problem using StreamBox VCR, ASFrecorder

launch (http://launch.yahoo.com/) recently started using a new technique to prevent people from ripping the streamed videos they offer. well, i've figured out how to get the real URLs of the videos, but when i try to use ASFrecorder or StreamBox VCR to capture the streams, all i get is the audio. here is an example of a url:
mms://l5.dallas.broadcast.com/wm.broadcast.com/broot3/BusShare09/launch.com/13/2642849.wmv

when you just click on that URL and let windows media player open it, it has video, but when you try to use a program to save the file, it only gets audio. does anyone know how the server is detecting the difference or how to evade this detection?

 

do you know of any links to information about these tweaks? i'd be willing to try to fix the ASFrecorder source to work around the tweaks, if i knew what they were. also, i was able to rip version 8 videos from microsoft's site. i don't have the link, but they showcase the format's ability for high quality with a cristina aguilera video shudder, which i was able to rip rather easily. that leads me to believe it must be a "tweak" which can be turned on or off depending on server settings, etc.

 

http://launchtoday.launch.yahoo.com...88b4f91466e84a23fa2511ebbf8&isAdmin=&z=ms.asx

this one plays the top ten video continuesely. I still can't use the asfrecoder, first time it hangs, now it just crash.

 

i can get the exact URL of any of the videos (as i did in the first post here), but i still cannot get ASFrecorder to record any video, it only records audio. i gave up on the whole thing a while ago.

 

Solution offered on other webites is to turn off autodetect streaming format and choose mms: over http

Good luck

 

Can you guys tell me how to extract those URLs from launch.com ?
Thanks

 

it's a long process... start by right-clicking somewhere in the frame of the popup window which contains the video, and clicking View Source. then, somewhere in the javascript you will find the first URL. if it isn't shown in comments, then you will have to figure it out from a combination of the page's url (in "Properties" when right-click) and the javascript code. it should be explicitly given in the comments, though, unless they change the code as a result of this explanation. put that URL in a new browser window, and it should pop up a windows media player session. from that, you can get the URL of the asx file. put THAT in a new window, and then find out what the temporary asx file is on your computer. Temporary Internet Files/[random numbers/letters]/filename.asx, or wherever your browser is set to. open that asx file with Wordpad (not MS Word or notepad), and it should give you the explicit mms:// URL of the video. hope you have better luck getting the video part rather than just the sound.

 

<%
'CopyLeft June 08,2002 by Sorbitol
'Save All Text to SomeFile.asp
'Run On Webserver
'In FormBox type Launch.yahoo.com Video ID (Hold Mouse over Link to PLay Video)
'Use Streambox to Capture Video!!
vn = Request.Querystring("vn")

Function URLDecode(Expression)
Dim strSource, strTemp, strResult
Dim lngPos
strSource = Replace(Expression, "+", " ")
For lngPos = 1 To Len(strSource)
strTemp = Mid(strSource, lngPos, 1)
If strTemp = "%" Then
If lngPos + 2 < Len(strSource) Then
strResult = strResult & _
Chr(CInt("&H" & Mid(strSource, lngPos + 1, 2)))
lngPos = lngPos + 2
End If
Else
strResult = strResult & strTemp
End If
Next
URLDecode = strResult
End Function

Function GUID()
GUID = server.createobject ("scriptlet.typelib").guid
GUID = replace(guid,"{","")
GUID = replace(guid,"}","")
GUID = replace(guid,"-","")
GUID = cstr(left(guid,len(guid)-2))
end Function

Function GetPlayString(vn)
If VN <> "" then
A1 = "http://launchtoday.launch.yahoo.com/player/medialog.asp?v="
A2 = VN & "&csi=385400072&b=300"
A3 = "&playGUID=" & GUID
A4 = "&show=p%2F3%2Exml&origin=35"
A5 = "&userGUID=" & GUID & "&clientID=1"
A6 = "&segment=2&sk=726kstguesj1g4cfb40be&z=ms.asx"
GetPlayString = A1 & A2 & A3 & A5 & A4 & A6
Else
GetPlayString = ""
End If
End Function

File = GetPlaystring(vn)

Function GetYahoo1()
If vn <> "" Then
Dim xml, Dummy
Set xml = Server.CreateObject("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP")
xml.Open "GET", File, False
xml.Send
GetYahoo1= xml.responseText
Set xml = Nothing
Else
GetYahoo1= ""
End If
End Function

