FOT Forum

FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 09:32:26 AM

Title: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 09:32:26 AM
Here's the scoop:  I'm new to this game, and since Josh and octopus volcano were kind enough to invite me to a couple of torrenting sites, it doesn't seem fair to reward their generosity by plaguing them with my questions (any more than I already have, anyway).  So I've decided to bother all of you instead of just them.  I've tried to find answers elsewhere, but I've already looked for a while and figured I might get satisfaction faster if I just ask here.

Here goes:

1.  Once I've downloaded a torrent, can I delete the torrent file?  I.e., are the downloaded files sufficient for seeding to take place?

2.  Is there any way to move downloaded files from their original location and direct the client (in my case, uTorrent) to look for them there for seeding purposes?  I'll only have to do this once, since I've now specified that all downloads should go to the proper spot, but I've got 1.3 Gb hanging around on my C drive that I'd really prefer to move, since I don't much space to spare there.

3.  The Box's torrents are all done through Azureus.  Does this mean I must have Azureus installed on my computer, even though I use uTorrent as my client?

No doubt I'll come up with more over the coming days; in the meantime, any help with these will be appreciated.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Jason on November 11, 2007, 10:00:29 AM
1. no
2. don't know
3. no
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 11:19:43 AM
1. no

So I have to keep the bloody things forever--or at least as long as I want to be able to seed a particular program?  Jeepers.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: KickTheBobo on November 11, 2007, 11:28:17 AM
just create a dedicated torrents folder somewhere, for the .torrent files not for the downloads. they're pretty small in size.

you can move a download, but if you want to keep seeding it, you need to re-download the torrent file, and then check "initial seeding". it should go and recheck the download and begin seeding it again.

Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 11:32:25 AM
Ah, that's useful.   Presumably, to move torrent files to the folder I've now created as their home, all I need to do is redownload them, since my preferences now specify the new spot where I want them to go?

later . . .

Except that I just tried to do it, and I find no "initial seeding" to check.  Also, for some reason, when I download torrents, they're still going to my desktop, instead of the folder I indicated in my preferences. 

I hate this.  My brain feels like it's made of very sticky caramel.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Jason on November 11, 2007, 11:37:25 AM
I think that's right. If you try to download a torrent you already have it'll just appear to d/l instantly and everything will correct itself.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: KickTheBobo on November 11, 2007, 11:39:57 AM
Yes, that's the idea. if you want me to walk you through it we can powwow on the chat or IM. I've had to do this with utorrent before when moving my downloads to an external drive.

lemme know.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 12:05:05 PM
I think I may need that powwow.  But the chat is gone!
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: KickTheBobo on November 11, 2007, 12:30:59 PM
I think I may need that powwow.  But the chat is gone!

just added you to IM
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Ason on November 11, 2007, 12:32:47 PM
The other guys answered your questions.
I'd like to suggest you use Azureus as your client.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: dave from knoxville on November 11, 2007, 01:56:42 PM
Where IS the chat?
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: KickTheBobo on November 11, 2007, 02:15:43 PM
Where IS the chat?

HERE: http://www.robertkellylive.com/

I'll meet you in the "Talking Shit" sub-forum on Tuesday night!

(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/7395/kellychatnm9.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 02:24:23 PM
I tried Azureus, but I couldn't do anything else when it was running.  Even with uTorrent, FMU plays badly when I'm downloading. 

P.S.  That chat won't load for me.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: KickTheBobo on November 11, 2007, 02:28:36 PM
I tried Azureus, but I couldn't do anything else when it was running.  Even with uTorrent, FMU plays badly when I'm downloading. 

P.S.  That chat won't load for me.

you probably have to set a cap for your maximum download speed. same goes for upload speed. if you've got a ton of seeds and DLs going, it's gonna eat up your bandwidth.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 02:31:44 PM
It was doing it with one measly download--no uploading at all.  My computer is old (five years) and my memory too weak, I guess (1 gig).

Back to the chat, that site has finally loaded, but I don't see the chat anywhere.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: KickTheBobo on November 11, 2007, 02:40:05 PM
It was doing it with one measly download--no uploading at all.  My computer is old (five years) and my memory too weak, I guess (1 gig).

Back to the chat, that site has finally loaded, but I don't see the chat anywhere.

hmmm. maybe you've got a few errant processes eating up ram. 1 Gig seems an adequate amount. If you want, hit me up on IM, and I can mirror your actions and see if we can't fix the problem.

to chat: hit the awesome animated flash button in the bottom left corner of RKL.com
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on November 11, 2007, 02:59:18 PM
When I'm at the Robert Kelley site, at the bottom left of my screen is a "links" button.

