Bit torrent Question.. I need someone to walk me through like I am 5

[anom]

/subscribe

Question.....
I am trying to see episodes of a show from Season 1.
They appear with seeds, but stay at 0 for days.
Should I leave the client running and eventually something will appear?
Sorry for being so dumb, just trying to figure it out.
Definite novice here.
That's what I'd do, unless you can find a better seeded torrent somewhere else. You never know when someone might start seeding.

[DevdogAZ]

/subscribe

Question.....
I am trying to see episodes of a show from Season 1.
They appear with seeds, but stay at 0 for days.
Should I leave the client running and eventually something will appear?
Sorry for being so dumb, just trying to figure it out.
Definite novice here.
They'll only download if someone is seeding them. Just because you found a tracker doesn't mean that the episode you want is being seeded. If it sits at 0 for days, and you know your client is setup properly, it's because nobody is seeding that torrent.

[MasterOfPuppets]

/subscribe

Question.....
I am trying to see episodes of a show from Season 1.
They appear with seeds, but stay at 0 for days.
Should I leave the client running and eventually something will appear?
Sorry for being so dumb, just trying to figure it out.
Definite novice here.

If it shows seeders but you're not connecting to them, chances are that the tracker is private.
If you're downloading from Mininova, there's a P icon by torrents on private trackers.
All you'd need to do is go register at the tracker that should be linked in the torrent description.

[tivoboyjr]

I'm new to this thread. I just scanned through and saw some interesting stuff, but didn't see an answer to my question. (Yes, I've googled as well. Still don't quite get it.)

I'm going to do an AA-style intro - not that I know anything about that.

Hi, I've been using torrents for a couple of years. For video, I've stuck with avi files because I know what they are and how to play them. Recently, I've noticed that some stuff I've wanted is only out them in "rar' files, and when you download the show, you get a folder with lots and lots of rar files. Now, my question is: How do you get from that point to being able to watch the show?

I know win-rar is a zip format of some kind and I know there is winrar software. Even if I install win-rar and combine all of the files - which is what I think you're supposed to do - I still don't know how I end up with something I can watch. Am I supposed to combine the files and then convert the big file to an avi somehow?

Now that I've asked for something, let me give something back that will hopefully help, even just one person out there. I've been using "pyTivo" for a few weeks and have to say it is very sweet if your Tivo is networked, especially if you're a torrent downloader. PyTivo is free software and it adds the "my video" folder on your computer to the now playing list. Any video files you've put in that folder or downloaded there will show up and you can watch them just like anything else on the tivo. It does a transfer just like if you're watching a show on another Tivo, and you can watch as it transfers, obviously. The advantage of pyTivo over some other methods of doing this is that you don't have to do any file conversions prior to trying to watch it. I'm sure there are some formats it won't play, but it plays avi's and mpg's. I've never watched much of the stuff that was on my computer via the Tivo, because it just seemed like too much trouble. Now it's no trouble and is very easy to see movies, videos I've taken of the kids, etc.

[DevdogAZ]

I'm new to this thread. I just scanned through and saw some interesting stuff, but didn't see an answer to my question. (Yes, I've googled as well. Still don't quite get it.)

I'm going to do an AA-style intro - not that I know anything about that.

Hi, I've been using torrents for a couple of years. For video, I've stuck with avi files because I know what they are and how to play them. Recently, I've noticed that some stuff I've wanted is only out them in "rar' files, and when you download the show, you get a folder with lots and lots of rar files. Now, my question is: How do you get from that point to being able to watch the show?

I know win-rar is a zip format of some kind and I know there is winrar software. Even if I install win-rar and combine all of the files - which is what I think you're supposed to do - I still don't know how I end up with something I can watch. Am I supposed to combine the files and then convert the big file to an avi somehow?

Now that I've asked for something, let me give something back that will hopefully help, even just one person out there. I've been using "pyTivo" for a few weeks and have to say it is very sweet if your Tivo is networked, especially if you're a torrent downloader. PyTivo is free software and it adds the "my video" folder on your computer to the now playing list. Any video files you've put in that folder or downloaded there will show up and you can watch them just like anything else on the tivo. It does a transfer just like if you're watching a show on another Tivo, and you can watch as it transfers, obviously. The advantage of pyTivo over some other methods of doing this is that you don't have to do any file conversions prior to trying to watch it. I'm sure there are some formats it won't play, but it plays avi's and mpg's. I've never watched much of the stuff that was on my computer via the Tivo, because it just seemed like too much trouble. Now it's no trouble and is very easy to see movies, videos I've taken of the kids, etc.
Wow, that's great info. I'd been thinking of paying for TiVo Desktop Plus to get that functionality, but I'll definitely try out pyTiVo.

As for the winrar question, I usually steer clear of them as well, but the one or two times I've gotten them, I've just used Winrar to combine them all and then, IIRC, it creates a file format that is playable.

[tivoboyjr]

Wow, that's great info. I'd been thinking of paying for TiVo Desktop Plus to get that functionality, but I'll definitely try out pyTiVo.

I was in the same boat and read about pytivo on one of the tivo discussion threads and thought I'd try it. It's great because it's so simple and it works.

For example, I downloaded "Fringe" and was able to watch it without having to burn it to a dvd first. I can now envision a world where I don't have any DVDs. I've been determined not to get a "media extender" and to figure out some way to make the Tivo work for that purpose. Pytivo has given me hope for the future.

I just upgraded to an HD Tivo, so between that, pytivo/torrents and youtube, it's like I've rediscovered the joys of Tivo-ing.

[lodica1967]

I'm new to this thread. I just scanned through and saw some interesting stuff, but didn't see an answer to my question. (Yes, I've googled as well. Still don't quite get it.)

I'm going to do an AA-style intro - not that I know anything about that.

Hi, I've been using torrents for a couple of years. For video, I've stuck with avi files because I know what they are and how to play them. Recently, I've noticed that some stuff I've wanted is only out them in "rar' files, and when you download the show, you get a folder with lots and lots of rar files. Now, my question is: How do you get from that point to being able to watch the show?

I know win-rar is a zip format of some kind and I know there is winrar software. Even if I install win-rar and combine all of the files - which is what I think you're supposed to do - I still don't know how I end up with something I can watch. Am I supposed to combine the files and then convert the big file to an avi somehow?

Now that I've asked for something, let me give something back that will hopefully help, even just one person out there. I've been using "pyTivo" for a few weeks and have to say it is very sweet if your Tivo is networked, especially if you're a torrent downloader. PyTivo is free software and it adds the "my video" folder on your computer to the now playing list. Any video files you've put in that folder or downloaded there will show up and you can watch them just like anything else on the tivo. It does a transfer just like if you're watching a show on another Tivo, and you can watch as it transfers, obviously. The advantage of pyTivo over some other methods of doing this is that you don't have to do any file conversions prior to trying to watch it. I'm sure there are some formats it won't play, but it plays avi's and mpg's. I've never watched much of the stuff that was on my computer via the Tivo, because it just seemed like too much trouble. Now it's no trouble and is very easy to see movies, videos I've taken of the kids, etc.

Winrar have a greater chance of having a virus, so I mostly stay clear of them. It's not worth the risk unless its hard to find or you are sure of the source.

Thanks for the tip on the pyTivo. I am watching something now thanks to you! Question, what is the average download time? It keeps pausing, so I assume I need to wait a bit before watching, right?

