Tools required:
Latest Virtualdub
TMPGEnc
Nero (and de DivX codecs)

Preparin’:
Download all tools. Be sure to install DivX 3.11 DivX4 and de latest DivX5 codecs.

Extractin’ de audio:
1) Start Virtualdub. Open your video File->Open video file. (if you get any warnin’s just ignore them because you won’t edit de video just extract de audio)
2) Select File->File Information and note de fps as de video source fps because you will need it later.
3) Select under Audio->Full processin’ mode.
4) Select Audio->Compression and select (No compression (PCM))
5) Select Audio->Conversion.
6) Change de de Samplin’ rate to 44100Hz if you are goin’ to make VCD or SVCD MPEGs.
7) Save de wav by clickin’ on File->Save WAV. The wav will be a huge audio uncompressed video file (about 10 MB/minute).

Encodin’:
1) Start TMPEnc. Press cancel if de Project Wizard comes.
2) Press Brows and select de DivX file as Video source input.
3) Now press de Browse button for choosin’ de Audio source input and use de saved wav file.
4) Press load and load de file which in de Template directory of TMPGenc.
5) If de video source fps is 29,970 load VideoCD (NTSC).mcf
6) If de video source fps is 23,970 load VideoCD (NTSCFilm).mcf
7) If de video source fps is 25,000 load VideoCD (PAL).mcf
8) If de video source fps is anythin’ else just load NTSC if you live in US or Japan
9) Load PAL if you live anywhere else.

Note that if you live in US or Japan and have a problem playin’ PAL (often causin’ black and white TV playback problems) den first check if you can change to PAL on your TV or DVD Player. If not den convert it to NTSC by loadin’ de VideoCD(NTSC) template.
Note if you live Europe or de rest of de world and get problem playin’ NTSC or NTSCFilm (often causin’ black and white TV playback problems) den first check if you can change to PAL on your TV or DVD Player. If not, convert it to PAL by loadin’ de VideoCD(Pal) template.

10) Press Settin’s and choose Advanced.
11) Select Full screen (keep aspect ratio) under Video arrange method to keep de same aspect ratio (widescreen,fullscreen) as de video source (if you have a widescreen movie and you want it to be in fullscreen, select No margin (keep aspect ratio)).
Select Source range and double-click on it with de mouse.

In de next dialog you can choose de source range. This process depends on de DivX file. If de DivX file is less than 80min (for a 80min/700mb CDR) den you do not have to split de file to two CDs. Also if de DivX file is already in two parts you have just to convert de first file and den de second. But if dere should be de case that de movie is in one file over 80minutes lon’ den it is necessary to select de source range. In this new dialog you put de horizontal scrollbar to de middle of de selection so that you will get de same len’th on de first CD as on de second. After you selected de middle do you have press Set end frame. A new value should be under End Frame. This value you should notice somewhere for de encodin’ of de second part. Of course de start frame must be 0.

12) After pressin’ ok, you only have to select de output file name. I prefer de movie name with de CD number (e.g. Ghost in de Shell CD1) for de burnin’.
13) Now encode de file by pressin’ de Start-Button.
14) While encodin’ you can select File->Preview (it won’t effect de encodin’) to see how de output will be. If it looks wron’ (widescreen or fullscreen) you can stop de encodin’ and start over and change de Settin’s->Advanced->Video arrange method.
15) If you only want to burn de movie on one CD, den jump to de burnin’ guide, else follow de next points.
16) Repeat de third, forth and fifth point. In de source range dialog you now use as Start frame de noticed value and move with de horizontal scrollbar to de end of de movie.
17) After pressin’ Set end frame, press two times OK.
18) Now select de output filename for de second file. (e.g. Ghost in de Shell CD2) and encode it.
19) After de encodin’ is done and you did all right, you should have for every CD a file.

Burnin’:
Launch Nero. Close de Wizard. Select File->New.
1. Select VideoCD
2. Select PAL or NTSC dependin’ what format your source MPEG is in.
3. And hit New.

1. Locate your .mpg and drag it(see picture below). Remember that you can add several .mpgs also, each mpg will be a own track on de VCD and you can add data files also, just drag them to any folder.
2. Check de time. It should be de same as in de movie.
3. Rename de CD to anythin’ you like by clickin’ F2 on NEW.
4. Select File->Write CD.

