skyscraper8: Command line tool for extracting files contained in a TS/GS.

Fey · August 31, 2025 at 5:50 PM

Hallo liebe Satellitenfreunde!

Nach langem Hadern mit mir selber habe ich mich entschlossen mein hausgemachtes Tool zur Datenextraktion aus TS und GS zu veröffentlichen.
Ich will ehrlich mit euch sein: Ich programmiere zwar gerne und viel, sowohl beruflich als auch privat, aber ich habe nicht viel Vertrauen in meine Fähigkeiten als Progammierer.
Laut Git History habe ich im März 2022 angefangen, dieses Tool zu schreiben. Während dieser Reise zu dem Punkt an dem es jetzt ist, habe ich mir immer zwei Fragen gestellt: "Ich werde doch wohl nicht der einzige auf der Welt sein, der so an Transport Streams rumdoktort, oder?" und "Ist in Online-Communities überhaupt Platz für so ein Tool?"
Nachdem VMA ja vor kurzem seinen VMA Stream Reader hier gepostet hat, (Der gefällt mir wirklich sehr gut, Chapeau! ) habe ich gesehen, nein, ich bin nicht alleine, und ja, es gibt in Online-Communities Platz für mehr Tools.

Deshalb habe ich beschlossen mal zu versuchen meine Unsicherheiten auszublenden und über meinen Schatten zu springen und möchte mein Tool, skyscraper8, veröffentlichen.

Aktuell kann skyscraper8 benutzt werden:
- um Dateien und Segmente aus DVB-NIP in TS und GS (letzteres benötigt eine TBS 6903x o.ä.) zu extrahieren.
- um Dateien aus DSM-CC Object Carousels zu extrahieren.
- um DSM-CC Data Carousels zu extrahieren.
- um IP Traffic in TS (MPE oder ULE) und GS zu erkennen und diese in ein PCAP-File zu schreiben.

Da es sich um ein Commandline-Tool handelt, ist es in der Bedienung nicht ganz selbsterklärend, deshalb habe ich dazu ein kurzes Youtube-Video aufgenommen um es zu veranschaulichen:

External Content www.youtube.com

Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.

Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

(Im Moment nur auf deutsch, in meine englische Aussprache habe ich noch weniger Vertrauen als in meine Programmierkenntnisse. 🤭)
Ich arbeite auch an einer GUI-Version, die ist aber noch nicht so weit, dass ich mich wohl fühlen würde, diese zu zeigen.
Das Tool ist in C# geschrieben und benötigt .NET 8.0. Gerne bin ich bereit auch den Source-Code mit euch zu teilen, sofern dies hier erlaubt ist.

Über Feedback jeder Art würde ich mich sehr freuen.

Ihr findet das Tool hier: https://mega.nz/file/R5MziaaS#…9lyjqPuYcXHBjNY Ich habe es auf Mega hochgeladen, da es mit 1.5 MB zu groß für einen Anhang ist.

Bildanhang: Ein Screenshot von skyscraper8, wie er ein File-Listing des Data-Carousel auf Hotbird-10971H, ausgibt.

Euer Fey
-

Hello dear satellite friends!

After much thinking and debating with myself I've decided to publish my homemade tool for data extraction from TS and GS.
I'll be honest with you: I enjoy programming a lot, both professionally and privately, but I don't have much confidence in my programming skills.
According to my Git history, I started writing this tool in March 2022. During this journey to where I am now, I've always asked myself two questions: "I'm not the only one in the world tinkering with transport streams like this, am I?" and "Is there even room for such a tool in online communities?"
After VMA recently posted his VMA Stream Reader here (I really like that one, cheers!), I realized, no, I'm not alone, and yes, there is room for more tools in online communities.

That's why I've decided to try putting aside my insecurities and overcome my fears and publish my tool, skyscraper8.

Currently, skyscraper8 can be used:
- to extract files and segments from DVB-NIP in TS and GS (the latter requires a TBS 6903x or similar).
- to extract files from DSM-CC object carousels.
- to extract DSM-CC data carousels.
- to detect IP traffic in TS (MPE or ULE) and GS and write it to a PCAP file.

Since it's a command-line tool, it's not entirely self-explanatory, so I recorded a short YouTube video to show how it works:

External Content www.youtube.com

Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.

Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

(Currently only in German; I have even less confidence in my English pronunciation than in my programming skills. 🤭)
I also have a GUI version in progress, but it's not at a point yet in which I feel comfortable showing it.
The tool is written in C# and requires .NET 8.0. I'd be happy to share the source code with you guys, if it's allowed here.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

You can find the tool here: https://mega.nz/file/R5MziaaS#…9lyjqPuYcXHBjNY I've uploaded it to Mega because the file is 1.5 MB, which is too large for an attachment.
Attached image: A Screenshot of skyscraper8 outputting a file listing of the data carousel on Hotbird-10971H.

Yours, Fey

**VMA** · August 31, 2025 at 6:01 PM

Cool!

Super Tool.

Schaue ich mir nachher genauer an.

**VMA** · August 31, 2025 at 6:16 PM

Miles ahead of my implementation!

Super!

**VMA** · August 31, 2025 at 6:17 PM

How do I get VLC to automatically load the next file (which did not exist when I first started VLC)?

**satesco** · August 31, 2025 at 6:44 PM

It's wonderful, Fey, that you invite us, just like VMA, to participate in your projects, which are also ours, but as simple users.

I hope we will be good beta testers for what you are developing, and that our observations will be relevant to your expectations.

For VMA, our reactions were direct and brutal, in a good way, to the point that we ruined his nights and holidays. Despite the fatigue caused to VMA, we came out, I believe, winners.

I hope it will be the same in your case, and if we give you headaches, I hope you will also gain something important, to our mutual satisfaction.

With your presence, the temperature on our forum has risen.

Best regards

Fey · September 1, 2025 at 8:23 PM

Hi all,

since the file extractor in skyscraper8 does not interact with VLC or modify the files in any way, it can't force VLC into opening the next file in the sequence.

So I put together a new version with a new command-line option to get around this issue and get somewhat continuous playback. It's a bit of an unelegant hack since it needs two instances running and have vlc.exe in %PATH%.

Here's a short Youtube-Video to demonstrate it:

External Content www.youtube.com

Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.

Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

(no voice-over this time) - the demo lags a bit because skyscraper8 failed to catch some of the segments, but I think it shows what I was attempting to do.

Link to the new version here: https://mega.nz/file/9gME1QrK#…U01ciIj0VCALFDE

If I gain something from a headache, it's worth the headache. And because dissecting TS files is one of my favorite things to do in my free time, there's definitely a lot of fun to be gained.

Regards, Fey

-

Hallo zusammen,

da der Datei-Extraktor in skyscraper8 nicht mit VLC interagiert oder die Dateien in irgendeiner Art modifiziert, hat er keine Möglichkeit VLC dazu zu bringen, die nächste Datei in der Sequenz zu öffnen.

Also habe ich eine neue Version zusammengeklöppelt, welche einen zusätzlichen Kommandozeilen-Schalter enthält, um dieses Problem zu umgehen und damit halbwegs kontinuierliche Wiedergabe zu bekommen. Dieser Hack ist ein wenig unelegant, weil dafür zwei Instanzen laufen müssen und auch vlc.exe im %PATH% liegen muss.

Hier ist ein kurzes Youtube-Video um es zu demonstrieren: (Link siehe oben, dieses mal ohne Vertonung). Die Demo hängt ein wenig, da skyscraper8 einige Segmente nicht mitbekommen hat, aber ich schätze es zeigt gut, was ich vor hatte.

Der Link zu der neuen Version ist hier: https://mega.nz/file/9gME1QrK#…U01ciIj0VCALFDE

Wenn ich aus Kopfschmerzen etwas positives gewinne, war es die Kopfschmerzen wert. Und da das zerlegen von TS Dateien eine meiner Lieblings-Freizeitbeschäftigungen ist, gibt es auf jeden Fall viel Spaß zu gewinnen.

Grüße, Fey

sat-fan · September 2, 2025 at 8:24 PM

Hello, Fey
Thank you very much for your skyscraper8 utility!
Long time waiting for any tool that allows to get content from Generic Streams!

Could you please explain, if on next round of carousel there is a file that already downloaded on the disk - do scraper start to download it again, replacing old version? Or it skips such file?

Fey · September 2, 2025 at 8:55 PM

Hi sat-fan,

If an object from a Data carousel or Object carousel already exists, it will silently ignore the broadcasted version and wait for the next file.

**satesco** · September 5, 2025 at 1:25 PM

Hi Fey,

I started using your application, skyscraper8. I selected mux DVB-NIP at 12226 V, and not the generic mux. I managed to obtain .ts files and even run one of them with video.
However, something is missing, possibly skyscraper5.ini?
What do you think? Any detailed information is welcome.

