Altering Reality?

[DonDaMon]

I didn't think that questions about backup DVD's would garner this much heat, I understand about when I violated the rules about asking about those other files, but if you can show me some proof, beyond a reasonable doubt, the kind that would stand in a court of law (which is the kind you seem to be concerned about), that the files I am asking about in this thread are the same files as the other, foolish, thread I posted, then you have every right to accuse me of pushing my rights as a member of this community. But, seeing as I don't think anybody can, I believe this is now in the clear. This seems to be a safe thread, and I think it deserves the attention that any other thread about backup DVD's would get.

[DonDaMon]

2. No help will be provided in regards to downloaded files. We won't walk the extra mile to clarify the legality of your files. We believe that this is unproductive and the members shouldn't put Doom9’s Forum in this position. Yes, we know that there are plenty of perfectly legal downloadable movies available.....and there are also plenty of illegal, copyrighted ones. To keep us from having to decide which is which, we request that you not mention downloaded movies. Never. Also, don't mention any bootleg DVDs that you got from E-Bay or an Asian DVD/VCD Retailer, or anywhere else.

[DonDaMon]

And, since the last post was closed, I want to apologize in this one. So thats that.

[DonDaMon]

The threads in question are here:

Foolish, rule violating post
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90401

Different, rule compliant post
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=90411

[buzzqw]

why do you want this thread closed ? and you striked ?

You do 2 very very similar questions, in less then 5 hours.

Well, isn't fair.

Please be polite and friendly

BHH

and try the search fuction for the answer..

P.S. Next time doesn't post 4 mail use the Edit button

[KaiserS]

Assuming that the second post was talking about other files, which I highly doubt :p, can you not see how the files you are talking about sound almost exactly the same? The only thing you changed was the fact that in the second post apparently now the files became something you encoded yourself rather then downloaded. Other then that the stories are almost completely identical and I put in bold the only parts of the story that are significantly different. Apparently you figured these subtle changes to the story would actually fool someone into thinking they are different avi files, but it didn't quite work out. :p


Heres the deal. I downloaded some .avi files that have two audio tracks, the normal one and the commentary. The commentary is no good and I would just as soon keep it, but I am trying to put a run of these videos on one DVD-R. The whole run of them are a small amount larger than my DVD-R's, like one megabyte. I have tried the whole .rar and .zip approach but that is less than ideal. I have tried removing both audio tracks and adding one back, but the audio/video is asynchronous, and I was wondering if anyone knows away, without redubbing, to simply save only one of the audio tracks. When I redub it gets complicated, very complicated, and I can't imagine why it wouldn't be possible to remove a track without having to redub. I've tried using VirtualDub, but for some reason it gives me the commentary track no matter how I select the two audio ones (shaded, audio symbol selected, etc.). Can anyone help me?



Heres the deal. I backed up some DVD's of a show a while back, putting the episodes on multiple CD-ROMS. At the time I figured I might as well encode the commentary Audio track and the normal one, in case I wanted it later. My kids use my DVD's when they get to them, as frisbees, and seemingly a material to test sandpaper on. They got to them in the living room, but I have my backup CD's (thank you Doom 9).

Now I am trying to consolidate my back-up collections onto DVD's. This is fine, but the episodes constituting the complete show, only three seasons, are slightly too large to fit on a DVD-R. I have listened to the commentary, nothing special. I want to lose them to get the one DVD-R. They are .avi files, with two audio tracks. I have tried the whole .rar and .zip approach but that sucks to access the files again, and it doesn't compress very much a compressed file. I have tried removing both audio tracks and adding one back, but the audio/video is asynchronous, and I was wondering if anyone knows a way, without redubbing, to simply save only one of the audio tracks. When I redub it gets complicated, very complicated, and I can't imagine why it wouldn't be possible to remove a track without having to redub. I've tried using VirtualDub, but for some reason it gives me the commentary track no matter how I select the two audio ones (shaded, audio symbol selected, etc.). Can anyone help me?

[DonDaMon]

Ok, so here is a nice allegory, parable, what have you:

James the Pothead was tired of just lighting his weed on fire and holding it with a fork to smoke. He wanted a bongs, but he knew the tobacconist only sold hookahs, which are different. He decided to visit The Smoking Fun, a local headshop specializing in glass pipes and bongs. Upon arrival on the premises, he noticed that there was another customer perusing the Grateful Dead t-shirts. Unbeknownst to James and Joel (the proprietor), the other shopper was an FBI narcotics agent! We will see how this plays out...

James: Hi, I like the dreads.
Owner: Gracias, amigo...
James: What kind of bongs do you have for smoking marijuana?
(the FBI agent's ears perk up, his hand on his badge...)
Owner: I'm sorry man, we don't sell anything for smoking marijuana, that stuff is illegal bro. We only sell water-pipes for smoking tobacco.
James (dawning realization in his voice): What kind of water-pipes do you have for smoking tobacco?
(the FBI agent relaxes and puts his badge away, realizing it will be a long day)
Owner: Well we have a wide variety of water-pipes, including this six-foot model...

End of Story

So, what was the moral here?

quote: (buzzqw) You do 2 very very similar questions, in less then 5 hours.

Yes, but James asked similar questions less than 30 seconds apart and the FBI agent wasn't able to do anything about it. Just how similar were these questions? Well, to use KaiserS bold technique:

What kind of bongs do you have for smoking marijuana?

(and then, within the same minute, a far cry from 5 hours, James saves the proprietor from a life in jail by asking)

What kind of water-pipes do you have for smoking tobacco?

Has the FBI agent been "fooled" by this seeming reversal of purpose, to use KaiserS terminology? No, but he has been thwarted, which in the eyes of the law is all you need. If a narc amidst marijuana-leaf posters cannot hold a strong case against James, then the MPAA cannot hold a strong case against Doom9 for my request for help with my legal backups. Remember that phrase "reasonable doubt." A reasonable person could easily see that it is possible, even if not probable, that the second request was unrelated to the first one. The proprietor in the allegory did not have to deny service for James unless he insisted on using illegal nomenclature, once James cleaned up his language he was in the clear. Thus it is unreasonable to deny me service for my legal backups, no matter how similar that request is to the illegal request I made which was duefully denied.

If you deny that James would have been serviced, walk into your local headshop and try it. If you are thrown out and not allowed service, try walking in again five hours later, this time asking for tobacco products. Walk out with your pipe in hand, log onto Doom9.net forum and vindicate me.

[KaiserS]

Sorry, but trying to buy or sell illicit drug paraphanelia would be illegal no matter what you call it. This would be like saying that a site who sells HK bootlegs but calls them "import dvds" could not get a in trouble; it just doesn't work that way. So your analogy doesn't hold up in the least bit. The fact that the situations behind both of your stories is exactly the same other then the fact that you changed "downloaded" to "encoded" doesn't change the fact that you are still referring to the downloaded content you just tried to make up a new story. And because of the fact that you were still referring to the same downloaded content means that you were still violating rule 6 no matter how you tried to twist it around.

[ammck55]

Originally posted by DonDaMon
And, since the last post was closed, I want to apologize in this one. So thats that.

Why didn't you just leave it at that? Illicit drug metaphors? This thread is obviously beyond repair and out of control.

Thread closed.