|
 |
What is this bittorrent all about anyway? How do I get the files?
Check out Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide
What software fo I need to download files?
iPodTVNova.com does not block any torrent clients. However, there are only two clients that we recommend:
For the new users and average users, Utorrent is as powerful and offers as many options as you will need or desire. It also requires a lot less of your systems resources to run. Utorrent is the recommended client for PC users.
Unfortunately, Utorrent is not available to Mac and Linux machines (unless you run a PC partition). Azureus is the recommended client for Linux and Mac users. It is highly customizable and will do just about anything. It is also Java based and requires a lot of system resources.
How do I download the files? or Why can't I play the file I downloaded from the site?
The file (.torrent) that is stored on our site is not the video file that you will eventually download. Instead, it is a small file that the torrent client uses to direct it to the files it needs to download.
When you download this file you will be asked by your web browser what you want to do with it. Do not save it to disk. Instead, tell your web browser to always open the file with your torrent software.
If you have already downlaoded the .torrent or are not being asked what to do with the file then you should direct your OSD to open all .torrent files with your torrent software.
|
|
|
|
Why can't I register a new account?
New registrations are currently disabled. We are over our total user limit. We will be continuously pruning inactive accounts so you should be able to register an account in the near future.
If you previously had an active account then you don't need to register a new account. You should be able to log in just as you used to. If this doesn't work, visit our forums at videoseed.com and follow the directions posted in the news and announcement section.
Help! I cannot login!?
This problem sometimes occurs with MS Internet Explorer. To fix it, close all Internet Explorer windows and open Internet Options in the control panel. Click the Delete Cookies button. You should now be able to login.
If you continue to experience problems please attempt to recover you account.
I've lost my user name or password! Can you send it to me? Recovering your account.
Please use this form to have the login details mailed back to you. If this fails please contact Kuanes for additional help.
Why didn't I receive an email when attempting to recover my account.
If you are experiencing problems with logging in to the tracker, and have already attempted to recover your password but have received the following error message please read on to find out how to recover your account.
'Unable to send mail. Please contact a staff member about this error'
First you will want to
We do not delete user accounts. However, your account will be automatically deleted for inactivity if you do not use it for an extended length of time. This time depends on a many factors tracked by your user stats. Please do not ask a staff member to delete your account.
|
|
|
|
So, what's a ratio? and How do I find out what mine is?
Ratio's show how much a user gives to a torrent site vs. how much a user takes from that site. Ratios are figured by dividing the total amount of data you have uploaded to torrents on this site by the total amount of data you have downloaded from torrents on this site.
Users should try to maintain a ratio of at least 1. This occurs when a user has uploaded the same amount that the user has downloaded.
To see your ratio make sure that you are logged in. Your overall ratio is listed in the upper box of the left-hand side panel with your user information. At the moment, stats on individual torrents are not available. The most up-to-date stats info on individual torrents is available in your torrent client.
What are iPodTVNova's ratio requirements?
iPodTVNova's Ratio requirements will probably be updated on a regular basis until the site is running again at its full capacity. Please continue to check here to find out exactly what the current ratio requirements are.
My stats aren't uplaoding correctly. What do I do?
Sometimes a users stats do not update correctly. To address stat issues it is very important to understand how the tracker reports stats-- it doesnt!
The tracker does not record how much data you upload and download. Instead, your torrent client reports this data to the tracker, the tracker records whatever data is reported to it, and then displays shows this information. Many functions within the tracker are then based on this number.
If your stats are not reporting correctly, there is nothing we can do except to help YOU fix YOUR system issues. Your stats are the direct result of YOUR uploading and downloading habits and YOUR system setup.
Common Causes of Misreported Stats
- Your torrent client. We have listed the recommended clients above. Failure to use these clients often results in misreporting of stats.
- You're behind a proxy and your stats are being confused with someone elses
- The user is cheating. (a.k.a. "Summary Ban")
- The server is overloaded and unresponsive. Just try to keep the session open until the server responds again. (Flooding the server with consecutive manual updates is not recommended.)
