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I've seem threads about movies and encoding, but didn't find this subject: The samples that come with them.
Information on encoder, format, bitrate, etc. have been in torrents for long, but numbers don't really tell the resulting quality.
The sample should be a quick way to check the movie without downloading it, using a sequential download / stream service, or reading a lot of arguable comments.
but I've seen many samples way over the movie quality they are supposed to match; some torrents come not with one, but two samples.
Sometimes, I even see a movie trailer (like those on IMDB) included under the name "sample".
So any of you still use those samples for anything, or even download them?
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Once I have seeded back, the previews and all the other garbage and spam get deleted unopened.
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You are correct: samples are supposed to be risk mitigators but, because they are so easily faked, and because the real video can so easily be previewed with VLC, they are completely worthless. Worse than worthless in fact.
I almost always deselect samples (and spam .txt files) before downloading starts. Which means that a) they don't really worry me one way or the other but b) the uploader loses out because, even though I "seed" after downloading, I'm never counted as a seed because I don't have 100% of the torrent. I'm only ever counted as a leach.
That means the torrent health appears worse than it really is (yet another reason BitTorrent statistics are inaccurate). I feel a little bad about that but not bad enough to download shit I neither need nor want just because uploaders are stupid enough to include useless crap in their torrents.
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Good info here, thanks Sid!
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(Mar 05, 2018, 18:07 pm)Sid Wrote: You are correct: samples are supposed to be risk mitigators but, because they are so easily faked, and because the real video can so easily be previewed with VLC, they are completely worthless. Worse than worthless in fact.
I almost always deselect samples (and spam .txt files) before downloading starts. Which means that a) they don't really worry me one way or the other but b) the uploader loses out because, even though I "seed" after downloading, I'm never counted as a seed because I don't have 100% of the torrent. I'm only ever counted as a leach.
That means the torrent health appears worse than it really is (yet another reason BitTorrent statistics are inaccurate). I feel a little bad about that but not bad enough to download shit I neither need nor want just because uploaders are stupid enough to include useless crap in their torrents.
Are there really fake samples? I've downloaded hundred of movies, many of them with samples, and I've not once come across a movie that had a fake sample.
I can see how that can be a way to trick people. But I've never seen it myself, ever. I usually download the torrent as is, and sort out the shit later. Meaning, samples, .txt files, etc., and I've never found a fake sample.
I think you are paranoid.
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(Mar 10, 2018, 05:23 am)joew771 Wrote: Are there really fake samples? I've downloaded hundred of movies, many of them with samples, and I've not once come across a movie that had a fake sample.
I think you are paranoid.
I don't believe it now and won't later!
Last torrent I checked, sample was 2.8 Mbps while movie was just 1.6 Mbps. At that rate we can say the encoder "overworked" that sample or plainly said "made a overstating piece of advertising about his torrent visual quality". That sample isn't "fake" but is fake reference.
I've seen "real fake" samples, usually along fake movies - the kind that just display an ad to a bogus streamming site in bulshizistan or pogo-pogo.
Oh yeah, I'm very paranoid. Just I don't believe you, too!
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If I want anything other than what I searched to d/l I would ask for it.
Samples, .nfos whatever, I do not want what I did not come for.
Clean no-nonsense material is the best publicity anyone can hope for
IMO of course.
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Samples are pointless. I know from who uploaded/encoded the movie, source and codecs if it will be quality before I start downloading.
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(Mar 10, 2018, 20:27 pm)Clubbin2Live Wrote: Clean no-nonsense material is the best publicity anyone can hope for
My opinion too.
(Mar 10, 2018, 20:31 pm)politux Wrote: Samples are pointless. I know from who uploaded/encoded the movie, source and codecs if it will be quality before I start downloading.
Yes, but you're a connosseur. TPB aims to bring torrents to the masses and elitism/segregation (skull-only, etc) don't really help the ecosystem.
It is actually impossible to know all the uploaders from all time and the best numbers don't always make the best video quality, specially cams.
And newbies/laymen won't get it.
Anyway, with a tool to download sequentially one can "sample" the torrent quality and decide to download or not.
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I will download if it is included. Usually it will get deleted, the best release is the one that can get straight to the point/content in a precise manner (based on the download).
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