BitTorrent...

[pam123]

Who uses this and are you happy with it?
Just read the Dvorak article countering the FUD about it : http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1829684,00.asp
and I think I'll try it out.

I don't have a p2p program but I'm going to need one in a few weeks that I can recommend to other people and this looks like the best of them.

[Force Flow]

It's very relyable for file distrobutions that are over a few megs. Linux ISOs, for example. It takes a day or so to download an ISO, while from the linuxisos.org website, the download takes roughly 3 days.

It's simple to use too.

[doctorgonzo]

It does seem to be faster for large downloads. The more people there are getting a file, the faster you get it too, unlike some other P2P networks. I have to say that the concept itself is pretty ingenious.

[pam123]

Thanks guys.
There are going to be some really large files and this looks like my answer.

[Floppyman]

Been using it for several months now and love it. I regularly use it to download DJ mixes (legal) and Linux ISO's. If you're behind a router, make sure you open up a port for it -- the downloads will go faster. HTH

[Marke522]

I've been using Bit Torrent for years. Love it, I think it's absolutley wonderful. It allows you to only share the file you are downloading rather than forcing you to open an entire folder.

I used to use it every week to download Alias and Enterprise when I missed recording those shows. I found Star Wars Clone Wars on it also, which was real cool, because I missed it when it was Cartoon Network, but now I have the first 20 chapters on DVD. Wish the would make the other 5 on another DVD.

If you want to use a real good torrent downloader, try http://azureus.com/. You can also get it here. http://azureus.sourceforge.net/download.php The best P2P out there BY FAR!! It keeps the files you just finished to upload to others, and also continues files that were being downloaded when it was last running. It's a real no brainer. The hardest thing is trying to figure out what folder to place the new tv show.

[SonicVanguard]

I've also been using it both at home and in the studio. In the studio, it makes sending ProTools data easier since I don't have to setup a FTP for the other studio - just put give them the tracker.

At home, I can get all those TV shows (not movies) I miss now that I've dropped my Tivo (yes it's legal, as long as I don't put those videos on any perminent media).

I was using Azureus, but it can only specify one open port, not a series of ports. I've recently been using ABC (Another BitTorrent Client) and like it as much as Azureus for functionality and that I can open a series of ports rather than just one.

[pam123]

All I had in mind was family video files.
We want to put them all together so everyone can have a copy and we're trying to get organized.
But legal tv shows?
I must buy a larger hard drive the 120 Gb is too small.

[bigandy]

As people have already mentioned, there are tons of clients out there. I use Azureus, but I've tried a bunch of others as well. I've been thinking of going back to ABC because it seems to be a little lighter, and as Dave mentioned, you can open up a series of ports. The official client has gotten a little more feature rich since the earlier versions, but still not quite as many as some of the other clients. But if you're just starting out using BT, it may not be a bad client to begin with. I guess it just depends on what you're looking for feature wise.

There are also some good FAQs out there, I don't know if you've taken a look at them already. But the FAQ at the official BT site is very good.

[SonicVanguard]

Originally Posted by pam123 But legal tv shows?

Actually, yes. I'm sure most people know that I'm 'in the biz' and don't like seeing copyrights infringed upon. But...television broadcasts fall into a interesting space between capyright infringement. Being that the show is broadcast on public airwaves, the originators cannot copyright the broadcast, only the actual show. This is the same law that protects owners of VCRs - what you are doing is called 'timeshifting' the broadcast. I am simply downloading a television broadcast and viewing it at a different time (just as if I were to record it). Now if I were to burn that show on a DVDC (or CDR), that would be copyright infringment because the media is perminent. Media that is not perminent include VHS/beta tape, miniDV/DV tape, DVDRW, CDRW, and your hard drive.

The other caveat - you cannot legally timeshift a broadcast that is not normally broadcast in your area. For example, I being in Western Michigan cannot download a copy of the 11pm news out of Phoenix (unless they simulcast on-line) or a Puroresu show being broadcast in Japan.

[pam123]

So it's not going to help with the episodes of Battlestar Galactica I've missed?

[bigandy]

Dave has a better perspective on this than I do, but from what he just wrote, I'd think it was okay, as long as you don't put it on some type of permanent media.

[ghost2003]

I use BT all the time but way too many people dont setup their firewalls and routers correctly and cant recieve connections, wich defeats the whole concept since only a handfull of people can actually be connected to. I use G3 torrent but i might go back to bittornado when it will be able to have multiple downloads in one window.

[pam123]

Originally Posted by ghost2003 I use BT all the time but way too many people dont setup their firewalls and routers correctly and cant recieve connections, wich defeats the whole concept since only a handfull of people can actually be connected to. I use G3 torrent but i might go back to bittornado when it will be able to have multiple downloads in one window.

Yes, about that one.
All the information I've found concerns harware firewalls.
What would I have to do, other than the usual permissions, to configure ZoneAlarm?

[bigandy]

I don't know if the same applies to ZA free, but in the Pro version you can open the ports for BT.

If you are running another type of software firewall (such as Zone Alarm Pro, Norton Firewall, McAfee Firewall, BlackICE Defender, etc.), you may have to do something similar to allow inbound access on ports 688x to the BitTorrent client (usually btdownloadgui.exe.) For example, in Zone Alarm Pro, in the Program Listings, click on the program's name (btdownloadgui.exe) and then click the Options button and then enter the ports to use. If you're having trouble connecting, you might try giving BitTorrent access to all ports.

-From Brian's BitTorrent FAQ

[pam123]

Thanks Andy I'll bookmark the site.

[SonicVanguard]

Hey Pam, if Battlestar Galactica was originally available in your market then yes, the law allows you to download old episodes - but you cannot put them on anything perminent.

[pam123]

Yes it was.
I'm going to newegg for a larger drive to use in my Bytecc.

[ghost2003]

Originally Posted by SonicVanguard Actually, yes. I'm sure most people know that I'm 'in the biz' and don't like seeing copyrights infringed upon. But...television broadcasts fall into a interesting space between capyright infringement. Being that the show is broadcast on public airwaves, the originators cannot copyright the broadcast, only the actual show. This is the same law that protects owners of VCRs - what you are doing is called 'timeshifting' the broadcast. I am simply downloading a television broadcast and viewing it at a different time (just as if I were to record it). Now if I were to burn that show on a DVDC (or CDR), that would be copyright infringment because the media is perminent. Media that is not perminent include VHS/beta tape, miniDV/DV tape, DVDRW, CDRW, and your hard drive. The other caveat - you cannot legally timeshift a broadcast that is not normally broadcast in your area. For example, I being in Western Michigan cannot download a copy of the 11pm news out of Phoenix (unless they simulcast on-line) or a Puroresu show being broadcast in Japan.

What if its a movie that played on tv?

[Marke522]

That's where it gets tricky. If there is a movie made for tv, then yea, it would be fine. If there is an old movie like a James Bond film, then I don't know.

Then that brings another question into the converstation, what if it's on HBO or Cinemax? If someone has a TV Tuner, can they put that movie on thier harddrive? I would say yes, it would be no different than timeshifting. Also I would say yes because Windows Media Center allows people to do all this with a few simple buttons on the remote control. I'm sure M$ wouldn't get involved in copyright enfringement.

Just as long as the show isn't transfered to a DVD or a CD. So I guess this means we will all have to run out and buy DVD players that support DVD+/-RW capability. Then we could burn the movie legally, onto a temporary format.

I give this thread one more hour before it gets closed.

[SonicVanguard]

Movies are simple - they fall under a different broadcast standard (regardless if they are made for TV, shown on pay/premium cable, or the like) since the broadcaster is paying for a one-time licensing of the film - timeshifting does not apply and it never has. Technically, you've never been allowed to copy/record movies in any format - not that that has stopped people. And quite honestly it's such a grey area, it's never been enforced much less brought up.

But to Marke522's statement about getting DVD players with RW capabilities - that's not the case. The law (at least here in the United States) actually considers a VOB file as a perminent file regardless of what format it's on. So if you download a TV show in .avi (or .mpg, .wmv, .mov...) format you're alright - but if it's in VOB format (ready to be burned to DVD), that's a problem.

[Marke522]

Ahhh,...so we need to get DVD players that recognize .avi files.