Best practices
- Use a recommended client. Many private trackers do not allow users to use other trackers. We do. However, if you insist on using a tracker that is not recommended, we will not be very open to helping you troubleshoot stat issues.
- If a torrent you are currently leeching/seeding is not listed on your profile, just wait or force a manual update. If you force a tracker update do this only once. After that, wait for things to return to normal. This usually happens within 1/2 hour but may have a longer lag time.
- Make sure you exit your client properly, so that the tracker receives an "event=completed"message. Closing your client with running torrents or restarting your computer while your client is running will cause some data to be lost.
- If the tracker is down, do not stop seeding. As long as the tracker is back up before you exit the client the stats should update properly.
May I use any bittorrent client?
Yes. The tracker records the stats that are sent to it from all bittorrent clients. However, we still recommend
that you avoid the following clients:
• BitTorrent++,
• Nova Torrent,
• TorrentStorm.
• BitTornado
• BitComet
These clients do not report correctly to the tracker when canceling/finishing a torrent session.
If you use them then a few MB may not be counted towards
the stats near the end, and torrents may still be listed in your profile for some time after you have closed the client.
Also, clients in alpha or beta version should be avoided.
Again, use of recommended clients is always preferable. Client issues as well as stat issues will not be troubleshot by staff if you insist on using another torrent client.
|
|
|
|
Why is my IP displayed on my details page?
Only you and the site moderators can view your IP address and email. Regular users do not see this information.
However, IP information is a necessary part of torrenting. iPodTVNova does not store user IP information. T
My IP address is dynamic. How do I stay logged in?
You don'tt have to do anything anymore. Just make sure you are logged in with your actual
IP when starting a torrent session. After that, even if the IP changes mid-session,
the seeding or leeching will continue and the statistics will update without any problem.
Why is my port number reported as "---"? (And why should I care?)
The tracker has determined that you are firewalled or NATed and cannot accept incoming connections.
This means that you can only make outgoing connections and other peers in the swarm will be unable to initiate a connection to you.
If two peers are both unable to accept incoming connections they will not connect at all. This is an obvious detriment on the overall speed of a torrent swarm as well as on your individual speeds.
On torrents that are well seeded, these effects will be less obvious. However, on new torrents, older torrents and any torrent with a low number of overall peers, being non-connectible can can have very clear effects.
User who are not connectible will not be considered for Uploader status.
The way to solve the problem involves opening the ports used for incoming connections
(the same range you defined in your client) on the firewall and/or configuring your
NAT server to use a basic form of NAT
for that range instead of NAPT (the actual process differs widely between different router models.
Check your router documentation and/or support forum. You will also find lots of information including a router specific guides at PortForward).
Connectibility is your responsibility. The Uploaders and Staff will be happy to help troubleshoot these issues, but CANNOT do it for you. The guides and information found at Portforward.com are the most comprehensive around. Please use this resource before asking questions in the forums.
How does NAT/ICS change the picture?
This is a very particular case in that all computers in the LAN will appear to the outside world as having the same IP. We must distinguish
between two cases:
1. You are the single user in the LAN
You should use the same account in all the computers.
Note also that in the ICS case it is preferable to run the BT client on the ICS gateway. Clients running on the other computers
will be unconnectable (their ports will be listed as "---", as explained elsewhere in the FAQ) unless you specify
the appropriate services in your ICS configuration (a good explanation of how to do this for Windows XP can be found
here).
In the NAT case you should configure different ranges for clients on different computers and create appropriate NAT rules in the router. (Details vary widely from router to router and are outside the scope of this FAQ. Check your router documentation and/or support forum.)
2. There are multiple users in the LAN
At present there is no way of making this setup always work properly.
Each torrent will be associated with the user who last accessed the site from within
the LAN before the torrent was started.
Unless there is cooperation between the users mixing of statistics is possible.
(User A accesses the site, downloads a .torrent file, but does not start the torrent immediately.
Meanwhile, user B accesses the site. User A then starts the torrent. The torrent will count
towards user B's statistics, not user A's.)
It is your LAN, the responsibility is yours. Do not ask us to ban other users
with the same IP, we will not do that. (Why should we ban him instead of you?)
