twitch.tv: How to find and play rtmp urls?

chobo · #1 10-14-2011, 02:50 PM

Hi,

I am a complete newb at video streaming and such. I am trying to find rtmp urls from sites like twitch.tv and ustream using url snooper, so I can better understand the technology and learn something.

I usually find what I think is the rtmp stream, but when I put it all together into a url and try playing it in an flv player (I'm using Moyea flv player) it doesn't work.

For example If I go to the following stream (random game replay)
_http://www.twitch.tv/playhemtv

I get the following with URL Snooper:

rtmp://199.9.255.51/app/jtv_FCaJ4C1HEYq_z_LR

If I use RTMPexplorer and navigate to it I get

rtmp://199.9.252.8/app/jtv_d1pr07Hj2R_v6kuF.flv

If I use either of those two urls for the streaming url in Moyea FLV Player it just shows a black screen. What am I doing wrong?

dr_always · #2 10-14-2011, 06:59 PM

I second this motion. I would love to have a working VLC playlist full of my favorite live streams (mainly justin.tv.. creators of and almost identical source code as twitch) so I wouldn't have to view them through my memory hogging browser.

svnpenn · #3 10-15-2011, 02:37 AM

RTMP is a protocol that requires more than just a URL. It requires additional parameter for the client to communicate for the server. Yes it is stupid.

rtmpdump -r rtmp://199.9.255.111 -a app -W http://www-cdn.justin.tv/widgets/live_frontpage_player.swf -j "822a8ac5066201d0f517cfa22fee02852c4991b3:{\"swfDo mains\": [\"justin.tv\", \"jtvx.com\", \"xarth.com\", \"twitchtv.com\", \"twitch.tv\", \"wdtinc.com\", \"imapweather.com\", \"facebook.com\", \"starcrafting.com\"], \"streamName\": \"jtv_vbFHmYN91p3IcXIM\", \"expiration\": 1318667124.53163, \"server\": \"jfk01-video3-2\"}" -y jtv_vbFHmYN91p3IcXIM -o out.flv

dr_always · #4 10-15-2011, 02:51 AM

I've included all those parameters acquired from RTMPdump-2.4 and then I am told by another forum member that justin.tv has taken defensive measures to ensure viewing their live stream is impossible. Are you still able to view justin.tv streams through VLC?

dr_always · #5 10-15-2011, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svnpenn

RTMP is a protocol that requires more than just a URL. It requires additional parameter for the client to communicate for the server. Yes it is stupid.

Code:

rtmpdump -r rtmp://199.9.255.111 -a app -W http://www-cdn.justin.tv/widgets/live_frontpage_player.swf -j "822a8ac5066201d0f517cfa22fee02852c4991b3:{\"swfDomains\": [\"justin.tv\", \"jtvx.com\", \"xarth.com\", \"twitchtv.com\", \"twitch.tv\", \"wdtinc.com\", \"imapweather.com\", \"facebook.com\", \"starcrafting.com\"], \"streamName\": \"jtv_vbFHmYN91p3IcXIM\", \"expiration\": 1318667124.53163, \"server\": \"jfk01-video3-2\"}" -y jtv_vbFHmYN91p3IcXIM -o out.flv

When I try this code with RTMPdump-2.4 I get the following message:

Code:

C:\Documents and Settings\Me\Desktop\rtmpexplorer>rtmpdump -r rtmp://199.9.255.1
11 -a app -W http://www-cdn.justin.tv/widgets/live_frontpage_player.swf -j "822a
8ac5066201d0f517cfa22fee02852c4991b3:{\"swfDo mains\": [\"justin.tv\", \"jtvx.co
m\", \"xarth.com\", \"twitchtv.com\", \"twitch.tv\", \"wdtinc.com\", \"imapweath
er.com\", \"facebook.com\", \"starcrafting.com\"], \"streamName\": \"jtv_vbFHmYN
91p3IcXIM\", \"expiration\": 1318667124.53163, \"server\": \"jfk01-video3-2\"}"
-y jtv_vbFHmYN91p3IcXIM -o out.flv
RTMPDump v2.4 GIT-2011-07-22 (Compiled by KSV)
(c) 2010 Andrej Stepanchuk, Howard Chu, The Flvstreamer Team; license: GPL
WARNING: No application or playpath in URL!
ERROR: RTMP_HashSWF: couldn't contact swfurl http://www-cdn.justin.tv/widgets/li
ve_frontpage_player.swf (HTTP error 302)
Connecting ...
INFO: Connected...
ERROR: Closing connection: NetStream.Play.Failed

Does this work for you?

svnpenn · #6 10-15-2011, 10:13 AM

Like with Hulu and other sites these dynamically generated parameters will usually expire after 3 minutes or something. So you would need to initiate another request for a stream using a browser or RTMPexplorer.

dr_always · #7 10-15-2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svnpenn

RTMP is a protocol that requires more than just a URL. It requires additional parameter for the client to communicate for the server. Yes it is stupid.

Paste this rtmp url (url only - no parameters like you say is necessary) into SMPlayer and then tell me what you think.

Code:

rtmp://npsaflivefs.fplive.net:1935/npsaflive-live/stream50

This rtmp url is from the following page:

Code:

http://www.windowsintowonderland.org/live/live3.htm

svnpenn · #8 10-15-2011, 05:04 PM

I'm on Windows. I dont have SmPlayer and Im not downloading it so you can prove a point. If you dont like the state of affairs with RTMPdump or even RTMPexplorer, the source code is freely available for you to take and fork.