What are the episodes GLM vs InternetArchive?

[chuft]

Thanks for all the info.

How can you tell if the Kidstream ones you have are variable or constant bit rate? MediaInfo is not giving the bit rate mode for video, only for audio.

[ufantasticfishu]

for starters you could use 50gb blu-rays or if they're too expensive use an excessive amount of dual layer dvd. i have accepted i cant use glm's episodes because i'd burn through so many discs so I'm planning to use the truenorth uploads on the internet archive, just so i can put all the episodes on 1 disc.

i plan to put them on 4 discs

1. episodes and promos
2. songs and music videos
3. interviews and articles, bts
4. live shows and all the stuff on the first 3 discs but for the live shows

That's a cool plan. It seems to me like the program handbrake could be used to lower the size of the glm episodes without reducing too much quality. For seasons 3-4 I am guessing it would look better than the truenorth seasons 3-4, but I haven't done that so I really don't know. I have a 1440p pro art monitor and so I can see a major quality decrease in seasons 3-4, although it probably wouldn't look as bad on a standard 1080p monitor. I like disks because files can't be deleted from them but I guess disk rot is a problem and will definitely keep the episodes on drives too.

[LazyPooky]

Thanks for all the info.

How can you tell if the Kidstream ones you have are variable or constant bit rate? MediaInfo is not giving the bit rate mode for video, only for audio.

No it doesn't say, that info wasn't added in the metadata, but I see that every episode has a different average bit rate.

The bit rate mode was visible on the videos with cbr though.

[chuft]

So some of the Kidstream ones were constant and some were variable? How strange.

[LazyPooky]

Opening them with video players the Kidstream one is 24:04 while the HBOMax one is 24:39. That seems odd too. Shouldn't they be the same? Speed would be a little faster for 29.97 but it has more frames so should be the same total run time. If run time is the same I would expect the sound dubs to work for both.

Clearly I don't understand much about all this.

Just watched the Kidstream first episode and, unlike what I said before, the speed is as fast as the 24 fps episode (normal speed). Though the episode length is only 24 minutes (without the 4 second intro logo) because the closing credits only last for 5 second. While the closing credits on the original episode last more than 30 seconds. So they edited out the closing credits. That's why the difference in time. This has nothing to do with frame rate. Just poor editing.

So some of the Kidstream ones were constant and some were variable? How strange.

yes. Three different renders of 52 episodes each.

[chuft]

What do you mean three different renders. By whom? Surely HBOMax was not hosting 156 episodes.

[boredjedi]

Downloading Season 1 now to replace the iTunes ones I've been using a long time now.
Better quality and bitrate. Edges should be better for the roto brush.

iTunes info



From the download section

[LazyPooky]

What do you mean three different renders. By whom? Surely HBOMax was not hosting 156 episodes.

52 episodes (season 1+2): 1. Kidstream (30 fps) - bit rate 10 Mb/s (max 19 Mb/s) AVC cbr
52 episodes (season 1+2): 2. Kidstream (30 fps) - bit rate 12-13 Mb/s (max 25 mb/s) AVC vbr
52 episodes (season 1+2): 3. Kidstream (30 fps) - bit rate 8 Mb/s (max 14 Mb/s) HEVC vbr

Three different renders by Amazon Kidstream USA - - 29.97 fps


79 episodes (season 1+2+3+4): 1. HBOmax (25 fps) - bit rate 8.25 Mb/s (max 12.4 Mb/s) AVC vbr
79 episodes (season 1+2+3+4): 1. HBOmax (25 fps) - bit rate 5-6 Mb/s (max 12.4 Mb/s) HEVC vbr

Two different renders by HBOmax Europe - - 25 fps

and they have different resolutions. 234, 540, 720, 1080
so they were hosting at least 632 episodes 😎

[chuft]

So when you went to play one, it was random which one you got? Why would they do that?

[LazyPooky]

So when you went to play one, it was random which one you got? Why would they do that?

I don't know how they handle what video you got to see. That's not my concern. The different formats were there to grab, that's all I know, and all I care about.

[ufantasticfishu]

I am really late to the online Lazytown space so I don't know all the history of what has happened online. From what I can piece together it looks like some Lazytown episodes were released on HD-VMD but the episodes can't be retrieved? Is there a place to download the VMD files if they exist since there is not a download button for them on getlazymedia?

[LazyPooky]

I am really late to the online Lazytown space so I don't know all the history of what has happened online. From what I can piece together it looks like some Lazytown episodes were released on HD-VMD but the episodes can't be retrieved? Is there a place to download the VMD files if they exist since there is not a download button for them on getlazymedia?

I can put those up for download if you want. There are a few problems. First, the sizes of the files are very large. One disk is more than more than 7GB, all seven disks (one demo disk and two times 3 originals) size is 50GB. The second problem is that the original disks are encrypted, only the demo disk with two episodes is not encrypted and can be watched. We haven't found a way to decrypt the other disks. So downloading them is useless unless you know how to decrypt.

