New Forum Rules

[admin]

I've been holding back until I have some free time, but I have decided (actually quite a while ago) that this forum will now have a few new rules, which will specifically affect the P2P forum.

First of all, the P2P forum will be closed. This is because people are apparently confused about the purpose of the P2P forum, which is only for discussing topics related to digital video downloaded from P2P or similar sources. Topics related to P2P only (eg. "which P2P software is the best") is not related to digital video, and should therefore be in the off-topics forum. Make no mistake, Digital Video Forum is for, perhaps to the surprise of some, the discussion of digital video related topics. The off-topics forum is a bonus (for those that have contributed more than 50 posts, to let them let off some steam and get away from digital video for a while).

So what will happen to the topics related to digital video downloaded from P2P or similar sources?

The short answer is that they will be deleted from the forum, simply because technically, these post break already existing rules regarding piracy. So basically, the following type of posts will be deleted :

1. If you mention the name of a pirated movie (eg. "I downloaded Matrix_Reloaded_Screener_1.avi"), then this post will be deleted.
   
2. If you mention that you downloaded a movie (a full movie, not a movie file) from an online/file sharing source without specifying it was legal (eg. "I downloaded a movie from Kazza")

Because a lot of people refer to any sort of video file as a "movie file" (and these files may not contain "full movies"), the following posts are acceptable, and should be posted in their respective forums (eg. DivX - Encoding) :

1. If you only mention a video file (eg. "I downloaded an AVI file from Kazza" or "I downloaded a movie file from Kazza").
   
2. If you don't mention you got the movie from a P2P source (eg. "I have downloaded a movie" or "I have a movie and I want to burn it as a VCD")

I know these differences seem trivial, or pedantic, but just pretend that the MPAA or law enforcement is monitoring everything you post here (and they probably are), and post in a manner which won't get you sued.

I have not yet formally made these changes, but they will be in effect in a week or so, once I have made the necessary changes to the rules page.

Please post your comments/rant/hate-filled-insults in this thread.

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The existing forum rules can be found below:

Forum Rules

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The owners of this forum reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason.

Below is the full list of forum rules:

1. Please ensure posts are meaningful. Don't post a question that has already been posted, by searching before posting to see if your question has already been answered. Don't post vague message titles such as "Help" or "Problem". Post as much detail as possible about your problem, including computer/hardware specs if necessary.
   
   
   
   
2. Please be polite when posting your messages (no flaming). Please also note that there may be newbies here, so please be extra understanding and tolerant (we were all newbies once, right ). It is also common courtesy to reply when your question has been answered, to say whether it worked or not, or just to say thanks.
   
   
   
   
3. Please do not post SPAM/unrelated posts. Do not post SPAM or anything unrelated to this board/forum, including divisive political or religious discussions (more information here). Repeatedly posting promotional material/advertising (see below) will be considered SPAM as well. All spam/unrelated posts will be deleted!!
   
   
   
   
4. Please do not post porn or links to porn. This is considered spam - see rule 3 above.
   
   
   
   
5. Please do not post/attach or link to copyrighted/pirated content (including software/movies/music ...) - the exception to the rule is that if there is a really commercially hard to get software (eg. discontinued/abandoned software), and you think a link is justified in this case (since there is obviously no other good way to get this software, even if you are prepared to pay for it). Copyrighted material includes DVD or movie files that you do not own the copyrights to.
   
   
   
   
6. Please do not refer to pirated contents (including software/movies/music ...) - do not ask for advice about illegal copying of copyrighted content. Posting messages about copyrighted movies you illegally downloaded or copying DVDs you don't own may get you into trouble with your local authorities, and may get this forum into trouble as well. For more information regarding what kind of posts are acceptable, please read this message
   
   
   
   
7. Do not link/attach executable files and large images. Executable files (exe, bat, com, reg) should not be linked to due to possibility of virus/trojans. Large images slow down the page for everyone, especially those on slow connections. The same applies for images in signatures and avatars.
   
   
   
   
8. When attaching images to signatures, keep the width under 250 and the height under 40. See this thread for more details.
   
   
   
   
9. When typing your messages, please do not type in capital letters. READING POSTS WRITTEN ENTIRELY IN CAPITAL LETTERS CAN BE ANNOYING, and seems to mean you are shouting!!
   
   
   
   
10. Please try to post messages in the right forum - posting in the wrong forum will only mean your posts will get deleted/ignored, unless an admin/mod can find your post and move it to the right forum.
    
    
    
    
11. Do not post the same message in multiple forums - otherwise known as cross posting. It will only mean that the people who frequently visits these forums (ie. the very people that can help you) will be annoyed by your multiple posting and will ignore you, or worse, delete your posts if they were admin/mods. If you are unsure about which forum your post belongs in, just post it in one forum that you think matches the topic the best - if it is wrong, it will be moved to the right forum by a moderator.
    
    
    
    
12. Please do not post promotional materials, such as posts advertising your product or website (regardless of whether it's freeware or not), without first seeking permission from the site administrator. Posts that simple copy and paste information from a product website, or simply just a link to the website, falls under this category. Posts that provide useful information about a product (eg. changelog, download links, suggestion/comment requests) are acceptable, but should be kept to just one thread only. Software producers that break this rule will have their software barred from being listed on Digital Digest sites.
    
    
    
    
13. Members with less than 10 posts cannot post new private messages. This is to prevent members signing up, posting a PM to a experienced member with a question without ever considering searching or posting in the forum.
    
    
    
    
14. Do not bump posts (that is, posting pointless replies to posts to keep it at the top of the forum index).
    
    
    
    
15. The board admins/mods reserve the right to edit or even delete your posts. We'll not edit/delete/censor opinions, only things which breaks the rules listed on this page.
    
    
    
    
16. Banned users trying to sign up again will get their account deleted. Each individual is not allowed to have multiple accounts on this forum.
    
    
    
    
17. If you find a post that is against the forum rules listed on this page, you should use the report a post feature to notify the forum's moderator and/or the forum admin, as opposed to posting something about it yourself.
    
    
    
    
18. Please try to keep your posts on topic, that is to make sure new posts are posted in the right forum, and replies are about the same topic as the main topic of the thread. Please don't post just to increase your post count, as a high post count doesn't always equate to expertise. This rule is mainly in relation to people coming in to an existing thread and taking it off in another direction (eg. by asking a totally new question or hijacking the thread for their own purpose). Thread starters can and sometimes need to change the topic (although it may be in their best interest to start a new thread, just so that more people can see it). Some friendly banter is totally acceptable, and in fact, it is helpful in making this forum a friendlier place.
    
    
    
    
19. Discussions regarding decryption/ripping of DVDs or other types of media is prohibited, as is the discussion of tools that can be used for decryption/ripping (eg. DVD Shrink, FixVTS ...)

Thank-you.

Admin - Digital Video Forum.

[Enchanter]

I knew we did not technically require a P2P forum, though it is sad to know that the forum is going away.

[admin]

Forgot to add that this P2P forum will be closed, and the existing posts will still be here for reference.

[gd_nimrod]

Nice one.

If it keeps the mpaa away, then go for it.

I was thinking of making another sticky for the p2p forum to STRESS the rules once again, but oh well