LG TV Recording Parser (lg_tv_rec_parser_v2.py)

Step-by-step instructions to decrypt LG STR segments and generate one full output file.

1) Requirements

• Python 3.9+ (or similar)
• cryptography package:

python3 -m pip install cryptography

2) Put files in one folder

Your folder should contain:

• lg_tv_rec_parser_v2.py
• segment files: ...STR and ...IDX
• metadata files (PIF, DIF, NPI, SNF) when available
• dvr key file

Key formats supported by dvr:

• raw 16-byte AES key
• 32-character ASCII hex key (for example: 00000000000000000000000000000000)

3) Generate decrypted segments + full joined file

Run from the folder that contains the recording files:

python3 lg_tv_rec_parser_v2.py . \
  --decrypt-str ./_dec_out \
  --join \
  --report-file ./_dec_out/report.json \
  --pretty

What this does:

• decrypts each STR segment to ./_dec_out/*.m2ts (or .ts for 188-byte layout)
• concatenates all decrypted segments in PIF order into:
  • ./_dec_out/<Program Title>.m2ts (sanitized for safe filename characters)
• writes a JSON report to:
  • ./_dec_out/report.json

Filename note:

• If you pass --join, the parser writes the joined file inside --decrypt-str using sanitized DIF.title as the filename.

4) Confirm join status

Check the joined_output section in report.json.
Expected for success:

• "status": "success"
• "segment_count_joined" equals number of segments
• "missing_stems": []

5) Optional: IDX correlation check

python3 lg_tv_rec_parser_v2.py . \
  --decrypt-str ./_dec_out \
  --correlate \
  --report-file ./_dec_out/report_with_correlation.json \
  --pretty

6) Troubleshooting

• If output is unplayable, regenerate files after any parser/key fix (old outputs may be invalid).
• Keep .m2ts extension for 192-byte transport stream outputs.
• --join requires successful decryption (--decrypt-str + valid dvr key) and a valid DIF.title.
• If key format is unusual, check stderr warnings for key loading mode/fallback.