File Types

.001 .ACE .R01 .RAR .ZIP

You probably know what a .ZIP file is, well the other files are the same. They are all compressed files. A compressed file, usually called an archive, can contain one or more files. The files have been sized down in size. Each extension corresponds with a different compression technique. Multi-volume RAR archives can come as a .rar with .rxx (x being a number) this is version 2 or a part01.rar with partxx.rar (x being a number) this is version 3.

Some programs that can open these files:

• PowerArchiver
• WinRAR
• WinAce

.3GP .MOV .QT

These files are video files. You can play these files if you have the right codec's installed. You can download the official QuickTime player or you can go for an alternative like the QuickTime Alternative.

.APE .FLAC .SHN

These are music files that have been compressed without discarding any frequency ranges like what for example .MP3 does.

Links:

• Monkey's Audio (APE)
• FLAC
• SHN

.ASF .AVI .DIVX .MPEG .MPG .WMV .XVID

All of these file types are video's. You will need the right codec's to play them, getting the right program won't do it. Check out the K-Lite Codec Pack if you need a certain codec. You can use GSpot to determine the exact codec the video uses.

Here are some of the video players you can use:

• BSplayer
• Media Player Classic
• VLC media player
• Windows Media Player

  .BUP .IFO .VOB

These three files are usually found together in a folder called Video_ts. These files form a direct backup of a DVD's file system. You can burn the files with a DVD video burner like Nero.

.BWI .BWS .BWT

These files together form a CD image. These formats were introduced by a CD burning program called BlindWrite. You can use emulation software or burn a CD (see .BIN/.CUE).

.CBR .CBZ

These files are actually the same as the ones mentioned above. They are archives usually used for comic books. A .CBR file is the same as a .RAR file and a .CBZ file is the same as a .ZIP file. You can use the same programs mentioned above to open them.

.CCD .IMG .SUB

These files together form a CD image. These formats were introduced by a CD burning program called CloneCD. However, due to copyright laws, CloneCD was ruled illegal. These files formats are little to not in use anymore. They are similar to the .BIN/.CUE files (see .BIN/.CUE).

.CDI

A CD image format introduced by DiscJuggler. You can burn this file to disk with Alcohol 120%. You can also use its emulation function or emulate it using DAEMON Tools.

.CUE .BIN

These two files form a CD image. The .BIN file contains everything that was on your CD and .CUE tells your CD-burning program what format the .BIN is.

You can burn the CD image on a CD with most CD-burning software. Here are two:

• Nero
• Alcohol 120%

However, you don't need to burn CD images to a CD. You can simply emulate a CD/DVD drive on your HDD and access them directly from your PC. The following software will help you do that:

• Alcohol 120%
• DAEMON Tools

You can also extract MPEG streams from a .BIN/.CUE file with VCDGear.

.ISO

This is a CD image like the .BIN/.CUE files but then only one file (see .BIN/.CUE for more info).

Apart from the usual CD burners and emulation software that can handle .ISO files, these programs were specifically designed to handle .ISO files:

• WinISO
• IsoBuster

.MP2 .MP3

These files are music files. The .MP3 format is the most popular music file format at the moment. Certain frequency's have been discarded to create a file that is smaller.  There is little chance you will notice this while listening to your songs. Any music player should be able to play these files.

.MDF .MDS

These two files from a CD image. These formats were introduced by Alcohol 120%. You can use emulation software or burn a CD (see .BIN/.CUE).

.NFO

These files are used by Microsoft Windows for its system info program. But in the file sharing world these files contain info about the files you downloaded with it. These files will include the following info: the release group, the release date, a description of whatever it came with. Usually there's also a load of good looking text art and there can be other info too about suppliers, packagers, protection types, crack types, sizes, install notes, greetings to other groups, group news and the name of the NFO creator might also be included.

You can use Microsoft WordPad to view the info file as plain text, but you should really use a NFO viewer like DAMN NFO Viewer.

.NRG

A CD image format introduced by Nero. You can use emulation software (see .BIN/.CUE) or you can burn this file to disk with the following programs:

• Alcohol 120%
• Nero

.OGG .OGM

The files are music files known as Ogg Vorbis. It is roughly comparable to other formats used to store and play digital music, such as MP3, VQF, AAC, and other digital audio formats. It is different from these other formats because it is completely free, open, and unpatented. Vorbis music files will sound better then MP3 files that have the same size.