Later on, I will test a generic stream. For now, I'm just getting familiar with it. The video you posted helped me use your application.

And don't forget, you've probably realized that we're on a forum for satellite enthusiasts, and I think most of us aren't software specialists. That means working with console/terminal applications. We're used to using GUIs when it comes to applications.

Those who want to work with your application, and I do no doubt that there are many, would like you to offer them some guidance on what to do and how.

Forgive me for this detour. I am sure that many of those who read about your application will agree with me. I hope I am not too far off the mark about my colleagues here.

Many thanks

Dorfmaan · September 5, 2025 at 3:38 PM

Hello, Fey!
I would like to thank you and also congratulate you for the wonderful software you have written.
May I ask you if there might be a possibility in the future the program to read and process input TS files that is recorded just from one PID? I mean that, I know the PID number, record just that PID, not the whole TS.

**satesco** · September 5, 2025 at 7:03 PM

Hi Fey,

As you can see, I can retrieve information from the mux, but I am unable to run it continuously with VLC.
Where am I going wrong in the command in the second screenshot?

Fey · September 5, 2025 at 9:25 PM

Hi all!

No worries, we can all grow from our challenges, and making a easy to use graphical user interface is certainly a challenge I'd like to tackle. That'd make me grow as a developer. 😊 Although I'm not quite sure yet how a easy to use GUI will look like. I know I posted a screenshot in my self-introduction thread, but since that GUI is based on SDL2 and ImGUI it'd cause a DLL-Hell and I didn't want to make it too complicated, which is why I haven't shared it yet. This is a great chance for me to look into making a Windows Forms application.

The skyscraper5.ini file is intended to make skyscraper8 load additional functionality from additional DLL files. For example I made one that writes found EIT Events and SDT Services (and the other tables) into an SQL Database. I haven't shared that one yet because I wasn't sure how much interest there is for it. The program will run fine without it.

Dorfmaan : Interesting use case. This is currently not supported, because skyscraper8 relies on the PAT and PMT to find the streams (unless it detects a GS), but I think I can implement that in the next version.

satesco : To make the hlsproxy work, it needs the folder where the TS files are in, not one of the TS files by itself. So saying

.\skyscraper8.exe hlsproxy "E:\Temp\http\dvb.gw\eutelsat\ts_corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q\corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q_240p"

instead of
.\skyscraper8.exe hlsproxy "E:\Temp\http\dvb.gw\eutelsat\ts_corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q\corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q_240p\l_25009_30375000_2822.ts"

should make it do the trick. Remember to have vlc.exe available in your %PATH%.

-

I also have a new version here which fixes some crashes related to T2-MI and the image_icon_descriptor (Thanks to sat-fan for the sample captures!). Also I've added experimental support for detecting the presence of unencrypted NDS and OpenTV System-Software-Updates and extracting them (13.0°E/11881/V has some).
The new version is here: https://mega.nz/file/0o1lyJLR#…7jpwQlgvpwNMJHs

Seeing the feedback has made me motiviated to work even harder on this tool. Thank you guys for this!

**satesco** · September 8, 2025 at 10:39 PM

Quote from Fey

...
satesco : To make the hlsproxy work, it needs the folder where the TS files are in, not one of the TS files by itself. So saying
.\skyscraper8.exe hlsproxy "E:\Temp\http\dvb.gw\eutelsat\ts_corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q\corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q_240p"
instead of
.\skyscraper8.exe hlsproxy "E:\Temp\http\dvb.gw\eutelsat\ts_corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q\corp\73_almaghribia_83tz85q_240p\l_25009_30375000_2822.ts"
should make it do the trick. Remember to have vlc.exe available in your %PATH%.
...

Display More

The trick worked, and then I chose the path for VLC.

I tried two streams simultaneously with your app. It probably would have worked with four, but I didn't try it.

The important thing is that the stream runs well and smoothly.

Next, we'll see to what extent Skyscraper8 is capable of decapsulating generic streams.

External Content youtu.be

Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.

Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

**satesco** · September 9, 2025 at 6:12 PM

Quote from satesco

The trick worked, and then I chose the path for VLC.
I tried two streams simultaneously with your app. It probably would have worked with four, but I didn't try it.
...