[MasterOfPuppets]

To unRAR those files, just select one of them to extract, any one works but I usually go with the first one.
It'll extract all of the various parts into a single file.

If it's split into multiple folders you'll have to do it in each folder and you'll end up with multiple avis.

Usually that's done for movies, rather than TV Shows. Very rare for TV shows.
I mean, so I hear about the movie thing.

[Enrique]

Thanks for the tip on the pyTivo. I am watching something now thanks to you! Question, what is the average download time? It keeps pausing, so I assume I need to wait a bit before watching, right?It depends on how fast your computer is, But let it set for 10-20mins(if nothing is running on the computer at the time) and you should be fine.

[dansee]

Winrar have a greater chance of having a virus, so I mostly stay clear of them. It's not worth the risk unless its hard to find or you are sure of the source.

Well, not really, since most competent virus programs scan compressed files as they arrive. My biggest problem with .rar files is that, in torrents, they are completely unneeded -- every major client has more than enough error checking built in.

The real reason you still see it is Usenet, and the file size restrictions there. Something is either RARd for upload to Usenet, and then seeded as a torrent... or seeded as a torrent, then RARd and uploaded to Usenet.

Virus-wise, I'm not worried. Now, hassle-wise is a different thing entirely... it's not too hard for some jerk to insert a flawed .rar or two in the mix to bollox the works, and make your download a waste of time... just takes "one bad seed," as it were.

Plus, it's just a pain in the butt to run an unrar program to recombine files into something playable/bootable.

Really think the major/private trackers should ban .rar files... Usenet and torrents are different animals.

[keyzersoce]

If you use VLC player to watch your .avi files, there is a new version which plays .rar files without having to extract them. I have a Mac and got mine at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/29257

[tivoboyjr]

It depends on how fast your computer is, But let it set for 10-20mins(if nothing is running on the computer at the time) and you should be fine.

I'd agree with that. I'd say if you give it a 10 minute+ head start, you'll be fine. I'm in the habit of doing that, even with tivo-to-tivo transfers (so I can skip the commercials), so I just do the same thing with pytivo transfers.
__

And thanks for the rar tips. I will probably try converting something to see how it works, but may continue to avoid them. It would make sense if it is more common to usenet, because that's something I have no experience with.

[jilter]

In uTorrent in the "Seeds" column can someone please explain what the numbers represent? as in 0 (4)

[TiVo Bum]

In uTorrent in the "Seeds" column can someone please explain what the numbers represent? as in 0 (4)It means there are 4 seeds (a "seed" is someone who has the complete file as compared to a "peer" who has just parts of it) available for you to connect to but you're not connected to any of them.

[gossamer88]

Peers are usually known as leechers. Always look for a higher number of seeders. As TiVo Bum suggest, they're the ones with the complete file(s).

[jilter]

O.K. and if I have a complete file that is just seeding and it shows 0 in the first value, does that the file is not being fed from my computer?

[cantsleep]

If you are seeding a file and it shows 0 it means no one is connected to you.

[TiVo Bum]

If you are seeding a file and it shows 0 it means no one is connected to you.Not quite true. It means no other seeds are connected to you. Of course they never will be as they already have the entire file as well. So once you begin seeding only peers/leechers will connect to you and you will always show 0/x in the seeds column.

[jilter]

Thank you....and the Peers column?

[TiVo Bum]

Thank you....and the Peers column?If you're a seed, the peers column will show you the number of peers/leechers that are connected to you and that you are uploading data to. If you're a peer/leecher it will show connections that you are both uploading data to and receiving data from. If it shows 0/x in the peers column then you may have some connectivity problems especially if there are a lot of peers.

[jilter]

If you're a seed, the peers column will show you the number of peers/leechers that are connected to you and that you are uploading data to. If you're a peer/leecher it will show connections that you are both uploading data to and receiving data from. If it shows 0/x in the peers column then you may have some connectivity problems especially if there are a lot of peers.

I have this case for some, but also show an active peer column 17(21) on a different show at the same time.
Is it possible that the shows that show 0 just have no one interested in d/ling them right now?

[Bierboy]

If you use VLC player to watch your .avi files, there is a new version which plays .rar files without having to extract them. I have a Mac and got mine at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/29257
That link goes to nowhere on the VT site.

[JimSpence]

It went somewhere for me. :)

[newsposter]

i just found out azureus became vuze..i'm updating now but the interface looks not as friendly as az

any opinions on whether to stick with one or the other?

[dswallow]

i just found out azureus became vuze..i'm updating now but the interface looks not as friendly as az

any opinions on whether to stick with one or the other?

I switched to uTorrent some time ago, but do miss some of the more robust features of Azureus.

You should be able to return to the Azureus interface with Vuze, though.. it just defaults to using some dumbed-down annoyingly-totally-different user interface.

[newsposter]

geez i tried installing AZ again from my old installer file and it didnt work

edit advanced works to old interface

[newsposter]

how come sometimes the firewall button on AZ is green, sometimes grey, and sometimes red? i dont change any settings

and i know i can read thru the help to see what's up and the 57575 test did fail, but WHY is one torrent downloading if there is a firewall issue?

my real question is, if this one file is getting through, should the other files be getting thru or could there be something special about this file that is going thru? in other words, do i need to troubleshoot IF just one file is getting thru?

[jilter]

I am beginning to get some understanding.
It looks like most torrent files end up being .avi files.
What would be a recommended program to convert .avi files so they can be burned to a DVD for playback in a standard DVD player?

[cherry ghost]

I am beginning to get some understanding.
It looks like most torrent files end up being .avi files.
What would be a recommended program to convert .avi files so they can be burned to a DVD for playback in a standard DVD player?

Why not just watch them on your TiVo?

[newsposter]

ok i've switched to utorrent for the simple reason i have a green light there. But even that changes to the greyed out one after a while and things stop downloading.What settings could be kicking in after a period of time that eventually causes even utorrent to go out? even now, i rebooted, started it and got green and within a few min, the green light goes out. but stuff is still downloading fortunately. This morning when i woke up, it was totally stopped though.

azureus just rarely, if ever,gets the green light. I went into router settings and opened up the ports there as well as in zone alarm. At least pretty sure i did. I wasnt sure to set the port to 192.168.2.1 or 192.168.2.100 because azureus said.100 was being used but i know the router is .1

[jilter]

Why not just watch them on your TiVo?

I definitely do that and am thrilled with it.
But for the car, I would like to burn some DVD's for the kids to watch.

[MasterOfPuppets]

ok i've switched to utorrent for the simple reason i have a green light there. But even that changes to the greyed out one after a while and things stop downloading.What settings could be kicking in after a period of time that eventually causes even utorrent to go out? even now, i rebooted, started it and got green and within a few min, the green light goes out. but stuff is still downloading fortunately. This morning when i woke up, it was totally stopped though.

azureus just rarely, if ever,gets the green light. I went into router settings and opened up the ports there as well as in zone alarm. At least pretty sure i did. I wasnt sure to set the port to 192.168.2.1 or 192.168.2.100 because azureus said.100 was being used but i know the router is .1

In uTorrent, under Options > Preferences:
General - make sure that "Prevent standby if there are active torrents" is checked

BitTorrent - make sure that everything other than "Limit local peer bandwidth" is checked, and that Outgoing Protocol encryption is Enabled.

