Ok guys, this primer is meant to be just that.  I won't go into too much detail about anything, but give you a general idea of what's going on.

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==== About VCDs ====
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VCD (VideoCD) files are a special format of MPEG.

VCDs are 352x240 (NTSC) or 352x288 (PAL).  NTSC is usually preferred.

VCDs can be played on most standalone DVD players.  In Windows, Media Player plays VCDs adequately.

Many traders prefer VCD to DIVX.  Always mention if what you're trading is not in VCD format.

You can use popular CD burning programs to make VCDs.  The most popular for the PC is by far Nero.  Links to popular CD burning software can be found at http://www.cdrsoft.cc/

You can fit up to 80 minutes of video on a 700MB/80min CDR.  The physical size of the video file is irrelevant; it's the time that matters.

The main movie file on a VCD ends with the DAT extension.  It is actually just an MPEG with extra headers.

More info can be found at http://www.vcdhelp.com/


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==== JAV ====
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JAV is short for Japanese Adult Video.

Generally, JAVs are censored with what's called a "mosaic".  It's the law in Japan.

Due to poor translations, there are often many different titles for the same movie.  This is why pictures of the video boxes, called "coverscans", are so popular to uniquely identify movies.  For more info, read the coverscan guide at http://www.vcdjavtrade.com/


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==== Usenet Newsgroups ====
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Usenet Newsgroups are a type of worldwide message board.  To use them, you need access to a news server (a.k.a. NNTP server).  Check with your ISP; they're often provided free of charge in the US & Canada, and to lesser degrees elsewhere.

If you're not good at learning new software by experimenting, newsgroups might not be for you.

There are many programs you can use to browse newsgroups.  One poor choice is Outlook Express.  One popular (and free) choice for Windows is Xnews: http://xnews.3dnews.net/

The newsgroup for Asian VCDs (JAV, uncensored, and CAT3) is: alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.asian

If your ISP does not offer adequate Usenet access, you can buy access to commercial news servers such as Newsguy (http://www.newsguy.com/), Airnews (http://www.airnews.net/), Giganews (http://www.giganews.com/), etc.  Yes, there are more.  For a more comprehensive list, check out:  http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Communications_and_Networking/Internet_and_World_Wide_Web/Usenet_Servers/

For more specific info about alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.asian, read the ABMEA FAQ at http://www.vcdjavtrade.com/


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==== General Trading ====
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Make a list of all your movies.  It's usually best to sort by actress name.  If possible, include the product ID found on the coverscan.

If a movie has problems (errors in video playback, bad audio, etc.), tell the other trader.

To check a VCD file for corruptions, you can run VCDGear (http://www.vcdgear.com/).  Version 2.0 is recommended.  Convert from DAT to MPG.  If it says there is more than 1 error (it almost always reports 1 error when converting DAT to MPG, even if there is none), you might have some problems.  Note that this method will NOT always find all errors. 

To visually check for errors without watching the entire movie, use a program that will update the video as you slide the controls.  Media Player does *not* do this.  One example of a player that will is Xing, however you can probably find others at http://www.vcdhelp.com/  Using the program, slowly slide the control through the whole movie.  This should take about a minute, and while it's definitely not flawless you'll often be able to pick up glitches if any exist.

If you mail trade, use good CDRs.  Consult with your fellow trader for advice.


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==== FTP Trading ====
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FTP is the best way to transfer multiple files on the Internet.

The most popular Windows FTP clients are probably CuteFTP and LeechFTP.  Software: http://www.tucows.com/ftp95.html

If possible, you should learn how to run your own ftp server.  The most popular for Windows are probably Serv-U and WARFTP.  Software: http://www.tucows.com/ftpserver95.html 

If you just send one big file (ie. the 600MB+ DAT movie file), you're likely to get corruptions.  Don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise.  He's either an idiot or full of shit.  Use RAR (http://www.rarsoft.com/) to split the file into smaller chunks, anywhere from 5MB to 20MB.

In your RAR settings, be sure to select "Put recovery record" and "Create solid archive".

In the event one of the RAR files is bad and it won't tell you which one, you can use an SFV file or PAR file to identify the faulty file(s).

Most popular PAR software for Windows: http://www.disc-chord.com/smartpar/


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==== IRC ====
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IRC is a chatting program, and Dalnet is the particular network we use.  Windows users, grab the IRC client known as mIRC: http://www.mirc.com/

Read the mIRC site to learn how to properly download and use the client.  Don't bug people to teach you every little thing.

The most popular VCD channels are #Asian-Mania (for leeching) and #JAVTrade (for trading).

Triggers are frequently offered in IRC channels.  These are methods for people to offer files to leechers (those who download without the need to give  back).  For example, you might see:

<+MannScan|Bot> (File Server Online) Triggers:(/ctcp MannScan|Bot !Longing for JAV & /ctcp MannScan|Bot !HKCAT3 & /ctcp MannScan|Bot !More JAV2 & /ctcp MannScan|Bot !More JAV1) Snagged:(719.90Gb in 97055 files) Min CPS:(1.00Kb/s) Record CPS:(43.95Kb/s by RM-Vidcaps) Online:(1/4) Sends:(4/4) Queues:(60/60) Accessed:(125648 times) Note:(oldest

In this example, you would type "/ctcp MannScan|Bot !Longing for JAV" (without the quotes) to enter his file server.

There are a few different types of file servers, and each is a bit different.  Once in the file server, type "help" for a list of commands.  When you type "dir" for a directory, you'll most likely see a bunch of folders.  Remember, you're just perusing someone else's hard drive so it's not that difficult.  Use common sense.

Usually, triggers in the Asian VCD channels mainly offer "fills" for the posts made in the ABMEA newsgroup.

In #JAVTrade, sometimes you'll see a trigger for the trader's VCD list.  In this case, you'll be sent a text file instead of being put in a file server.
 

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==== Etiquette ====
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On IRC, don't act like an asshole or you'll be banned from the channel. 

While it's ok to ask questions of your peers, try not to pester them with every little thing.  If you don't know how to use something, read up on it before asking others how it works.

Unless you know a person, it's usually not cool to "private message" him out of the blue.  If you want to trade or chat, start it publicly in the channel.


That's about it for now.  Good luck!