Filesharing by subscription

Since long, I've been a huge fan of podcasts, to the point that I don't listen to much music during the days, there's just too much interesting podcasts I want to hear. This is all fine and dandy, except for video. I still get the Swedish news through "podd-tv", but what's offered as pod-tv is pretty limited, both because it demands a lot more resources to distribute and it seems content owners are a lot less relaxed about releasing video for download than they are about audio.

So, what to do if you want to follow The Daily Show, your absolutely friendliest and most amusing newscomedy show ever, you have a computer connected to the TV, you're hopeless about watching shows as it airs but there is no-one willing to offer what you want for legal download? Well, you circumvent it. If you imagine a podcast, that's an "RSS feed" but except for only being able to download a file linked from each item, your software downloads a .torrent metafile which is then used to download the actual file using P2P Bittorrent. It's called broadcatching, it is a super-cheap way for anyone to distribute content without buying all the bandwidth which would be necessary to provide the content to each of the clients. It's still a little bit messy, not many programs provide the feature, but it's very flexible and useful.

To get this straight, this won't plug into iTunes or your podcast software, but currently into your Bittorrent client. Several articles online suggest using either of several RSS plugins for Azureus / Vuze but since that was crashing and has become super-bloated since I last touched it, I prefer µTorrent even if that means running it under Wine (which to my surprise works excellently!).

What you need to broadcatch is of course some RSS feeds, for example those of the Pirate Bay. Pick the one of the category you want to watch, and here's the little quirk from regular podcasting, create a filter to catch only the content you're interested in, and just relax as your favourite shows arrive while you're sleeping! (Some shows you want to activate the downloads manually for, when there are duplicate or bad releases)

In other news, again proving Bittorrent as a strong option for distribution of large content when you just can't afford (or want to spend your money on something better) to pay for all the bandwidth, check out how the newly released Wikipedia Schools Edition DVD shares the load as it is released on Bittorrent.

Sleepless with Spotify

Tonight I can't sleep, nose being stuffed and running at the same time, the cough has started, you sneeze and muscles you didn't know you had cramps and you lay asleep breathing slower and slower through one nostril until realizing you're not falling asleep, you're suffocating. So I got up and make myself some tea and share some creativity. Do you have any other good suggestions, what do you do when you have a cold? Don't tell me about the garlic or the vodka socks, I have realized that what I hate besides having a cold is having a cold with the aftertaste of garlic, and I know other uses of vodka which are much less superstitious.

Anyway, through friends of friends, I have just received an invitation to beta-test the much haussed music service Spotify (and this time I won't let it go to waste! :-P ). All friends who have tried it have gone Spotify-crazy, and maybe, just maybe I can understand why. Essentially it can rightfully be summarized as a crossbreed of Skype, last.fm, iTunes Store and Bittorrent (indeed they have hired the original creator of μTorrent who happens to be my old school-mate who surely won't remember me). And it's legal!

The cool features I notice right away are dual - first, you have access to a ton of music legally, for free in a light client, and you can play any of it with the ease of a few clicks. I've seen several of those things done before, but not all at once, for obvious reasons :-). Secondly, you can share and attach music with friends and and on the web without transmitting any files, just make a link like such: "Right now I am listening to Johnny Cash - American V". The social internet will have to give way to the musical internet! More updates as soon as I discover anything cool.


(Update: Another very pleasant thing about Spotify is the very clean interface. No fuss, just a very simple and good interface, except it is unfashionably black, but what the heck. One thing I'm curious about is whether they expect to actually catch the long tail of music and not just the hits? They seem to have somewhat of such an ambition, but I notice they have only one of the three Kjell Höglund albums I have, that's weak!