I couldn't resist, and today I tested Fey's application to run multiple streams at 12226 V.

As you can see in the video, all four streams are running smoothly and continuously.

In addition to this advantage, I checked the "HTTP" folder, where the .ts files for the streams are saved. They occupy a small amount of space, over 2 GB on an SSD.

In the first tests to run a single stream, I needed about 10 GB

We hope to find more MPE streams like this.

External Content youtu.be

Content embedded from external sources will not be displayed without your consent.

Through the activation of external content, you agree that personal data may be transferred to third party platforms. We have provided more information on this in our privacy policy.

Fey · September 9, 2025 at 6:52 PM

Hi all!

The last few days I've been busy implementing RTSP and SSDP in skyscraper8 so it can talk to SAT>IP devices. This is making good progress, but does not work yet. Unfortunately my day job and my family have been demanding attention, so I haven't worked as much on it as I wanted to.

But I do have added another new function so I post this update: https://mega.nz/file/BxtEXazZ#…OpIEA5WhkTrkzqQ

This update has two changes:

Added another command-line option named "hlsproxy-destructive" which does the same as "hlsproxy", but deletes the segment files after it has pushed them into VLC. Be careful to only use this on directories which contain actual HLS streams, like those extracted from NIP, because it'll happily eat up other TS files in the same directory as well.
Removed the message from the Plugin-Manager about the missing INI file.

Cheers,
Fey

**satesco** · September 10, 2025 at 1:22 PM

Quote from Fey

Hi all!
...
This update has two changes:
Added another command-line option named "hlsproxy-destructive" which does the same as "hlsproxy", but deletes the segment files after it has pushed them into VLC. Be careful to only use this on directories which contain actual HLS streams, like those extracted from NIP, because it'll happily eat up other TS files in the same directory as well.
Removed the message from the Plugin-Manager about the missing INI file.
Cheers,
Fey

Thanks for the new version. It works as you mentioned. On the streams I tested, I noticed that the files were deleted (you can see it in the screenshots), which is, of course, very good.

I managed to run several streams, but if you don't run them from all folders (the duplicate content with different resolutions), the files accumulate and, of course, take up storage space. It has to do with the .pcap file, which grows very large, and if you leave it for a long time, it can take up tens of GB of space.

And you're curious to see what else can be extracted from this mux transmission, you'll find compressed files, which, if you unzip them, reveal folders on various topics, and even videos that are unrelated to the main stream.

Without further ado, to work with your excellent extractor, you need computer resources, primarily ample storage space, an SSD, a large monitor, etc.
I imagine that such "DATA" streams, as they say, are targeted at devices with multiple functions, probably similar to satellite receivers, with smart and IP included. But that's another topic.

What makes us happy, at least me, is the opportunity you give us, together with VMA, so that those who have access to many satellites and transponders (as there are quite a few here) can be rewarded in our search for feeds and satellite news.

Now that we are no longer in the early days of satellite reception, when you were happy to catch one satellite or another, interest has shifted to new technical means of transmission, including IPTV, among many others. What a godsend, especially for those curious about such DATA, as many of us here are, who, if they have the right tools and software, can park their antenna in one position and "dig" through these muxes so that they forget they are hunters of signal or feeds, but instead... treasures. Ultimately, the journey to it is more important than its possession.

Now it's up to those interested in your application (and VMA's) to learn how to use them. Of course, with a little push from you, because in the case of your application, it also requires a little knowledge of Windows when it comes to terminal commands.

Thank you once again for your application.

Fey · September 11, 2025 at 8:30 PM

Hi all!

So, I got SAT>IP working and did another weird thing.

Many GS contain public facing internet traffic. For example 28,2°E/11739/V does. I always thought "Wouldn't it be nice to know who's talking here?" Now skyscraper8 can assist in figuring this out.
I built a feature that looks for DNS packets in the GS and parses them. This may allow us to draw conclusions about who is using this transponder.

I've attached a screenshot to illustrate this. Before it could see the IP traffic in a GS already, but could not name it.
Now it is able to put names to IP adresses if it finds them in the DNS responses in the GS. (Note that skyscraper8 won't attempt to query actual DNS servers by itself, and only looks for DNS response inside the GS, as doing reverse-DNS is tricky.)

For example, on this screenshot we can see that one of the hosts talking on this transponder has queried for a server belonging to Danelec. (a ship fleet software supplier) I let it running it and also saw queries for De Boer Marine and SIP providers, which leds me to believe that this transponder might be used for a maritime application.