Media players that can play these files:

• Winamp 2
• Winamp 3
• Foobar2000
• Zinf

.P01 .PAR .PAR2

These files are part of the Parity Archive Volume Set. You'll encounter them often at newsgroups. They come with the original files of course with an index file at the beginning of a post and different sizes of volumes at the end of a post. These files can fill in gaps from corrupted or missing parts when downloading from a newsgroup. You can use these files with QuickPar.

.RA .RAM .RM

These files are video files. Get the right codec's to play these files. You can download the official RealMedia player or go for an alternative like the Real Alternative.

.SFV

This file is used to check multi-volume archives if all files are complete and not corrupt. This is most useful when checking if everything was uploaded correctly to a server or when downloading from newsgroups. Though they do tend to show up on file sharing networks, there's no use for them there. These files can be handled by hkSFV.

.SVCD .VCD

These Video CDs or Super Video CDs are what the full names suggest; video files. Some DVD players will play them, some won't. Go here to check if your DVD player does.

You can burn these files to CDs using any of the following programs:

• PowerArchiver
• WinRAR
• WinAce

Films

Asian Silvers / PDVD

Put out by eastern bootleggers, they are usually bought by groups to release as their own. There are a lot around in the scene at the moment because silvers are very cheap and easily available in a lot of countries. Mainly smaller groups who don't last more than a few releases go about it this way. A PDVD is the same thing pressed onto a DVD. The quality is usually better than the silvers and they have removable subtitles. Usually released as VCD though ripped like a normal DVD.

CAM

A CAM was made by someone at the theatre with a digital video camera. They may have used a mini tripod but most of the time this is not possible and you might notice some shaking once in a while. Moreover, other people at the theatre could walk past the camera. The sound is recorded by an onboard microphone resulting in a low quality sound. Not only can you hear the film, you'll probably also be able to hear people laughing or having a difficult time opening a bag of crisps. The whole picture might have been filmed from an angle because seating was not very good. If properly cropped you won't notice it, though if any text is shown in the film, you will. CAM quality can differ a lot and is probably the worst quality around; sometimes you just have to be lucky!

CVD

Combine VCD with SVCD and you get CVD. Supported by most DVD players as well. It supports SVCD's MPEG2 bit-rates, but uses a resolution of 352x480 (NTSC) as the horizontal resolution is generally less important. Currently no groups release in CVD.

DivX Re-Enc

A DivX re-enc is a re-encoded VCD original into a smaller DivX file. These will mostly show up on file sharing networks. Labelled like "Film.Name.Group(1of2)". Common release groups are SMR and TND. The quality is always very poor. You should stay away from these!

DivX / XviD

Designed for multimedia platforms, DivX uses two codec's. There's a low motion and a high motion. Older films used to be encoded in low motion only, having various problems with high motion. When encoding a method known as SBC (Smart Bit-rate Control) is used. This method was developed to switch codec's. This results in a much better print. The format is Ana orphic and the bit-rate and resolution are interchangeable.

Although there have bee players in development in the past, it's very unlikely that we'll ever see a DVD player capable of playing DivX. The reason is that high processing power is required, and there are different codec's for playback.

The majority of PROPER DivX rips (not Re-Encs) are taken from DVDs. They generally have up to two hours of good quality per disc. There are various codec's around, the most popular are the original Divx3.11a and the new XviD codec's.

DVD-R

There are various recordable DVD solution at the moment like DVD-RAM and DVD+R, and this one seems to be the most popular. Holding 4.7GB of data per side, double sided discs being available, these discs can hold up to nearly 10GB in some circumstances. For SVCD MPEG2 images to be burnt to DVD-R and played successfully they must be converted first . DVD to DVD-R copies are possible, but sometimes extra's and languages have to be removed because only 4.7GB is available.

DVD Rip

A DVD Rip is a copy of the retail DVD found in stores. Sometimes released pre retail. The quality is simply excellent. DVD Rips are released in SVCD and DivX / XviD.

DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr)

Exactly the same as a screener except that this screener was copied from a DVD. Usually letterbox, without the extras that a retail DVD would contain. The serial numbers or markings to identify the source of the DVD which will be blocked usually block off a part of the picture. A DVDscr should be very good. Usually appear as SVCD or DivX / XviD.

