[mythtv-users] Movie Times Plugin outside North America

[Michael T. Dean]

On 11/03/2009 02:35 AM, Ma Begaj wrote:
> 2009/11/3 Michael T. Dean:
>   
>> On 11/02/2009 10:40 PM, Nick Rout wrote:
>>     
>>> On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 10:43 PM, Ma Begaj wrote:
>>>       
>>>> I would be nice to be able to (on click) download and show movie
>>>> details like in mythvideo's ttvdb.
>>>> Integrating look and feel of mythvideo in this plugin would be great.
>>>>         
>>> And/or then interfacing with apple movie trailers to see a trailer...
>>>       
>> Unfortunately, doing so would be a violation of the Apple website ToS unless
>> "interfacing" meant allowing you to hit a button that brought up MythBrowser
>> pointed to the Apple trailers website and let you use their web interface to
>> find and view the trailer.  (The only "interface" we're allowed to do is
>> make it easy for you to bring up a browser to use Apple's HTML interface to
>> access the site.)
> even xml feeds like http://www.apple.com/trailers/home/xml/current.xml??\
>   

My understanding is that those XML feeds are not meant for public 
consumption. They're instead accessing the data server that Apple is 
using to create the HTML web site. This isn't to say that they are 
actively trying to prevent access--I'm sure they allow Apple developers 
using the Apple SDK's or some Apple service key or Apple ID or whatever 
to access the feed when developing applications for Apple products like 
the iPhone or whatever. However, since there's no specific ToS for the 
XML feed, and since the XML feed is served as part of the same web site 
that includes the "main" Apple web site, it seems to be covered under 
the same ToS.

> because (at least my) browser cannot do anything with this xml.
>
> how should someone access these

Apple seems to want you and your browser to go to 
http://www.apple.com/trailers/ .

Feel free to read the Apple ToS at 
http://www.apple.com/legal/terms/site.html . Specifically of interest are:

-----
Your Use of the Site
You may not use any “deep-link”, “page-scrape”, “robot”, “spider” or 
other automatic device, program, algorithm or methodology, or any 
similar or equivalent manual process, to access, acquire, copy or 
monitor any portion of the Site or any Content, or in any way reproduce 
or circumvent the navigational structure or presentation of the Site or 
any Content, to obtain or attempt to obtain any materials, documents or 
information through any means not purposely made available through the 
Site. Apple reserves the right to bar any such activity.
...
You agree that you will not take any action that imposes an unreasonable 
or disproportionately large load on the infrastructure of the Site or 
Apple’s systems or networks, or any systems or networks connected to the 
Site or to Apple
...
You may not forge headers or otherwise manipulate identifiers in order 
to disguise the origin of any message or transmittal you send to Apple 
on or through the Site or any service offered on or through the Site. 
You may not pretend that you are, or that you represent, someone else, 
or impersonate any other individual or entity.
-----

And note that Apple /has/ recently changed their trailers page such that 
they only allow certain applications (such as Apple QuickTime) to 
download the trailers. Therefore, the "You may not forge headers or 
otherwise manipulate identifiers in order to disguise the origin of any 
message or transmittal," portion is especially relevant.

See, also, 
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/393292#393292 .

Mike