downloading tv shows? Begging for help!!!

[FishNChips]

OK, I've seen a couple of posts that say things about "downloading" tv shows. i thought "hey, cool wonder how that works?" well, I'm desperate for help. My DVR cut off the last 5 minutes of the season finale of my wife's favorite show...

is there a way to download Gilmore Girls episodes??

I know that my OOT brethren/sistren can assist!

FishNChips

[GuyOnTilt]

http://mycroft.mozdev.org/download.html : torrentspy

+

http://azureus.sourceforge.net

GoT

[FishNChips]

ok, i think that i downloaded the linked software? what next?

thanks for the help!
FishNchips

[GuyOnTilt]

[ QUOTE ]
ok, i think that i downloaded the linked software? what next?

[/ QUOTE ]

Type in whatever you're looking for into the torrentspy bar in your browser. Select the specific torrent you want from the list given to download it. Azureus will ask you where you want to save the file and will start downloading. That's about it.

GoT

[FishNChips]

Huge Thanks for the help thus far... and I'm probably about to get "tool" status here, but now that I've downloaded the torrent, how the heck do I play it?

thanks again,
FishNChips

[edfurlong]

Make sure you are selecting "open with" instead of save as when clicking the torrent link.

[jasonHoldEm]

Since this is a newbie torrent thread I don't feel silly asking, wtf do all those abbreviations mean? Is there a website I can go that lists what hdtv, xvid, tcm, lol, etc mean?

[FishNChips]

and then open with what?

Look, I admit that I'm a million miles behind the curve here. I don't want to clog this board - Is there a site that I can refer to get assistance because I can't figure out how to view the file that I've now got.

Thanks again to GoT for the help getting started on this!
FishNChips

[jackdaniels]

What is the file extension? (i.e. is it ".exe" or ".torrent" or ".avi")

[eric5148]

If the file extension is .rar, then you'll need a program called Winrar to extract it. Just do a google search for it.

[eric5148]

This (http://btfaq.com/serve/cache/43.html) might help.

[FishNChips]

thanks!

[contentless]

[ QUOTE ]
Since this is a newbie torrent thread I don't feel silly asking, wtf do all those abbreviations mean? Is there a website I can go that lists what hdtv, xvid, tcm, lol, etc mean?

[/ QUOTE ]

Xvid is a codec that is basically an open source version of the DivX codec made because of licensing issues. Its 'heritage' is evident in its name, Divx backwards.

HDTV is high definition television, indicating what the source of the show was.

Both TCM and LOL are release groups, meaning all releases named as such are done by the same people. What they stand for, I have no idea.

As for a website explaining these, my knowledge comes from 'being in the know' (booya), but see if this site won't help, although I haven't looked at it: http://www.videohelp.com/glossary?all

[FishNChips]

agggggg!!!!

u guys are awesome but I'm still not getting it...

I've got the torrent, I've got the program to extract that you linked to.

do I need to unpack all the files? I unpacked one and it ran but all that was there was a cool geometric video thingy and music...

help!

FishNChips

[eric5148]

What exactly did you do?

The way I normally extract .rar files is to right click on them from Azureus, click open file. Then highlight all the files that are Winrar archive or R## files, right click, and click extract files... .Then you'll get a window to select where you want the extracted file saved to. Then just click OK.

[Cry Me A River]

If you've never played an XVID file before (it opened in Windows Media Player, right?) you will need to install the XVID Codec (this is the program that actually does the work of translating the data in the .avi file into a video).

Got to www.xvid.org (http://www.xvid.org)

[JackWilson]

Ok, there's 1 thing we need to be VERY clear on before we can proceed. Firstly you download a torrent, which is a small file that tells Azureus what you're downloading. After opening this torrent file with Azureus, it will begin downloading. It is possible to view all the files contained in the torrent (as in you can see the table of contents, but you don't have the contents) so just because you can supposedly "unpack" the torrent doesn't mean you've actually finished downloading it.

So the MILLION $$$ QUESTION IS:

Are you sure you finished downloading the actual tv episode, and not just the torrent?

EDIT: Nevermind. From the "cool geometric thingy and music" part I have deduced that all you need is the codec. Google for "gspot" which is a codec analysis tool. Run it on your video file and see what codec you need. Then google for that codec.

[Cry Me A River]

Okay, these are step by step instructions that should cover everything. If you missed any of these steps you will have to go back and complete them.

1) Install bitTorrent (or similar, ie: Azureus as mentioned above)
2) Go to a torrent site like www.isohunt.com (http://www.isohunt.com) or www.torrentspy.com (http://www.torrentspy.com)
3) Find the video file you want (use the Search function)
4) Click on the torrent link and Open it with bitTorrent/Azureus. If you already downloaded the torrent file and saved it, just double click it (wherever you saved it) to run it in bitTorrent/Azureus. Torrent files end in .torrent and the purpose of this file is to tell bitTorrent/Azureus where to download the video file from.
5) bitTorrent/Azureus should ask you where to save the file
6) Wait for the file to download (this can take quite a while depending on the popularity of the file)
7) If the file is archived (usually .rar occaisionally .zip) you will need to unarchive it with Winrar (as above). Usually video files download through bitTorrent are not .rar'ed.
8) If the video file uses a Codec you've never used before, you will need to download and install the Codec
Divx -> www.divx.com (http://www.divx.com)
Xvid -> www.xvid.org (http://www.xvid.org)
9) Once the Codec is installed you should be able to doubleclick the video file or run it in Windows Media Player (or download a different video player if you prefer)
10) If the video file was in VCD, SVCD or DVD format you may burn it directly to CD/DVD (check the software that came with your burner) as a VCD/SVCD/DVD and (depending on your machine, some machines won't play one or more formats) play it on your DVD player. If it's in another format, you would need to convert it to VCD/SVCD/DVD. (I just mention this so you're aware of what's possible if you really want to get into this)

[citanul]

dude, was the show Lost? my dvr chopped the last 5 - 8 min off the show too! good site i found is called something like "the pirates bay" should be findable with google.

citanul

[FishNChips]

Thanks VERY much for the help on this... i know i look like a moran for asking all the q's... much appreciate the info.

finally got it to work and the wife was much happy!

FishNChips

[bump]

bump.

For people asking similar question in new thread

[admo415]

thanks