PAL versus NTSC DVDs (Was: I'M back)

[eugedunn]

Good evening Dan
Thank you for the said information.
I do not know how to explain any further that what i have been experiencing
I have tried today to download a File called fast five from Demonoid.me and got the same response that i
got from Isohunt.
This is the first time that i have experience such problem.
I am under the impression that you are right.
But i'm baffled as i have tried the said Torrents, but i find that Kickass as given me the same problem.
But i do know now how to tell the difference, as when it is a good download i get a different icon.
But i do not know until i have downloaded the full file.
The good file change from the usual AVI icon to a littlle very dark icon.
Hope you understand what i am trying to explain.
                                                           Have a Good Night Dan
                                                                  Plume

[Dan Millar]

The comments on the isohunt site linked above mention that opening the file in Windows Media Player causes a link to open in the browser - presumably that means it if it is "infected", it is a fairly harmless ruse, depending on what the link actually is... and only affects Windows anyway. Pretty frustrating after an 800 MB download though, eh?

It isn't that uncommon to have fake or infected downloads on torrent sites. Fake downloads are put there by the film industry to frustrate would-be pirates, and to record who is downloading what - your IP is exposed when using bittorrents, and trackers know what your downloading or sharing. Infected downloads are just that - net-baddies know lots of people will download new titles and they target the most popular ones.

There aren't any reliable statistics (is that an oxymoron?) on good-vs-bad files in torrent-land, but I've heard numbers anywhere from 20 percent all the way up to 70 percent. Of course another neat torrent-related trick is to tell the user they need a "special" codec to watch the video, and then offer the link to install it - but it isn't a nice, new codec, oh no - it's a nasty little trojan that can't wait to start becoming the ghost in your machine. It's a jungle out there, be careful.

There are some torrent-scanning services, VERTOR is one I have heard of, that scan and publish a list of verified torrents - I don't know how reliable they are, but I'm sure if you check around, you can find something similar that someone can recommend - online or otherwise.

These practices are common in the Windows user's world, so Windows users have been dealing with these issues much longer than Mac users. It may seem a little unsettling at first, but I see you've already found a way to distinguish a good download from a bad one, that's great! Also, make sure that Safari doesn't automatically process downloads - that's a bad practice but unfortunately is the default setting. No software you download from the internet should be assumed "safe", ever, so whatever software you're using should never do this automatically. You can check your "Preferences..." in Safari - go to the "General" pane and make sure "Open "safe" files after downloading" is not checked.

Of course you probably don't download your torrents using Safari, but it's a good practice anyway.

Have a great day, lots of successful rips, and...

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan

[eugedunn]

Good Morning Dan
Thank you, Thank you for the efforts that you and the others go out of your way to help us.
I downloaded a file last night from Demonoid called Fast Five.
When i open the folder the A.V.I. Icon IMMEDIATELY
changed to a very dark and half the size of the original
A.V.I.  Icon.
I then knew that this was a good file.
In order to protect myself as of now if the A.V.I Icon does not change color i just do not click on the file.
I simply thrash it.
It  is a son-of-a-gun because i will have download a file for nothing.
And as you mention it takes a long time to download a 800 MB File.
Again thank you to all the people that participate in helping us.
I for one really appreciate your time and efforts.
                                                                   
                                                                   
                                                                  Have a very good day
                                                                  Thank you to all
                                                                    Plume
                   

[eugedunn]

Good Morning to all
This message is concerning the problem which is defined above about the difficulties that i have been having with the AVI format
I came across a format that i did not have,so i downloaded the format and installed it.
The format is as follows(iFFFmpeg).
I have been able to open all  Movie files since i installed it.
I have not had any glishes so far.
So if i should encounter any problems i will definetly let you know.
I am still downloading program of 2009-2010-2011.
I do not know the reason why so far everything is ok.and i do not know
how to explain why.
So maybe someone can pick it up from here and explain why it is working now.
                                       It is nice to be alive and feeling good
                                              Enjoy the day you have 13 more hour .
                                                                   Plume

[MacMoore]

There you go with more leading edge stuff again.  It never ends!
Just a little more info for you at

http://www.iffmpeg.com/index.html

http://download.cnet.com/iFFmpeg/3000-2194_4-75329963.html

[eugedunn]

Good evening MacMoore.
I cannot believe that i contributed  to this Website, and even if it was by fluke.
Thank you for verifying my information.
You just made my evening.
                                                                   Have a good evening
                                                                             Plume

[Dan Millar]

Good ole ffmpeg. I wouldn't recommend the old ffmpeg to anyone unless they were comfortable with using the terminal to run commands, and ffmpeg had some pretty convoluted command options. However, as you have discovered, the libavcodec that is the heart of ffmpeg is the cat's meow when it comes to smoothly handling every video codec known to mac-kind, and libavformat handles the mux-demux from dozens of different file formats. Ffmpeg is actually at the heart of many other video players - VLC, MPlayer, Handbrake, Plex, Perian, heck, even Google's Chrome is built with it.