Oh and that's so cool, since noticing this blog post my university mate mentioned above got in touch over Skype. An extremely cool dude and great fun to get in touch with! I also noticed in the invitation letter from Spotify that I was requested to not post screenshots, but since they're already here and there over Google, I'll just hope they don't complain at me if I keep my head down. Sorry, it was a mistake, honestly)

(Update 2: Don't miss my candid pictures from the Spotify office, or my other posts about Spotify)



(Update 3: it24 has a particularly interesting article (translated here) though they're claiming "Spotify is [primarily?] living off the hype")

(Update 4: It's quite funny how Buzz Out Loud (CNET article here) labels Spotify as "a service available to everyone else [than the USA]" now they finally notice it. Also, thanks go to Judith and Martin for linking to this post)

Piracy Monday!

I got remarks on yesterday's creative commons post that I didn't include some also very significant films / clips, so to better myself here's another bunch of clips, this time focused more on actual piracy and filesharing, not so much enabling creativity. What I consider the so far most groundbreaking work in this category is probably Piratbyrån Walpurgis 2007: Four Shreddings and a Funeral (also available in Swedish). There's a video for it too, but it's not as good by far, the text is really thoughtworthy.

The videos can by their very nature be downloaded for free, but I chose to link to youtube below. Enjoy! :

Good Copy, Bad Copy:

(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6)

Steal this film I:

(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4)

Steal this film II:

(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5)

My public keys

It's a bit silly with all the FRA-debate, but I figured I should anyway publish my public keys / certificate properly. Do note that the corresponding private keys are just kept encrypted with passphrases on my disks, thus not as reliable as if kept in some security tokens (I will however get some soon).

My X.509 / S/MIME certificate:

$ openssl x509 -in mail.der -fingerprint
SHA1 Fingerprint=D1:50:3A:C3:76:FD:37:95:58:4D:A4:F1:A9:1E:D4:F9:49:0C:8C:95
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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-----END CERTIFICATE-----

My PGP / GnuPG public key:

Key fingerprint = 0349 0021 407D 9955 A3B5 FC18 1294 5939 1766 8EFA
-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.8 (Darwin)
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=uo2X
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

Since I got OneSwarm, my friends may go ahead and add me:

MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCFhFi8f
wtqFA1mf3LbIrVvhj2Z15hzVM0R5BWZtUhO852salZc0g
xI9vHIvD+2AInT01HcIvDTkJlQ2vebomJOhO69NqkJhHG
rVfpWYZAQLYCrM19lmu4cFAM4+uakI0sSeNh0iuzISQBS
VL2e5Al8vNTIoTfAXEnD4q+VJX/7uQIDAQAB

(Update: I had some issues with that the GnuPG key was expired, so I had to update that and get it onto a keyserver. The fingerprint is unchanged, and I will probably get myself Aladdin eToken PRO or an AET CrypToken any day now)

(Update 2: Now I have managed to securely generate and store on an Aladdin eToken PRO my X.509 / S/MIME certificate, so that's a new one now)

(Update 3: I got OneSwarm, so I added my public keys here as well)

(Update 4: I changed laptop and the server is offline currently, so changed one OneSwarm keys)

How to download webradio and webtv, RealMedia (RTSP) or Windows Media (MMS) streams easily - a comprehensive ripping tutorial

Now that it's once again time for P1 Sommar (check out my talker schedule!) for me it also means it's time to freshen up the streaming media dumping skills. I happen to enjoy my webradio with music left in rather than the crippled music-less media files Swedish Radio / SVT provide. Below I in three (an optional fourth) steps show that there is little practical difference between providing something through a streaming media protocol or providing it for download - it is pretty easy to download and save it for later anyway.

The case is pretty simple - when you listen to webradio or webtv, the browser window commonly embeds a player which is given the URL of a "playlist" provided over regular HTTP. The playlist however contains the URL of the actual media stream, commonly "hidden" to only be accessible using a streaming media protocol like RTSP or MMS. Media providers think (or hope, or assume, it doesn't really matter) that players able to receive these protocols will not allow the user to save the media stream to be replayed later and thus are more relaxed about letting licensed content be broadcasted through streaming media protocols. Fortunately using an open-source player like MPlayer or a download manager like FlashGet, also media streams can be saved like a charm.