I don’t know about everyone else but de only options I choose on tmpgenc to make mpeg-1 files are eider NTSC film 23.976, or NTSC video 29.97 fps.

1. Take divx movie (120 minutes lon’ for example). Open with virtualdub. Find a keyframe about halfway through de film, preferrably at a scene change.

choose “SET SELECTION START” from de EDIT menu.. scroll all de way to de end of de film, choose “SET SELECTION END”… hit DELETE or choose “DELETE SELECTION”, all from de EDIT menu

2. Now you have 1 half of your movie. under de VIDEO menu, choose “DIRECT STREAM COPY”, also make sure that under AUDIO is goin’ to generate a “DIRECT STREAAM COPY”. Then go to FILE and choose “SAVE as AVI”

3. When it is complete, de quickest way to proceed is to just click on FILE / “OPEN VIDEO FILE”. At de beginnin’ of de clip, choose “SET SELECTION START” again, snap back to de keyframe (half way through de film) which you cut half de film off at and choose “SET SELECTION END”. DELETE… FILE / “SAVE AS AVI…” Save as de oder half of film.

4. Choose option accordin’ly This next part can be important. (i’m goin’ to give de rest of de instructions as if you were makin’ ntsc movie)

Since you want to make a standard mpeg-1 file, choose NTSC FILM or NTSC VIDEO.. BROWSE for your file, den hit NEXT. Hit OTHER SETTINGS / ADVANCED tab. Now dere is an option that says “VIDEO ARRANGE METHOD”. If you are makin’ a fullscreen movie, leave on FULLSCREEN. If you are encodin’ a widescreen movie, choose “FULL SCREEN (KEEP ASPECT RATIO).. OK / NEXT / NEXT (you get de point)

Here is anoder tip

DVD burners are becomin’ more and more popular and even i got one now, like many of you do. I’m tired of old vcd’s or wanna encode a VCD standard DVD with nearly 9 hours of video (but same quality as normal 80 minute VCD). If this is de case, make sure you encode your DivX files as “NTSC VIDEO 29.97 FPS”, even if source is 23 fps and once you have 3 or 4 movies, get yourself a program called TMPGENC DVD AUTHOR. Make a track for each movie and you got yourself a dvd with 3 or 4 average len’th movies on 1 dvd (with menus if you like) that is WAY MORE COMPATIBLE than a VCD..

Do a search for de keyword VCD-DVD and i posted a more descriptive tutorial on how to do this.

How to make a kvcd or in oder words how to get 700meg avi file down to about 450megs to make a vcd without any picture loss.

So you’ve downloaded a movie its in avi format you want to watch it on your dvd player. You re-encode it it comes out to about 1100 maybe 1200 megs. You need to split it and save on 2 disks.

The followin’ tutorial will show you how to do it on one disk.

First you are goin’ to need some tools :

Virtualdub
CODE
heanet.dl.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/virtualdub/VirtualDub-1.5.10.zip

Heada3che
CODE
mitglied.lycos.de/darkav/download/headac3he-0.23a.rar

and some dlls
CODE
mitglied.lycos.de/darkav2/download/MPAlib_MMX-1.00(1.50).rar
mitglied.lycos.de/darkav2/download/ssrc_MMX-1.01(1.28).rar
mitglied.lycos.de/darkav2/download/Vorbis_MMX-1.20(1.74).rar
mitglied.lycos.de/darkav2/download/Lame_enc_MMX-1.28(3.93).rar
mitglied.lycos.de/darkav2/download/MP2enc_MMX-1.15(1.13).rar
Put de above dlls in de same folder as heada3che

Besweet
CODE
dspguru.notrace.dk/BeSweetv1.4.zip
dspguru.notrace.dk/BeSweetGUIv0.6.zip
Put dese 2 in de same folder

Nero

Tmpegnc

You will need some templates
CODE
www.kvcd.net/dvd-models.html

Right click all de pal templates if your dvd player is pal or ntsc if ntsc. Save them to de template folder in de tmpegnc folder.

