Complaint Amazon, Netflix... DRM-Fix

[NewMelle]

Netflix is still a bit of an enigma but Amazon is NOT. At least not for a number of other streaming solutions. I've said before "I learned more by figuring out how the other guy did it than I did by any other means" so where's the problem? With all the Chibsons flooding eBay I don't think copying someone else could possibly be an issue.

[Sebastian001]

Using DeepL to translate the Chinese:

"What about Amazon and Netflix DRM keys?

We finally want a true download mode again.

The website has not changed after 3 months! Where are the notifications for Streamfab using the Clevergate method now ?"

Marty92

[Marty92]

Using DeepL to translate the Chinese:

"What about Amazon and Netflix DRM keys?

We finally want a true download mode again.

The website has not changed after 3 months! Where are the notifications for Streamfab using the Clevergate method now ?"

[peter777]

Just use a translator, or mark Translate with the right mouse button in Edge... It doesn't say anything other than when will the DRM be fixed. Maybe it will do more in Chinese!

I used a translator but it translates always from English to German - not from Mandarin to German/English!

[Sebastian001]

Plugged it into Google Translate and this is what I got. Makes perfect sense now.

it should also be a message for Wilson...

[NewMelle]

Plugged it into Google Translate and this is what I got. Makes perfect sense now.

[Sebastian001]

What does that mean? Could you please translate from Mandarin?

Just use a translator, or mark Translate with the right mouse button in Edge... It doesn't say anything other than when will the DRM be fixed. Maybe it will do more in Chinese!

[peter777]

Wilson.Wang Mona DVDFab Staff 的 Amazon 和 Netflix DRM 金鑰怎麼樣？ 我們終於又想要真正的下載模式了。

網站3個月後沒有任何變化！ Streamfab 現在使用 Clevergate 方法的通知在哪裡？

What does that mean? Could you please translate from Mandarin?

[Sebastian001]

Wilson.Wang Mona DVDFab Staff 的 Amazon 和 Netflix DRM 金鑰怎麼樣？ 我們終於又想要真正的下載模式了。

網站3個月後沒有任何變化！ Streamfab 現在使用 Clevergate 方法的通知在哪裡？

[Cats4U]

Hi Cats4U, first of all i am glad you are still sticking round at the forum.

Thanks, but I don't know how often I'll be here in the future. I'm here now just to clear up a few misconceptions. I'm not using StreamFab anymore. Just torrenting. It's real nice that I don't have to wake up at 5am (or stay up all night) in order to download my wife's shows before she wakes up. 3 minutes after a show airs (or even before) I can download a show from my torrent sites and go to bed at a reasonable time. With streaming, you have to wait until the next morning. Since Disney took over HULU it is at, I believe, 9am EST. It used to be at 5:30am EST.

You seem to know about the clever get, however, Is this really how Streamfab works currently?

CleverGet (aka re-encoding) is exactly as I described. It is just a sped up video screen recording. Even Wilson acknowledged the method they were using when asked.

[Kattanders]

...If anything, it should be known as the CleverGet method...

Hi Cats4U, first of all i am glad you are still sticking round at the forum.
You seem to know about the clever get, however, Is this really how Streamfab works currently? Based on following the progress downloading "new" content, everything is downloaded in encrypted junks. Then the download is finished and processing starts. The junks are merged together into one large encryped file file (the progress bar doesn't move yet and it takes some time for the merge). Next the progress bar moves very slowly - as far as I understood SF runs the encryped file through Widevine and make use of some hook, grabbing the decoded content frame by frame. encoding them to H264. After this, audios are multiplexed with the newly encoded video producing the ready video file as MKV or MP3. From my findings I had no sync problems and even the frames per second match the original conent as well as the resolution of the original. Also I do not see that ads are included in th downloaded material. Anyways. I'd be happy to learn what really goes on behind the scenes :-)

[Cats4U]

So I really think it's downloading a low res video, and just rescaling it to an "HD" video.

