Thanks, I'll have to give it a try.
AnyStream and StreamFab are used to rip content from streaming sites. Technically, it is violating the TOS for those services and is used alot for piracy.
The issue also with those software's, they rely on exploits to decrypt the DRM encryption used for those services. Which, often is changed/updated and break such software's. Which is the case recently, as Streamfab changelogs points out, there was a DRM change on Jan 25 and the software's has to be updated to work again to do proper rips and not captures(less quality as is re-encode/screen cap) You want Main profile rip for Netflix and most others, that is the best quality, highest bitrate etc.
Honestly, i do not understand why CDVR devs allows talk of these ripping software's... they are very picky about talking about IPTV services... and these software's are i guess, more a gray area, since you do have to actually pay for and subscribe to the streaming service you want to rip content from.
I have used SteamFab for a few things, and prefer it over Anystream.
They both cost way to much $$$. And like i mention before, can break/not work at any time. Its a risk.
I have tried to buy the software, but every card i try, transaction gets blocked as fraud... so i have to resort to other means to use the software.
Ive noticed for devs. Discussions they allow vs dont allow seem to be more on ethics then legal. I could be wrong. But that's my observation.
Its ethical to time-shift content you PAID for. For Anystrem/streamfab you have to pay Prime/Netflix/HBO etc. So the content providers/creaters are still being conpensated. So it seems mildly unethical.
With IPTV you are paying a 3rd party. None of that money goes to providers/creaters. Since they are not being paid. Its very unethical.
What are your thoughts?
2 Likes
I think, this is not the place to discuss such things in any sort of depth... mods will just lock thread.
3 Likes
So it is ok to talk about Playon but not others isn't Playon doing screen scraping and bypassing DRM ?
1 Like
Screen capturing might violate TOS but im pretty sure is covered by Time-Shifting laws (you know, that old famous lawsuit)
Whereas Anystream and StreamFab are actually decrypting the stream. That would not be protected
As a result Playon is both ethical and legal.
I can tell you that I will continue to use channels for HDMI and chrome capture if sports keeps moving to streaming (and away from TVE), because watching live sports sucks with all the ads and some of them are forcing you to watch everything live, e.g. Peacock used to let you watch from beginning and now doesn't.
There's no way I'm watching a lot of stuff like NASCAR races with all the ads they stuff in, I have to be able to either stream from beginning with skip or be able to record and skip. So HDMI is the answer right now even though it is a moving target hack with a lot of these apps.
2 Likes
- AnyStream performs the exact same function as PlayOn. I don't know the technical details of how they get there, and they are not my concern.
- AnyStream has fixed their credit card problem with all cards except CitiBank who thinks they are a BitCoin exchange..
- I spent about 2 hours searching the internet looking up the legality of AnyStream before I made my purchase. I found no solid information to back up claims of illegality.
- If Netflix, Paramount, Disney... Had strong claims of illegality, don't you think they could shut them down, or at lease publish specific information? Remember Locast?
PlayOn, AnyStream, AND Channels (TVE) are all doing things the streaming companies are not happy with. Everyone is playing the game of the never ending changing streams that require constant tuning to keep things up and running. We are lucky that the Channels Devs are so good at this that TVE keeps working as well as it does.
2 Likes
Pretty sure that those streaming services want you to stream, not download offline copies of content, that you can then share with others. And they do combat such things, by updating, changing their DRM and such. Which is what breaks those programs. Just look at StreamFabs change logs recently.
As it is now, new released vids can only be gotten in much lower quailty.
These programs have to defeat the DRM and it is not like those streaming services give them the decrypt keys. They have to use exploits and cracks etc. It matters not what ripping software, AnyStream, StreamFab, PlayOn, if they are doing a web download, and not a screen capture, they have to remove DRM and output a perfectly good, DRM free .mp4/mkv etc that the user can play anywhere they want.
Due to the DRM upgrade at 2024/01/25, when downloading the newly released videos from the streaming services with StreamFab, you may encounter some download failure problems
Due to the upgraded DRM schemes applied on Jan. 25, some issus have been fixed timely in this new version, however, we still need more time to correct all the other problems.
Fix: For Amazon/Hulu/Paramount+/Roku/Joyn/RTL Plus/Rakuten TV/NHK+/Lemino/FOD/Shahid/DMM/Fanza/ITVX/TUBI/MGStage, most of the videos can be downloaded as usual, only the newly released ones will switch to the new re-encoding mode. (The audio quality is down to AAC in this mode, and the download speed will also be slightly affected but the video quality remains almost close to the original.)
newest version
- Download mode is back to normal.
- For Amazon, the newly released videos can be downloaded as 540p and EAC3 5.1.
- For Max, the newly released videos can be download as 720p.
- For the listed other services, the video and audio quality are same as before.
NOTE: For Netflix, Amazon 1080p video quality and the other services, we are still on working.
Honestly though, all this thread turned into is talk about ripping content from providers, and then what? Importing them into Channels as content?
How is this related to "What will Channels Become after TVE?"
TVE is linear content, live tv etc.
Ripping and putting local content is not the same thing.
And that has been going in for ages, by most people, anyone using Plex or Emby etc too
Channels DVR will remain if TVE is gone, for use with its other features, like OTA, m3u, custom channels etc.
@maddox @eric Does this thread really need to continue....its way off topic already.
@speedingcheetah Why is it that you care so much about what other people are using to download? ... I am sure you us Playon so let those that use an alternative use what they want.
1 Like
I don't, others here seem very adamit to defend and praise what they use, since they keep posting about it giving detailed reasons to their own way they came about to legalize/justify using it. I just state what the real issue with them is, technically, they don't always work, not reliable, and DRM updates break them... facts. They have risks/issues same as TVE does, things change, that make them incompatible. Relying on ripping programs, is no different than relying on TVE.
EDIT: Also, Streamfab is superior to AnyStream, as it can rip the "Main" profile version for Netflix, which is the best quality you can get. High profile is VBR, less overall bitrate, smaller file, and has much more compression artifacts. It can also rip 4K HEVC, HDR10+/DV versions of things if offered. It has been a while since i used AnyStream, so perhaps they have gotten better, but when i used it several months back, had nothing but issues with it. just sharing my experience ymmv.
Speaking of TVE I got all my Channels back thanks @eric @tmm1.... back to 170 Channels after being down to 140.
2 Likes
It not copy, thats The Save Icon.
Why 3D Print the Save Icon?
I copied oregon trail from the computer lab at school in 1994. All did for me was to infect my 486 66MHz PC with a virus. Had to reload windows 3.1 with like 12 seperate floppy discs LOL
3 Likes
We traded 3 inch floppies of Mac games in elementary school. I had a cool 512ke with the whopping 20MB SCSI hard drive.
Still have it in the garage.
3 Likes
Wow, you guys must have been seriously rich! I had to travel to another school to work on the Apple IIe in the late 80's, and finally saved enough money to grab a commodore 64.
Slampman, although I don't remember many issues with viruses in 94, if you had one, my college roommates probably created it. On the other hand, they also created the first massive multiplayer games of the late 90's and spearheaded banking security shortly thereafter.
Omg that's amazing. I still get kick out of folks calling 3.5" disks "floppies"