Torrent question

[Patrick Kennedy]

Anyone here using torrent for warching movies?

If yes, i was wondering if the quality of video and audio can be compare to a 4k disk?

 

[hemiram]

I used to but it got to the point I was using data and my bandwidth to the point just browsing was like I was back on dialup. Video quality was all over the place, from really decent to about what those old Youtube 200x360 clips looked like, BAD. Sound varies all over the place, too.

 

[BMXTRIX]

There are certain players out there which can play torrents as streams, but it is far better to do a complete download.

Torrent files can range in quality from garbage to lossless depending on the torrent site you are getting it from and the specific torrent download.

That is, there really are 50Gb+ Blu-ray UHD discs at full 2160p with Atmos audio which can be acquired. There are also 2GB '1080p' files which look reasonably good, but aren't nearly as good. And if you just want a quality 1080p file with HD surround, then about 10GB or so for many of those.

But, as I said, it depends on where you are getting them from. I download to my server and then I can watch them anytime I would like to from anywhere in the world. That's pretty darn cool. Other than ripping discs yourself, if you look around for high quality torrents, you can certainly get them.

Be aware of the legalities of this as downloading content you did not purchase is most definitely illegal. Worse is sharing it to others. Consider a VPN to protect yourself.

I've gotten a song or two and have received an email from Verizon telling me to knock it off. So... yeah.

 

[Patrick Kennedy]

I used to but it got to the point I was using data and my bandwidth to the point just browsing was like I was back on dialup. Video quality was all over the place, from really decent to about what those old Youtube 200x360 clips looked like, BAD. Sound varies all over the place, too.

Bandwi

There are certain players out there which can play torrents as streams, but it is far better to do a complete download.

Torrent files can range in quality from garbage to lossless depending on the torrent site you are getting it from and the specific torrent download.

That is, there really are 50Gb+ Blu-ray UHD discs at full 2160p with Atmos audio which can be acquired. There are also 2GB '1080p' files which look reasonably good, but aren't nearly as good. And if you just want a quality 1080p file with HD surround, then about 10GB or so for many of those.

But, as I said, it depends on where you are getting them from. I download to my server and then I can watch them anytime I would like to from anywhere in the world. That's pretty darn cool. Other than ripping discs yourself, if you look around for high quality torrents, you can certainly get them.

Be aware of the legalities of this as downloading content you did not purchase is most definitely illegal. Worse is sharing it to others. Consider a VPN to protect yourself.

I've gotten a song or two and have received an email from Verizon telling me to knock it off. So... yeah.

Thanks for the info... any good advice for a torrent website, public or private?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Bandwi

Thanks for the info... any good advice for a torrent website, public or private?

This is one worth going to Google for. The top sites are the top sites for a reason.

Some people are willing to watch 'still in theater' movies which were shot on camcorders. HDCAM will usually be in the title. In my experience, these are garbage quality for both video and audio. They may even get high praise, despite terrible quality. It is far better to wait for a movie to be from any other source, such as a HD download or a Blu-ray rip. Most titles will clearly say what they are from.

There are many good sites, but really, you only need to find a few and get what you would like. Be aware that any movies, shows, or albums downloaded are taking royalties from those who produced the content. That's up to you to contemplate. As well, you are always taking some level of legal risk. If you own a movie and just want a digital copy, it becomes a murky area under Fair Use laws.

 

[lovinthehd]

My latest experience was with a friend of my sister that torrents everything (downloads, tho), he brought over a copy of Blade Runner 2049 before release, it seemed okay. Then when my Netflix bluray rental came thru I was shocked at the difference in audio quality particularly (video not so much) as he had ripped in DD only and the actual soundtrack on the bluray is far better. I bought the bluray and deleted the copy of his download.

 

[slipperybidness]

My latest experience was with a friend of my sister that torrents everything (downloads, tho), he brought over a copy of Blade Runner 2049 before release, it seemed okay. Then when my Netflix bluray rental came thru I was shocked at the difference in audio quality particularly (video not so much) as he had ripped in DD only and the actual soundtrack on the bluray is far better. I bought the bluray and deleted the copy of his download.