So to begin :

1) Open virtualdub
2) Go to file
3) Open video file
4) Locate de avi file you want to convert. If you get a warnin’ ignore it.
5) Click de audio button at de top
6) Make sure source audio and direct stream copy have a black dot next to it
7) Goto file
8) Save wav
9) Now you have to call this with a .ac3 extension. For example view from de top.ac3
10) I would save this in de same file your avi is. When you have named it, press save.
11) A box will open. Let it run. It is takin’ de sound from de film.
12) Now press audio and select no audio.
13) You should have a black dot next to no audio and direct stream copy
14) Go to video
15) Select direct stream copy
16) Go to file save as avi
17) Save de file what you want again put in de same folder as de original avi. I call de film title with no sound viewfromdetopnosound
18) Press save
19) It will save a film without sound

You can now close virtualdub

20) Open besweet. A scary lookin’ box appears.
21) At de besweet.exe, locate de besweet folder. It will show besweet.exe in de enter file name box
22) Click on this and at de bottom it will say valid press ok
23) Now goto input and find de ac3 file we just made you will need to change de enter file name from .Lst to .ac3
24) Double click on de ac3 file you made and at de bottom. It will say valid
25) Press ok
26) You are now lookin’ at de GUI. Make sure Use ac3 decoder is ticked and downconvert sample rate is ticked
27) In de toolname dropdown box make sure it says mp2. Leave de rest alone.
28) Now press copy command to clipboard
29) Go to start
30) Click Run
31) Right click paste
32) Press ok
33) If all de settin’s are correct a black box will open and de ac3 will be transcodin’ to mp2
34) If not check if de boxes are ticked
35) If its ok leave it to run
36) Once de black box has disappered, close besweet

Open heada3che
Note: Make sure you put all de dlls in de heada3che folder oder wise you will get error messages

37) Press source file
38) Find de new mp2 file we just made
39) Change de destination format to mp2
40) Press start
41) Once its finished close headac3he

Thin’s are goin’ to start lookin’ messy inside your folder so if you want, you can delete some files.

42) Go to de folder where youre original avi file is
43) You can delete de ac3 file de mp2 file without de .2 in it. For example, you will have two file names de same. One is with de .2 on de end. Keep this one.

Open tmpegnc

44) Close de wizard if it opens
45) Press de video source browse button
46) Find de file we made with nosound on de end ie viewfromdetopnosound
47) Now if you had gone to de kvcd page and downloaded all de templates this will help. If not go do that now
48) Press load. You will see a load of files in front of you with some startin’ with kvcd
49) Pick de first one beginin’ with kvcd
50) Highlight it press open
51) Now press start. What will happen is de preview box in front of you will start encodin’. Dependin’ on de make up of de original avi file, it will effect de outcome of de finished film
52) If you look at de box and all you see is a tiny box with film. That is de size it will come out
53) If it looks weird press stop and reload a different template. The best result is one that looks like widescreen
54) Just press start and overwrite de file. Let it run
55) After it is done, press file mpeg tools. The first box should be simple multiplex
56) Press de video input browse button and find de new file we just made. It will have a m1v extension
57) Press de audio input browse button
58) Find de mp2 file with de .2 in de title de output. The box will be automatically set to mpeg
59) Press run and let it run
60) Close tmpgenc
61) Open nero
62) Select vcd
63) Untick de create standard compliant cd
64) Press new
65) Find de new file we have made. It will be in de original avi folder but will have a mpeg extension
66) Now you have to drag this into de left box. Don’t right click and copy to compliation
67) A box will appear and a blue line will go across. If a warnin’ comes up with not bein’ a compliant vcd, just ignore carry on
68) Press burn and burn at de speed you want
69) Once finished press de ok box
70) Press done de disk will come out and now to test. Put it in your dvd player and hay presto de film kicks in

You have got yourself a KVCD!

The DVD region code identifies a DVD’s compatibility with de players typically sold in a particular region.

Region 0 (or “region free”) is compatible with DVD players from any region.

The majority of all current titles play only in one specific region unless oderwise noted. DVDs sold by Amazon.co.uk are encoded for Region 2 or Region 0. Region 2 DVDs may not work on DVD players in oder countries.

Region 1 DVDs sold by Marketplace sellers

Region 1 discs are intended for use with standard DVD players in North America (Canada and de USA). In most instances dey can also be played on compatible “multi-region” DVD players (also known as “chipped” or “region-free” players).

