Can't download from CBC using devine

[dwk33]

I'm preparing for the next season of Saint Pierre by downloading an episode from season 1, but I'm getting a connection error 400 "invalid grant".

After searching the forums, I thought it might be something to do with CCExtractor, which I had downloaded as version 0.93, so I removed it and replaced it with version 0.90 as recommended, but it made no difference. I am using NordVPN to get to a Canadian site, because I'm not sure of the syntax or reliability of putting the credentials in the devine config. I've made sure that I can log on to CBC and play the video directly, so the problem is with downloading.

I attach the log and my devine config file (without passwords) is at the end.
The command I used is: devine -d dl cbc https://gem.cbc.ca/saint-pierre/S01E03

I also tried yt-dlp directly using the following command, and this worked, but gave strange embedded closed captions. They are large and spidery and are not detectable as a separate stream by mkvtoolnix.

yt-dlp -u <CBC userid> -p <CBC password> --write-subs https://gem.cbc.ca/saint-pierre/s01e03

I'm particularly interested in the subtitles, which I got without trouble earlier in the year.

/ __ \/ ____/ | / / _/ | / / ____/
/ / / / __/ | | / // // |/ / __/
/ /_/ / /___ | |/ // // /| / /___
/_____/_____/ |___/___/_/ |_/_____/
⠀
v3.3.3 Copyright © 2019-2025 rlaphoenix
https://github.com/devine-dl/devine

directories:
services: C:\devine-services\services
downloads: P:\Video\devine
temp: D:\Temp\devine

credentials:
ALL4: <userid>:<password>
CBC: <CBC userid>:<CBC password>
CTV: <userid>:<password>

NordVPN:
username: <NordVPN userid>
password: <NordVPN password>

cdm:
default: cedric

downloader: curl_impersonate

n_m3u8dl_re:
use_proxy: false

dl:
downloads: 4
workers: 16
sub_format: srt

proxy: nordvpn:ca

[Tom Saurus]

A lot of Devine users migrated over to Unshackle and there is also Envied or Twinvine with Envied built in. The CC Extractor is problematic in Unshacke and has not been remedied yet. stabbedbybrick no longer does his services for Devine. I am not adept at Proxy so I can't help with that issue.

your input into Devine should be:

devine dl CBC url

I am a bit fuzzy on Devine as I have been using Unshackle for the most part.

[dwk33]

Thanks Tom for your reply

1. The proxy business is an aside, because I'm not constantly switching countries, so I can set myself to Canada and leave it there for a long time.
2. I know stabbedbybrick isn't maintaining devine anymore, but it worked earlier in the year, so I don't know what's changed.
3. I don't really want CCExtractor, but I don't know how to disable it for devine.
4. The only reason for CCExtractor is to provide closed captions if subtitles are not available. They seem to have been removed by CBC for Season 1, but I hope they'll be back for Season 2.
5. If I have to use yt-dlp (or maybe your suggestion of Unshackle) it won't be a disaster, but I'll need to find a way to burn in the CCs for running on a TV rather than a computer.
6. I used videocr to get subtitles, but the spelling is inconsistent so it would take a lot of fixing up by hand.

Let's see what other people have to say, and I'll start exploring Unshackle!

dwk33

[Tom Saurus]

Subititles do come in handy certainly. You might want to go with Twinvine as I do remember reading in the Unshackle thread that Envied had solved the subtitle issue I think for CBC. What I have been doing as of late for CBC is to instruct Unshackle not to get the subtitles to avoid a failure of the muxing of the video. If you were to get the subtitles separately you can mux them in via Clever FFmpeg GUI. The guy who adapted Devine and made Unshackle is a clever person and he may come up with a fix for subtitles when it comes to getting them from closed captions.

[dwk33]

As you can see from my other thread on Envied, the problems I had here are solved with Envied, so that's what I'll use!

Thanks Tom - happy new year!

[Tom Saurus]

I am glad that Envied is up and running for you and that it works with CBC and subtitles.