hvac-kia-content/docs/image_downloads.md

Image Download System

Overview

The HVAC Know It All content aggregation system now includes comprehensive image downloading capabilities for all supported sources. This system downloads thumbnails and images (but not videos) to provide visual context alongside the markdown content.

Supported Image Types

Instagram

• Post images: All images from single posts and carousel posts
• Video thumbnails: Thumbnail images for video posts (videos themselves are not downloaded)
• Story images: Images from stories (video stories get thumbnails only)

YouTube

• Video thumbnails: High-resolution thumbnails for each video
• Formats: Attempts to get maxres > high > medium > default quality

Podcasts

• Episode thumbnails: iTunes artwork and media thumbnails for each episode
• Formats: PNG/JPEG episode artwork

File Naming Convention

All downloaded images follow a consistent naming pattern:

{source}_{item_id}_{type}_{optional_number}.{ext}

Examples:

• instagram_Cm1wgRMr_mj_video_thumb.jpg
• instagram_CpgiKyqPoX1_image_1.jpg
• youtube_dQw4w9WgXcQ_thumbnail.jpg
• podcast_episode123_thumbnail.png

Directory Structure

data/
├── media/
│   ├── Instagram/
│   │   ├── instagram_post1_image.jpg
│   │   └── instagram_post2_video_thumb.jpg
│   ├── YouTube/
│   │   ├── youtube_video1_thumbnail.jpg
│   │   └── youtube_video2_thumbnail.jpg
│   └── Podcast/
│       ├── podcast_ep1_thumbnail.png
│       └── podcast_ep2_thumbnail.jpg
└── markdown_current/
    ├── hvacnkowitall_instagram_*.md
    ├── hvacnkowitall_youtube_*.md
    └── hvacnkowitall_podcast_*.md

Enhanced Scrapers

InstagramScraperWithImages

• Extends InstagramScraper
• Downloads all non-video media
• Handles carousel posts with multiple images
• Stores local paths in local_images field

YouTubeAPIScraperWithThumbnails

• Extends YouTubeAPIScraper
• Downloads video thumbnails
• Selects highest quality available
• Stores local path in local_thumbnail field

RSSScraperPodcastWithImages

• Extends RSSScraperPodcast
• Downloads episode thumbnails
• Extracts from iTunes metadata
• Stores local path in local_thumbnail field

Production Scripts

run_production_with_images.py

Main production script that:

1. Runs all enhanced scrapers
2. Downloads images during content fetching
3. Updates cumulative markdown files
4. Syncs both markdown and images to NAS

Test Script

test_image_downloads.py - Tests image downloading with small batches:

• 3 YouTube videos
• 3 Instagram posts
• 3 Podcast episodes

NAS Synchronization

The rsync function has been enhanced to sync images:

# Sync markdown files
rsync -av --include=*.md --exclude=* data/markdown_current/ /mnt/nas/hvacknowitall/markdown_current/

# Sync image files
rsync -av --include=*/ --include=*.jpg --include=*.jpeg --include=*.png --include=*.gif --exclude=* data/media/ /mnt/nas/hvacknowitall/media/

Markdown Integration

Downloaded images are referenced in markdown files:

## Thumbnail:
![Thumbnail](media/YouTube/youtube_videoId_thumbnail.jpg)

## Downloaded Images:
- [image1.jpg](media/Instagram/instagram_postId_image_1.jpg)
- [image2.jpg](media/Instagram/instagram_postId_image_2.jpg)

Rate Limiting Considerations

• Instagram: Aggressive delays between image downloads (10-20 seconds)
• YouTube: Minimal delays, respects API quota
• Podcast: No rate limiting needed for RSS feeds

Storage Estimates

Based on testing:

• Instagram: ~70-100 KB per image
• YouTube: ~100-200 KB per thumbnail
• Podcast: ~3-4 MB per episode thumbnail (high quality artwork)

For 1000 items per source:

• Instagram: ~100 MB (assuming 1 image per post)
• YouTube: ~200 MB
• Podcast: ~4 GB (if all episodes have artwork)

Usage

Test Image Downloads

python test_image_downloads.py

Production Run with Images

python run_production_with_images.py

Check Downloaded Images

# Count images per source
find data/media -name "*.jpg" -o -name "*.png" | wc -l

# Check disk usage
du -sh data/media/*

Configuration

No additional configuration needed. The system uses existing environment variables:

• Instagram credentials for authenticated image access
• YouTube API key (thumbnails are public)
• Podcast RSS URL (thumbnails in feed metadata)

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements:

1. Image optimization/compression to reduce storage
2. Configurable image quality settings
3. Option to download video files (currently excluded)
4. Thumbnail generation for videos without thumbnails
5. Image deduplication for repeated content

Troubleshooting

Images Not Downloading

• Check network connectivity
• Verify source credentials (Instagram)
• Check disk space
• Review logs for HTTP errors

Rate Limiting

• Instagram may block rapid downloads
• Use aggressive delays in scraper
• Consider batching downloads

Storage Issues

• Monitor disk usage
• Consider external storage for media
• Implement rotation/archiving strategy