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Broken Discovery Channels - Matrix version 2021.10.08 available
#1
Wink 
It's been some time since the Discovery Network Channels add-on by AddonScriptorDE has worked.  Since no one else has picked up the torch, I figured I'd take a stab at it.  I've copied the look of ASDE's version, but basically had to start from scratch with the code.  At this point, I think it's working well enough to share with others.

There are a total of ~30 - 40 full episodes available @ 1080p from the various channels, and hundreds of short clips sorted by show.  The full episodes are unlocked for a limited time, I think 30 days or so, and then they are replaced with other episodes.  I'm pretty sure these are region blocked though, for the U.S. only.  Someone from outside the U.S. will need to confirm this.  Users can choose which channels are displayed in the main menu, and adjust the stream bitrate in the add-on settings.

EDIT:  Region blocking has been confirmed.  Sad

EDIT: 10/09/2021 - Matrix version available. Discovery Channels - v 2021.10.10 - I've removed channels that are not working (Animal Planet, Discovery Science, AHN, DIY). The code for these pages has changed greatly, but I'll work to add these back in when/if I can come up with a fix. This version will not be available from my repo.

If you have any issues with the add-on, please post a log (wiki).

EDIT: 11/09/2019 - Updated version available. Discovery Channels - v 3.3.1 This update addresses issues resulting from recent website changes. Only major change is the removal of MotorTrend. See this post for more details.

EDIT: 01/01/2019 - Updated version available. This update addresses issues resulting from recent website changes. See this post for more details.

EDIT: 12/20/2017 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.9 - This update includes fixes for website changes from a week or two ago. Currently lists episode titles only without the show name, and without the episode duration in the plot summary. I'm hoping to add these back in, but the API is not very friendly, and somewhat convoluted. Hopefully I'll get it done early next year. Also, it seems episodes are no longer available @ 1080p.

EDIT:  10/29/2017 - Updated version available  - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.8 - So it seems there have been some recent changes to the website - again.  I really wish they'd stop doing that.  It looks as if they are transitioning to a different content delivery network.  A few changes to the add-on code and it now appears to be functioning correctly again.

EDIT:  09/03/2017 - Updated version available  - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.7 - The short clips should be working again.  Discovery Kids is still not 100% though, as it seems some of the videos are still hosted on the old Revision3 servers, and those videos are not working.  Not sure when, or if, that will ever be fixed.  I did add some error handling for instances when the add-on can not find a working Discovery Kids video stream.

EDIT: 04/09/2017 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.6 - This should (hopefully) speed up the add-on a bit when loading the episode titles.  Added option in settings to choose different parsers.  Also added a link to find additional unlocked episodes which are not listed on the main site pages.  This currently works fairly slow (as the add-on needs to scrape multiple pages), but I'm hoping to improve the speed of this feature in the near future.  The amount of additional episodes available varies from one network to another.  I've seen as few as 2, and as many as 16.

EDIT: 04/03/2017 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.4 - This should fix issues caused by recent website changes.

EDIT:  10/03/2016 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.1 - Video clips for the various  Velocity channel shows should be working again.  Please download the latest version.

EDIT:  10/01/2016 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.2.0 - Now that there are some unlocked full episodes from AHC, Velocity, Destination America, and Discovery Life, this version will get those too.  One caveat - most of the short clips from the various Velocity shows are still not working properly.  Hopefully I'll have that fixed soon.  Tested on the usual combinations of OS and Kodi versions.

EDIT:  8/19/2016 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.1.9 -  Tested on Linux (Ubuntu 12.04 & Lubuntu 14.04), Mac OS (Lion), and Android (Lollipop), running Gotham, Helix, Isengard, and Jarvis.  This version addresses the recent changes to the websites of the various Discovery Channels, and fixes a typo in the add-on id that existed in version 3.1.8 (sorry 'bout that).

EDIT:  4/4/2016 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.1.7 - No fixes, just a minor update.  I've added an option in the add-on settings that will allow users to disable the forced views.  No need to update from v 3.1.6 if you do not desire this ability.

EDIT:  3/21/2016 - Updated version available - Discovery Channels - v 3.1.6 - I've tested on Linux (Ubuntu 12.04 & Lubuntu 14.04), Mac OS (Lion), Android (Lollipop), and Windows (7), running Gotham, Helix, and Isengard, and experienced no issues.

The major difference between 3.1.6 and 3.1.5 is that this should work across all platforms, eliminating the failures experienced in 3.1.5 by Android and Mac users.  Minor changes include:
 
  • Switch to html5lib for parsing - this eliminates the 'script failed' error caused by weird characters in titles, and also seems to be a bit faster.  The module should install automatically with the add-on
  • Added a Search function for the short video clips.  As posted here and here, these listings can be 'hit or miss' due to what appears to be a lack of a standardized template across the various Discovery sites.  Some shows may actually have clips available, but the add-on is unable to find them due to the varying site templates in use.  The Search function may help find some of these clips that are not listed by the add-on under the show name.
  • Added more error handling for the issue above.  I find it's much better to receive a more specific notification rather than the generic, and mysterious, 'script failed' error.
  • Appended the expiration date for full episodes to the description.  This will appear after the episode runtime.  If you can't decide which episode to watch, might as well watch the one that is expiring soonest.