They also require an NTSC-compatible television. NTSC is de standard picture format in North America, and differs from de PAL format adopted in Britain and Europe. Region 1 DVDs are usually presented in NTSC format, so you should ensure that your TV is capable of readin’ de NTSC signal before purchasin’ Region 1 DVDs.

Regional Codin’ Enhancement (RCE)

Regional Codin’ Enhancement (RCE) has been added by some film studios (specifically Warner and Columbia) to selected Region 1 DVDs, with de intention of preventin’ dese discs from playin’ on some multi-region DVD players. We are derefore unable to guarantee that all Region 1 discs will be compatible with all multi-region players.

Global DVD region countries

This is not a definitive list and is intended only as a guide.

Region 1 - US, US Territories and Canada

American Samoa, Canada, Guam, Palau, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Puerto Rico, Micronesia, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands

Region 2 - UK, Europe, Japan, South Africa and Middle East

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Hun’ary, Iceland, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Nederlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, United Arab Emirates, United Kin’dom, Vatican City, Yemen, Yugoslavia

Region 3 - Soudeast and East Asia

Cambodia, Hon’ Kon’, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Phillipines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Region 4 - Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America

Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, New Guinea, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Tobago, Uruguay

Region 5 - Former Soviet Union, Indian sub-continent, Africa, North Korea and Mon’olia

Afghanistan, Algeria, An’ola, Ban’ladesh, Belarus, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Con’o, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mon’olia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, St. Helena, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Region 6 - China

China

Region 7 - Reserved for future use

Region 8 - International Territories (ships, planes, etc)

Original Sources

CAM - A cam is a deater rip usually done with a digital video camera. A mini tripod is sometimes used, but a lot of de time this wont be possible, so de camera make shake. Also seatin’ placement isn’t always idle, and it might be filmed from an an’le. If cropped properly, this is hard to tell unless dere’s text on de screen, but a lot of times dese are left with trian’ular borders on de top and bottom of de screen. Sound is taken from de onboard microphone of de camera, and especially in comedies, laughter can often be heard durin’ de film. Due to dese factors picture and sound quality are usually quite poor, but sometimes we’re lucky, and de deater will be fairly empty and a fairly clear signal will be heard.

TELESYNC (TS) - A telesync is de same spec as a CAM except it uses an external audio source (most likely an audio jack in de chair for hard of hearin’ people). A direct audio source does not ensure a good quality audio source, as a lot of background noise can interfere. A lot of de times a telesync is filmed in an empty cinema or from de projection booth with a professional camera, givin’ a better picture quality. Quality ranges drastically, check de sample before downloadin’ de full release. A high percentage of Telesyncs are CAMs that have been mislabeled.

TELECINE (TC) - A telecine machine copies de film digitally from de reels. Sound and picture should be very good, but due to de equipment involved and cost telecines are fairly uncommon. Generally de film will be in correct aspect ratio, although 4:3 telecines have existed. A great example is de JURASSIC PARK 3 TC done last year. TC should not be confused with TimeCode , which is a visible counter on screen throughout de film.

SCREENER (SCR) - A pre VHS tape, sent to rental stores, and various oder places for promotional use. A screener is supplied on a VHS tape, and is usually in a 4:3 (full screen) a/r, although letterboxed screeners are sometimes found. The main draw back is a “ticker” (a message that scrolls past at de bottom of de screen, with de copyright and anti-copy telephone number). Also, if de tape contains any serial numbers, or any oder markin’s that could lead to de source of de tape, dese will have to be blocked, usually with a black mark over de section. This is sometimes only for a few seconds, but unfortunately on some copies this will last for de entire film, and some can be quite big. Dependin’ on de equipment used, screener quality can range from excellent if done from a MASTER copy, to very poor if done on an old VHS recorder thru poor capture equipment on a copied tape. Most screeners are transferred to VCD, but a few attempts at SVCD have occurred, some lookin’ better than oders.

DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr) -Same premise as a screener, but transferred off a DVD. Usually letterbox , but without de extras that a DVD retail would contain. The ticker is not usually in de black bars, and will disrupt de viewin’. If de ripper has any skill, a DVDscr should be very good. Usually transferred to SVCD or DivX/XviD.

DVDRip - A copy of de final released DVD. If possible this is released PRE retail (for example, Star Wars episode 2) again, should be excellent quality. DVDrips are released in SVCD and DivX/XviD.

