closes straight away. It happens so fast that I can't read anything. This is my example file. Maybe someone can test it with the URL.

https://plus.rtl.de/video-tv/filme/christmas-babysitter-dad-auf-probe-978910

https://vodnowusoawsdash.secure.footprint.net/p112/cves/sd/rtlplus/978910/2-1-1-1-2.ism/v1.mpd

[Sebastian001]

Here's how Stream Fab shows it and this is how the file actually comes out.

[jpp72]

I managed to save your code in a text file. After opening, the program asks me for the link and whether I want to take 1 or 2 for analysis. I take 1 the program runs and closes straight away. It happens so fast that I can't read anything. This is my example file. Maybe someone can test it with the URL.

If it flashes then that means you don't have the pause command at the end of the file. Make sure you copied the entire text.

As for the results, we get the same bitrate with StreamFab and yt-dlp so there is no problem with what StreamFab is showing.


One thing i find odd is the URL of the MPD file. It's in a folder named sd which is weird. Also having v1.mpd makes it look like there would be a v2 maybe? I tried v2, v3, v4, and v5 and they all show the same info.

Trying with hd instead of sd returns a 404.

Since you got the mpd file from your browser, it's clear it isn't because of a DRM change as your browser always uses the latest CDM required.

[Germania]

One thing i find odd is the URL of the MPD file. It's in a folder named sd which is weird. Also having v1.mpd makes it look like there would be a v2 maybe? I tried v2, v3, v4, and v5 and they all show the same info.

The sd mpd you/streamfab used is for non premium accounts.

For full 7800k this mpd is correct:
https://vodnowusoawsdash-a.akamaihd.net/p112/streaming/watch/978910/11-10000-1-1.ism/.mpd