convert silverlight streaming video to quicktime viideo

[tab75-13]

Hi all,

It has been a while since I posted a question here. The occasion is the arrival of Netflix streaming video on Mac via Silverlight. Like many of you, however, I disdain MS and the fact that Apple has not been helpful to Netflix in their endeavor to stream video to the Mac of course demonstrates less than saintly behavior on their part as well. In order to circumvent both the lock that MS Silverlight places on video and Apple's interests, I was wondering if there was any way I could store or save the film being streamed by Silverlight the way you can a self contained Quicktime video for later conversion to ipod or iphone format? Is there any way I can get around the lock of secrecy that Silverlight streams to place on the video being streamed/ downloaded and amass it i one place the way flip4mac allows for WM player movies, I believe?

I'd appreciate your edification.

Thanks.

[terryj]

IF your question was worded differently you might get responses.
But the fact you are asking how to circumvent copy protected material
for personal use treads dangerously on getting this thread locked.

[tab75-13]

OK. Thanks. I'd simply like to know if there is any way Microsoft sliverlight streaming video can be converted to quicktime format and stored as a self-contained movie or something akin to that the way a fip4mac converted windows media can. It is a question about a how-to, something that I can understand and learn from.
That is my primary purpose. The know-how is more important than the possible possession of the commodity as a consequence. There are other copyright infringement know-hows that I almost never now utilize, my curiosity about them having been satisfied. I'd like to know if the possibility exists for doing this, and if so how this manipulation can be done, sort of like solving a puzzle or a math problem, perhaps?

Thanks again for any edification anyone might be willing to provide in this space that I have considered the itunesU for mac video help.

Best.

[jman98]

One of our wise forum members says the following in his signature. You'd do well to heed it:

Google is your friend.

I have never streamed from Netflix, but I have found discussions on how people who do that have been able to remove the DRM from the streams.
Step 1 - Remove DRM
Step 2 - Any normal method of converting WMV should apply.
Do note that all the discussions I saw about removing the DRM from Netflix streams happened prior to this Silverlight stuff. I have no idea if that's changed anything, but hey, you can do your own research to find out.

[tab75-13]

Thanks. I'll look into it. But Google left me less than satisfied, although then I wasn't looking to unlock DRM protection through it per se. There was nothing I found re Silverlight streaming and conversion to quicktime.

Thx again.

[terryj]

OK. Thanks. I'd simply like to know if there is any way Microsoft sliverlight streaming video can be converted to quicktime format and stored as a self-contained movie or something akin to that
Thanks again for any edification anyone might be willing to provide in this space that I have considered the itunesU for mac video help.

Best.

In answer to THIS QUESTION, there is no way of converting it directly from the MS Silverlight start file
( the initial file you call upon that then streams the video to your computer, much like regular MS .asf
files and streaming only Quicktime .mov files) to a Quicktime file, because you would have to rely
upon (a) the file being completely buffered locally and cached, so that (b) a program could then
convert that file cached file without having to worry about buffering slowdowns or network interference.

However,
since the file can be [b]viewed[b] on your mac's desktop within an app ( a browser counts as an app),
then the stream can be "hijacked" and converted as it comes in to the mac using a screen capturing
app that can "hijack" apps or the desktop, such as Snapz X Pro or my favorite, iShowU,
to a quicktime file or better, as a DV Stream file.

search the forum for "terryj hijack video" or "terryj ishowu hijack".
I've posted steps on this many times.

[jman98]

Thanks. I'll look into it. But Google left me less than satisfied, although then I wasn't looking to unlock DRM protection through it per se. There was nothing I found re Silverlight streaming and conversion to quicktime.

This may be why your search wasn't helpful. You need to understand that to convert you MUST remove the DRM. There is no conversion until you do that. A stream recorder such as suggested by terryj may be one way to remove the DRM.

terryj - Just out of curiosity I did BOTH of the searches you suggested on the ENTIRE forums and all I found was this thread we're in now and one where you basically just told people to use iShowU with no real instructions. A better method is to go to Advanced search and use terryj as the author and ishowu as the term to search for and a boatload of threads come up.