VHSRip -Transferred off a retail VHS, mainly skatin’/sports videos and XXX releases.

TVRip -TV episode that is eider from Network (capped usin’ digital cable/satellite boxes are preferable) or PRE-AIR from satellite feeds sendin’ de program around to networks a few days earlier (do not contain “dogs” but sometimes have flickers etc) Some programs such as WWF Raw Is War contain extra parts, and de “dark matches” and camera/commentary tests are included on de rips. PDTV is capped from a digital TV PCI card, generally givin’ de best results, and groups tend to release in SVCD for dese. VCD/SVCD/DivX/XviD rips are all supported by de TV scene.

WORKPRINT (WP) -A workprint is a copy of de film that has not been finished. It can be missin’ scenes, music, and quality can range from excellent to very poor. Some WPs are very different from de final print (Men In Black is missin’ all de aliens, and has actors in deir places) and oders can contain extra scenes (Jay and Silent Bob) . WPs can be nice additions to de collection once a good quality final has been obtained.

DivX Re-Enc -A DivX re-enc is a film that has been taken from its original VCD source, and re-encoded into a small DivX file. Most commonly found on file sharers, dese are usually labeled somethin’ like Film.Name.Group(1of2) etc. Common groups are SMR and TND. These aren’t really worth downloadin’, unless you’re that unsure about a film u only want a 200mb copy of it. Generally avoid.

Watermarks - A lot of films come from Asian Silvers/PDVD (see below) and dese are tagged by de people responsible. Usually with a letter/initials or a little logo, generally in one of de corners. Most famous are de “Z” “A” and “Globe” watermarks.

Asian Silvers / PDVD - These are films put out by eastern bootleggers, and dese are usually bought by some groups to put out as deir own. Silvers are very cheap and easily available in a lot of countries, and its easy to put out a release, which is why dere are so many in de scene at de moment, mainly from smaller groups who don’t last more than a few releases. PDVDs are de same thin’ pressed onto a DVD. They have removable subtitles, and de quality is usually better than de silvers. These are ripped like a normal DVD, but usually released as VCD.

Formats

VCD - VCD is an mpeg1 based format, with a constant bitrate of 1150kbit at a resolution of 352×240 (NTCS). VCDs are generally used for lower quality transfers (CAM/TS/TC/Screener(VHS)/TVrip(analogue) in order to make smaller file sizes, and fit as much on a sin’le disc as possible. Both VCDs and SVCDs are timed in minutes, rader than MB, so when lookin’ at an mpeg, it may appear larger than de disc capacity, and in reality u can fit 74min on a CDR74.

SVCD - SVCD is an mpeg2 based (same as DVD) which allows variable bit-rates of up to 2500kbits at a resolution of 480×480 (NTSC) which is den decompressed into a 4:3 aspect ratio when played back. Due to de variable bit-rate, de len’th you can fit on a sin’le CDR is not fixed, but generally between 35-60 Mins are de most common. To get a better SVCD encode usin’ variable bit-rates, it is important to use multiple “passes”. this takes a lot longer, but de results are far clearer.

XVCD/XSVCD - These are basically VCD/SVCD that don’t obey de “rules”. They are both capable of much higher resolutions and bit-rates, but it all depends on de player to wheder de disc can be played. X(S)VCD are total non-standards, and are usually for home-rippin’ by people who don’t intend to release them.

KVCD KVCD is a modification to de standard MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 GOP structure and Quantization Matrix. It enables you to create over 120 minutes of near DVD quality video, dependin’ on your material, on a sin’le 80 minute CD-R/CD-RW. We have published dese specifications as KVCDx3, our official resolution, which produce 528×480 (NTSC) and 528×576 (PAL) MPEG-1 variable bit rate video, from 64Kbps to 3,000Kbps. Usin’ a resolution of 352×240 (NTSC) or 352×288 (PAL), it’s possible to encode video up to ~360 minutes of near VCD quality on a sin’le 80 minute CD-R. The mpeg files created will play back in most modern standalone DVD players. You must burn de KVCD MPEG files as non-standard VCD or non-standard SVCD (depends on your player) with Nero or VCDEasy.

