[vlc-devel] [PATCH] This patch adds an --http-add-head-string (additional header string) option to vlc

[Maximilian Podany]

On Mon, 2010-08-02 at 09:15 +0200, Rémi Denis-Courmont wrote:
> On Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:57:04 +0200, Maximilian Podany <m.podany at art-est.at>
> wrote:
> > You could use it to add an arbitrary string to the
> > HTTP-GET-request-header. For example a referer string like "Referer:
> > http://www.example.com".
> 
> If you really want to fix that, you need to get the referer from the
> browser (I don't know how that's done), and pass it. I am not convinced
> that yet another obscure command line option solves the problem.
> 
> >  I noticed that if I use a vlc-firefox-plugin to play divx-streams it
> > doesn't work on some servers.
> >  After some research (wireshark and telnet ;-) I noticed that the
> > divx-webplayer sends an referer string in the HTTP-GET-request-header
> > and without the referer the server responds with "Moved Permanently".
> >  So with this option you could use vlc to spoof a divx-webplayer (with
> > user-agent changes).
> >  But because you can define the whole header-line with this option, you
> > could add every string you like.
> 
> Anything you like strikes me as a particularly bad idea. You can break the
> HTTP protocol in so many ways. If you want to pass a referer, then pass a
> referer, not an arbitrary string.
> 

Ok. Then what do you think about an --http-referer option?
Would it also be "another obscure command line option" ?
I also don't know how to get the referer from the browser, but if vlc
has an referer option it can't be very difficult.