It's also important that the port is open in any firewalls.
If you don't have a Static IP address, you should configure your router for static leases.
You should have UPnP enabled on your router.
uTorrent should have opened the ports automatically in Windows Firewall (if that's what you use).
Zone Alarm is notorious for being difficult with torrent downloading, I don't use it, so I couldn't say one way or the other.

I definitely do that and am thrilled with it.
But for the car, I would like to burn some DVD's for the kids to watch.
Nero can convert for you, although your DVD files will end up much, much larger than the avis.
I use a program called WinAVIVideoConverter as well.
Neither of those are free, though.

For PC to Tivo conversion, I recommend pyTivo, which I believe was mentioned earlier in this thread. It converts on the fly, without the expense of certain other programs.

[Jonathan_S]

how come sometimes the firewall button on AZ is green, sometimes grey, and sometimes red? i dont change any settings
I'm not sure what would cause it to go red, but it's not uncommon for it to drop back from green.

In AZ the NAT/Firewall button is only green if some peer initiated a connection to AZ through your firewall. If (as sometimes happens) all your current connections were initiated by you, and none were initiated by other peers, the NAT/Firewall button goes yellow. That doesn't necessarily mean that your NAT/Firewall is misconfigured.

[newsposter]

In uTorrent, under Options > Preferences:
General - make sure that "Prevent standby if there are active torrents" is checked

BitTorrent - make sure that everything other than "Limit local peer bandwidth" is checked, and that Outgoing Protocol encryption is Enabled.

It's also important that the port is open in any firewalls.
If you don't have a Static IP address, you should configure your router for static leases.
You should have UPnP enabled on your router.
uTorrent should have opened the ports automatically in Windows Firewall (if that's what you use).
Zone Alarm is notorious for being difficult with torrent downloading, I don't use it, so I couldn't say one way or the other.



Ok ZA may be a PITA but if i can get green/grey sometime, shouldnt it be all the time? I just cant figure out the reason it goes red and dont mind fixing stuff but just makes no sense and to troubleshoot is frustrating. I guess the test is turn off ZA and see if it works right? I do have the port open on ZA but have to go back and do the nat test i think.

I have no clue what a static lease is and do have changing IPs with my dsl.

I'm not sure what would cause it to go red, but it's not uncommon for it to drop back from green.

In AZ the NAT/Firewall button is only green if some peer initiated a connection to AZ through your firewall. If (as sometimes happens) all your current connections were initiated by you, and none were initiated by other peers, the NAT/Firewall button goes yellow. That doesn't necessarily mean that your NAT/Firewall is misconfigured.

ok that explains why on utorrent i get green then backs down to the grey checkmark or whatever. But i've never gotten a red on utorrent..do they even have red if it's firewalled? just seemed so much easier to set up utorrent than AZ.

[jilter]

Can someone please explain "swarmspeed" to me?
Thanks!

[efilippi]

according to Google: well it's a speed of the swarm :)

if you are reffering to average swarm speed it is average downloading speed of all downloaders in that swarm.
swarm = all the seeders and leechers that are currently active on that torrent....

[TivoFan]

I am beginning to get some understanding.
It looks like most torrent files end up being .avi files.
What would be a recommended program to convert .avi files so they can be burned to a DVD for playback in a standard DVD player?

Try this http://lifehacker.com/software/dvds/hack-attack-burn-almost-any-video-file-to-a-playable-dvd-232322.php

[berkchops516]

Anyone else having issues with torrents today? I'm using Transmission on my Mac and it looks like the tracker is active and working and I see that there are plenty of seeds (looking under the peers tab in the inspector) but I am not getting the download starting. Just says "Downloading from 0 of 0 peers"

[berkchops516]

Anyone else having issues with torrents today? I'm using Transmission on my Mac and it looks like the tracker is active and working and I see that there are plenty of seeds (looking under the peers tab in the inspector) but I am not getting the download starting. Just says "Downloading from 0 of 0 peers"

Nevermind, it is now working again. Must have been a tracker issue.

[TiVo Bum]

Anybody having problems connecting to TVTorrents today? I'm getting the Network Solutions domain name sales page. Not a good sign. :(

[BriGuy20]

The person hosting could very well have taken the site down. US-based hosts/webmasters may well have a "sue me" sign on them given the animosity it creates from Hollywood.

There are plenty of other good torrent sites, though.

[cherry ghost]

Anybody having problems connecting to TVTorrents today?

Nope

[jilter]

I get a loop of a page loading.
Not good.
I love that site.

[DevdogAZ]

I got a couple shows from there last night and it's loading fine for me right now, but there is a message saying that they're having DNS problems and it should be fixed soon.

[newsposter]

zone alarm tells me utorrent is trying to send email messages..this is the 1st time i ever saw that warning..whats up

[kdmorse]

zone alarm tells me utorrent is trying to send email messages..this is the 1st time i ever saw that warning..whats up

Someone (anyone in the swarm) is likely running their BitTorrent client on port 25 (the port used by outgoing SMTP mail) - probably to get around their own firewall issues.

Your client attempts to connect to them on port 25, and ZoneAlarm sees this as an attempt to send mail, and warns you about it.

(Common issue)

-Ken

[nick1817]

Why not just watch them on your TiVo?

I used this thread, whats seems liek YEARS ago, to get into Torrents....

I never even considered that I could send my video files to my networked Tivos....how do I go about that- what format would they have to be in?

[jlb]

I'm still hesitant about opening up my network. For one off shows I miss, for whatever reason, I am ok with Hulu, or even Unbox. But for whole Seasons, I have been having excellent success finding DVDs amongst the 35 libraries in my library's consortium. Recently watched Gossip Girl S1 this way and am almost through Battlestar Galactica Season 1 (with Season 2.0 soon to be requested).

[lodica1967]

I used this thread, whats seems liek YEARS ago, to get into Torrents....

I never even considered that I could send my video files to my networked Tivos....how do I go about that- what format would they have to be in?

See post #504 in this thread for details.

I LOVE watching torrents on tivo now. I was transfering them to a jump drive and then watching from the USB port on my DVD player. I feel like an idiot for not finding out there were easier ways sooner!

I'm not very "techie" and I can make it work. However, my download speeds are slow compared to most here but I don't mind uploading overnight and watching the next day. Good luck to you!

[MickeS]

My "new" (It's old but I haven't used it in years) Netgear WGR614v6 router can't handle bittorrents apparently - it keeps crashing as soon as I start a torrent download.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a non-D-Link (don't ask) router currently available in stores that works with torrents and is easy to use and set up? I wouldn't mind another Netgear one.

[DevdogAZ]

My "new" (It's old but I haven't used it in years) Netgear WGR614v6 router can't handle bittorrents apparently - it keeps crashing as soon as I start a torrent download.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a non-D-Link (don't ask) router currently available in stores that works with torrents and is easy to use and set up? I wouldn't mind another Netgear one.
My Linksys WRT54GS hasn't given me a single problem since I replaced my old D-Link with it about 8 months ago.

[MickeS]

My Linksys WRT54GS hasn't given me a single problem since I replaced my old D-Link with it about 8 months ago.

Thanks, Linksys seems generally to be well-regarded. I'll probably get that one.

[Malcontent]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA4d49Qc8fs

TorrentFreak is proud to present the first episode of ‘TorrentFreak TV’, a recap of some of the best, most interesting or remarkable stories from the wonderful world of BitTorrent. The show is directed by none other than Andrej Preston, who some people might remember as the founder of the legendary Suprnova.org.

Attractive woman in tight low cut blouse talking about Bittorent news. What's not to like?