Any and all feedback is welcome, and appreciated.  Let me know how I'm doing! Smile

If you have any issues with the add-on, please post a log (wiki).


Image

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Kodi Nexus on Dell Optiplex 980 Lubuntu 20.04 | Kodi Nexus on HTPC Lubuntu 20.04 | My Add-ons | Legacy Repo | Matrix Repo
#2
Good stuff MetalChris Smile
#3
Awesome thanks!
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#4
Region blocked in Germany.
#5
Region blocked in Greece but also with VPN for US don't play anything.
#6
This is awesome. Have been waiting for this
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IMPORTANT:
The official Kodi version does not contain any content what so ever. This means that you should provide your own content from a local or remote storage location, DVD, Blu-Ray or any other media carrier that you own. Additionally Kodi allows you to install third-party plugins that may provide access to content that is freely available on the official content provider website. The watching or listening of illegal or pirated content which would otherwise need to be paid for is not endorsed or approved by Team Kodi.
#7
I'm getting this error.

carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[1]
IndexError: list index out of range

for all the channels
#8
(2016-03-12, 16:55)NeelP Wrote: I'm getting this error.

carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[1]
IndexError: list index out of range

for all the channels

@MetalChris: Thanks for revamping the Discovery add-on back to life.

Same.

I changed line 88 in addon.py from:

Code:
carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[1]

to

carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[0]

Then it was working without errors, but not sure if working the way MetalChris intended.

Edit: Further observations...

I changed line 88 back to original [1], then only Discovery Kids was working without 'index out of range' error. Next I changed line 88 to [0] and all channels progress to the next menu, but some of the channels have another 'index out of range' error when clicking on further links. Sorry no time for logs or documenting more at the moment.
Get the Best of NHK video add-on for Kodi 19. Install via my k19-addons repository.
#9
Thank you for this. Works great for me.
#10
Region blocked in Canada
#11
(2016-03-12, 17:29)misty01 Wrote:
(2016-03-12, 16:55)NeelP Wrote: I'm getting this error.

carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[1]
IndexError: list index out of range

for all the channels

@MetalChris: Thanks for revamping the Discovery add-on back to life.

Same.

I changed line 88 in addon.py from:

Code:
carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[1]

to

carousel = BeautifulSoup(page,'html.parser').find_all("div",{"class":"carousel-wrapper"})[0]

Then it was working without errors, but not sure if working the way MetalChris intended.

Edit: Further observations...

I changed line 88 back to original [1], then only Discovery Kids was working without 'index out of range' error. Next I changed line 88 to [0] and all channels progress to the next menu, but some of the channels have another 'index out of range' error when clicking on further links. Sorry no time for logs or documenting more at the moment.

There are 3 instances of the carousel wrapper on each page, we're only interested in the second one since it contains the unlocked episodes. The first instance contains a list of Recently Added episodes, most of which are locked. The Discovery Kids channel is completely different than the other 9, so it shouldn't exhibit the same behaviour as the others.

I'm unable to reproduce the error on either my laptop or HTPC, but having just tried with my tablet I see it does throw the error. By any chance are both of you (@misty01 and @NeelP) using Android? If so, then I'm now pointed in the correct direction to work towards a fix. If not, please post a link to a debug log (wiki) so that I can investigate further.

For those of you who have tried the add-on and are region blocked I apologize. I don't think there's anything I can do about this that would be within the legal bounds of use.
Kodi Nexus on Dell Optiplex 980 Lubuntu 20.04 | Kodi Nexus on HTPC Lubuntu 20.04 | My Add-ons | Legacy Repo | Matrix Repo
#12
I'm using mac. Using Kodi 16.1 RC1. Region : USA. Will post the log soon
#13
Also on Mac, but using kodi 15.2. Also tried on Android and same failures.
Get the Best of NHK video add-on for Kodi 19. Install via my k19-addons repository.
#14
Works for Linux but error for Android.
#15
(2016-03-12, 19:19)NeelP Wrote: I'm using mac. Using Kodi 16.1 RC1. Region : USA. Will post the log soon

(2016-03-12, 19:58)misty01 Wrote: Also on Mac, but using kodi 15.2. Also tried on Android and same failures.

(2016-03-12, 20:52)cd2022 Wrote: Works for Linux but error for Android.

I've confirmed the add-on is working with Windows and various 'buntu systems running Gotham thru Isengard, so looks like Android and Mac users are the odd ones out right now. I'm working on a fix. Hope to have something uploaded later this afternoon/evening, and hopefully it'll kill both birds with one stone.

Stay tuned...

EDIT: Please try the BETA release now available in post #17.
Kodi Nexus on Dell Optiplex 980 Lubuntu 20.04 | Kodi Nexus on HTPC Lubuntu 20.04 | My Add-ons | Legacy Repo | Matrix Repo
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Discovery Channels - Matrix version 2021.10.08 available1