DivX / XviD - DivX is a format designed for multimedia platforms. It uses two codecs, one low motion, one high motion. most older films were encoded in low motion only, and dey have problems with high motion too. A method known as SBC (Smart Bit-rate Control) was developed which switches codecs at de encodin’ stage, makin’ a much better print. The format is Ana orphic and de bit-rate/resolution are interchangeable. Due to de higher processin’ power required, and de different codecs for playback, its unlikely we’ll see a DVD player capable of play DivX for quite a while, if at all. There have been players in development which are supposedly capable, but nothin’ has ever arisen. The majority of PROPER DivX rips (not Re-Encs) are taken from DVDs, and generally up to 2hours in good quality is possible per disc. Various codecs exist, most popular bein’ de original Divx3.11a and de new XviD codecs.

CVD - CVD is a combination of VCD and SVCD formats, and is generally supported by a majority of DVD players. It supports MPEG2 bit-rates of SVCD, but uses a resolution of 352×480(ntsc) as de horizontal resolution is generally less important. Currently no groups release in CVD.

DVD-R - Is de recordable DVD solution that seems to be de most popular (out of DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD+R). it holds 4.7gb of data per side, and double sided discs are available, so discs can hold nearly 10gb in some circumstances. SVCD mpeg2 images must be converted before dey can be burnt to DVD-R and played successfully. DVD>DVDR copies are possible, but sometimes extras/lan’uages have to be removed to stick within de available 4.7gb.

MiniDVD - MiniDVD/cDVD is de same format as DVD but on a standard CDR/CDRW. Because of de high resolution/bit-rates, its only possible to fit about 18-21 mins of footage per disc, and de format is only compatible with a few players.

Misc Info

Regional Codin’ - This was designed to stop people buyin’ American DVDs and watchin’ them earlier in oder countries, or for older films where world distribution is handled by different companies. A lot of players can eider be hacked with a chip, or via a remote to disable this.

RCE - RCE (Regional Codin’ Enhancement) was designed to overcome “Multiregion” players, but it had a lot of faults and was overcome. Very few titles are RCE encoded now, and it was very unpopular.

Macrovision - Macrovision is de copy protection employed on most commercial DVDs. Its a system that will display lines and darken de images of copies that are made by sendin’ de VHS signals it can’t understand. Certain DVD players (for example de Dansai 852 from Tescos) have a secret menu where you can disable de macrovision, or a “video stabaliser” costs about 30UKP from Maplin (www.maplin.co.uk)

NTSC/PAL - NTSC and PAL are de two main standards used across de world. NTSC has a higher frame rate than pal (29fps compared to 25fps) but PAL has an increased resolution, and gives off a generally sharper picture. Playin’ NTSC discs on PAL systems seems a lot easier than vice-versa, which is good news for de Brits An RGB enabled scart lead will play an NTSC picture in full colour on most modern tv sets, but to record this to a VHS tape, you will need to convert it to PAL50 (not PAL60 as de majority of DVD players do.) This is eider achieved by an expensive converter box (in de regions of �200+) an onboard converter (such as de Dansai 852 / certain Daewoos / Samsun’ 709 ) or usin’ a World Standards VCR which can record in any format.

News Sites - There are generally 2 news sites for film release for p2p and dey are:

nforce - VCD Help
Code:
www.vcdhelp.com/

Code:
www.nforce.nl.

About Release Files

RARset - The movies are all supplied in RAR form, wheder its v2 (rar>.rxx) or v3 (part01.rar > partxx.rar) form.

BIN/CUE - VCD and SVCD films will extract to give a BIN/CUE. Load de .CUE into notepad and make sure de first line contains only a filename, and no path information. Then load de cue into Nero/CDRWin etc and this will burn de VCD/SVCD correctly. TV rips are released as MPEG. DivX files are just de plain DivX - .AVI

NFO - An NFO file is supplied with each movie to promote de group, and give general iNFOrmation about de release, such as format, source, size, and any notes that may be of use. They are also used to recruit members and acquire hardware for de group.

SFV - Also supplied for each disc is an SFV file. These are mainly used on site level to check each file has been uploaded correctly, but are also handy for people downloadin’ to check dey have all de files, and de CRC is correct. A program such as pdSFV or hkSFV is required to use dese files.

