Netfist Hack
Fisted by JFinger under movies, tech on Tue, Feb 27, 2007
[14] Comments
The new “Watch Now” feature in Netfist, where customers are allowed one hour per dollar spent per month (2 at a time plan = $14.99 = 15 hours of Watch Now streamable movies offered by Netfist) was long overdue, and we are happy Netfist took the big step to provide this service to their customers. Cheaper than iTunes, beating Blockbuster, and other companies, Netfist is now an online streaming movie madhouse.
For now, it is only available on PCs running Internet Explorer 6 or higher. FireFox Browser and Mac users have to wait a bit longer. Also, we’re not talking HD quality nor Dolby 5.2 yet – so don’t get yourself all hot and bothered…yet…
So, why the post? My friends, we are not merely into watching movies on our laptops. We can do that now with other services. What we need is a way to capture these streamed movies so we can watch them on our TVs. We need to save these streamed files so we can watch them later. In no way does this post suggest viewing copyrighted material, so don’t get the wrong idea.
Netfist contracted with a company who provides an ActiveX control for streaming through AxPlayer. AxPlayer uses Microsoft Media Player to convert the stream into digital video. What FistOfBlog IT found was that AxPlayer actually buffers the entire movie right on your hard disk:
C:\DOCUME~1\<username>\LOCALS~1\Temp\AxPlayer\pbuffer.wmv
The buffered file is named pbuffer.wmv. For a typical two hour movie, the file size is less than 2GB. If you want to burn to DVD, you’ll have to convert the wmv file yourself using other tools, and I won’t tell you how to do it here, that is for another time.
The best part about this? Don’t tell Netfist, but if you start the movie and pause it, the movie will continue to buffer until it is finished. The result is that you can save off the complete temp buffer file until later when it is more convenient for you to watch it, yet Netfist believes you only watched 30 seconds, subtracting only 30 seconds from your account.
The worst part about this is that Netfist is offering crap movies now. Oh sure, there are some goodies, but most of them are not. So while we wait for Netfist to plug this hole, you can enjoy virtually unlimited B movies, and watch them anytime you want, burn to DVD to watch on your TV (after converting), or just delete them at will.
14 Responses to “ Netfist Hack ”
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February 27th, 2007 at 11:55 am
I repeat: My love for you grows with each post!
I was recently bitching about Netdix on my personal blog until the WatchNow feature appeared for me at the end of January. Agreed that the selection so far is paltry, but knowing I can burn Jumpin’ Jack Flash to DVD and re-watch ad infinitum (rather than actually paying for it) is DIZOPE.
Now just tell me how to convert the file–tell me, tell me!
February 27th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Thanks Pinky!
Conversions….yes, this is always a tough question. Turns out the wmv files that are saved are DRM enabled, meaning they are locked down, thanks to the industry and Microsoft. So you can’t take your everyday conversion program and directly decode the file.
However, there is a work around for this, check it out:
Get Tunebite, but first read this
Tunebite will record your protected files, both audio and video, like a VCR (so it is slowwww: real time), and will save the video either as an unprotected wmv or an m4v for your iPod. They say it is perfectly legal, since you had the license to playback in the first place. Once here, you can use other applications out there that will convert wmv files to DVD (like DVDSanta).
You might spend a few bucks to do all of this, so it depends on how important it is for you to watch this stuff on TV rather than your PC. Archiving, yes that’s important too, especially those old Abbot and Costello movies…
February 27th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Looks like it’s time for me to install windoze on my new Intel Mac.
Goddammit.
February 28th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
D’oh!
(furiously smacks iMac)
What thumb just said.
February 28th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
since i don’t watch movies anymore i’m immune, mac or no mac. heh.
March 1st, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Immune = idiot.
I mean that in the best possible way. So much time can be invested/wasted on good movies, shitty movies, stellar movies, etc.
What’s wrong with you????
March 1st, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Oh, and if you’re a Firefox user, just make sure you have the IE tab plug-in/add-on.
That’s how I watch ‘em.
March 1st, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Nice call, Pinky, I need to get me that one. I have been cranking up IE6 all this time…
March 5th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
UPDATE – MARCH 5: NETFIST PATCHED IT.
But you still can save it, you’ll just be charged the full amount even though you had it on PAUSE the whole time…damn netfist.
March 10th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
UPDATE 2: MARCH 10
JFinger is starting to understand how it really works. You start the movie. You pause it immediately, then get the cached vid.
Netfist only charges you the amount of time you actually watched it, and since you only watched 10 seconds of it, that’s what they end up charging your account.
But wait, if I use Tunebite to record the DRM .wmv file (so that I can burn it and watch it on TV like a proper movie), I am required to be online, connected to the DRM mega brothah in the sky. After checking my DRM license, the movie starts and I record it.
At this point, because of the DRM check, Netflix then goes ahead and charges me for the full length of the film.
Further testing indicates that the full charge occurs a lot sooner, in fact only after a few minutes. Of the five movies I have downloaded so far, I have only watched one of them completely, yet I have been charged the full amount for four of them – the fifth one I never attempted to record.
Bottom Line: You gotta really be motivated in order to do this. In all reality, you might save yourself a full day or two (versus the old fashioned way of Netfist – waiting for the darned 3-day turnaround mail), and then again, you might find yourself purchasing a good 3rd party recorder to allow you to save it for viewing later on your TV.
March 13th, 2007 at 8:14 am
UPDATE 3: MARCH 13
JFinger got double-billed by Netfist for playing a movie twice – once from the Netfirst site, and the other time when I played it locally on my PC while connected to the internets. The DRM messed with me and told Netfist that I was playing it again.
So if you want to record it without being double billed, you have to record while watching on the first go, otherwise you might have burned up to four hours from your monthly tab.
March 16th, 2007 at 8:52 am
UPDATE 4: MARCH 16
Netfist has “updated” their viewer. It’s what I thought would happen… Now the incoming stream will be paused if you pause the viewer. Here it is in the log:
WMP Event: Open state change (End License Acquisition)
WMP Event: Status change
Download speed = 4.98 Mbps
WMP Event: Audio language change (1033)
WMP Event: Open state change (Media Open)
WMP Event: Status change
WMP Event: Play state change (Playing)
WMP Event: Status change
WMP Event: Media Change
WMP Event: Media Change
WMP Event: Play state change (Paused)
WMP Event: Status change
! BufferMgr::Read: InternetReadFile() bytes read (1833)
But the file still remains on the harddrive – but I’d bet as soon as the movie is over the temp file gets deleted, making it tricky to get it in time.
We’ll see how this one goes, to see if it can still be captured for later viewing.
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