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Pirated TV show release groups move to new standard, MP4
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The following comments relate to this news article:
article published on 3 March, 2012
Most of the heavy hitters in the TV show piracy scene have moved away from the XviD/AVI standard of the past decade and started releasing files in MP4/x264.
The release groups, SAP, BAJSKORV, C4TV, D2V, DiVERGE, FTP, KYR, LMAO, LOL, MOMENTUM, SYS, TLA and YesTV came together in February and wrote up "The SD x264 TV Releasing Standards 2012" documents, which pretty much details all the ... [ read the full article ]
Please read the original article before posting your comments.
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Senior Member
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6. March 2012 @ 13:39 |
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RM and RMDV? I thought those formats were against the law due to "REAL" being total assholes with their software.
Oh, Im sorry... Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?
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Senior Member
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6. March 2012 @ 15:40 |
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Originally posted by megadunderhead:
Originally posted by cyprusrom:
@megahunder...
You're not serious, right?
My 12 y.o laptop plays just fine an SD x264.
X264 is not exclusively found in HD format. HD formats are mostly x/H264.
"xvid...couldn't be opened without VLC"...Seriously?
ahh but what graphics card as i said the format is graphics card dependent and a lot of cheap garbage intel graphics accelerators refuse to play the format
It's quite possible to play H.264 video without hardware acceleration. It's not a "graphics-card-dependent" format at all; some graphics cards just happen to provide acceleration for decoding it so that the CPU doesn't have to work as hard. SD video should not prove taxing to decode in software for most CPUs.
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huntr
Newbie
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6. March 2012 @ 16:55 |
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I dont have any problem with moving to a newer codec and container. My problem starts when I attempt to edit the video to keep a small clip of an interview from a talkshow or a scene from a movie. I have tried program after program to edit mp4 files and continually am disappointed. Audio is constantly out of sync (HUGELY out of sync in some cases) and edits are never where theyre supposed to be. Its quite frustrating. Any suggestions?
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Senior Member
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6. March 2012 @ 17:39 |
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I think Windows Movie Maker will edit an MP4 (they REFUSE to do MKV)
And while WMM is not the latest and greatest piece of software, it is usually adequate for simple things like clips and such.
Oh, Im sorry... Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?
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huntr
Newbie
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6. March 2012 @ 19:47 |
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I have Windows Movie Maker v5.1 and it won't load mp4's.
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Gorgoroth
Junior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 19:32 |
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edited by ddp the "rules." WHY the hell are pirates abiding by rules for edited by ddp? I mean even the anime teams release their projects in a few different formats...
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. March 2012 @ 21:29
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Junior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 19:54 |
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Originally posted by huntr:
I dont have any problem with moving to a newer codec and container. My problem starts when I attempt to edit the video to keep a small clip of an interview from a talkshow or a scene from a movie. I have tried program after program to edit mp4 files and continually am disappointed. Audio is constantly out of sync (HUGELY out of sync in some cases) and edits are never where theyre supposed to be. Its quite frustrating. Any suggestions?
I am a huge Freemake video converter fan, use it for everything (flv to avi, mkv to avi or avi to mp4(xvid codec)haven't had a audio sync issue. I haven't tried to trim and convert it. If you want to keep mp4 files, use avidemux to copy and cut the file down. It works well this way. Try converting it after the cut with Freemake, it should be good.
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pmshah
Member
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9. March 2012 @ 21:44 |
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I have watched some of these new mp4 rips. I am not too comfortable with them. IMHO reduced file size is the only saving grace. Picture quality certainly is poorer so is the sound quality. Perhaps they need to different ripping software.
Sometimes I would slow down the display rate by up to 20 % to follow the conversation properly or to be able to read the sub titles in their entirety. This I could do WITHOUT degrading the sound quality. With the new AAC rips the sound gets highly distorted even at 10% speed variation. The audio starts warbling. Actually these sound as if my woofer cones have torn !
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Junior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 22:12 |
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I would have to say that it depends on who the ripper is. Scorp, and shannig have had good mkv rips, about 400mb for good movies. I have seen UP, Forbidden Kingdom, and a few others in a compressed mkv format. Of course I have to convert to avi because my Iomega ScreenPlay doesn't like mkv,or h264. I usually play the original file back in Potplayer and WMP to make sure it's good. MP4's are just another container, so both can be small and good. Using Megui to convert a rip is supposed to do a good job, but there are so many settings some people are probably messing it up. I guess axxo are going to be the way to go for some who don't want to chance a bad rip!
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Senior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 22:31 |
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@ huntr try using avidemux for video editting.
ive seen some rips as low as 400mbs and the quality was shocking.barely watchable saying that ive seen some decent rips at 700 mbs.
as for pirates playing by rules thats not gonna happen.
custom built gaming pc from early 2010,ps2 with 15 games all original,ps3 500gbs with 5 games all original,yamaha amp and 5.1channel surround sound speakers,46inch sony lcd smart tv.
