www.mindwarppavilion.org
Stefan / GoblinKing / freestate @ Mind-Warp PaVilion (v2.0 March 2007)
A Guide To Converting A Downloaded Video Torrent To
A Playable DVD
For PC Users
A Guide To Converting A Downloaded Video Torrent To
A Playable DVD
For PC Users
For this guide we will be using 'Joni Mitchell - Nara Japan 1994' DVD
The software used is:
Windows XP Professional
PowerDVD XP4
Nero Burning ROM 6
PowerDVD and Nero are not freeware.
We recommend that you close your BT client prior to
doing anything with your downloaded files. Sometimes a BT client 'hangs
on' to files and you may get a 'file in use' error if the client is still
open.
We also recommend that, during the burning process, you
don't have any other programs running that might use substantial computer
resources.
Step 1 - The folder structure for the Torrent you have downloaded is dictated by the .torrent file created by the original uploader. For a Video Torrent download it is likely to look like this:
Notice that the uploader has saved the info text file outside the VIDEO_TS folder.
If we browse the VIDEO_TS folder we see the DVD files;
Step 2 - Defragment
the harddrive your files are on to put any non-contiguous files back together.
This reduces the risk of errors during burning.
Step 3 - Play the DVD in DVD File mode on your computer, or at least some of it, to check that there are no apparent errors contained in the download. If the DVD has menus and chapters check that they work. We recommend PowerDVD for this. Our experience is that Windows Media Player does not play DVDs very well. We are unable to suggest or recommend any other PC DVD-playing software at this time.
If you find an error, it could be caused by a corrupt
file in the Torrent, in which case you would contact the Uploader and make
them aware of it. On the other hand it could be caused by corruption during
the download process in which case you would download that particular file
again. In either case you need to identify exactly which file is corrupt.
To do this play the .VOB files individually using 'play media files' mode
in your DVD-playing software.
Step 4 - Open Nero Burning ROM
In the 'New Compilation' window select 'DVD' from the dropdown menu;
When DVD is selected you will get a list of different
DVD types on the left-hand side of the window,
- highlight 'DVD-Video'...
...and then click the 'New' button;
In the next window browse to the drive and folder that
your DVD's VIDEO_TS folder has
been saved to;
Notice that the right-hand pane of this window shows the
VIDEO_TS folder of the DVD.
Left-click and hold the mouse button down to drag and
drop the VIDEO_TS folder into the 2nd from left window pane which contains
the folders AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. The AUDIO_TS folder is not used and
should not have anything in it. It is, however, essential to the compliance
of the DVD and should be left in place. When you have dragged and dropped
the files as described the Nero windows will
look like this;
Step 4-
Insert a blank DVD into your drive and give Nero
a little time to collect information about the media, such as whether it
is a DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD5, DVD9 etc.
When activity in the drive stops,
click on the 'Burn' icon on the toolbar;
After clicking the 'Burn' icon you will see the following dialogue box;
The two tabs we're interested in are 'Label' and 'Burn'. Clicking the 'Label' tab allows you to give your DVD a disc label. Be aware that there is a 15 character limit by default (this can be changed by playing about within Nero) so it's wise to call your disc something that you will recognise later on that has 15 characters or less. Artist name or initials, venue and date are usually enough for a disc label.
Here is an example of how we might label this particular DVD;
Clicking on the 'Burn' tab allows you to specify burn speed. Burn speed for a DVD is dictated not only by the media but also by the drive limitations. You can only, for example, burn at 6x or 8x in a 16x drive if the media is 8x maximum. If the media is rated at 16x you can burn it at this speed if the drive supports 16x burning. However, as with burning CDs, we recommend burning at the slowest speed that the media and the drive will allow. For this example we're burning at 6x.
Once the disc label and burn speed have been entered click on the 'Burn' button and burning the DVD will commence;
When burning is complete you will see the following dialogue box;
Click the 'OK' button and then the 'Done' button. The disc will eject and you will be returned to the following Nero window;
Notice that the disc label in the left-hand pane now reflects the label we gave the disc prior to burning it. This label will stay in this position until the next time you burn a DVD and give it a different label.
Close Nero. You will get the following dialogue box;
Choose 'No'.
Finished! Now that your DVD is burned you should test it by playing it using either computer software or a standalone DVD player, or preferably both. DVDs, especially home-made ones, can be problematic and may play in one player but not another.
We mention again that keeping and archiving the original
video files and any other files that accompanied them in the downloaded
Torrent, such as the info text file and any artwork, is a good idea. You
can archive them to a harddrive (though space quickly becomes a premium
if you choose this method) or burn them to disc as data.