FAO: PMJ

I know you download BBC radio programmes - so do I using Net-Transport.

Tickettyboo...

Only the Archers, years of it but not for personal consumption, or so he

pmj...

Actually I do also Download (some) other stuff.

pmj...

LOL!

Yep - I seem to have accumulated about 22 GB of it on my Hard Disk! -
That's every Episode (& all the Omnibus Editions as well), from 2001
to now...
(the stuff prior to 2001 that I had on Hard Disk I deleted & it's only
on CD now)

Some of the 22 GB of Files on the Hard Disk (about 13 GB, from 2001
& 2002) is actually .WAV Files (from when I used to Record it (live)
from the FM Radio Tuner Card), but the rest of it (about 9.75 GB)
since then (4, years) is the .RA (RealAudio) Files - they are very
highly Compressed, so 4 Years worth of .RA Files takes up less space
than 2 Years of .WAV Files.

would have us believe!
LOL

pmj...

LOL!
:-)

Yep, you're correct - The Archers stuff (all the Daily Episodes each
Week & the Weekly Omnibus Edition) that I Download *isn't* for me
(cos I don't listen to the Archers)...
I only Download & Save all those "Archers" Episodes, so that I can
Burn them to CD, to Send to my Sister - who *does* listen to "The
Archers".

I don't listen to "The Archers"

Troy's Human...

PMJ does *not* listen to the Archers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ummm ..... well if he solves my problem with downloading I resume saying he
does :-)

Until recently I could download a 2 hour programme in under 2 minutes -
it's now taking 10 times that :-(

Are you having similar problems ? (which would suggest a BBC problem).

pmj...

I don't have any experience of using the Program/Utility that you
mention, called "Net-Transport", sorry.

What I use is StreamBox VCR, which Downloads the .RA (Real Audio)
Streaming Audio (& Video) Files that the BBC uses.

Troy's Human...

Net Transport does the same thing - downloads .RA files.

pmj...

Yep I gathered that's what it does.
I'll have to have a look at it sometime.

I haven't noticed any problems recently - It normally takes (on my
4mbps Cable Modem Connection) about 2 Minutes to Download about 50MB
(6 x 1/4 Hour & 1 x 1 & 1/4 Hour - which is a total of about 2 & 1/2
Hours. It Downloads all 7 Programmes(Streams) *Concurrently* (i.e. at
the same time). *Sometimes* it takes a few seconds longer than normal
& quite often I notice that the Stream stops & starts anything up to
half a dozen times, but I have the "ReTry" Setting in StreamBox Set
to Resume straightaway, so that doesn't delay things much.

& I just tried it again (I'd already Downloaded this Weeks stuff
yesterday, but I thought I'd try it again & time it specifically)
- I Downloaded the same amount - 7 Files totalling 53.4 MB - about
2 & 1/2 Hours worth) & it took 2 Minutes & 3 Seconds (Both the
Firewall Traffic Status & the windoze TaskManager Network Tab showed
a steady, consistent Download Speed (for all the Streams Concurrently)
of about 495 - 505 KiloBytes Per Sec)

& then I tried it all over (yet) again, just to check...
:-)

& this time it took 2 Minutes & 4 Seconds for the 53.4 MB (2 & 1/2
Hours - the Minimum Download Speed during that time was about 497
KiloBytes Per Sec & the Maximum was about 503 KiloBytes Per Sec
& 3 of the Files were Downloaded in one go (with no Retries),
3 needed 2 ReTries & one took 3 ReTries

So I s'pose the short answer to your Q is "No, I'm not having
similar probs" - Not that that helps you much, sorry.

Troy's Human...

Thanks pmj - that's exactly what I wanted to know. Makes me think it must
be something wrong at my end.

And it *is*. I was using the same URL (last weeks) and telling NT to
"download again". Always worked OK in the past. As a test I deleted the URL
and sniffed out the current one from BBC listen again. Worked a treat - 2
hour programme downloaded in 1 minute 45 seconds :-)

pmj...

Ah, great!
:-)

Thanks again :-)

pmj...

That point about the URL for the BBC (ListenAgain) RealAudio Stream(s)
that you were Downloading having changed is interesting...

Troy's Human...

I don't think they has changed. Let's say e.g. I downloaded the tuesday
edition of the archers from 2 weeks ago. NT would save it as a .RA file.

Name: archers_tue.ra

URL: rtsp://rmv8.bbc.net.uk/radio4/archers/archers_tue.ra

pmj...

Hmmm...
That's *very* similar to, but not exactly the same as, the URL(s)
that I use - I use...

rtsp://rmv8.bbc.net.uk/radio4/archers/archers_tuesday.ra

(& ditto for the other Episodes)

Notice how the Server Name is the same?
rmv8.bbc.net.uk

& also, so is the Path to the Directory containing the Files?
/radio4/archers/

But...
The FileName (in that URL of yours) is different...
archers_tue.ra

Mine is:
archers_tuesday.ra

I wonder if that's anything to do with it?

If I now want to download the latest tuesday archers - until recently I
could right click on this file and opt to "Download again" from the menu.

pmj...

Yep - I assume that your Net-Transport thing remebers the URL that
it Downloaded stuff from?

NT would then warn me that this would delete the currently download file
and I would agree to that. Worked fine. Now if I do this it takes forever
to download the new file. I must now delete the existing RA file and start
from scratch (using the same URL).

pmj...

Hmmm...
I wondered if that might be cos the URL you are using (the
archers_tue.ra one) points to the Version that is only available
in *RealTime*? - i.e. it will take as long to Download it as to
Listen to it?
But maybe the other URL (the archers_tuesday.ra one) is one that can
be Downloaded at a higher BitRate.

Not too worried - got it all working again :-)

Thanks again for the help.

pmj...

Well - I just tried your URL (the archers_tue.ra one) & it kept
(to begin with) losing the Connection. Eventually it started
Downloading OK, but it took 9 ReTries! & it took 1 Minute 33 Seconds
to Download just that single 1/4 Hour Episode, which is *very* slow.
:-(

So I would suggest trying it with the other URL I mentioned.

But I think also, it may have something to do with the Load on
the Servers? I just tried it (using my normal URL) & the Download
Speed was only about 600 or 700 Kbps, instead of the more normal
3.9 or 4 Mbps

So something odd is going on.

I suppose it's perfectly normal for the BBC to change the URL of
things like that from time to time? (especially as it (the URL) is
Embedded deeply within the HTML & Script Code of the Pages & anyway
it redirects through the META File to the actual rtsp:// (Real Time
Streaming Protocol) URL of the Stream itself.

What URL were you using?
& what URL are you using now?

BTW - The ones I use (& have always used) for The Archers Episodes
(which I Download, but don't listen to!) are the same as I've
always used.

I think that you may prolly find that the Speed it takes is (at least
partly) related to the general Traffic on the BBC Server(s), so the
time of Day may affect things?

If your "Net-Transport" thing is taking *10* Times the normal time,
then yep, it does sound like there's a prob somewhere, but (from what
I can tell) the prob isn't at the BBC Server(s) end - they seem fine.

Another point to bear in mind (maybe for the future?) is that
*apparently* the BBC are going to be starting to move over to using
(more of) the .WMA (windoze Media Audio) Format (with all the DRM -
Digital Rights/Restrictions Management that that entails), rather
than the RealAudio Streams that they use at the mo, but I dunno when
they are going to do be doing that.