For the gazillionth time, that is not what re-encoding does. It is a misnomer. The result of a Chinese misuse of the English language. There is no rescaling or re-encoding involved. If anything, it should be known as the CleverGet method of downloading. It is simply a modified video recording method. This is an example of how it works: Because the user is locked out of doing a 1080p L3 download because they do not have the latest L3 DRM key, they do a screen recording of the video. The screen recording is done on the display from a regular browser, which has the newest DRM built-in. This display is at 1080p (or greater, if available). In order to save time, the video is sped up, two or more times. In other words, for a one-hour show it is displayed and video recorded in half an hour or better. When the screen recording is finished, during processing, the video is slowed down to the correct speed, and if there are any commercials, they are removed. The CleverGet method is known for its sync problems. The commercial removal process is usually where the sync problems appear, but even a few milliseconds miscalculations can ruin a whole video's sync, especially near the end of the video. Another problem with the CleverGet method is that you need fast memory and storage, otherwise you risk losing data. You'll probably run into problems with an old computer with slow RAM and a hard drive for storage (especially if that hard drive is seriously fragmented.) The CleverGet method (aka "re-encoding") is not worth the bother. Stick with 6.1.6.7, which is the last non-"re-encoding" update. You may not get the full resolution that you hope for but, for now, until the DRM gets fixed, you'll have the direct streaming download that you paid big money for. If you must use a video screen recording method, it is best to go with a "1 to 1" screen recorder, meaning one that records a one-hour show in one hour. Even then, it is best to use a newer computer with fast RAM and fast SSD storage.

[NewMelle]

Although it may improve things I don't feel I paid good money only to manually patch a program that should by all rights not require it. I'm not interested in fixing their software, I'm only interested in them justifying the money I paid them.

I tested 6.1.7.3 with mixed results. I strongly suspect it is still re-encoding. I use Road House 2024 as a test vid both because it was released post 1-25-24 and also included with Prime so development doesn't have to rent it when I report issues via the ticket system (leaving ZERO room for excuses). The release notes only indicate a fix for the 702 error code. DRM is still an issue.

It took 1 hour and 23 minutes to complete the video. A movie that is 2 hours and 3 minutes long. StreamClient.exe did not crash during analysis but that took quite a while. Numerous times the counters either froze for a minute or two or began counting backwards. StreamClient.exe did crash during "processing" but remuxing completed. In contrast the same video at the same resolution took about 41 minutes to complete using an alternate "solution." Draw your own conclusions.

Technically it did work. But so do hand grenades with about the same accuracy and efficacy. I did not test any episodic TV series. I'm sure as I type this someone is.

[smithbrad]

Strange, because I've noticed when I select an episode (just tried it with that new Fallout series), I select the highest resolution (2.5GB file size), and if I immediately go to the download tab, I can see it analysing the video. And when it starts downloading, for just an instant, it shows it's downloading a 5XX MB file and then it jumps to a 2.5GB file.
The download is very quick too, like it would normally take to download a real 5XX MB file (nowhere near what it would take to download a 2.5GB file), and then it needs time to recode, and the result is a 2.5GB file.
So I really think it's downloading a low res video, and just rescaling it to an "HD" video.

Not based on my experience, but I'm not using the latest version. The results I've seen would seem to justify what you quoted from "JeffDavis"

I was downloading a TV series in HD before the DRM change, after when it was coming down as SD, and then later when re-encoding was introduced. Before the DRM change, I was originally getting 2.4GB HD files. After, I was clearly getting 700MB SD files. When the re-encode was introduced I started getting 800MB HD files (1/3 the size of the original HD files). The reason I feel confident that the re-encode is from the larger HD file and not an upscale of an SD file, is from visual inspection of the video. The differences between the original HD and the later SD are night and day. The differences between the re-encoded file and the other two is much closer to the HD than the SD. There is just no way an upscale from SD to HD could look that good with the amount of detail included. Based on visual inspection, I can only conclude that the re-encode is a further compression of the HD file and not an upconvert of an SD file.

[spolli]

Strange, because I've noticed when I select an episode (just tried it with that new Fallout series), I select the highest resolution (2.5GB file size), and if I immediately go to the download tab, I can see it analysing the video. And when it starts downloading, for just an instant, it shows it's downloading a 5XX MB file and then it jumps to a 2.5GB file.
The download is very quick too, like it would normally take to download a real 5XX MB file (nowhere near what it would take to download a 2.5GB file), and then it needs time to recode, and the result is a 2.5GB file.
So I really think it's downloading a low res video, and just rescaling it to an "HD" video.

I haven't updated to the newest version yet. Yesterday dl Fallout S01 and they all were about 3 gigs..