I have to feed my beasts now, but when I'm done I'll see if you're on AIM.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Andy on January 14, 2008, 10:59:12 PM
where do you guys find movies?  I am trying to find some stuff that I don't think came to Oklahoma and all I keep finding are hundreds of fakes.  The movies I'm look for are Assassination of Jesse James and There Will Be Blood.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Sarah on January 14, 2008, 11:06:27 PM
I'm no help, Andy:  so far I've just wallowed in British TV.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Jouster on January 15, 2008, 03:07:55 AM
Neither of those movies are out in torrent-land, Andy (OK, There Will Be Blood is, but it's missing scenes and the audio is out of sync).  The Jesse James movie comes out on DVD in three weeks, I think, and it's worth the rental.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Andy on January 15, 2008, 08:16:23 AM
yeah, I'll probably wait for dvd release.  This is one of the few things I hate about living in a flyover state.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: samir on January 15, 2008, 10:23:29 AM
where do you guys find movies?  I am trying to find some stuff that I don't think came to Oklahoma and all I keep finding are hundreds of fakes.  The movies I'm look for are Assassination of Jesse James and There Will Be Blood.

www.alluc.org
www.bedroommedia.com
www.joox.net

No great rip of Blood yet, alas.
Title: Re: torrenting advice
Post by: Gagneaux on January 16, 2008, 08:34:38 AM
Hey folks,

I'm in dire need (well, okay...dire want) of a torrent site that has a steady stream of new release comics book scans. I live in a very remote area and have to resort to ordering comics online. Since I don't want to order books that I might not like, I use torrents as a way to sort through the garbage and the gold. It's been the dark ages for me since Demonoid went down.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerly,
25 year old man-child
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 16, 2008, 08:52:38 AM
So, after beginning to torrent, it was just a matter of time before I finally caved and bought a DVD burner.  Got the thing, found out that my ancient (by today's standards) computer couldn't give it what it needed, bought the wherewithal to upgrade (to USB 2.0), struggled to install the PCI card (which was the wrong size, although three different sources told me it was what I needed; eventually, I managed to jam it in and used duct tape to block the gaping hole left in the back of my computer because the damn thing was too small), screwed up my first burn with a dumb instruction, and now have successfully burned to DVDs that actually play in the DVD recorder/player hooked up to my TV.  I'm feeling quite chuffed.

I am, however, startled at how long it takes.  Once I set the machine a-chugging, it takes six to eight hours to produce a hundred-minute DVD.  I don't really care all that much--downloading torrents takes forever, too, and I've decided to think of both processes the same way I think of traveling by ship (i.e., the typical ocean liner doesn't cover too many miles an hour, but since it's on the move twenty-four hours a day, the distance does get covered more quickly than one might think)--but I am curious to know whether it's normal for this process to take so much time.

Anyone?  Bruce?
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Martin on January 16, 2008, 09:17:05 AM
I'm assuming what takes so long is the conversion of the downloaded video files (.avi) to DVD compatible files. Yes, that takes forever. Before I hooked up my home viewing equipment to my home network, so I could watch stuff directly from my external hard drive on my projector, I used a cheap DVD player that could handle .avi files (DivX, XviD). That way, I could fit tons of stuff on one DVD-R, and I didn't have to convert any of the files.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 16, 2008, 09:21:43 AM
Thanks, crimestick.  I just wanted to be sure.

For things I just want to keep for myself and am willing to watch on my computer, I could just copy the .avi files to a DVD-R, right?  That would be great.  I'll still have to do some things the long way (so other people can watch 'em), but for stuff only I care about, that would be a way to get it off my hard drive.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Martin on January 16, 2008, 09:32:17 AM
For things I just want to keep for myself and am willing to watch on my computer, I could just copy the .avi files to a DVD-R, right?

Absolutely, yes.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 16, 2008, 09:34:17 AM
Peachy!

One more question, though:  could I copy them to a CD, even?
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: samir on January 16, 2008, 09:48:07 AM
CDs have far lower capacity than DVD-Rs, so you can but you won't get as much on one.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: bruce on January 16, 2008, 09:52:15 AM
For things I just want to keep for myself and am willing to watch on my computer, I could just copy the .avi files to a DVD-R, right?

Absolutely, yes.
Thats how I do it Sarah. I don't bother with burning full movies. Since my screen is big enough and it looks great.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 16, 2008, 10:12:29 AM
CDs have far lower capacity than DVD-Rs, so you can but you won't get as much on one.

Ah, but my mother's computer doesn't have a DVD drive, you see.  It's good to know that I could stick things only she's interested in on a CD.  If my sister Martha wants to watch 'em, however, I'll need to burn DVDs, since she doesn't have a computer.