Why is a torrent I'm leeching/seeding listed several times in my profile?
If for some reason (e.g. pc crash, or frozen client) your client exits improperly and you restart it,
it will have a new peer_id, so it will show as a new torrent. The old one will never receive a "event=completed"
or "event=stopped" and will be listed until some tracker timeout. Just ignore it, it will eventually go away.
I've finished or cancelled a torrent. Why is it still listed in my profile?
Some clients, notably TorrentStorm and Nova Torrent, do not report properly to the tracker when canceling or finishing a torrent.
In that case the tracker will keep waiting for some message - and thus listing the torrent as seeding or leeching - until some
timeout occurs. Just ignore it, it will eventually go away.
Why do I sometimes see torrents I'm not leeching in my profile!?
When a torrent is first started, the tracker uses the IP to identify the user. Therefore the torrent will
become associated with the user who last accessed the site from that IP. If you share your IP in some
way (you are behind NAT/ICS, or using a proxy), and some of the persons you share it with are also users,
you may occasionally see their torrents listed in your profile. (If they start a torrent session from that
IP and you were the last one to visit the site the torrent will be associated with you). Note that now
torrents listed in your profile will always count towards your total stats.
If you are behind a proxy server there is really nothing that can be done to correct this issue. The passkey system helps, but isn't perfect. The solution to this problem is to get an ISP that doesn't use a proxy server.
|
|
|
|
Why can't I upload torrents?
On the previous tracker all users could upload torrents by default. This is no longer the case. However, 99% of users are eligible for uploading privileges by answering a few questions.
Only specially authorized users (Uploaders) have permission to upload currently airing TV.
You may apply for either uploading privilege by answering the questions listed HERE. Make sure you state which uploading ability you are asking for.
What criteria must I meet before I can join the Uploader team?
Becoming an iUploader (the ability to uplaod currently airing TV)is not difficult.
They are:
- Be Connectable
- Show yourself to be helpful in the forums.
- Abide by all forum and tracker rules.
- Have uploaded a torrent that conforms to all uploading guidelines listed in the forums.
- Answer the questions listedHERE.
|
|
|
|
Downloaded a movie and don't know what CAM/TS/TC/SCR means?
CAM:A cam is a theater rip usually done with a digital video camera. A mini tripod is sometimes used, but a lot of the time this wont be possible, so the camera may shake. Also seating placement isn’t always idle, and it might be filmed from an angle. If cropped properly, this is hard to tell unless there’s text on the screen, but a lot of times these are left with triangular borders on the top and bottom of the screen. Sound is taken from the onboard microphone of the camera, and especially in comedies, laughter can often be heard during the film. Due to these factors picture and sound quality are usually quite poor, but sometimes we’re lucky, and the theater will be fairly empty and a fairly clear signal will be heard.
TELESYNC (TS):A telesync is the same spec as a CAM except it uses an external audio source (most likely an audio jack in the chair for hard of hearing people). A direct audio source does not ensure a good quality audio source, as a lot of background noise can interfere. A lot of the times a telesync is filmed in an empty cinema or from the projection booth with a professional camera, giving a better picture quality. Quality ranges drastically, check the sample before downloading the full release. A high percentage of Telesyncs are CAMs that have been mislabeled.
TELECINE (TC):A telecine machine copies the film digitally from the reels. Sound and picture should be very good, but due to the equipment involved and cost telecines are fairly uncommon. Generally the film will be in correct aspect ratio, although 4:3 telecines have existed. A great example is the JURASSIC PARK 3 TC done last year. TC should not be confused with TimeCode , which is a visible counter on screen throughout the film.
WORKPRINT (WP):A workprint is a copy of the film that has not been finished. It can be missing scenes, music, and quality can range from excellent to very poor. Some WPs are very different from the final print (Men In Black is missing all the aliens, and has actors in their places) and others can contain extra scenes (Jay and Silent Bob) . WPs can be nice additions to the collection once a good quality final has been obtained.