The Jiggling is almost hypnotic. :)

[stlarenas]

I agree. I just stumbled across this thread today, and the combination of a torrent client + torrent site + Videora TiVo Converter is making for a very happy TiVo household over here today.

Thanks to all who posted cool stuff, and especially thanks to all who asked the dumb questions so I didn't have to :D!

I haven't read through the entire thread - but this is exactly what I want to do. Send torrents to my Tivo. I am not sure what I need to make this work.

In the spirit of the thread title - would you mind walking me through like I am 5?

Edit - Just saw post on last page directing me to post #504 off to go there now...thanks.

[TiVo Bum]

I haven't read through the entire thread - but this is exactly what I want to do. Send torrents to my Tivo. I am not sure what I need to make this work.

In the spirit of the thread title - would you mind walking me through like I am 5?

Edit - Just saw post on last page directing me to post #504 off to go there now...thanks.For those that don't know - TiVo Desktop Plus will do this too and will auto transfer your torrent to your TiVo if you set it up correctly. My TV torrents are automatically downloaded via RSS into the "My TiVo Recordings" folder, converted, and transferred to my TiVo while I sleep and ready to view the next day. Only negative, and it's a real small one, is the awkward file names that are shown in the Now Playing list.

The $25 for the Plus upgrade is well worth the price, IMHO. :)

[markz]

I don't have a networked TiVo, but I do dl a few shows I have missed. I then copy the avi file to a USB flash drive and watch them on the PS3.

Much better than before I got the PS3 and had to burn the shows to a CD to watch on a DVD player that would play avi files.

And before I had that DVD player, I had to convert the shows into DVD format and burn them to a DVD to watch on a regular DVD player.

And before I discovered BitTorrent, I had to post on this forum asking if anyone had the episode I had missed. Someone usually would offer to send me a disk.

It's amazing how it has all changed!

[dylanemcgregor]

Thanks, Linksys seems generally to be well-regarded. I'll probably get that one.

You might also want to check out Buffalo, they also seem to be really well regarded, but are usually a fair amount cheaper. I'm not sure, but I've gotten the idea that at least some models are the exact same as the Linksys but an "off" brand.

[DevdogAZ]

For those that don't know - TiVo Desktop Plus will do this too and will auto transfer your torrent to your TiVo if you set it up correctly. My TV torrents are automatically downloaded via RSS into the "My TiVo Recordings" folder, converted, and transferred to my TiVo while I sleep and ready to view the next day. Only negative, and it's a real small one, is the awkward file names that are shown in the Now Playing list.

The $25 for the Plus upgrade is well worth the price, IMHO. :)
I was about to get Desktop Plus when I found out about PyTiVo. It's free and works great. No conversions or transcoding needed. As soon as the download is done, it's ready to be transferred to the TiVo.

[dylanemcgregor]

I was about to get Desktop Plus when I found out about PyTiVo. It's free and works great. No conversions or transcoding needed. As soon as the download is done, it's ready to be transferred to the TiVo.

One of the nice things that TDP does that pyTiVo doesn't do yet (at least last I checked) is the automatic monitoring of folders and transferring of files within them, so you can have a pretty much completely hands off experience.

I still use pyTiVo though because I haven't been able to get TDP to work quite right and haven't spent the time to figure out how to setup the automatic monitoring of folders.

[stlarenas]

I haven't read through the entire thread - but this is exactly what I want to do. Send torrents to my Tivo. I am not sure what I need to make this work.

In the spirit of the thread title - would you mind walking me through like I am 5?

Edit - Just saw post on last page directing me to post #504 off to go there now...thanks.

UPDATE;

I downloaded pytivo and the Azureus (now Fuze) client.

I figured out I have to rename the files so that Tivo doesn't give me a copyright protection error.

But - is there any trick to figuring out which of the file to pick when I am in Fuze to pick. Some of mine work just fine, and others are extensions that aren't recognized (I am probably totally using the wrong termanology here - bear with me)

[dylanemcgregor]

But - is there any trick to figuring out which of the file to pick when I am in Fuze to pick. Some of mine work just fine, and others are extensions that aren't recognized (I am probably totally using the wrong termanology here - bear with me)

I'm guessing you've come across .rar packages. Usually you get a bunch of files that will be something like .ra1, .ra2, etc...(might be r01, r02, I haven't seen these for a bit). You want to pick the one file that is just a .rar file and using a program like Winrar, right click on it and extract the file. You should get a single file that is an .avi or .wmv file or something else you recognize, and pyTivo will be able to convert that file. If that isn't the problem let us know what the extensions are.

and btw, it is Vuze, not Fuze. :)

[stlarenas]

I'm guessing you've come across .rar packages. Usually you get a bunch of files that will be something like .ra1, .ra2, etc...(might be r01, r02, I haven't seen these for a bit). You want to pick the one file that is just a .rar file and using a program like Winrar, right click on it and extract the file. You should get a single file that is an .avi or .wmv file or something else you recognize, and pyTivo will be able to convert that file. If that isn't the problem let us know what the extensions are.

and btw, it is Vuze, not Fuze. :)

That sounds about right - I will check when I get home. Thanks for the response.

[dylanemcgregor]

Since this thread seems to have a good response, and people who can explain things to 5 year old kids...I figure I'll ask a couple of my TDP questions to see if anyone knows the answers. Apologies if these have been answered already, I've read most of the thread, but not all of it.

1) With TiVo Desktop Plus I get multiple entries for each show listed when I view them on the TiVo. So even tough I only have 1 file it is listed 3 times in the "My Computer Name" folder. I saw this mentioned when TDP first came out, but never saw the solution and can't seem to find the threads anymore.

2) Is there good step by step instructions somewhere on how to set up the folder monitoring and auto-transfers? I'd like to give this a try, but I feel really dense as I can't seem to figure out how to set it up and can't seem to find instructions.

Thanks,
Dylan

[TiVo Bum]

Since this thread seems to have a good response, and people who can explain things to 5 year old kids...I figure I'll ask a couple of my TDP questions to see if anyone knows the answers. Apologies if these have been answered already, I've read most of the thread, but not all of it.

1) With TiVo Desktop Plus I get multiple entries for each show listed when I view them on the TiVo. So even tough I only have 1 file it is listed 3 times in the "My Computer Name" folder. I saw this mentioned when TDP first came out, but never saw the solution and can't seem to find the threads anymore.

2) Is there good step by step instructions somewhere on how to set up the folder monitoring and auto-transfers? I'd like to give this a try, but I feel really dense as I can't seem to figure out how to set it up and can't seem to find instructions.

Thanks,
DylanAs far as #1, I haven't had that problem in a while so can't give you a straight answer on that one. You might want to double check to see if you have the latest update. Perhaps this issue was fixed recently? The current version I have is Version 2.6.2 (306263).

As for #2 - start TiVo Desktop Plus; choose "Share Music, Photos, & Videos" on the left hand side under "TiVo Recordings"; next you'll have 3 tabs at the top - Music, Photos, and Video - choose Video; click on "Add Video"; browse to the folder that contains your downloaded files that need to be transferred to your TiVo; when the "Video Folder Properties" window pops up choose "Yes, auto-transfer to my DVR" and select your Auto-transfer Options; then click OK and you're done. Now any video file you put into this folder will automatically be transferred to the TiVo.

