Azure Video-Downloader Python Script 📥

A Video-Downloader Python Script that enables us to download videos from any online Azure Media Services on-the-go directly through our commandline.

 

Disclaimer

We are not responsible for any misuse, you must use it for research & educational purposes only, at your own discretion & without representation or warranty of any kind. It is your responsibility to obey laws!

⚠️ CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED!

 

Usage:

Info 🕵️: There's also a detailed PDF version of Azure Video-Downloader Python Script Docs.

A. Pre-requisites (one-time steps only)

All following steps you have to perform only one time.

• Step-1: Download and install latest python-3 with pip: Tutorial video link

• Step-2: Download script from git hub repository using browser or clone using git software.

  • Watch this video for downloading from browser and from git software
  • Extract the zip at suitable place let's for this document call it script_folder.

• Step-3: Download and install python dependencies:

  Run these commands in your terminal/command-prompt/ power-shell

  cd script_folder
  python -m pip install -r -U --user requirement.txt

• Step-4: Download and extract ffmpeg.zip

  • Must requires FFmpeg to merge audio and video.
  • Download ffmpeg.zip from: https://github.com/abhiTronix/azure_video_downloader/releases/download/v1.0.0/ffmpeg.zip
  • Copy zip file inside our script_folder, and Extract it there.
  • Extracted folder name will be ffmpeg.

 

B. Extracting URL

ISM URL (https URL with .ism extension) is necessary for our python script as input. There are mainly three ways to extract it:

1. Use web-browser: (Recommended) (For all platforms)

• Go the video page where video is being played.
• Double check video is being played not paused.
• Right click on the page and select Inspect or something similar.
• A menu will open, then on the menu, click Network tab.
• In Network tab, write Fragments in filter search field.
• Select that Fragment filter option (if available, otherwise make sure video is still playing in the background)
• Right click on the selected option and click copy and then Copy link address.
• The copied URL will look something like this:

  https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism/QualityLevels(551000)/Fragments(video=360000000,format=mpd-time-csf)

• Just delete everything past .ism and the final value is the required ISM URL, as follows:

  https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism

2. Use IDM: (Windows Only)

• Download and install IDM with 11 days trial period (Watch this video https://youtu.be/uGct61De_EU).
• It will install extension on your browser automatically.
• Now when video is played on website, a Download button will show up at upper-right corner of the video.
• Click any of the available option and a dialog box will show up.
• In dialog box, Copy the URL present in the Address text field which will be something like:

  https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/94e43e68-2592-4866-95d7-52b587e41a9f/Feature%20Engineering%20Dimensionali.ism/manifest(format=mpd-time-csf)&selected_id=1_V_video_4

• Just delete everything past .ism and the final value is the required ISM URL, as follows:

  https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/94e43e68-2592-4866-95d7-52b587e41a9f/Feature%20Engineering%20Dimensionali.ism

3. Use XDM (Xtreme Download Manager): (For all platforms)

• Download and install IDM with 11 days trial period (Watch this video https://youtu.be/uksktuNvKNc).
• You will be asked to install extension on your browser manually, go ahead do it. When done restart browser.
• Now when video is being played on website, a DOWNLOAD VIDEO button will show up at down-right corner of the browser.
• Click any of the available with DIAT.mp4.
• After clicking downloading will start, Hurry and Go head to cancel it as we don't need this video.
• Now right-click on Canceled video and Click Copy URL which will be something like:

  https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/25fcdac8-e577-4f59-acf9-8921887b4159/AI_W1_Bayesian%20Learning%20Part-1.ism/QualityLevels(1880000)/Fragments(video=60000000,format=mpd-time-csf)

• Just delete everything past .ism and the final value is the required ISM URL, as follows:

  https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/25fcdac8-e577-4f59-acf9-8921887b4159/AI_W1_Bayesian%20Learning%20Part-1.ism

 

C. Download Video with Script

Tip:💡 You can view help by running python azure_downloader.py -h command to get familiar with all the available options.

• Open a terminal/command-prompt/power-shell of your choice.

• Give extracted ISM URL (explained above) to the input -i/--input of the python script as following and video start downloading:

  python azure_downloader.py -i https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism

  OR give TXT file path containing multiple URLs(line-by-line):

  python azure_downloader.py -i URLs.txt

  OR give string of muliple URLs seperated by , or +:

  python azure_downloader.py -i "https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism,https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/DL1.ism,https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/DL2.ism"  

• [Optional] By default, our python script automatically assigns file name of the output video file using ISM URL and downloads it to output directory of script_folder. But you can also specify the output filename/file-directory using -out/--output command as follows:

  ⚠️ Note: This option does not works with input(-i) with multiple URLs.

  python azure_downloader.py -i https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism -o Overview.mp4

  OR give full output path:

  python azure_downloader.py -i https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism -o C:/Overview.mp4

• [Optional/Only for developers] By default python script uses FFmpeg(used to merge audio and video) provided in the ffmpeg folder of script_folder, that we downloaded and extracted previously, but you can assign your own FFmpeg binaries too using -f/--ffmpeg option as follows:

  python azure_downloader.py -i https://streamdiat-inct.streaming.media.azure.net/f12251d4-d8e8-43f1-8202-737f7a186b34/Overview%20of%20AI%20ML.ism -o Overview.mp4 -f C:/ffmpeg/bin/ffmpeg.exe

 

Copyright

AZURE VIDEO-DOWNLOADER - Downloads videos from Azure Media Services.

Copyright (C) 2020 Abhishek Thakur @abhiTronix [email protected]

This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If not, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses.