FAQ - TEN Usage (Archive)

BitTorrent has distribution agreements with many content providers. To do this BitTorrent needs to insure that this content is not pirated. We do this with Windows DRM (digital rights management). When you download a file it requires a license to play. The license is separate from the file. The FIRST time you attempt to play a file, Windows Media Player contacts our site to see if you are authorized to play the file. It will give you a chance to log in to your account so it can check your status. If your license is still valid the file will play. Rented item licenses expire in 30 days and last for 24 hours from the first viewing. Purchased item licenses never expire. You only have to activate the file once. It will play fine after that unless you move the file to a new, non-licensed computer, or in the case of rentals, if the rental period expires.

If you move the file to a new computer Windows DRM will allow up to two computers be licensed for a purchased file. Rented files cannot be moved to another device and played once activated.

Videos purchased on the BitTorrent service are viewable as often as you like, for as long as you like. Up to two computers are allowed to be activated to play the video per purchase.

Normally, the license is acquired over the Internet and activated when you view the video. If you will not have access to the Internet when you intend to first view the video (while traveling for example) you can  pre-license the video while you are connected and activate it later.

If you need to re-download the video, you can do so by visiting the order history in your account.
 

BitTorrent accepts Visa, Master Card, and American Express for both rentals and purchases.
 

The files distributed on BitTorrent's site are all standard file types that play with standard tools like Windows Media Player. It is best to have the latest version of Windows Media Player to make sure you can play the latest file types.

Other files you find using BitTorrent may use other codecs and compression/archive methods. Codecs (short for Coder/Decoder) are methods of encoding a file to make it compact but usable. Different codecs have different advantages, and there are lots in use. Which codec is it? The clue is often found in the file name. Examples would be DivX, XviD, and others. You can download an "all in one" pack (most common codecs needed for Windows) here (www.free-codecs.com)to deal with most codecs. Install that, and you should be able to play most files. If your needed format is not covered, you will need to search the Internet for that codec source .

Some example file types you'll see using BitTorrent:
AVI - Windows video format. Should be viewable with Windows Media Player and others.
WMV - Windows video format. Should be viewable with Windows Media Player and others.
MOV - Apple Quicktime. Should be viewable with Apple Quicktime.
BIN or CUE - Usually a disk image, often video CD. You will need some CD/DVD burning software to burn this to a disk to view.
RAR - Archive format. Use WinRAR to unpack. If the file is in many parts ( *.00.rar, *.01.rar, *.02.rar, etc.), put all the files in one folder and open the first one to unpack them all.
ISO - CD image. Usually a data disk. you will need CD/DVD burning software to burn this to a disk to access.
DAA - Proprietary CD/DVD image file. Use PowerISO to mount and view.
CBR - Comic book reader format. For viewing images and multi image files, like comics. Can be viewed with CDdisplay application.

Some example codecs:
DivX - Common video format. Will need DivX codec to view in your player.
XviD - Another common video format. Will need XviD codec to view in your player.
OGM or OGG - OGG DirectShow, video. Will need OGG codec to view in your player.
 

Yes! You will need some cables or dedicated network device however. First, you can simply connect your computer output to your TV directly, depending on your computer's output capibilities. The prefered way would be to use a Digital Media Adapter (or DMA). A DMA connects to your network and TV or home theater receiver, allowing you to play files directly from your computer. The Netgear EVA700 and EVA800 devices have been tested and work fine with rights managed WMV files. For more on this you can view our guide on How to Make the PC - TV Connection.
 

The only portable device supported right now is portable laptop computers.
 

You can always check out www.bittorrent.com for a wide variety of digital fun. Other search engines, communities, and sites posting torrent files exist as well. You can even search for torrents by putting in what you're looking for, then adding "torrent" in any Internet search engine.
 