I use uTorrent and have it set-up to automatically download my torrents as soon as they are posted to the net to the appropriate folder. As most of the TV torrents don't become available until a couple of hours after broadcast the downloading and subsequent transfer to the TiVo happens well after bedtime for me. When I get up in the morning there they are in my Now Playing List in their own folder - "My TiVo Recordings" - ready for viewing.

Hope this helps.

[newsposter]

I don't have a networked TiVo, but I do dl a few shows I have missed. I then copy the avi file to a USB flash drive and watch them


i've been trying to burn RAM disks off my PC so they would play in my panny E80 but not much success. In the past i have burned avi do dvd rw and played it thru my laptop piping into the tv thru S vid..but it's a pain

your post got me to thinking, what a great new use for my new 2gig usb drive i got ! Still need to hook up the laptop but not as much a pain as burning a disk

too bad you cant just plug in the usb drive into an hr20 and have it work that way lol

[DevdogAZ]

One of the nice things that TDP does that pyTiVo doesn't do yet (at least last I checked) is the automatic monitoring of folders and transferring of files within them, so you can have a pretty much completely hands off experience.

I still use pyTiVo though because I haven't been able to get TDP to work quite right and haven't spent the time to figure out how to setup the automatic monitoring of folders.
That's actually a minus in my opinion. At any given time, I've got several shows being stored in the folder on my PC, but I only want to transfer over one or two at a time when I know I'm going to be watching them. The transfer is fast enough that I'd rather manage it manually.

[lodica1967]

too bad you cant just plug in the usb drive into an hr20 and have it work that way lol


My dvd player has a usb port and plays AVI files just fine. I use to just transfer the avi files to a flash drive and play them through the dvd player.

I'm pretty sure it's a Phillips DVD player. It wasn't expensive. I'll get the model number for you when I get home if you want.

[newsposter]

does it have component output? Id imagine that would be better than my S vid right?

[TiVo Bum]

My dvd player has a usb port and plays AVI files just fine. I use to just transfer the avi files to a flash drive and play them through the dvd player.

I'm pretty sure it's a Phillips DVD player. It wasn't expensive. I'll get the model number for you when I get home if you want.I do the same when I want to watch something quickly. Usually something that I don't regularly download so I manually have to go and get it.

Only thing I don't like with my combo of flash drive and DVD player is if I stop watching a show in the middle and come back later I have to FF from the beginning, it doesn't just pick up from where I was. That's why I prefer transferring to TiVo for most of my stuff.

(Yeah, I know it's not a big deal to FF - it's just with a lot of .avi files the sound eventually gets out of sync with a lot of ffing and rewinding.)

[dylanemcgregor]

As for #2 - start TiVo Desktop Plus; choose "Share Music, Photos, & Videos" on the left hand side under "TiVo Recordings"; next you'll have 3 tabs at the top - Music, Photos, and Video - choose Video; click on "Add Video"; browse to the folder that contains your downloaded files that need to be transferred to your TiVo; when the "Video Folder Properties" window pops up choose "Yes, auto-transfer to my DVR" and select your Auto-transfer Options; then click OK and you're done. Now any video file you put into this folder will automatically be transferred to the TiVo.

I wanted to give a belated thanks for the clear instructions here. I finally got a few minutes this morning to give it a try. It seems that everything worked OK, but it has been a couple of hours and nothing has started transferring to the TiVo as far as I can tell. Is there something I need to do on either side to get the first one rolling? Is there a way I can view transfer status for the auto transfers from within TiVo Desktop?

One last thing, I got a warning from TiVo Desktop that Quicktime is needed, but from looking around it seems that is just if I want to transfer .mov or H264 files? I'd prefer not to have to install Quicktime if I don't have to, as I've had problems with it everytime it is installed.

Thanks again for your help.


BTW: I am using the most recent version of TDP 2.6.2 (306263)

[jilter]

Resurrect:
I believe this is a common experience, so I hope someone can help me here.
(The people on the Utorrent Forums are quite impatient with novices).
I want to move my video files to an external drive.
I changed the settings via Preferences to reflect the new folder and drive, but get error messages that drive lacks space (it does not).
Can someone "walk me through....." changing drives for storage of torrent/video files?

Thanks!
Jill

[markz]

Resurrect:
I believe this is a common experience, so I hope someone can help me here.
(The people on the Utorrent Forums are quite impatient with novices).
I want to move my video files to an external drive.
I changed the settings via Preferences to reflect the new folder and drive, but get error messages that drive lacks space (it does not).
Can someone "walk me through....." changing drives for storage of torrent/video files?

Thanks!
Jill

I am not sure why you are having a problem. I have uTorrent dumping everything I grab onto an external drive.

I just went to Preferences, then Directories, and the directory location in "Location of Downloaded files"

[Enrique]

I am not sure why you are having a problem. I have uTorrent dumping everything I grab onto an external drive.+1 I have every video from bittorrent going to an external drive, I even transfer videos from that drive to my tivo. Make sure you're sending the files to the right drive letter.

[jilter]

Did you start out with an external drive?
I am wondering if it is because I started with my internal and am now attempting to re-direct.

[markz]

Did you start out with an external drive?
I am wondering if it is because I started with my internal and am now attempting to re-direct.

No, I added the drive later. You could try uninstalling uTorrent and reinstall it.

[jilter]

Thanks Mark, I will try that.
Before I do, how can I find out how my external My Book is configured?
I was wondering if it is the FAT/NTFS issue (which I don't understand)

[markz]

Thanks Mark, I will try that.
Before I do, how can I find out how my external My Book is configured?
I was wondering if it is the FAT/NTFS issue (which I don't understand)

It shouldn't matter wether it's FAT or NTSF. As long as you can access the drive, uTorrent should be able to see it too.

I don't know anything about the MyBook in particular.

[jilter]

O.K.
I uninstalled uTorrent and re-installed.
Then I added the new drive\directory with pyTivo's config.
My Tivos can now see the video files where I directed,
but I have a question about organization....
Should I keep the torrent files and the video (.avi) files in the same directory?

Thanks!

[DevdogAZ]

O.K.
I uninstalled uTorrent and re-installed.
Then I added the new drive\directory with pyTivo's config.
My Tivos can now see the video files where I directed,
but I have a question about organization....
Should I keep the torrent files and the video (.avi) files in the same directory?

Thanks!
I've never had any problem keeping them in the same folder. After I've seeded twice as much as I downloaded, I delete the .torrent, but if you wanted to save it longer, I don't see any reason you couldn't keep it in the same folder.

[gtcar]

One more question.. we downloaded a couple things to try and they are on our tivo desktop, but I am assuming our problem is they are not in the right MPEG format. I think we need MPEG2 according to what I read somewhere on tivo... is there a converter I can get, or do I need to be downloading certain type of files only?


Scubagal:

Unless you pay for the tivo desktop "plus" you are limited to mpeg2 files. I use AVS Video Converter. You can download a free trial from
www.avs4you.com. The trial puts a watermark in the video, but for 60 bucks you get a lifetime license to the full version and any future updates plus the same license unlocks quite a few other good multimedia utilities.

Of course the desktop plus license is only $25, so if you don't have a need for the other multimedia utilities from AVS4you you may want to just upgrade to the desktop plus.

[DevdogAZ]

Scubagal:

Unless you pay for the tivo desktop "plus" you are limited to mpeg2 files. I use AVS Video Converter. You can download a free trial from
www.avs4you.com. The trial puts a watermark in the video, but for 60 bucks you get a lifetime license to the full version and any future updates plus the same license unlocks quite a few other good multimedia utilities.