Macrovision

Most commercial DVDs feature Macrovision these days. It prevents the DVD being copied by displaying lines and darkening the images of copies, made by sending the VHS signals it can't understand. Certain DVD players can circumvent this protection and a "video stabiliser" will also do the trick.

MiniDVD

MiniDVD or cDVD is the same format as a DVD but goes on a standard recordable or rewritable CD. Due to the smaller capacity of normal CDs and because of the high resolution and bit-rates, only around 20 minutes of footage per disc is possible. This format is also compatible with only a few DVD players.

PAL / NTSC

These two are the mainly used standards across the world. NTSC has a frame rate of 29FPS compared to only 25FPS for PAL. But PAL has a higher resolution and generally gives off a sharper picture.

On most modern TV sets, an RGB enabled scart-lead will play an NTSC picture in full colour. To record this to a VHS tape, you will need to convert it to PAL50 and not PAL60 as the majority of DVD players do. This can be achieved by an expensive converter box, an onboard converter or using a World Standards VCR which can record in any format.

RCE

Regional Coding Enhancement or RCE was designed to overcome multi-regional DVD players. But due to many faults and generally being very unpopular there have been very few titles RCE encoded. It's considered to be something of the past now.

Regional Coding

Regional coding prevents the possibility of playing DVDs in countries other then where it was sold / was intended to be viewed. It's designed to prevent people from buying American DVDs and watching them in other countries (since American films are released later in other countries) or for some older films where the world distribution is handled by different companies. This prevention can be circumvented on a lot of DVD players by hacking them with a chip or using a remote.

SCREENER (SCR)

A screener is a pre VHS tape used for promotional use . Supplied on a VHS tape, it usually is a 4:3 (full screen) a/r, although letterboxed screeners are around as well. During the entire film a a message will be displayed at the bottom of the screen with the copyright and anti-piracy telephone number. These tapes usually contain serial numbers, or other markings that could lead to the source of the tape. These will be blocked usually with a black mark over the section. The size can differ from big to small and can last the entire film but usually just for a few seconds. Screener quality depends on whether it was copied from a MASTER copy and the equipment used, a VHS recorder. Most screeners appear as VCD, but some have tried SVCD, quality differing a lot.

SVCD

SVCD is based on MPEG2 like DVDs. It has a resolution of 480x480 (NTSC) which is decompressed into a 4:3 aspect ratio when played and allows variable bit-rates of up to 2500kbits. The variable bit-rate results in the length you can fit on a single CDR not being fixed. Usually it's between 30 and 60 minutes. A SVCD encode using variable bit-rates is far clearer when using multiple "passes", though this takes a lot longer to encode.

TELECINE (TC)

Straight from the reels digitally copied by a telecine machine. Your looking at a very good quality picture and sound, yet there are little Telecine's due to the (expensive) equipment involved. The film will usually be in correct aspect ratio, although some 4:3 have popped up before. (Note: TC is not the same as Time Code which is a visible counter on the screen throughout the film.)

TELESYNC (TS)

A Telesync is similar to a CAM but it uses an external audio source. However, a direct audio source does not rule out background noise. The quality of the picture is usually better then a CAM because it is usually filmed in an empty theatre or from the projection booth with a more professional camera. TS quality can like CAM quality differ a lot. Most of the time CAMs are mislabelled as Telesync's.

TV Rip

This is a TV episode capped using digital cable or satellite boxes by preference off the network or pre-air from satellite feeds sending the program around to networks a few days earlier (contain no "dogs" but sometimes have flickers and the like). Some episodes contain extra footage and camera or commentary tests. PDTV is capped from a digital TV PCI card, generally giving the best result. Groups tend to release in SVCD for these. VCD / SVCD / DivX / XviD rips are all supported by the TV scene.

VCD

VCD is based on MPEG1 which has a resolution of 352x240 (NTCS) and a constant bit-rate of 1150kbits. Generally used for lower quality transfers like CAM, TS, TC, Screener(VHS), analogue TV Rips so that as much content as possible can fit on a single disc. The size of a VCD can be bigger then a CD because it's timed in minutes and not in size. A CDR74 will fit 74 minutes on it.