By default, when you download a file you are asked where to save it. If you accept the default location, it will be saved in "My Documents-->BitTorrent Downloads". Otherwise, it will of course save where you tell it to. If you like, you can set the file to always save to whatever location you like without asking you each time, by using the following steps:

Open the BitTorrent client
Choose the View menu
Choose the Settings menu item
Choose the Saving tab
Uncheck the box next to "Ask where to save each new download"
Enter a location in the "Move completed downloads to" field
From then on BitTorrent will simply save all files where you just specified.
 

This depends upon the licensing of any particular video. Some videos are licensed for US distribution only. To rent or purchase these you will need to access our site from a US IP address and use a payment method with US billing info. If an item is licensed for US only, it will say (U.S. Only) directly below the price on the search listing page and on the item detail page.
 

Mature content requires that the account holder be 18 years or older. Users who are under 18 will not be able to download this content.

You can send us a question by emailing to support@bittorrent.com
 

Yes! You will need some cables or dedicated network device however. First, you can simply connect your computer output to your TV directly, depending on your computer's output capibilities. The prefered way would be to use a Digital Media Adapter (or DMA). A DMA connects to your network and TV or home theater receiver, allowing you to play files directly from your computer. The Netgear EVA700 and EVA800 devices have been tested and work fine with rights managed WMV files. For more on this you can view our guide on How to Make the PC - TV Connection.
 

BitTorrent does not offer refunds for purchased or rented content, so make sure you want something before you buy or rent it. If you feel there was a problem with the content you bought or rented, please contact our Customer Support department and we will be happy to work with you to resolve the issue.
 

Files downloaded with BitTorrent will appear to be mixed up until the entire download is finished. This is because BitTorrent downloads file parts in a somewhat random order, with the harder-to-find pieces getting priority.

You will not be able to use any of the files you are downloading until the torrent is 100% finished downloading. BitTorrent checks each file piece as it downloads it, so if the file is 100% complete and still seems damaged, it was that way to start with.

The reason for this is an issue with Windows DRM, the rights management tool BitTorrent uses to authorize your viewing of the file you downloaded. Some of our content has tighter playback restrictions than others. In this case it is seeing your display settings as not allowed by the license.

In many cases this message is in error. If you have older video drivers (pre-July 2005) and are using a laptop and/or a VGA output device there is a chance Windows Media Player will think there is something wrong. To correct this, you can upgrade your video drivers to current versions. This will fix this issue for your future viewing on our site or others in the future for that matter.

To check your video drivers, go to the Control Panel and double-click on the Display icon. In the Display window select the Settings tab. Click the Advanced button. Select the Adapter tab. Click the Properties button. Finally, select the Driver tab. In this window will be displayed the Driver Date. If it is before July 2005 you will need to update your video drivers. The Update Driver button in the window is unlikely to do this properly. You should go to your computer manufacturer's web site to download the latest drivers, or to the site of your video adaptor manufacturer. Upon updating your driver the file should play fine.

If you are unable to update your driver you should contact us at Customer Support for assistance by emailing support@bittorrent.com.
 

You can burn the file to a DVD as a data file only, for back up. You cannot however burn the file to a DVD for viewing in a DVD player at this time.
 

You do not need to be connected to the internet to begin watching video rentals or purchases. However, you MUST be connected to the internet to download the license that allows the video to play. So, if you are intending to watch on your internet connected computer when you hit play for the first time on a video, Windows Media Player will connect to the internet, ask you to log in to your BitTorrent account, and access your license.

If you think you will NOT be connected to the internet when you first choose to watch (on a flight for example), you can 'pre-license' the video. To do this, log in to your BitTorrent account and go to your account page. Select "Order History" on the right side of the page. You will see a list of items you have downloaded. If any of them are still active and have not had the license activated yet, you will see an "Authorize" button on the item line (you will need to be using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or greater for this to work). By clicking on the Authorize button you will download the license to your computer. Later, when you go to view the item Windows Media Player will then have a license to activate with.