Of course the desktop plus license is only $25, so if you don't have a need for the other multimedia utilities from AVS4you you may want to just upgrade to the desktop plus.
Seriously? Your first post on this forum is a reply to a nearly three year old question, and you're touting a product that costs money? I smell spam.

Had you read the rest of the thread, you'd see that plenty of people have offered free solutions, such as Videora TiVo Converter or PyTiVo. There is no need for your product.

But welcome to the forum otherwise. :D

[ferrumpneuma]

This thread was what pushed me to setup bitorrent in the first place a few years ago.


Just curious as to what is the "bees knees" setup today for torrenting are?

My current setup is an outdated version of utorrent without any helper apps on an old 450mhz AMD with 256 RAM and win 2k.

So whats the hot setup? Whats the best place to get torrent files? I could run it on my more modern PC if need be.


thanks

[newsposter]

is there any way someone can see what's on my computer while i have utorrent turned on?

or conversely can i see what they have on theirs? I know with napster u could see what shared files people had

[markz]

is there any way someone can see what's on my computer while i have utorrent turned on?

or conversely can i see what they have on theirs? I know with napster u could see what shared files people had

No, not that I am aware of.

[newsposter]

No, not that I am aware of.

ok cool..wasnt sure if the folder i saved stuff to was autoshared.

i do remove the files from utorrent esp if they have very low ratios..clutters up the screen

[DevdogAZ]

This thread was what pushed me to setup bitorrent in the first place a few years ago.


Just curious as to what is the "bees knees" setup today for torrenting are?

My current setup is an outdated version of utorrent without any helper apps on an old 450mhz AMD with 256 RAM and win 2k.

So whats the hot setup? Whats the best place to get torrent files? I could run it on my more modern PC if need be.


thanks
I don't think the actual computer makes much difference. It depends a lot more on the speed of your internet connection and how many other people are seeding the file you want. I use utorrent and wasn't aware there were any available helper apps. I've never needed them.

As far as the best place to get files, I only download TV shows, and I've found the best place by far is www.tvtorrents.com.
ok cool..wasnt sure if the folder i saved stuff to was autoshared.

i do remove the files from utorrent esp if they have very low ratios..clutters up the screen
Why do you remove them if the ratio is low? That's when you should keep them on there. It's when the ratio gets higher that it's OK to remove them.

[ferrumpneuma]

Thanks Devdog,

I liked utorrents small size and it does run fine on the old box. I have comcast for internet and it seems like the health of the torrent effects my speed more than my connecton.

I forget where I read it but somewhere I saw someone mention an application that blocked connections from certain IP addresses that were known to be up to no good.:) That's what I meant by helper app.

I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't a horrible security risk by using an outdated version. More that the usual torrent risk. I have not updated utorrent since it was absorbed by bitorrent the company.

I was just wondering if there was a prefered client by the cool kids.

Thanks again.

[tivoboyjr]

As far as the best place to get files, I only download TV shows, and I've found the best place by far is www.tvtorrents.com.


Would you - or anyone else - be willing to provide me with an invitation to tvtorrents? I keep reading about how great it is, but I am not cool enough to be able to find an invitation.

[SeanC]

I forget where I read it but somewhere I saw someone mention an application that blocked connections from certain IP addresses that were known to be up to no good.:) That's what I meant by helper app.

You're thinking of PeerGuardian2. (http://phoenixlabs.org/pg2/)

[newsposter]

Why do you remove them if the ratio is low? That's when you should keep them on there. It's when the ratio gets higher that it's OK to remove them.

oh i thought higher means more people want it and i should keep it on :)

[DevdogAZ]

oh i thought higher means more people want it and i should keep it on :)
All the ratio means is how much you've seeded (uploaded) vs. how much you've downloaded. A ratio of 1.0 means you've shared as much as you took, and you've had no net effect. A ratio of 2.0 means you've shared more than you took. A ratio less than 1.0 means you're a leecher - you've taken more than you have given.

The way I see it, when your ratio has reached 2.0, you've done your job and there are theoretically two new people out there to seed what you've downloaded. At that point, I usually kill the process. However, if I were downloading something obscure and people were still connected, I'd leave it going. Conversely, if your ratio is low, it probably means there aren't many people sharing that file, and those that are trying to download it are relying on you. By killing your torrents with a low ratio, you're making it harder for these people.

[jgerry]

I've been doing more torrenting lately, trying to get some BBC stuff that's not available in the U.S. mostly. Also grabbing episodes of shows I skipped this year, like The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Frankly I'd normally just buy them for $2 each but since I'm without a job, I'm trying not to spend any money. I also have been streaming a lot of Netflix.

One thing I've noticed that you might want to keep an eye on: your total monthly bandwidth usage. My Linksys router w/ Tomato firmware keeps bandwidth data, and I've been burning way more than I thought I was. WAY more. Last month was 150GB+, this month I'm already at 120GB. With Comcast's new 250GB cap, I'm going to keep a close eye on this. I've cut down my torrenting, and set up my client (Transmission for OS X) to only seed at .2:1 instead of 1:1. I know that sux but I have to stay under the cap. Next month I'll be downloading way less and turning my ratio back up.

[newsposter]

i must be a saint having kept 10+% on my list for months :)

[Neenahboy]

Would you - or anyone else - be willing to provide me with an invitation to tvtorrents? I keep reading about how great it is, but I am not cool enough to be able to find an invitation.

+1. Anybody? :)

[Enrique]

Would you - or anyone else - be willing to provide me with an invitation to tvtorrents? I keep reading about how great it is, but I am not cool enough to be able to find an invitation.

+1. Anybody? :)PM me with your email address and I well have you on your way.


Note: I only have 2.

[Neenahboy]

Got mine. Thanks, DevdogAZ!

[Enrique]

Got mine. Thanks, DevdogAZ!Cool, If anyone else wants one please speak up.

[Morocco Mole]

Cool, If anyone else wants one please speak up.

Enrique, I'd appreciate an invite. I PM'd you email address.

01/09/09 - Got it. Thank you!

[mtnagel]

Does anyone know why Peer Guardian is blocking my iPhone? I can kind of understand why it blocks a connection from my work, but why would it block a connection when the iPhone is on 3G?

I can use VNC to access my home computer, but whenever I launch BT, it stops responding on the iPhone and then I can't connect anymore.

How can I tell it to stop blocking my iPhone (and my work connection)?

[Malcontent]

I use Usenet to get my stuff but for those that use Bittorrent I thought this might be helpful.
-------------

http://torrentfreak.com/get-into-200-private-bittorrent-sites-090202/



Getting an account at a good private BitTorrent tracker can be quite a challenge. Some people make a habit out of it, checking dozens of torrent sites every day. Others prefer more automated ways, such as using trackerchecker.org, a website that monitors over 500 private BitTorrent trackers.

Unlike public BitTorrent sites, private trackers are only available to registered members. Depending on a site’s popularity and growth strategy, the work involved in becoming a member can range from ‘easy’, right up to ‘almost impossible’. In the past we’ve mentioned tools and sites that can help users to find private trackers that are open to new members, but none of them covers as many sites as trackerchecker.org does.

Trackerchecker is pretty straightforward. It is basically a huge list of private trackers which are ranked based on their signup status. The sites that have a green dot are open to the public, the red dot indicates that new members are not accepted at the moment. Towards the bottom of the site it lists private trackers that return a 404 error or a server timeout, indicated by a red cross and a blue dot respectively.