Regarding SAT>IP, I've put a README file into the zip archive.

The general commandline option for satip is ".\skyscraper8.exe satip IP_ADDRESS DISEQC POLARITY FREQUENCY SYSTEM SYMBOL_RATE" (for example: ".\skyscraper8.exe satip 172.20.20.122 2 V 12226 S2 27500") This is explained in detail in the README file I've put into the zip archive.
Instead of an IP-Adress "auto" will make skyscraper8 try to find the SAT>IP server by itself. I tested this with a Digital Devices Octopus Net.

Regards,
Fey

-

Hallo zusammen!

Also, ich habe nun SAT>IP zum Laufen gebracht und dann noch etwas seltsames gemacht.

Viele GS enthalten öffentlichen Internetverkehr. Zum Beispiel 28,2°E/11739/V. Ich habe mir immer gedacht: "Wäre es nicht nett zu wissen, wer da spricht?“ Skyscraper8 kann jetzt dabei unterstützen, das herauszufinden.
Ich habe eine Funktion gebastelt, die im GS nach DNS-Paketen sucht und diese analysiert. Das könnte Rückschlüsse darauf ermöglichen, wer diesen Transponder nutzt.

Ich habe einen Screenshot angehängt, um das zu veranschaulichen. Zuvor konnte skyscraper8 den IP-Verkehr in einem GS zwar sehen, aber nicht benennen.
Jetzt werden IP-Adressen Namen zugeordnet, sofern diese in den DNS-Antworten im GS zu finden sind. (Beachten Sie, dass Skyscraper8 nicht selbst versucht, DNS-Server im Internet abzufragen, sondern nur innerhalb des GS nach DNS-Antworten sucht, da Reverse-DNS schwierig ist.)

Auf diesem Screenshot sehen wir beispielsweise, dass einer der Hosts, die über diesen Transponder kommunizieren, einen Server von Danelec (einem Anbieter von Schiffsflottensoftware) abgefragt hat. Später habe ich auch Abfragen für De Boer Marine und SIP-Anbieter beobachtet. Dies lässt mich vermuten, dass dieser Transponder möglicherwiese für eine maritime Anwendung verwendet wird.

Bezüglich SAT>IP habe ich eine README-Datei mit in das Zip-Archiv reingepackt.

Die allgemeine Kommandozeilenoption für satip lautet: ".\skyscraper8.exe satip IP_ADDRESS DISEQC POLARITY FREQUENCY SYSTEM SYMBOL_RATE" (z.B.: ".\skyscraper8.exe satip 172.20.20.122 2 V 12226 S2 27500"). Dies wird in der README-Datei, die ich in das Zip-Archiv gepackt habe, genauer erklärt.
Anstelle einer IP-Adresse, kann man auch "auto" angeben. Dann versucht skyscraper8 den SAT>IP-Server selbstständig zu finden. Getestet habe ich dies mit einem Digital Devices Octopus Net.

Liebe Grüße,

Fey

-

New Version here/Neue Version hier: https://mega.nz/file/t1c3jDwC#…lu6t1VCzTn5RICk

**VMA** · September 11, 2025 at 9:31 PM

About 20 years ago, there was a tool that could capture a TS and extract the internet traffic from a satellite internet provider (I think it was on 13.0E). If left running it would rebuild folders and files. If I remember correctly, the folders where for the different users and inside was the equivalent of the browser cache.

The tool could only handle smaller files, big files would be corrupted.

It was interesting to see what people would be downloading, but was scary, too. Some would share illegal pictures, others would use plain passwords, credit card info, etc.

Eventually the tool stopped working, as the provider started to encrypt the traffic.

It was an eye opener to see what providers and government agencies can see regarding the internet traffic.

Funny to see DVB NIP returning to these times, the difference being that our computers are 100 times faster.

**satesco** · September 12, 2025 at 4:34 PM

Hi Fey,

Is it a settings issue, or does skyscraper8 not work on muxes in ACM mode?
Do streams encapsulated with Pids, 270 on Stid135 chip cards, not work either?

Fey · September 13, 2025 at 10:18 AM

Hi, satesco . If it's okay with you, could you share a short recording (about one minute) of one of these muxes? From the way the screenshots look, these don't seem to contain IP packets, but something else. I'm curious and would like take a look. 😊

Participate now!