I need a torrent/dvd burning guru

[VintagePunk]

Okay, I'm no longer in the dark ages, I'm now torrenting and burning dvds. Or I would be, if someone could help me. If there's someone out there who wouldn't mind answering questions from time to time, I'd appreciate it.

I've had about a million little questions pop up within the past few days. For now, the main one is this - I downloaded a torrent of a dvd. I burned it using Ashampoo Burning Studio 6, and then when I stuck it into my dvd player, it said the disc is in PAL format. Is this due to something in the original file? Did I not set up the burning program properly?

 

[onebloodonelife]

PAL is the basic format in Europe...and basically the rest of the world. The format in the U.S. is NTSC. It's nothing you did wrong, it's just the format that the disc was originally taped in. So, I believe there is a way to convert from PAL to NTSC, but I have no idea how to and I think it involves many, many steps.

The easiest way to view it is to get a cheap DVD player that can play PAL and NTSC. I have a Cyberhome one that was about $30. Otherwise, if your computer has a DVD drive, it's likely that it can play PAL format.

 

[VintagePunk]

But the file can be converted, somehow?

Is there any way of telling what format a torrent is in before downloading?

Thanks.

 

[onebloodonelife]

Yes, it can definitely be converted, but I know that it involves many steps and is somewhat technically difficult.

Usually, a torrent says if it's in PAL format, either in the torrent title or in the uploader's notes. But, if it doesn't say, there's no way of knowing.

 

[VintagePunk]

New question - when downloading tv shows, I see that there are various formats and file types of the same episode to download. For example, I'm currently downloading a show with the ending: HDTV.XviD-NBS. I have NO idea what that means. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to burn them onto a dvd and watch it on my tv. Can I do that with this type of file, and if not, what are the types that allow this?

 

[Reggie Thee Dog]

Not unless you have the equipment to play the DVD in High Definition.

I'll have to research that suffix a little more to truly understand what you're getting.

 

[UberBeaver]

Those long extensions usually don't mean anything. The video is most likely an .A.V.I (Why is that blocked?) . Most of the ones I get are like that. I have some software that converts. avi to DVD format so you can watch them, but it leaves a watermark for 1/2 of the show unless you buy the program for $40 I think. I'll get you the name of it when I get home. Works pretty good.

 

[VintagePunk]

Reg - will it not play at all on a non-hdtv?

Beav - how big is the watermark? And you're right, when I just looked at the file info, the very last thing is says is

 

[UberBeaver]

Reg - will it not play at all on a non-hdtv?

Beav - how big is the watermark? And you're right, when I just looked at the file info, the very last thing is says is

It's a block of text in the middle of the screen, maybe takes up 25%? You can see around it usually, but every one in a while it gets annoying and in the way. For $40, I deal with it. I'd pay $20 to have it removed though.