The gray areas of radio ripping is discussed over at copyriot.se (in Swedish) and also don't miss out my list of great SR and SVT shows with all URLs conveniently in one place. Curiously this is not a simple case of piracy - the DMCA would surely be quick to decide, but there are plenty of arguable fair use purposes for stream ripping such as saving the content for replay later, bringing it with you on a portable player or converting it into a suitable format. The case is especially strong for content which is anyway broadcasted over analog radio or TV and as such are anyway freely available. However, IANAL, do this on your own risk and don't break any applicable laws.

1. Open the source code of the page or frame the regular player is embedded in. Get the playlist SRC by looking for the player object parameter "PARAM NAME="SRC" VALUE="...". However, what comes after "VALUE=" commonly does not start with "http://" and thus is a relative URL, see the next point for where to find the base location to be able to download the playlist. Update: You can also try right-clicking on the Real Player embedded in the page and selecting "Copy clip URL" instead of even touching the source code
   
   
   
   
   If the playlist SRC above was a relative URL, get the base location from the location displayed in the frame or page info:
   
   
   
   
2. Add the location and the playlist name together to download the playlist from that URL. The playlist then contains the stream URL at a line saying "src=":

   $ wget -O "030702 Mustafa Can.ram" "http://www.sr.se/webbradio/include/CreatePlaylist.asp?Type=db&Id=1115295&broadcastDate=&IsBlock=0&AudioFormat=1&AvailableAudioFormats=1"
   $ grep src "030702 Mustafa Can.ram"
   <audio src="rtsp://lyssna-rm.sr.se/isidor/p1/2008/04/47_webb_rh_sthlm_mustafa_cans_sommar_2_jul_p1-063383a05_376ff8c2_r2.rm"/>
   



3. Download the stream with a program capable of receiving the protocol at hand (see wikipedia lists for rtsp:// and mms://, though I know for a fact some download programs like FlashGet for Windows or CocoaJT for Mac (in French ?!) and others listed here are also very capable of that). Below I use MPlayer, which works the same both for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X (except under Windows the binary is mplayer.exe, and under Mac OS X you should use /Applications/MPlayer OS X 2.app/Contents/Resources/mplayer.app/Contents/MacOS/mplayer ):
   

   
   $ mplayer -dumpfile "030702 Mustafa Can.rm" -dumpstream "rtsp://lyssna-rm.sr.se/isidor/p1/2008/04/47_webb_rh_sthlm_mustafa_cans_sommar_2_jul_p1-063383a05_376ff8c2_r2.rm"
   



4. If you want to, edit the audio with Audacity, convert it to mp3 with lame or even iTunes. Video you can edit with JayCut and convert with FFmpeg or any from the jungle of mediocre video conversion tools there are out there, like Handbrake for Mac OS X or Videora iPod Converter for Windows.
   
   A note about file types, with RealMedia the playlist is a .ram file and the audio or video contained in .ra, .rv, .rm or .rmvb streams. With Windows Media, the playlist file is commonly an .asx or .asf file containing a .wmv or .wma stream. Also, in an .asx file, the stream address is found by the href parameter. I have not looked currently looked into ripping other formats such as Quicktime or Flash video.

And friends, remember sharing is caring!

(Update: I found out that my MPlayer OS X is both a bit outdated and while it has RTSP-streaming support, it doesn't seem to have the RealMedia codec. So to be able to decode the .rm to .wav on my mac before I clean it up in Audacity and export to wav, I found out the monster package of codes FFmpeg (it's Mac gui sister program is the somewhat less reliable FFmpegX) of course does it excellently like this:

$ ffmpeg -i foo.rm foo.wav

I also checked out the blogger exertia who seems to like Videolan/VLC, but while it's better maintained than MPlayer OS X, it didn't help me this time)