What’s most impressive about the site is that it lists and checks over 500 private trackers. Thus far we haven’t seen any similar tools that check this many sites, and there is probably a private tracker for every niche - from Slosoul.net through Pornbay.org to Traillertorrent.com - the list goes on and on. To keep the list growing, Trackerchecker allows users to register (no invite needed) so they can add missing trackers to the list.

Overall we can conclude that the site works well and it’s certainly a great resource. The only downside is that you still have to visit the Trackerchecker site to see which trackers are open. An email alert option might be a welcome addition. The “Tracker Checker” application is a good alternative for those people who prefer to have some software installed to check the signup status of private trackers.

[newsposter]

weird behavior with one item on utorrent: months ago i started a download...got up to 22.9% pretty quick then stopped. But it seems when i first start up the client, it does start downloading at .1 speed for a second or two then stops. you can see it start/stop a few times even. But it never picks up again and starts for an extended time so ive been at the 22.9 for a long time.

it's almost as if someone sees that i'm trying to get that file then disconnects..is that possible..is there software out there that would do that?

[cal_s7]

Does anyone know why Peer Guardian is blocking my iPhone? I can kind of understand why it blocks a connection from my work, but why would it block a connection when the iPhone is on 3G?

I can use VNC to access my home computer, but whenever I launch BT, it stops responding on the iPhone and then I can't connect anymore.

How can I tell it to stop blocking my iPhone (and my work connection)?

Make a note of the exact time you try to connect and then look at the Peer Guardian logs.

There is an allow list that overrides the block list. Right click on the IP in the log and allow it.


edit.
I'm assuming that an iPhone would have a different IP each time. Work for me is always the same. You might want to try several times over a couple days with the phone and see what the logs say.

[DevdogAZ]

weird behavior with one item on utorrent: months ago i started a download...got up to 22.9% pretty quick then stopped. But it seems when i first start up the client, it does start downloading at .1 speed for a second or two then stops. you can see it start/stop a few times even. But it never picks up again and starts for an extended time so ive been at the 22.9 for a long time.

it's almost as if someone sees that i'm trying to get that file then disconnects..is that possible..is there software out there that would do that?
I don't think that's what's happening at all. I think uTorrent is simply out there looking for a possible seed and reports this activity as downloading, but it never actually finds anything that matches and so your total amount downloaded never changes.

[newsposter]

I don't think that's what's happening at all. I think uTorrent is simply out there looking for a possible seed and reports this activity as downloading, but it never actually finds anything that matches and so your total amount downloaded never changes.

wouldnt that happen with all my other 'dead' torrents as well?

[mtnagel]

Make a note of the exact time you try to connect and then look at the Peer Guardian logs.

There is an allow list that overrides the block list. Right click on the IP in the log and allow it.


edit.
I'm assuming that an iPhone would have a different IP each time. Work for me is always the same. You might want to try several times over a couple days with the phone and see what the logs say.Good idea. I'll try that. Thanks.

[MasterOfPuppets]

Was anything similar to Peer Guardian 2 ever released for Vista?
Seems as though the PG2 for Vista is in perma-beta, and there sure is a lot of modification needed to make it kinda, sorta, semi, quasi work.

[cherry ghost]

Was anything similar to Peer Guardian 2 ever released for Vista?
Seems as though the PG2 for Vista is in perma-beta, and there sure is a lot of modification needed to make it kinda, sorta, semi, quasi work.

I could never to get it to kinda, sorta, semi, quasi work at all

[MasterOfPuppets]

If anyone has some spare TVTorrents credits, so I can get something started there, I would greatly appreciate your generosity.
:D
:up:
*hug*

[jilter]

I would like to pick your brains about bittorrent.
I am (hopefully) emerging from a couple of weeks of computer he!! where I have been trying to get my 2 PC's back in commission after being overcome with viruses. Once back on track I would like to d/l torrents again.

I can not figure out:
Are torrents the source of my problems with viruses?
I have been disabling firewalls in order to get the proper ratio to continue on reputable sites....
but is there a way to use bit torrents AND be safe?
If this is a stupid query, I apologize.

[Fleegle]

I download all kinds of torrents, both legal and otherwise, and my virus scanner manages to catch any viruses that I DO download before they infect my system. I'm running the latest version of AVG free.

My bets tip is to read over the comments before downloading, and never download something that's less than 2 weeks old. Most virus scanners will pick up any viruses that old, but if you manage to DL a virus before the scanner can recognize it, you're toast.

[markz]

I would like to pick your brains about bittorrent.
I am (hopefully) emerging from a couple of weeks of computer he!! where I have been trying to get my 2 PC's back in commission after being overcome with viruses. Once back on track I would liek to d/l torrents again.

I can not figure out:
Are torents the source of my problems with viruses?
I have been disabling firewalls in order to get the proper ratio to continue on reputable sites....
but is there a way to use bittorrents AND be safe?
If this is a stupid query, I apologize.

I would think that whether or not torrents are the source of your problems depends on the types of stuff you are downloading. I would think that songs and movies would be less likely to contain viruses than executables.

[amtsuchida]

My bets tip is to read over the comments before downloading, and never download something that's less than 2 weeks old. Most virus scanners will pick up any viruses that old, but if you manage to DL a virus before the scanner can recognize it, you're toast.

I agree about reading the comments. If there is a virus in the file, most likely someone else has already noticed.

Although I do download very new files. I did a year and a half of prime time tv exclusively via torrents. I would download the same day the show aired in the US (when I lived in Tokyo). I would recommend finding an uploader that you can trust. I got most of my torrents from the same 2 or 3 people. Those were consistently clean.

[Fleegle]

I agree about reading the comments. If there is a virus in the file, most likely someone else has already noticed.

Although I do download very new files. I did a year and a half of prime time tv exclusively via torrents. I would download the same day the show aired in the US (when I lived in Tokyo). I would recommend finding an uploader that you can trust. I got most of my torrents from the same 2 or 3 people. Those were consistently clean.

Videos are almost always clean. The only exception is playing .wmv files. Some of those can have embedded viruses. But I have not yet found a virus in any video file.

I also use Demonoid, and I find very few torrents on there have viruses.

[jilter]

Thank you very much.
I only download t.v. shows I have missed.
I understand completely about comments and trusting the uploader, but what about leaving a "port" open? Does that make my PC vulnerable to an attack?
And I have just installed a fairly aggresive software firewall.
Is there a way to do BT efectively with a firewall turned on.
Thank you so much for your replies and patience with my lack of knowledge.

Jill

[scandia101]

I was going to start a thread but figured I may as well ask this here so that someone can explain it to me as if I were a 5yr old. I apologize if this has already been asked here, but I really don't feel like searching a 600+ post thread at the moment.

I use µTorrent and have limited Bit Torrent knowledge, but I do know what seeds and peers are. What I don't know is why there are two numbers listed for each. One number is in parenthesis and the other isn't. What exactly does the number outside of the parenthesis represent?

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2369/utorrentseedspeers.jpg

[EMoMoney]

I was going to start a thread but figured I may as well ask this here so that someone can explain it to me as if I were a 5yr old. I apologize if this has already been asked here, but I really don't feel like searching a 600+ post thread at the moment.