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bratcher
Senior Member
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10. March 2012 @ 00:37 |
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Originally posted by cyprusrom:
Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
i hate x264 and mkv.my dvd player and tv can play xvid and divx straight off usb they dont support x264 or mkv.
Your TV and DVD player is old. Technology hates you too. I guess what's left is buy new equipment, or your own DVDs/BRDs, and do your own conversion.
Or buy a copy of ConvertxtoDVD version 4 to convert what your DVD player won't play into regular DVD video discs. That what I do.
What I still hate is those files that want you to buy a a codec before they will play. One For The Money is like that however Exstremely Loud & Incredibly Close didn't have that problem thankfully. I'm not buying any silly codecs!!
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huntr
Newbie
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10. March 2012 @ 00:53 |
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Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
@ huntr try using avidemux for video editting.
ive seen some rips as low as 400mbs and the quality was shocking.barely watchable saying that ive seen some decent rips at 700 mbs.
as for pirates playing by rules thats not gonna happen.
Avidemux works wonderfully with avi files, but I have had no success at all with MKV or MP4 files. Cuts are never where they're supposed to be, and audio is always out of sync. I've converted files to mpeg4 in avi container, but that's hours of converting to get ten minutes (or less) of a clip. I've noticed that the sample files that come with the TV shows seem to have the same sync problems. So far, I'm stumped.
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Junior Member
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10. March 2012 @ 07:12 |
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Originally posted by huntr:
Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
@ huntr try using avidemux for video editting.
ive seen some rips as low as 400mbs and the quality was shocking.barely watchable saying that ive seen some decent rips at 700 mbs.
as for pirates playing by rules thats not gonna happen.
Avidemux works wonderfully with avi files, but I have had no success at all with MKV or MP4 files. Cuts are never where they're supposed to be, and audio is always out of sync. I've converted files to mpeg4 in avi container, but that's hours of converting to get ten minutes (or less) of a clip. I've noticed that the sample files that come with the TV shows seem to have the same sync problems. So far, I'm stumped.
maybe i didn't post correctly, but i mentioned converting to avi then editing. i haven't used it much, and forgot whether or not i tried to convert to avi while editing!
just read in another forum about a video editor which could handle mkvs (maybe mp4s) without issue, and freeware!
link
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 10. March 2012 @ 07:26
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Member
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10. March 2012 @ 11:12 |
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you should never have to put any of these movies into a "video Editor"
video editors when they render will ALWAYS take forever, no matter what the file size.
always, ALWAYS use converters. and disable any video previews also that slows it down.
what i do, take a short clip of the movie and use that in a bunch of converters, and see what one is best for you.
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Junior Member
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10. March 2012 @ 22:21 |
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Originally posted by 1nsan3:
you should never have to put any of these movies into a "video Editor"
video editors when they render will ALWAYS take forever, no matter what the file size.
always, ALWAYS use converters. and disable any video previews also that slows it down.
what i do, take a short clip of the movie and use that in a bunch of converters, and see what one is best for you.
this won't do you much good if your file is cut and out of sync, for the final product most likely will still be out of sync.
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NeoTechni
Newbie
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19. March 2012 @ 23:38 |
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Why is the audio out of sync in every single god damned one of LOL's MP4 releases? Can't they do anything right? Just switch back to AVI if you cant
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Junior Member
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20. March 2012 @ 00:19 |
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I guess I'll have to look at that one. Momentum's work good. Lot of LOL's stuff where I get my tv episodes.
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AfterDawn Addict
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19. April 2012 @ 19:47 |
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Originally posted by solwiggin:
The goals of the two groups are totally different. Pirates are releasing things for everybody to get. Companies are releasing things for paying customers to get. This seems to explain a lot of the difference in standards to me.
Companies are making it overly-stupidly complicated for anyone trying to get anything...
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Senior Member
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20. April 2012 @ 01:30 |
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Originally posted by cyprusrom:
Originally posted by solwiggin:
The goals of the two groups are totally different. Pirates are releasing things for everybody to get. Companies are releasing things for paying customers to get. This seems to explain a lot of the difference in standards to me.
Companies are making it overly-stupidly complicated for anyone trying to get anything...
Precisely -- or anyone trying to create anything. I just look at DVD or Bluray specs and all I can think is, "Yep -- these guys are doing everything they can to prevent Joe Average from learning how to author his own media."
