ARD.de - download video with 2 audio streams in 1 file

[pro3154]

Is there a possibility to download the video with two audio streams in one file from ARD.de?

I have tried different combinations by ARD.de but it didn't work. I only got the video and the German Audio without an English one. For example:

yt-dlp -f bv+mergeall --audio-multistreams --merge-output-format "mkv" --sub-langs all --convert-subs srt --embed-subs URL

Here I got an error:
ERROR: [ARDMediathek] 13795995: Requested format is not available. Use --list-formats for a list of available formats

yt-dlp -f "hls-main-3999+http-main-11+http-main-6" --audio-multistreams --merge-output-format mkv --sub-langs all --convert-subs srt --embed-subs URL

yt-dlp -f "hls-main-3999+hls-main-4018" --audio-multistreams --merge-output-format mkv --sub-langs all --convert-subs srt --embed-subs URL

I usually use yt-dlp to download not decrypted videos if I need more than one audio. For example by arte.tv it works very good.

The film expires on the 8th of April. As far as I see it is not geo restricted. URL: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/filme-in-der-ard/charade/ard/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmR...8wMC0wMC1NRVNa

Thank you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

yt-dlp --list-formats --list-subs https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/filme-in-der-ard/charade/ard/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL2Zlcm5zZWhmaWxtZSBpbSBlcnN0ZW4vMjAyNC0xMC0yMl8wMC0wMC1NRVNa
[ARDMediathek] Extracting URL: https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/filme-in-der-ard/charade/ard/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL2Zlcm5zZW...MC0yMl8wMC0wMC1NRVNa
[ARDMediathek] Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL2Zlcm5zZWhmaWxtZSBpbSBlcnN0ZW4vMjAyNC0xMC0yMl8wMC0wMC1NRVNa: Downloading JSON metadata
[ARDMediathek] 13795995: Downloading m3u8 information
[ARDMediathek] 13795995: Downloading m3u8 information
[ARDMediathek] 13795995: Downloading m3u8 information
[info] Available subtitles for 13795995:
Language Formats
deu      vtt, ttml
[info] Available formats for 13795995:
ID              EXT RESOLUTION FPS │   FILESIZE   TBR PROTO │ VCODEC      ACODEC    MORE INFO
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
http-main-0     mp4 640x360        │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [ov] SD
http-main-1     mp4 640x360        │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu-audio-description] SD
hls-main-816-0  mp4 640x360     50 │ ~637.06MiB  816k m3u8  │ avc1.4d401f mp4a.40.2 [deu-audio-description]
hls-main-816-1  mp4 640x360     50 │ ~637.25MiB  816k m3u8  │ avc1.4d401f mp4a.40.2 [ov]
http-main-2     mp4 960x540        │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [ov] SD 480p
http-main-3     mp4 960x540        │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu-audio-description] SD 480p
hls-main-1442   mp4 960x540     50 │ ~  1.10GiB 1443k m3u8  │ avc1.4d401f mp4a.40.2 [deu-audio-description]
hls-main-1443-0 mp4 960x540     50 │ ~  1.10GiB 1444k m3u8  │ avc1.4d401f mp4a.40.2 [ov]
http-main-4     mp4 1280x720       │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [ov] HD Ready
http-main-5     mp4 1280x720       │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu-audio-description] HD Ready
hls-main-2422   mp4 1280x720    50 │ ~  1.85GiB 2422k m3u8  │ avc1.640020 mp4a.40.2 [deu-audio-description]
hls-main-2427   mp4 1280x720    50 │ ~  1.85GiB 2428k m3u8  │ avc1.640020 mp4a.40.2 [ov]
http-main-6     mp4 1920x1080      │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [ov] Full HD
http-main-7     mp4 1920x1080      │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu-audio-description] Full HD
hls-main-3983   mp4 1920x1080   50 │ ~  3.04GiB 3983k m3u8  │ avc1.64002a mp4a.40.2 [deu-audio-description]
hls-main-4018   mp4 1920x1080   50 │ ~  3.06GiB 4018k m3u8  │ avc1.64002a mp4a.40.2 [ov]
http-main-8     mp4 640x360        │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu] SD
hls-main-816-2  mp4 640x360     50 │ ~637.04MiB  816k m3u8  │ avc1.4d401f mp4a.40.2 [deu]
http-main-9     mp4 960x540        │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu] SD 480p
hls-main-1443-1 mp4 960x540     50 │ ~  1.10GiB 1443k m3u8  │ avc1.4d401f mp4a.40.2 [deu]
http-main-10    mp4 1280x720       │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu] HD Ready
hls-main-2421   mp4 1280x720    50 │ ~  1.85GiB 2422k m3u8  │ avc1.640020 mp4a.40.2 [deu]
http-main-11    mp4 1920x1080      │                  https │ H.264       unknown   [deu] Full HD
hls-main-3999   mp4 1920x1080   50 │ ~  3.05GiB 3999k m3u8  │ avc1.64002a mp4a.40.2 [deu]

[Obo]

The following should work:

--audio-multistreams -f "bv+ba[language=deu]+ba[language=ov]/bv+ba"

I have something similar in a script, the second branch "/bv+ba" is just the fallback if not all languages exist. You can ofcourse ignore the fallback.

Edit: won't work, there is no separate audio track. You'll have to download both versions and merge manually, I guess.