I use µTorrent and have limited Bit Torrent knowledge, but I do know what seeds and peers are. What I don't know is why there are two numbers listed for each. One number is in parenthesis and the other isn't. What exactly does the number outside of the parenthesis represent?

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/2369/utorrentseedspeers.jpg
A seeder is somebody who has the complete file and is still uploading. Peers are people who are also downloading/uploading, but don't quite have the complete file. So, when you are downloading a file, you are a peer, once the download reaches 100% you become a seeder. The number inside the () indicates the total number of seeders the tracker thinks there are, the number outside the () indicates how many are currently online.

[scandia101]

A seeder is somebody who has the complete file and is still uploading. Peers are people who are also downloading/uploading, but don't quite have the complete file. So, when you are downloading a file, you are a peer, once the download reaches 100% you become a seeder. The number inside the () indicates the total number of seeders the tracker thinks there are, the number outside the () indicates how many are currently online.

That makes sense.

[cherry ghost]

A seeder is somebody who has the complete file and is still uploading. Peers are people who are also downloading/uploading, but don't quite have the complete file. So, when you are downloading a file, you are a peer, once the download reaches 100% you become a seeder. The number inside the () indicates the total number of seeders the tracker thinks there are, the number outside the () indicates how many are currently online.

I might be wrong, but I thought the # outside the () indicated how many you're connected to. In order for someone to show up inside the (), they must be online.

[harrinpj]

I might be wrong, but I thought the # outside the () indicated how many you're connected to. In order for someone to show up inside the (), they must be online.

I'm pretty sure you're right. The number outside the () is the number of seeds or peers you're personally connected to (downloading or uploading) and the number inside the () is the total number of seeds or peers that your tracker believes are currently online.

[scandia101]

Now that makes better sense.
Thanks.

[mtnagel]

Figured this was a good as any place to ask this.

Can some explain how to be safe using Bittorrent?

From my little knowledge and research, I know there are private trackers and VPN services. What I don't get about private trackers though is what's to stop someone from the MPAA/RIAA/etc from getting an invite and then finding out who's sharing/downloading just like they can do with public trackers? I mean, people give them out on here to people they don't know so I'm sure the "bad" guys could get them.

With VPN services, they route all your traffic through another IP address so they can't link it to you, right? I just saw the free one, www.itshidden.com and it sounds great, but I've seen a lot of comments where people are concerned because they don't know who these people are. I know there are other services that you can pay for. Are there any that anyone recommends if this is the way to go?

Of course this is for my friend that is asking. Thanks

[milo99]

Figured this was a good as any place to ask this.

Can some explain how to be safe using Bittorrent?

From my little knowledge and research, I know there are private trackers and VPN services. What I don't get about private trackers though is what's to stop someone from the MPAA/RIAA/etc from getting an invite and then finding out who's sharing/downloading just like they can do with public trackers? I mean, people give them out on here to people they don't know so I'm sure the "bad" guys could get them.

With VPN services, they route all your traffic through another IP address so they can't link it to you, right? I just saw the free one, www.itshidden.com and it sounds great, but I've seen a lot of comments where people are concerned because they don't know who these people are. I know there are other services that you can pay for. Are there any that anyone recommends if this is the way to go?

Of course this is for my friend that is asking. Thanks

i'm curious about this as well. I THINK that mpaa and the like can only track you if they put the file out there with some kind of tracking mechanism. I think HBO did this with Entourage- they fed copies of the episode out there. I got "busted" on it and they had a record of it, sent it to my ISP and Cox cut off my internet access, making me have to call them to reinstate it after i told them i deleted the file.

Now, it was interesting because i looked back at my files, and that was the one episode i d/l'd that was from a different uploader (for example, i would get ones supplied from [eztv] normally). Haven' come across this issue since, but i am still curious...

[jilter]

Great questions.... but, how would anyone here know absolutely for sure?
It is all speculation, isn't it?

[Ment]

Figured this was a good as any place to ask this.

Can some explain how to be safe using Bittorrent?

From my little knowledge and research, I know there are private trackers and VPN services. What I don't get about private trackers though is what's to stop someone from the MPAA/RIAA/etc from getting an invite and then finding out who's sharing/downloading just like they can do with public trackers? I mean, people give them out on here to people they don't know so I'm sure the "bad" guys could get them.

With VPN services, they route all your traffic through another IP address so they can't link it to you, right? I just saw the free one, www.itshidden.com and it sounds great, but I've seen a lot of comments where people are concerned because they don't know who these people are. I know there are other services that you can pay for. Are there any that anyone recommends if this is the way to go?

Of course this is for my friend that is asking. Thanks

There are ways to be safer, using private trackers and vpns. With private trackers you have the hassle of getting in plus maintaining ratios and then hoping the MPAA/RIAA also didn't find a way to get invited and with VPNs most are slower and are pay-to-play since you are routing traffic thru them to hide your IP. Combining the two is the safest but also the most cumbersome.

[mtnagel]

Isn't it known that they will start downloading a torrent and then they can see all the IP addresses that have it or are downloading it and then can find out who goes with what IP?

At least that's what I thought anyway.

So with a private tracker, you assume everyone is "safe" (seems like a bad assumption to me) and with VPN, your IP address is different, so it looks like it comes from Nigeria or something and then what can the MPAA/RIAA do about it since it's not in the US? At least that's my understanding of the situation. I was hoping to be schooled about it.

[mtnagel]

There are ways to be safer, using private trackers and vpns. With private trackers you have the hassle of getting in plus maintaining ratios and then hoping the MPAA/RIAA also didn't find a way to get invited and with VPNs most are slower and are pay-to-play since you are routing traffic thru them to hide your IP. Combining the two is the safest but also the most cumbersome.Thanks. I was typing when you posted.

Seems like you confirmed my thoughts. Guess the VPN is good because I don't usually care about speed and $5 a month is pretty cheap protection.

Of course, this is still for my friend.

[Enrique]

Figured this was a good as any place to ask this.

Can some explain how to be safe using Bittorrent?

From my little knowledge and research, I know there are private trackers and VPN services. What I don't get about private trackers though is what's to stop someone from the MPAA/RIAA/etc from getting an invite and then finding out who's sharing/downloading just like they can do with public trackers? I mean, people give them out on here to people they don't know so I'm sure the "bad" guys could get them.


Of course this is for my friend that is asking. Thanks


Great questions.... but, how would anyone here know absolutely for sure?
It is all speculation, isn't it?
Just like anything is life, you don't know for sure. What's why I tell most people to limit themselves to the MPAA(Movies,Tv shows), which is less likely to come after you(Which doesn't mean they won't).


http://torrentfreak.com/are-private-bittorrent-trackers-safe/

Meaning, there is no such thing as "Safe" with Bittorrenting. Pick what you download carefully, but there are no guarantees with Bittorrenting(Like everything in life).

[Ment]

i'm curious about this as well. I THINK that mpaa and the like can only track you if they put the file out there with some kind of tracking mechanism. I think HBO did this with Entourage- they fed copies of the episode out there. I got "busted" on it and they had a record of it, sent it to my ISP and Cox cut off my internet access, making me have to call them to reinstate it after i told them i deleted the file.


The BT protocol is itself the tracking mechanism. You're downloading from many computers that have the file or parts of files and in order to do that they need an IP address to communicate. So the MPAA/RIAA computer just records all the IP addresses downloading the file and then send notices to the ISP with a time/date stamp, then your ISP looks thru its logs and you get your letter.

[mtnagel]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a VPN?