Function GetYahoo2(Link1)
If vn <> "" Then
Dim xml
Set xml = Server.CreateObject("MSXML2.ServerXMLHTTP")
xml.Open "GET", Link1, False
xml.Send
GetYahoo2 = xml.responseText
Set xml = Nothing
Else
GetYahoo2 = ""
End If
End Function

Function YahooSid2File()
If vn <> "" Then
Dummy = "http://mediaframe.yahoo.com/buildlist.asp?"
Dummy = Dummy & "sid="
Dummy = Dummy & Replace(GetYahooVideo,"!","")
Dummy = Dummy & "&m=wmv&r=300"
YahooSid2File = Dummy
Else
YahooSid2File = ""
End If
End Function

YahooVideoFileLink = GetYahoo2(GetYahoo1)
%>

<html>
<head>
<title>Yahoo Launch Hack</title>
</head>
<body>
<form name="main">Enter the Yahoo Launch Video Number: <br>
<input type="text" name="VN" size="20"/><br>
<input type="submit" value="Create Link"/><br>
<hr>
<% If vn <> "" Then %>
<script>
function copyit(field) {
field.focus();
field.select();
document.execCommand("Copy");
copiedtext=window.clipboardData.getData("Text");
}
</script>
<textarea name="YahooVideoURL" rows="8" cols="80" readonly>
<%=YahooVideoFileLink%>
</textarea>
<br>
<INPUT TYPE="button" VALUE="Copy Text To ClipBoard" onClick="copyit(this.form.YahooVideoURL)">
<br>
<OBJECT ID="mediaPlayer"
CLASSID="CLSID:22d6f312-b0f6-11d0-94ab-0080c74c7e95"
CODEBASE="http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab"
STANDBY="Loading Microsoft Windows Media Player components..."
TYPE="application/x-oleobject">
<PARAM NAME="fileName" VALUE="<%=YahooVideoFileLink%>">
<PARAM NAME="animationatStart" VALUE="true">
<PARAM NAME="transparentatStart" VALUE="true">
<PARAM NAME="autoStart" VALUE="false">
<PARAM NAME="showControls" VALUE="true">
</OBJECT><br>
<a href="http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_software/audio_tools/streambox_vcr.cfm">Streambox</a>

<% End If %>
</form>
</body>
</html>

 

If you enjoy my above code which will give you the mms:// file for any launch.yahoo.com video please post a thank you to this message board!!

Sorbitol!

 

To see code in use: http://www25.brinkster.com/nlamprecht/launch/default.asp

To download optimized version: http://www25.brinkster.com/nlamprecht/launch/launch.txt

 

Hi,

I'd like to download the BMW Film "Follow" by director Wong Kar Wai which has been taken off the site for unexplained reasons.

I found an alternative URL but I can't download it through Media Player.

mms://a1359.m.akastream.net/7/1359/3261/v001/fallon.download.akamai.com/3261/films/maeo670cch_WMV_300k.wmv

I guess I won't be able to use the BMW Film Player to download it either.

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help.

 

Good work with the code for the URL's - but I still only get the audio section of the file? Streambox will detect that a file is e.g. 9.6MB, but will complete downloading at 5.2MB with no video. I've tried changing the protocol from auto to MMS(TCP), MMS(HTTP) etc but no difference. Any suggestions anyone? TIA

 

yeah, i said that finding the mms:// url is pretty simple (although that makes it easier), but the problem is using a program to capture the stream. i guess no one else has suggestions as to how to trick the server into believing you are really windows media player? it probably wouldn't entail too much alteration of the source code for either StreamBox or ASFrecorder, and ASFrecorder came with the source code, so i could probably alter it, or someone could.

 

sorry, i thought the link provided would work for both audio and video. however, in the meantime I have discovered http://www.sputnik7.com/vod/index.jsp which seems to have plenty of stuff to offer and is relatively simple to work out the file name for streambox

 

Thanx for the nice mms URL extraction tool sorbitol!!

Hopefully this will help me yield better results from launch.com ... because so far... it's been a rough road.

1

 

If you have any problems with the above code, post a reply here and I will see what I can do...I have not checked it if still works with launch in about 6 weeks but it should be good....

 

That asp-based app you posted seems to be a great shortcut.

However, I am experiencing the same results as untheist. It seems like the file is being recorded properly... the percentage rate slowly climbs.. but then at about 54% .. the download completes and I have no video.. only audio

Guess the admins at launch.com know how to foil the exploits of Streambox_VCR!?

1

 

Has anyone figured out the Yahoo Launch video thing yet? I still haven't been able to get anything from them except the audio portions of the music video using ASF Recorder. The whole file downloads (or appears to), but when I play the file, all I get is audio.