Keep in mind that although you have 24 hours to view a video you have rented, this time period does not begin until you actually choose to start watching the video. So, you can download the license and then actually view the film at a later date, up to a maximum of 30 days.
 

When you rent an item, you have 30 days to view the content from the purchase date. You also have 24 hours to finish watching the film once you start playing it. It is also authorized only on one computer (the one on which you activate the license).

When you purchase an item, you own it. You can view it as often as you like, whenever you like. You are allowed to authorize purchased titles on up to two different computers.
 

If something happens and you somehow lose your license to play files you have purchased, you can contact Customer Support and we will assist you to get this resolved.
 

BitTorrent offers a number of advantages over traditional movie download services:

Speed - While we do seed our own content to insure a fast, reliable download experience, by leveraging the shared nature of our client network we can deliver downloads faster than other services. Many reviews that have tested this have placed our download times at 33-50% faster than our competitors.

Quality - Due to the faster download experience we can deliver a higher quality version of a movie than other services and still keep download times down. You will find our movie audio quality is usually higher, and in many cases the video bit rate is higher as well. We even offer HD content (and are adding more all the time), something other sites find very difficult to offer and keep the user experience acceptable.

Reliability - Due to the nature of torrent traffic, a customer can lose a connection or shut down their computer and still continue to get the rest of the file later without having to start over.

So in return for a faster, more reliable, and higher quality download experience the only trade off is sharing a portion of your upload bandwidth (which you can control and are very likely not otherwise using at any given moment). In our opinion, this is a pretty good trade off.
 

In order to play any protected content, from any service, Windows Media Player needs to install a DRM ActiveX control so it can properly handle your content license.

There should be a yellow bar at the top of this window asking you to run the "DRM ActiveX Network Object" from Microsoft.

You need to click on this bar and select Run ActiveX Control. Then you need to click on the Run button that comes up.

If there is NOT a yellow bar at the top of the window, this setting must have been turned off some time in the past. Until you activate this setting you will not be able to run any copy protected video files from ANY site using Microsoft Windows DRM. To get this option back so you can turn it on please close Windows Media Player and do the following:

In Internet Explorer 7:

Launch Internet Explorer.
In the Tools menu select 'Internet Options'.
In the Internet Options menu select the 'Advanced' tab.
Near the bottom of the window select the 'Reset...' button.
In the window that comes up select the 'Reset' button again.
When it is finished click on the 'Close' button.
In Internet Explorer 6:

That should do it. Now when you go to play the file you will get the yellow bar at the top of the authorization window asking you to install the activex control. This time click on the yellow bar and run the activex control, selecting the 'Install' button when it comes up. You will then be able to play the video (or purchase it first if you have not already done so).

Some versions of Windows, like the Windows FAT32 file system types, don't allow files larger than 4 GB. To download files larger than 4 GB on Windows, you will need to save them to a NTFS-formatted drive.

We would love to distribute all of our content everywhere. However, our ability to distribute content to different locations is dependant upon our distribution rights with various content providers.

We do have international distribution rights to content from some studios. A couple of examples of this would be Razor Digital and DMGI. You can do a search for either studio name to see all of their available titles. Keep checking back as we are working to add more titles each month.

In addition, please remember that all of our free content can be downloaded and played world wide.
 

Videos rented on the BitTorrent service are licensed for 30 days from download, or 24 hours from first viewing, whichever comes first. The 24 hours begins when you hit the play button and Windows Media Player accepts the license. You can view the video unlimited times during this 24 hour period. One computer is allowed to be activated to play the video per rental.

Normally, the license is acquired over the Internet and activated when you view the video. If you will not have access to the Internet when you intend to view the video (while traveling for example) you can  pre-license the video while you are connected and activate it later.

If you need to re-download the video, you can do so by visiting the order history in your account. The link to do this will be available while your license is still active. If this link is not available, the license has expired and you will need to re-rent it.