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StreamFinder-2.41
River stage one • 1 direct dependent • 2 total dependents
/ StreamFinder::EpochTV

NAME

StreamFinder::EpochTV - Fetch actual raw streamable video URLs on www.theepochtimes.com

AUTHOR

This module is Copyright (C) 2024 by

Jim Turner, <turnerjw784 at yahoo.com>

Email: turnerjw784@yahoo.com

All rights reserved.

You may distribute this module under the terms of either the GNU General Public License or the Artistic License, as specified in the Perl README file.

SYNOPSIS

        #!/usr/bin/perl

        use strict;

        use StreamFinder::EpochTV;

        die "..usage:  $0 ID|URL\n"  unless ($ARGV[0]);

        my $video = new StreamFinder::EpochTV($ARGV[0]);

        die "Invalid URL or no streams found!\n"  unless ($video);

        my $firstStream = $video->get();

        print "First Stream URL=$firstStream\n";

        my $url = $video->getURL();

        print "Stream URL=$url\n";

        my $videoTitle = $video->getTitle();
        
        print "Title=$videoTitle\n";
        
        my $videoDescription = $video->getTitle('desc');
        
        print "Description=$videoDescription\n";
        
        my $videoID = $video->getID();

        print "Video ID=$videoID\n";
        
        my $artist = $video->{'artist'};

        print "Artist=$artist\n"  if ($artist);
        
        my $genre = $video->{'genre'};

        print "Genre=$genre\n"  if ($genre);
        
        my $icon_url = $video->getIconURL();

        if ($icon_url) {   #SAVE THE ICON TO A TEMP. FILE:

                print "Icon URL=$icon_url=\n";

                my ($image_ext, $icon_image) = $video->getIconData();

                if ($icon_image && open IMGOUT, ">/tmp/${videoID}.$image_ext") {

                        binmode IMGOUT;

                        print IMGOUT $icon_image;

                        close IMGOUT;

                        print "...Icon image downloaded to (/tmp/${videoID}.$image_ext)\n";

                }

        }

        my $stream_count = $video->count();

        print "--Stream count=$stream_count=\n";

        my @streams = $video->get();

        foreach my $s (@streams) {

                print "------ stream URL=$s=\n";

        }

DESCRIPTION

StreamFinder::EpochTV accepts a valid video/channel ID or URL on www.theepochtimes.com and returns the actual stream URL(s), title, and cover art icon. The purpose is that one needs one of these URLs in order to have the option to stream the video in one's own choice of media player software rather than using their web browser and accepting any / all flash, ads, javascript, cookies, trackers, web-bugs, and other crapware that can come with that method of play. The author uses his own custom all-purpose media player called "fauxdacious" (his custom hacked version of the open-source "audacious" audio player). "fauxdacious" can incorporate this module to decode and play www.theepochtimes.com streams.

One stream URL can be returned for each video.

SUBROUTINES/METHODS

new(ID|url [, -secure [ => 0|1 ]] [, -debug [ => 0|1|2 ]])

Accepts a www.theepochtimes.com video or channel ID or URL and creates and returns a a new video object, or undef if the URL is not a valid video, or no streams are found. The URL can be the full URL, ie. https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/channel_or_video-id, or just channel_or_video-id. EpochTV can't really distinguish between episode and channel IDs except that channel pages do not contain a specific video stream URL, so if no stream URL is found, it assumes a channel page, in which case, the first (latest) episode is returned (along with the channel's playlist).

The optional -secure argument can be either 0 or 1 (false or true). If 1 then only secure ("https://") streams will be returned. Currently, all EpochTV streaming URLs are believed to be secure (https).

DEFAULT -secure is 0 (false) - return all streams (http and https).

Additional options:

-log => "logfile"

Specify path to a log file. If a valid and writable file is specified, A line will be appended to this file every time one or more streams is successfully fetched for a url.

DEFAULT -none- (no logging).

-logfmt specifies a format string for lines written to the log file.

DEFAULT "[time] [url] - [site]: [title] ([total])".

The valid field [variables] are: [stream]: The url of the first/best stream found. [site]: The site name (EpochTV). [url]: The url searched for streams. [time]: Perl timestamp when the line was logged. [title], [artist], [album], [description], [year], [genre], [total], [albumartist]: The corresponding field data returned (or "-na-", if no value).

$video->get(['playlist'])

Returns an array of strings representing all stream URLs found. Note: If an author / channel page url is given, rather than an individual video episode's url, get() returns the first (latest?) video episode found, and get("playlist") returns an extended m3u playlist containing the urls, titles, etc. for all the video episodes found on that page url starting with the latest or most popular.