[Lupine Assassin]

Here's the film in 1080p with both subtitle files:

https://sendgb.com/J9u7g3mYNow

Link expires April 14, 2025.

[MartinTH]

https://mediathekviewweb.de/#query=Charade

You can easily download both versions there.

[pro3154]

The film from the first post has just expired but the problem how to download a video with two audio tracks in one file from ARD (www.ardmediathek.de) remains.
Some other examples from ARD.de with 2 audios:
- "The Father" (German, English) till 30.04.2025
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/filme-in-der-ard/the-father-oder-drama/ard/Y3JpZDovL...8yMi0yMC1NRVNa
- "Rumba Therapy" (German, French) till 28.04.2025
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/die-rumba-therapie/die-rumba-therapie-oder-feel-good...VdPMDAxMzA1QTA

[Subtitles]

As far as I know, ARD and other German TV channels have some of their movies with audio either in German, Audiodeskription (in German) or OV (Original language) as three DIFFERENT Video files on their servers.
The Father for example has all three so you your question should be how to have all three audio streams in one file?
Unfortunately this title and others have three separate videos each with just one audio stream and although it looks like they have all the audio streams in one file during play, they are in fact three separate files.
You have to download all three files (well I suppose you don't really need the one with Audiodeskription) so download only the German and OV files and extract the audio file for the OV version and use MKVToolNix to create a video file with the two languages.

[pro3154]

The following should work:

--audio-multistreams -f "bv+ba[language=deu]+ba[language=ov]/bv+ba"

I have something similar in a script, the second branch "/bv+ba" is just the fallback if not all languages exist. You can ofcourse ignore the fallback.

Edit: won't work, there is no separate audio track. You'll have to download both versions and merge manually, I guess.

Obo
Thank you that you kindly tried to help with this ARD problem. In that moment I didn't really realize that there were only videos and no separate audio tracks.
Well I still hope that I am going to find the way … We'll see…

[pro3154]

Here's the film in 1080p with both subtitle files:
https://sendgb.com/J9u7g3mYNow

Charade.mp4 - with german audio
Charade.deu.vtt - german
Charade.deu.srt - german

As you see above in my first post I have already downloaded many versions with german audio and german subtitles.

added:

https://mediathekviewweb.de/#query=Charade

I'm not sure what I suppose to do with the link. As far as I know you can't download a video with 2 audio tracks in one file in Mediathekview (inclusive Mediathekviewweb).

[Asdfgf]

Man, the user called "Subtitles" has already explained what you have to do to have multi-audios on your videos. Just read four posts above.

[MartinTH]

I'll finish the Movie for you later with both Audio Tracks.

It's actually very simple, but you don't seem to be able to do it.

I later upload the Video on Workupload.

[pro3154]

I'll finish the Movie for you later with both Audio Tracks.
It's actually very simple, but you don't seem to be able to do it.
I later upload the Video on Workupload.

I don't need it. Thanks.
I've got already the audio tracks which I wanted to have.
I have been downloading such films for a few years now but it was always at least in 2 steps. I'd like to find out if one can do it easier, in one go.

[pro3154]

The Father for example has all three so you your question should be how to have all three audio streams in one file?

Thanks for your explanations, Subtitles.
My question is how to download a video with all 3 or 2 audio tracks in 1 file. I am trying to find out if it is somehow possible to download, to make it in one step, in one go, with one command. For example, to set such options in one command (to download video1, to download video2 and right away to extract an audio2 from video2) before merging all tracks in 1 file. Something like that...

Unfortunately this title and others have three separate videos each with just one audio stream and although it looks like they have all the audio streams in one file during play, they are in fact three separate files.

Yes, that's the problem that they don't have audio-only and video-only streams.

You have to download all three files (well I suppose you don't really need the one with Audiodeskription) so download only the German and OV files and extract the audio file for the OV version and use MKVToolNix to create a video file with the two languages.

Yes, something like that… However you don't need to download 2 videos (video+audio in each stream), you can shorten the process if you download 1 video (with German) and download only the audio of the second language (OV). I mean you can extract audio track (OV) right away without downloading the complete second video.
To make all this (before merging all the tracks) in one command would be the goal.

As far as I know, ARD and other German TV channels have some of their movies with audio either in German, Audiodeskription (in German) or OV (Original language) as three DIFFERENT Video files on their servers.

Exactly. There are some German TV channels that do it this way. They have either two videostreams (German, audio description) or three videostreams (German, OV, AD). In the meantime I'm very curious if there are ONLY German channels who do it this way. I don't download enough shows/series to compare with many English channels. Do some English channels offer only videostreams as well?

[Subtitles]

To be honest, it isn't really worth the trouble to spend time writing special scripts just to meet your goal. In my case I only download the OV video title from MediatheckView in the original language if it is available, and if the original language audio is not English then I just translate the German subtitles UT (if available) into English using Subtitle Edit.
German satellite TV channels on SKY Germany usually have two or three audio streams one in German and also the original language if available. Also many other countries like Poland, France, Italy do this as well.
For example Arte TV channel on satellite Hotbird have three audio streams: French, German and qaa (for original language).
I think the titles on MediatheckView are unique in having three separate videos on their servers as you have discovered already.

[ac735188]

@pro3154 means to build a command (e.g. in yt-dlp), I guess, not to write a special script.