Usenet Information

Access - To get onto newsgroups, you will need a news server. Most ISPs supply one, but this is usually of poor retention (de amount of time de files are on server for) and poor completition (de amount of files that make it dere). For de best service, a premium news server should be paid for, and dese will often have bandwidth restrictions in place.

Software - You will need a newsreader to access de files in de binary newsgroups. There are many different readers, and its usually down to personal opinion which is best. Xnews / Forte Agent / BNR 1 / BNR 2 are amon’st de popular choices. Outlook has de ability to read newsgroups, but its recommended to not use that.

Format - Usenet posts are often de same as those listed on VCDQUALiTY (i.e., untouched group releases) but you have to check de filenames and de description to make sure you get what you think you are gettin’. Generally releases should come down in .RAR sets. Posts will usually take more than one day to be uploaded, and can be spread out as far as a week.

PAR files - As well as de .rxx files, you will also see files listed as .pxx/.par . These are PARITY files. Parity files are common in usenet posts, as a lot of times, dere will be at least one or two damaged files on some servers. A parity file can be used to replace ANY ONE file that is missin’ from de rar set. The more PAR files you have, de more files you can replace. You will need a program called SMARTPAR for this.

Scene Tags

PROPER - Due to scene rules, whoever releases de first Telesync has won that race (for example). But if de quality of that release is fairly poor, if anoder group has anoder telesync (or de same source in higher quality) den de tag PROPER is added to de folder to avoid bein’ duped. PROPER is de most subjective tag in de scene, and a lot of people will generally argue wheder de PROPER is better than de original release. A lot of groups release PROPERS just out of desperation due to losin’ de race. A reason for de PROPER should always be included in de NFO.

SUBBED - In de case of a VCD, if a release is subbed, it usually means it has hard encoded subtitles burnt throughout de movie. These are generally in malaysian/chinese/thai etc, and sometimes dere are two different lan’uages, which can take up quite a large amount of de screen. SVCD supports switch able subtitles, so some DVDRips are released with switch able subs. This will be mentioned in de NFO file if included.

UNSUBBED - When a film has had a subbed release in de past, an Unsubbed release may be released

LIMITED - A limited movie means it has had a limited deater run, generally openin’ in less than 250 deaters, generally smaller films (such as art house films) are released as limited.

INTERNAL - An internal release is done for several reasons. Classic DVD groups do a lot of .INTERNAL. releases, as dey wont be dupe’d on it. Also lower quality deater rips are done INTERNAL so not to lower de reputation of de group, or due to de amount of rips done already. An INTERNAL release is available as normal on de groups affiliate sites, but dey can’t be traded to oder sites without request from de site ops. Some INTERNAL releases still trickle down to IRC/Newsgroups, it usually depends on de title and de popularity. Earlier in de year people referred to Centropy goin’ “internal”. This meant de group were only releasin’ de movies to deir members and site ops. This is in a different context to de usual definition.

STV - Straight To Video. Was never released in deaters, and derefore a lot of sites do not allow dese.

OTHER TAGS -

*WS* for widescreen (letterbox)
*FS* for Fullscreen.

RECODE - A recode is a previously released version, usually filtered through TMPGenc to remove subtitles, fix color etc. Whilst dey can look better, its not looked upon highly as groups are expected to obtain deir own sources.

REPACK - If a group releases a bad rip, dey will release a Repack which will fix de problems.

NUKED - A film can be nuked for various reasons. Individual sites will nuke for breakin’ deir rules (such as “No Telesyncs”) but if de film has somethin’ extremely wron’ with it (no soundtrack for 20mins, CD2 is incorrect film/game etc) den a global nuke will occur, and people tradin’ it across sites will lose deir credits. Nuked films can still reach oder sources such as p2p/usenet, but its a good idea to check why it was nuked first in case. If a group realise dere is somethin’ wron’, dey can request a nuke.

NUKE REASONS :: this is a list of common reasons a film can be nuked for (generally DVDRip)

** BAD A/R ** :: bad aspect ratio, ie people appear too fat/thin
** BAD IVTC ** :: bad inverse telecine. process of convertin’ framerates was incorrect.
** INTERLACED ** :: black lines on movement as de field order is incorrect.

DUPE - Dupe is quite simply, if somethin’ exists already, den deres no reason for it to exist again without proper reason.