$video->getURL([options])

Similar to get() except it only returns a single stream representing the first valid stream found. There currently are no valid options.

$video->count()

Returns the number of streams found for the video (will nearly always be 1).

$video->getID()

Returns the video's EpochTV ID (default). EpochTV video and channel IDs consist of combinations of lower-case letters, numbers and hyphens, and are indestinguishable from each other, except that channel pages don't return a specific video streaming URL, but rather fetch and return the first (latest) episode video's streaming URL and metadata.

$video->getTitle(['desc'])

Returns the video's title, or (long description). Videos on EpochTV can have separate descriptions, but for videos, it is always the video's title.

Note: EpochTV video descriptions are usually incomplete, ending with a "..", since on the page itself there's a "Read More" button to view the rest, and "the rest" can only be obtained with Javascript.

$video->getIconURL(['artist'])

Returns the URL for the video's "cover art" icon image, if any. If 'artist' is specified, the channel artist's icon url is returned, if any.

$video->getIconData(['artist'])

Returns a two-element array consisting of the extension (ie. "png", "gif", "jpeg", etc.) and the actual icon image (binary data), if any. If 'artist' is specified, the channel artist's icon data is returned, if any.

$video->getImageURL(['artist'])

Returns the URL for the video's "cover art" (usually larger) banner image. If 'artist' is specified, the channel artist's image URL is returned, if any.

$video->getImageData(['artist'])

Returns a two-element array consisting of the extension (ie. "png", "gif", "jpeg", etc.) and the actual video's banner image (binary data). If 'artist' is specified, the channel artist's image data is returned, if any. Individual artists on epochtv.com often do have their own separate larger banner image.

$video->getType()

Returns the video's type ("EpochTV").

CONFIGURATION FILES

The default root location directory for StreamFinder configuration files is "~/.config/StreamFinder". To use an alternate location directory, specify it in the "STREAMFINDER" environment variable, ie.: $ENV{STREAMFINDER} = "/etc/StreamFinder".

~/.config/StreamFinder/EpochTV/config

Optional text file for specifying various configuration options for a specific site (submodule). Each option is specified on a separate line in the format below: NOTE: Do not follow the lines with a semicolon, comma, or any other separator. Non-numeric values should be surrounded with quotes, either single or double. Blank lines and lines beginning with a "#" sign as their first non-blank character are ignored as comments.

'option' => 'value' [,]

and the options are loaded into a hash used only by the specific (submodule) specified. Valid options include -debug => [0|1|2] and most of the LWP::UserAgent options.

Options specified here override any specified in ~/.config/StreamFinder/config.

~/.config/StreamFinder/config

Optional text file for specifying various configuration options. Each option is specified on a separate line in the format below:

'option' => 'value' [,]

and the options are loaded into a hash used by all sites (submodules) that support them. Valid options include -debug => [0|1|2] and most of the LWP::UserAgent options.

NOTE: Options specified in the options parameter list of the new() function will override those corresponding options specified in these files.

KEYWORDS

epochtv

DEPENDENCIES

URI::Escape, HTML::Entities, LWP::UserAgent

RECCOMENDS

wget

BUGS

Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-streamFinder-iheartradio at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=StreamFinder-EpochTV. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.

SUPPORT

You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.

    perldoc StreamFinder::EpochTV

You can also look for information at:

LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2022 Jim Turner.

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the the Artistic License (2.0). You may obtain a copy of the full license at:

http://www.perlfoundation.org/artistic_license_2_0

Any use, modification, and distribution of the Standard or Modified Versions is governed by this Artistic License. By using, modifying or distributing the Package, you accept this license. Do not use, modify, or distribute the Package, if you do not accept this license.

If your Modified Version has been derived from a Modified Version made by someone other than you, you are nevertheless required to ensure that your Modified Version complies with the requirements of this license.

This license does not grant you the right to use any trademark, service mark, tradename, or logo of the Copyright Holder.

This license includes the non-exclusive, worldwide, free-of-charge patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, import and otherwise transfer the Package with respect to any patent claims licensable by the Copyright Holder that are necessarily infringed by the Package. If you institute patent litigation (including a cross-claim or counterclaim) against any party alleging that the Package constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement, then this Artistic License to you shall terminate on the date that such litigation is filed.

Disclaimer of Warranty: THE PACKAGE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES. THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT ARE DISCLAIMED TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY YOUR LOCAL LAW. UNLESS REQUIRED BY LAW, NO COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTOR WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THE PACKAGE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.