VHS Rip

Copied from a retail VHS, these are generally skating / sports videos and XXX releases.

Watermarks

A watermark is a small tag generally in one of the corners of the picture. A lot of films come from Asian Silvers / PDVD and are tagged by the people responsible. This is usually a letter, initials or a little logo. Most famous are the "Z" "A" and "Globe" watermarks.

WORKPRINT (WP)

A Workprint is an unfinished film. There can be scenes and music missing and the quality differs from excellent to very poor. Some Workprints can be very different from the final print like missing computer animation and others can contain extra scenes. Good quality final Workprints can be nice additions to the collection.

XVCD / XSVCD

These guys are non-standard (S)VCDs not intended for release but for a personal backup. The resolutions and bit-rates will be higher then normal. Some players will play them, some won't.

Scene Tags

ASPECT RATIO TAGS

It's *WS* for widescreen (letterbox) and *FS* for full screen.

DUPE

A dupe is quite simple, there's no reason for something to exist twice without proper reason.

INTERNAL

When a release is INTERNAL, there can be several reasons. To prevent from being dupe'd on it, classic DVD groups will do so a lot. To prevent a lower quality theatre rip from lowering the reputation of the group or due to the amount of rips done already.

An INTERNAL release is available as per normal on the groups affiliate sites, but they can't be traded to other sites without request from the site operators. Though some INTERNAL releases still trickle down to IRC or Newsgroups depending on the title and the popularity.

A group may also go "internal" like Centropy did. This means the group will only release films to their members and site operators. This is in a different context to the usual definition.

LIMITED

A LIMITED film means it was shown only in a few theatres, generally opening in less than 250 theatres. These are usually smaller films (such as art house films).

NUKED

There are various reasons to a NUKED film. Individual sites may nuke a film for breaking their rules (they may not allow Telesync's for example). But a global nuke may also occur if something is extremely wrong with it. For example missing 20 minutes of soundtrack, CD2 is another film or game etc. People trading it across sites will lose their credits.

Nuked films can still reach peer-to-peer file sharing networks or Usenet, but it's better to check first why it was NUKED. A group may request a nuke as well, if they realise something is wrong with the release.

Here's a list of common reasons a film (mainly DVD Rips) can be nuked:

• BAD A/R : Bad aspect ratio, i.e. people appear too fat/thin.
• BAD IVTC : Bad inverse Telecine; the process of converting frame rates was incorrect.
• INTERLACED : Black lines on movement as the field order is incorrect.

PROPER

Due to scene rules, whichever group releases (for example) the first Telesync of a film has won that race. But if the quality of the Telesync is fairly poor and if another group has another Telesync in higher quality or the same source in higher quality then they may release a PROPER. The tag is added to prevent it from being duped. This is the most subjective tag in the scene, and a lot of people will generally argue whether the PROPER is better than the original release. A lot of groups will release PROPERs just out of desperation of losing the race. A reason for the PROPER should always be included in the .NFO file included.

RECODE

This is a previously released version, usually filtered through TMPGenc to remove subtitles, fix colour etc. Whilst the quality can be better then the original, it's not looked upon highly as groups are expected to obtain their own sources.

REPACK

If a group released a "bad" rip, they may release a REPACK without the problems it had before.

SUBBED

If a VCD is released as SUBBED, it usually means it has hard-encoded subtitles throughout the whole movie. These will usually be in Malaysian, Chinese, Thai, etc. Sometimes there can even be two different languages, taking up quite a large amount of the screen of course.

SVCD on the other hand supports switch able subtitles which can be switched on or off. If this is the case, it will be mentioned in the .NFO file if included.

STV

Straight To Video or STV means it was never released in theatres. And for that reason a lot of sites do not allow these.

UNSUBBED

If there was a SUBBED release of a film in the past, an UNSUBBED release may be released.

Other

0-DAY

0-day, pronounced "Zero Day" or even sometimes "Oh Day", basically means "new." The term originates from the (illegal) warez scene, but is now a common term in the exploit trading scene.

Here's how it works: A game or an exploit released yesterday is 1-day. If it was released a full week ago, it is 7-day.

0-day refers to exploits released today and exploits that have not yet been released.

An exploit can be 0-day to you because it was just publicly released, but two-months old to members of the group that coded the exploit.