[ufantasticfishu]

I can put those up for download if you want. There are a few problems. First, the sizes of the files are very large. One disk is more than more than 7GB, all seven disks (one demo disk and two times 3 originals) size is 50GB. The second problem is that the original disks are encrypted, only the demo disk with two episodes is not encrypted and can be watched. We haven't found a way to decrypt the other disks. So downloading them is useless unless you know how to decrypt.

Short answer: thank you for offering the files but after some research I realized I can't do anything with them like I was hoping to do.

Here's an interesting idea though:

I realized that the encryption could be nearly impossible to break:

HD VMD offers full 1080p HD content...The AES encryption scheme is part of the device's content protection offerings.

As of March, 2008, HD VMD players are available in many parts of the world, but so far there's no major studio content available. The format also lacks mandatory support for standard Lossless Compression formats, or even AACS encryption, as they're working with on licensing agreements for both.

But then I read this: https://web.archive.org/web/20090207...reamstream.htm

New Medium Enterprises disappeared from the radar screens this Summer only to re-emerge, apparently, as Royal Digital Media (RDM), this time associated with encryption provider DreamStream, both under Anthem Digital's umbrella.

DreamStream says it will employ military-grade encryption to secure Royal Digital Media's "new optical media format, which exceeds Blu-ray's HD capabilities." The company's security capabilities are achieved through the use of its proprietary, 30-round, 2,048-bit European Encryption Solution (EES). For recollection, AES encryption, used in Sony's Blu-ray discs, relies on a 128-bit system.


So right now it's almost impossible to break 2,048-bit "military grade" encryption without quantum computing. But the player decrypts the disk in order to play it and sends it to an output, maybe HDMI, Component, etc.

If you have an hdmi port on the HD-VMD player - the content is protected by HDCP copy protection. But take a look at this video "HDMI Splitters vs HDCP Copy Protection!" and especially the comments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8xIaEFkdyw

Useful comments:

- I use a version of the "Generic" splitter, I find that you need to have one line running to your capture device and the other to an actual HDCP compliant TV for it to work.

- Thanks to the replies here. I can confirm what others have said: plugging one output into a HDCP compliant device allows the other output to be bypassed. I used my A/V receiver. May need switching EDID tab once or twice to enable. I have the EZCOO brand. In retrospect this makes sense because technically the splitter remains HDCP compliant - just not for both outputs. Amazing I couldn't find anywhere else online that figured this out. Thanks goodness I happened to watch this video!

- I need to point out that "YOUR DOING IT WRONG". in order for most of the splitters out there to work you must plug one of the outputs of the splitter into a TV monitor and the other into the capture device. HD View is by far the best brand but almost any HDMI 1.3 spitter will work. NOTE the Version. HDMI 1.3. Don't get any other version. You need to re-test all of the splitters used here and hook them up correctly to give them a fair test. The reason this method works is because the older version of the splitters have a design flaw that only check one of the outputs during the HDMI handshake and then sends stripped signal to both outputs. newer splitters force a handshake of both outputs.

SOLUTION? So the idea is having an HD VMD player with HDMI output to an HDMI 1.3 splitter with one HDMI output going from the splitter to a HDCP compliant device like a modern tv and the other HDMI output going from the splitter to a capture card which is plugged into a computer with capture software.

Now I have never done this. I do not know if this works with HD-VMD but it could be worth a shot for anyone that has the equipment.

[LazyPooky]

SOLUTION? So the idea is having an HD VMD player with HDMI output to an HDMI 1.3 splitter with one HDMI output going from the splitter to a HDCP compliant device like a modern tv and the other HDMI output going from the splitter to a capture card which is plugged into a computer with capture software.

Now I have never done this. I do not know if this works with HD-VMD but it could be worth a shot for anyone that has the equipment.

I'm aware of that encryption method and the work-around. It's worth a try.

I'm probably the only one who have the original LazyTown Nme HD-VMD player that can play the disks. It has HDMI output. I don't have a HDMI capture card or a HDMI splitter, if that's really necessary.

The quality of the episodes is quite good. In MediaInfo I see that it's Mpeg2 format (profile high) VBR 17.8Mb/s. A lot of compression was used for Mpeg2 so there is some quality loss, maybe you can compare that to MP4 format, 10Mb/s, which we already have. There are only 11 episodes released on VMD. So I'm in no hurry to go to all that trouble for a few same quality episodes. 😉

[ufantasticfishu]

Ok, that makes sense. I am glad that the episodes are about the same quality as what we already have. It's cool to see a HD-VMD player, i have never heard of it or seen one until this forum and it's so interesting. I have inadvertently collected several media players and it's amazing to me how many types there are.