Bruce, my screen is small, but I have to sit close to it, anyway, so it doesn't matter.  The thing is, I spend so much time in front of this damn monitor, I'd like the option of watching elsewhere, if only to cut down on the back and shoulder strain.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Andy on January 16, 2008, 10:15:28 AM
I play the movies directly from my computer onto my television.  My video card has a s-video out that I just hook up to me tv.

The quality isn't the best ever, but it works. 
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: samir on January 16, 2008, 10:23:18 AM
Andy, since you asked about it, joox.net has there will be blood right now. it may not still be there later.
end transmission.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: scotttsss on January 16, 2008, 10:33:12 AM
where do you guys find movies?  I am trying to find some stuff that I don't think came to Oklahoma and all I keep finding are hundreds of fakes.  The movies I'm look for are Assassination of Jesse James and There Will Be Blood.

I have heard that There Will be Blood opens on the 18th of January, Andy.  I've been exasperated by the long time it's been since premiering and being reviewed everywhere, and I was wondering if it was even going to be played anywhere at all other than NY and LA.  The trailer for There Will Be Blood was the shower I needed after seeing the trailers for Juno and the Bucket List last month, but it's been a complete mystery as to when it's actually coming out!  I hate the way the studios or whoever make it so hard to see current movies that aren't total crap if you happen to live outside of a big metropolis. 
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 16, 2008, 10:44:22 AM
I play the movies directly from my computer onto my television.  My video card has a s-video out that I just hook up to me tv.

The quality isn't the best ever, but it works. 

That luxury will have to wait till I get a new computer and, probably, a new television. 

P.S.  I just logged in to the Box and discovered that I've been promoted to "extreme user."  I'm a little embarrassed.  But I also have five invitations to spare, so if anyone is interested . . .
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Gilly on January 16, 2008, 02:07:00 PM
So since we're being all out in the open about this...aren't you guys a little worried after what's been going on in the past few months?
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 16, 2008, 02:39:48 PM
You mean with Oink?  And perhaps other crackdowns of which I haven't heard?  If so, no, I'm not terribly worried.  I'm a very small-time crook, so even if they came after me, I'm guessing it wouldn't be the end of the world.  And if it is the end of the world, well, then it's not a world that's very worthy of preserving.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Andy on January 17, 2008, 01:06:05 PM
where do you guys find movies?  I am trying to find some stuff that I don't think came to Oklahoma and all I keep finding are hundreds of fakes.  The movies I'm look for are Assassination of Jesse James and There Will Be Blood.

I have heard that There Will be Blood opens on the 18th of January, Andy.  I've been exasperated by the long time it's been since premiering and being reviewed everywhere, and I was wondering if it was even going to be played anywhere at all other than NY and LA.  The trailer for There Will Be Blood was the shower I needed after seeing the trailers for Juno and the Bucket List last month, but it's been a complete mystery as to when it's actually coming out!  I hate the way the studios or whoever make it so hard to see current movies that aren't total crap if you happen to live outside of a big metropolis. 
You're absolutely right, opening at Quail Springs on the 18th. 
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: octopus volcano on January 19, 2008, 09:29:15 PM
Hi Sarah and everybody.  I prefer to watch stuff on the TV rather than my computer, so I found myself going through the time-consuming and processor-draining activity of converting downloads to DVD.  I bought a multi-region DVD player so I could watch PAL discs, but it also plays just about any torrent download without having to encode it to DVD.  I just save the files as data (using Toast) onto a DVD and they play fine.  This also works for putting huge amounts of audio onto a DVD.  Not to shill here, but I got the Philips DVP5140 Multiformat DVD player from Amazon for $50, free shipping, it showed up 2 days after I ordered it.  Been working like a charm ever since.   
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Sarah on January 20, 2008, 11:57:23 AM
I am jealous.  Of course, I'd have to get three of those players--one for me, one for my mother, and one for my sister Martha--so it would be a tad more expensive for me. 

Oh well.
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: yesno on January 20, 2008, 02:42:28 PM
So since we're being all out in the open about this...aren't you guys a little worried after what's been going on in the past few months?

This plugin for Azureus--

http://azureus.sourceforge.net/plugin_details.php?plugin=safepeer

is generally a good idea.


Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Gilly on March 22, 2008, 06:57:55 PM
I really miss having access to rare 60's and 70's stuff and needle drops and such. Is there a site that does that as well as Oink did?
Title: Re: torrenting advice, now expanded to include requests for DVD-burning advice
Post by: Gilly on March 22, 2008, 11:13:31 PM
PM me?