[terryj]

@ jman:
????

at what level did you do your search?
If you go back to the MAIN PAGE of the forum, and put in
the criteria I suggested, in regular search, you get a boatload of threads.

If you do it while within a thread, such as this one after responding to a post, then no, it does not search correctly.
This has been a long standing problem with the forum, one
which I'm sure Baldrick is aware of

[jman98]

terryj - I did it within a thread. But do note that at no place in your post did you specify WHERE to do the search. Since you knew it was broken within a thread, maybe that would have been good info to have put in your post. I rarely do searches, so how am I supposed to know it's broken within a thread? I did both "all forums" and "this forum" in my search, but it was within a thread. Only when I did an advanced search did I find any of the posts you refer to.

[tab75-13]

terryj and jman, Thank you for your attempt to help a wayfarer. I have downloaded iShowu. (Interesting stuff on UTube btw about this app). I have a query concerning the hijack metaphor terryj uses to describe what iShowu does though. Highjack usually entails a direct rerouting of a jet or a ship (something akin to what the Somali pirates are doing as the first step in their collection of booty right now) or some other courier traveling a vector. Shouldn't what iShowu does be described more as counterfeiting, or money laundering( in this case video laundering) at least superficially? I am interested because I want to understand if what iShowu is doing is really hijacking the video stream and diverting it for its own ends, or if it's "simply" copying and disseminating leaving the origin of the stream possibly untraceable. This is probably a naïve question, as screen capture, I am sure is not simply a recording endeavor. So I guess I am interested in knowing how this is a hijacking, if it is. Thanks for your indulgence. [/u]

[terryj]

terryj - I did it within a thread. But do note that at no place in your post did you specify WHERE to do the search. Since you knew it was broken within a thread, maybe that would have been good info to have put in your post. I rarely do searches, so how am I supposed to know it's broken within a thread? I did both "all forums" and "this forum" in my search, but it was within a thread. Only when I did an advanced search did I find any of the posts you refer to.

Sorry I thought you having had over 3700 posts to your name would have made you an "expert"
on how to use videohelp.com's forums. my bad for ass_u_mi_ng.....

Hey Baldrick, when r you gonna fix this?

[terryj]

terryj and jman, Thank you.....I have a query concerning the hijack metaphor terryj uses to describe what iShowu does though. Highjack usually entails a direct rerouting of a jet or a ship (something akin to what the Somali pirates are doing as the first step in their collection of booty right now) or some other courier traveling a vector. Shouldn't what iShowu does be described more as counterfeiting, or money laundering( in this case video laundering) at least superficially?

lol!

I am interested because I want to understand if what iShowu is doing is really hijacking the video stream and diverting it for its own ends, or if it's "simply" copying and disseminating leaving the origin of the stream possibly untraceable. This is probably a naïve question, as screen capture, I am sure is not simply a recording endeavor. So I guess I am interested in knowing how this is a hijacking, if it is. Thanks for your indulgence. [/u]

start here:
screencasting
that will give you a basic understanding of screen capture.

it is "hijacking' in the sense that the output of the file should only be
the original ouput, ie. if VLC is launched to play an mp4 file,
the output is the window in which it displays it onscreen.
once done playing, the output is finished.
iShowU "hijacks" that output and diverts it, as it plays back,
to its own output, in this case a DV Stream file.
so think of "hijacking' in the sense of...
if data flows naturally one way from Point A to B,
and a manmade force diverts it at Point A so that it replicates
to Point B and Point C, with point C being a new unintended target
from Point A. ( as in our VLC example)

[tab75-13]

Thanks!

[tab75-13]

BTW Have you TerryJ had any experience with this flip4mac product? <http://www.Flip4Mac.com/screenflow.htm> I don't know if it can export a dv stream or not. It seems interesting as well.

thanks again.

[terryj]

I've looked at it, but haven't had the pleasure of using it yet.
your welcome.