They come up with rigid, convoluted standards and cling to them for years before coming up with newer, rigid, convoluted standards. Then hardware manufacturers design machines that only play these rigid, obsolete, convoluted formats. I'll take an HTPC over a Bluray player any day. It's so much more future proof than equipment the entertainment industry conjures up, and nowadays it's cheaper too.
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xmt
Newbie
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20. May 2012 @ 05:49 |
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Originally posted by jjackk:
What happened to MOMENTUM?
Nothing. Pretty sure they were heavily, but not exclusively, committed to x264 before these changes. They released xvid, but had more success with x264, probably because the xvid sd competition was more stiff. Now that everyone is using x264 there is a lot more competition fighting for releases in a single arena.
With the changes groups are trying to gain some ground, but there are so many groups fighting for the same stuff, with many of the established but pretty quiet groups trying to gain a foot hold while they have a chance.
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xmt
Newbie
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20. May 2012 @ 06:25 |
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Originally posted by nonoitall:
Originally posted by cyprusrom:
Originally posted by solwiggin:
The goals of the two groups are totally different. Pirates are releasing things for everybody to get. Companies are releasing things for paying customers to get. This seems to explain a lot of the difference in standards to me.
Companies are making it overly-stupidly complicated for anyone trying to get anything...
Precisely -- or anyone trying to create anything. I just look at DVD or Bluray specs and all I can think is, "Yep -- these guys are doing everything they can to prevent Joe Average from learning how to author his own media."
They come up with rigid, convoluted standards and cling to them for years before coming up with newer, rigid, convoluted standards. Then hardware manufacturers design machines that only play these rigid, obsolete, convoluted formats. I'll take an HTPC over a Bluray player any day. It's so much more future proof than equipment the entertainment industry conjures up, and nowadays it's cheaper too.
MP4 is what most movie studios/websites use for digital downloads. It's when they bring in drm that things get nasty.
Remember that blu-ray is MPEG-4, using h.264 primarily. And most sites like itunes use h.264 and MP4 exclusively for streaming and download. Same for most modern content delivery sites. Youtube, for example. x264 is a free library h264 equivalent
Also, remember that they wouldn't have anything to release if there wasn't a blu-ray or dvd for them to rip. (except TV eps obviously) And scene rules don't take in to account anybody but scene members. It's a hobby or "scene" for them. They don't care if releases ever make it to torrent sites. They compete with each other in the same way old school hackers, demo makers, crackers, etc. have for over 20 years. It's more about the challenge, and the rep within their isolated community. It's kind of what seperates the scene from P2P. It's more about releasing and less about distributing content on a global scale.
Admittedly, the TV groups don't seem to think like that as much anymore. Most of the old groups are software groups, for obvious reasons.
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Senior Member
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20. May 2012 @ 17:15 |
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My comment is mainly about the proprietary, inflexible standards that the industry has used for their "main" media for the past few decades. Right now it's Blu-ray, but before it, the video DVD and the audio CD were nearly as bad. I'm usually the go-to guy when any friend or family member has any sort of AV, electronics or computer issue, and it's amazing how many people get stuck when the CD they burnt their music to won't play in their CD player, or the DVD they burnt their video to won't play in their DVD player. They don't get that there's a very complicated (for the average Joe) conversion and authoring process that their material must undergo to comply with the very limited specification the studios came up with for consumer electronics.
Think about the variety of formats that a standard Blu-ray player supports verses the variety of formats an XBMC-equipped HTPC supports. Save for encrypted Blu-ray discs, there's no contest at all; the open platform is infinitely more capable, flexible, upgradeable, and at this point, even comparable in price as well. The standards proposed for the scene are simple and leverage that flexibility using already-existing and well-supported technologies.
Internet streaming does break free of some of the industry's long held traditions (though not DRM like you mentioned). At least it does utilize already-supported codecs. (Thankfully they seem to be letting go of the you-must-buy-our-newly-rolled-machine-to-support-our-newly-rolled-format mentality.) That's why I don't harp on streaming sites like I do on Blu-ray, DVD and CD though. (Actually, streaming sites are another source for scene releases, and thanks to the slightly saner standards used, I tend to have an easier time creating a user-friendly file from a common streaming site than from a DVD.)
Just a technical nitpick: x264 isn't an equivalent to H.264, per se; H.264 is a specification and x264 is an encoder that implements it.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 20. May 2012 @ 17:18
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scorpNZ
AfterDawn Addict
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20. May 2012 @ 20:31 |
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Originally posted by xboxdvl2:
Originally posted by cyprusrom:
@megahunder...
You're not serious, right?
My 12 y.o laptop plays just fine an SD x264.
X264 is not exclusively found in HD format. HD formats are mostly x/H264.
"xvid...couldn't be opened without VLC"...Seriously?
i open all formats with windows media player lmao
wtf you use wmp, i've got a mind to use the report button :p
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