There was a previous ffmpeg front-end, like iFFmpeg, but it still required quite a bit of knowledge about bit-rates and depths, muxes, and other esoteric properties beyond the ken of most casual users - but a boon to those with a little knowledge. I still have the old version running on a G4 jst for those "impossible" conversions.

Between Perian and VLC Player, most of ffmpeg's powers are already available to you - but iFFmpeg conveniently puts it all under one roof. I am downloading it as I write this, thanks to Plume - thanks for the discovery, and...

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan

[eugedunn]

 Good Morning to all.
Happy Canada Day
                                                Plume

[eugedunn]

Good Evening to all
Looks like you'se are never going to get rid of me.
I'm back with the same problem, i cannot open 5 AVI Movies and the first message it gives me is as follow.
( the movie Toy Story can't be opned.
You may need to install additional software to open this type of file ).
And there is another comment that tells me ( tell me more ).
By pressing the tell me more comment it bring to the followinf Website and i ( quote
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3775?viewlocale=en_US ).
I found the last Format by chance.
But i cannot find the one that applies to the 5 AVI Movies that i cannot open.

                                               Thank you for your time
                                                        Plume

[Dan Millar]

Hi Plume,

If we were trying to get rid of you, we would have suggested you get a PC a long time ago... ;-}

The message you're getting, and the page from Apple's web site, are telling you that Quicktime cannot open the file itself, and there are links to more articles from Apple's Knowledge Base on extending Quicktime with third-party or non-Apple codecs - which you've already done through the discussion we've been having here. I think you have every legitimate decoder there is now, so I don't think that's the problem. You may need to update Perian or Flip4Mac, which you can do from their control panes in System Preferences, or iFFmpeg, which you can check on the web.

If everything's up-to-date, then try opening it from VLC Player. If it doesn't play there, or in Toast, then the files are probably bad, perhaps intentionally - see my post above about corrupt bittorrents.

Happy Mac'ing!

Dan

[eugedunn]

Good Evening Dan
I maybe stupid but not that stupid.
I have check all of the software that i think would be related and updated all of them.
But i got the same results.
So i guess your comment that that are probably corrupt, and i thrashed them all.
So i will carry on with the good files.
                                      Thank you again Dan
                                        Hope you enjoy the long Weekend
                                                      Plume

[eugedunn]

Good Evening to all
On my last posting, i never had any problems with the AVI Format.
I'm stunned as to why i cannot open that type of format now.
Since the last reply that i posted i have had to thrash seven files.
6 where AVI FORMATS and one was a mpeg format.
I am flabbergasted, i cannot believe that all of those files where corrupt
I am completly lost.
                                        Have a nice evening
                                                Plume

[eugedunn]

Good Morning to all
I'm still having problems with the Format AVI.
I do not have an answer as to why it is doing this.
Of the downloads that i saved in order to keep trying different things
i also downloaded a Movie called ( Second Chorus ) with the AVI, Format.
Just out of curiosity i tried to burn it on Toast Titanium and it work.
I was able to burn the whole copy.
I then tried it on the TV and it worked just fine.
Now, i cannot explain why it did or the only reason would be that it is a Movie of the 1940 era.
I have 5 more copies that i downloaded but would not burn and they are of the AVI format.
I wish i had an answer for you but alas i have not.
I will keep surfing the Internet and maybe i will be lucky.

                                                  Have a good day
                                                         Plume

[eugedunn]

Good Afternoon to all
I have tried to download movies since i last posted.
But now i find that whenever i download certain movies i get the following message.
And i quote:
3ivx Trial.
I have no idea what it is or what it means.
As for the other problem, i have not found any solution to it.
The thruth is i am not Computer oriented to be able to find the problems.
                                           Have a good day
                                                   Plume

[eugedunn]

Hello Again
The Movie that i stated previously i did erase.
I tried something different.
Instead of erasing the picture i did as follows.
I opened Toast Titanium and i chose the DVD format i then drag the movie onto
Toast Titanium and burnt the movie in the DVD format.
I then tried it on  the TV and low and behold the picture played beautifully.
So i am now sorry that i erase the others.
Mind new this was the results of one Movie.
I am going to download another Movie and if it should give me the result that i posted previously
i will again try the DVD format and see if it will erase (3avx Trial).

                                           Have a good evening
                                                   Plume