Anyone using these techniques should realize the legality of this, and the very real possibility of downloading a virus along with the torrent. There is risk involved, so ask yourself if the risk is worth the few $ saved.

 

[Pogre]

Anyone using these techniques should realize the legality of this, and the very real possibility of downloading a virus along with the torrent. There is risk involved, so ask yourself if the risk is worth the few $ saved.

I have never messed with torrents. I'd be afraid of dl'ing a virus or something.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Viruses are extremely rare with shared audio and video content. There are checkboxes for individual files which are downloaded. So, if getting audio files, you can ensure they are all .WAV files. Or .MP3 files. For video, the same. The reality is that people don't torrent video and audio files to infect others but do so to share content.

Typically illegally, but they do so anyway.

There is a lot of scare tactics out there about viruses and torrents, but some torrent players actually will only download specific types of files and will play them back immediately, on the fly, and will get rid of anything that isn't a standard audio/video file.

I do occasionally see a .EXE (executable) file in a download, but then I don't download that file. It never gets on my computer. I have no idea what those files do, since they never touch my computer.

 

[Crazy8s846]

The only thing i dont like about all this is "and i have done it my self" Is one day in the future if enough of this goes on, they will stop making movies and music for that matter because there wont be any profit in it. Of course ill be dead by then but it would be a same if one day my kids could not enjoy movies or music from artist in the future.

 

[BMXTRIX]

There may also be a point where the legal system is able to track torrent users and sharers and creators much better than they do today and bring a legal sledgehammer down on all of them so content may not be shareable in any discreet manner.

Right now, the legality and morality is up to the individual. I'd rather stick with the substantive facts about what torrents are and how to use torrenting sites and the like and leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves how they want to proceed.

I regularly get a digital copy of many movies that I own. It is quicker than manually creating a copy myself. Same with CDs.

 

[slipperybidness]

Viruses are extremely rare with shared audio and video content. There are checkboxes for individual files which are downloaded. So, if getting audio files, you can ensure they are all .WAV files. Or .MP3 files. For video, the same. The reality is that people don't torrent video and audio files to infect others but do so to share content.

Typically illegally, but they do so anyway.

There is a lot of scare tactics out there about viruses and torrents, but some torrent players actually will only download specific types of files and will play them back immediately, on the fly, and will get rid of anything that isn't a standard audio/video file.

I do occasionally see a .EXE (executable) file in a download, but then I don't download that file. It never gets on my computer. I have no idea what those files do, since they never touch my computer.

Yeah, "be smart about it" is the takeaway here.

 

[slipperybidness]

The only thing i dont like about all this is "and i have done it my self" Is one day in the future if enough of this goes on, they will stop making movies and music for that matter because there wont be any profit in it. Of course ill be dead by then but it would be a same if one day my kids could not enjoy movies or music from artist in the future.

You know, it's on Hollywood, etc, to make content that people actually WANT to pay for, so that they have the $ to create the next valuable content. How about the "pay what you want" price structure? Guess what, that works!

Don't even get me started on greed and DRM, as it only DRM only hurts the honest user.

Case in point-- I pay for HBO streaming when a new season of Game of Thrones or WestWorld drops, and I cut my HBO streaming after the last episode airs!

It's just like going to a brick-and-motor to audition AV gear, then go home to order it off Amazon--if you don't pay the B&M prices for that service, then the service won't be there next time you want to use it!

 

[Trell]

You know, it's on Hollywood, etc, to make content that people actually WANT to pay for, so that they have the $ to create the next valuable content. How about the "pay what you want" price structure? Guess what, that works!

Don't even get me started on greed and DRM, as it only DRM only hurts the honest user.

Case in point-- I pay for HBO streaming when a new season of Game of Thrones or WestWorld drops, and I cut my HBO streaming after the last episode airs!

It's just like going to a brick-and-motor to audition AV gear, then go home to order it off Amazon--if you don't pay the B&M prices for that service, then the service won't be there next time you want to use it!

Clearly people are willing to pay for content when it has a distribution and payment structure that makes sense for them. Video streaming services, like Netflix and HBO, are quite popular where I live, and in USA you have way more content and providers. Similar for music.

To be honest, much of what I watch is not really worth watching again, but in those cases I buy the BluRay.