SCREENER (SCR):A pre VHS tape, sent to rental stores, and various other 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 the bottom of the screen, with the copyright and anti-copy telephone number). Also, if the tape contains any serial numbers, or any other markings that could lead to the source of the tape, these will have to be blocked, usually with a black mark over the section. This is sometimes only for a few seconds, but unfortunately on some copies this will last for the entire film, and some can be quite big. Depending on the 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 looking better than others.
DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr):Same premise as a screener, but transferred off a DVD. Usually letterbox , but without the extras that a DVD retail would contain. The ticker is not usually in the black bars, and will disrupt the viewing. If the ripper has any skill, a DVDscr should be very good. Usually transferred to SVCD or DivX/XviD.
R5:This is fairly new movie format. Basically the same as DVD Screener - this kind of release is legal DVD released in Russia to decrease the level of pirated movies in this country. Retail is rushed out by the studio, so there is little to no cleanup of the film after the telecine process. As a result, you can see some scratches, hairs or other mess on the picture, but you will hardly notice it while watching. External English audio is often used, as these are supplied with Russian sound by default.
DVDRip:A copy of the 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.
Why did an active torrent suddenly disappear?
There may be three reasons for this:
(1) The torrent may have been out-of-sync with the site
rules.
(2) The uploader may have deleted it because it was a bad release.
A replacement will probably be uploaded to take its place.
(3) Torrents are automatically deleted after being dead for a period of time.
How do I resume a broken download or reseed something?
Open the .torrent file. When your client asks you for a location, choose the location of the existing file(s) and it will resume/reseed the torrent.
Why do my downloads sometimes stall at 99%?
The more pieces you have, the harder it becomes to find peers who have pieces you are missing. That is why downloads sometimes slow down or even stall when there are just a few percent remaining. Just be patient and usually you will get the remaining pieces.
Very rarely, an error occurs with the torrent. Either the torrent inaccurately documents the data in the files when it is made, or the original seeder changes that data after the torrent is made.
When this happens the original uploader will have to create a new torrent. The uploader can confirm that this is the issue by forcing a re-check of the torrent. Then, the old torrent should be reported to the staff for deletion. A new torrent should be made and uploaded. A link to the new torrent should be posted on the old torrent. Then, directions on how to resume the torrent should be posted on the new torrent.
When downloading the new torrent file, downloaders should direct their torrent clients to the partial files that were downloaded from the first torrent. Your tracker will recognize these files and you will only need to download the small remaining portion from the second torrent. If your client doesn't recognize them, force a re-check of the files.
What are these "a piece has failed an hash check" messages?
Bittorrent clients check the data they receive for integrity. When a piece fails this check it is
automatically re-downloaded. Occasional hash fails are a common occurrence, and you shouldn't worry.
Some clients have an (advanced) option/preference to 'kick/ban clients that send you bad data' or
similar. It should be turned on, since it makes sure that if a peer repeatedly sends you pieces that
fail the hash check it will be ignored in the future.
The torrent is supposed to be 100MB. How come I downloaded 120MB?
See the hash fails topic. If your client receives bad data it will have to redownload it, therefore
the total downloaded may be larger than the torrent size. Make sure the "kick/ban" option is turned on
to minimize the extra downloads.
Why do I get a "Not authorized (xx h) - READ THE FAQ" error?
From the time that each new torrent is uploaded to the tracker, there is a period of time that non-VIP users with ratios below 1 must wait before they can download.
This delay in downloading will only affect users with a low ratio, or users with low upload amounts.
| Ratio below |
0.50 |
|
and/or upload below |
1.0GB |
|
delay of |
24hours |
| Ratio below |
0.65 |
|
and/or upload below |
3.0GB |
|
delay of |
12hours |
| Ratio below |
0.80 |
|
and/or upload below |
5.0GB |
|
delay of |
6hours |
| Ratio below |
0.95 |
|
and/or upload below |
7.0GB |
|
delay of |
2hours |
"And/or" means any or both. Your delay will be the largest one for which you meet at least one condition.
This applies to new users as well, so opening a new account will not help. Note also that this
works at tracker level, you will be able to grab the .torrent file itself at any time.
|
|
|
