Official CHARTER for alt.binaries.vcd.only

The purpose of this newsgroup is to provide a dedicated non-inflammatory forum to exchange Video CD compliant video images (VCD). For the purposes of this and other related newsgroups in this hierarchy, a "Video CD compliant video image" is defined as a single binary file which contains all of the data necessary which, when burned to a CDR or CDRW compact disc, will allow that CDR or CDRW to be played in a standalone VCD player or such other player that will play VCD compatible CDRs and CDRWs. VCD players include, but are not limited to, DVD players, some game consoles and computer DVD/CD-ROM readers. Further definitions are listed below in the Acceptable Postings section.

Subscribers to this group are expected to own or have access to devices capable of writing CD-R or CD-RW media from the images that are provided, however, these images may also be viewed on a computer by playing the video image stream using a software MPEG multimedia player application. Subscribers to this group are expected to subscribe to a premium news service or otherwise have access to a news server with ample binary article completeness and retention.

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Definitions

IMAGE: (also MOVIE): The movie or video itself. Also, an archive of the movie or video, as in an Archive Image. (video.mpg, video.bin, video.rar)

PAR Files: Redundant Parity data files. The software equivalent of hard drive RAID that can be used to reconstruct missing data.

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Acceptable Postings

The following guidelines describe acceptable and unacceptable posts in alt.binaries.vcd.only:

Lack of response SHOULD NOT be considered a valid reason to submit such material. It may or may not be tolerated by the majority of the group, but the general rule of thumb is "If you aren't sure, don't post it without asking one of the regulars." There is no sense in annoying people with extra subject headers, or worse, wasted download time, only to find that the file is not actually a playable VCD.

2. All data contained in the image file SHOULD BE an exact digital representation of a VCD "White Book" compliant image and SHOULD NOT have to be further processed in any way in order to bring the image within compliance. Super Video CD (SVCD) or any type of non-compliant "extended" VCD (XVCD, XSVCD) SHOULD NOT be posted to alt.binaries.vcd.only and SHOULD BE posted to a newsgroup specifically for that purpose. If you don't know the proper place to post an SVCD or XVCD, ask. Someone will gladly help you.

Acceptable video images include:

MPEG-1 format files which may be burned in VCD format to a CD with any Video CD compliant burning software.

Raw Data files (such as BIN and CUE or other such format) so as to allow the reimaging of the original multi-track VCD when burned. If posting a BIN/CUE file the poster SHOULD indicate the source of the BIN/CUE and the application used to create them, i.e., is it imaged from a physical CD or was it created via a BIN/CUE creation software application prior to actually burning the image to a CD. Any video image requiring additional digital processing in order to bring the file to within specifications for playback on either a standalone compatible VCD player or a software VCD player, including, but not limited to, the adjustments of the audio layer, audio bitrate, video bitrate, total bitrate, frame size, frame rate, system clock reference video pack size, audio pack size plus padding, or last pack size are NOT considered VCD compliant images and are therefore not acceptable. The exception to this is if the group in general demonstrates interest in a specific image, and the poster-to-be does not possess the technical skills needed to produce a VCD compliant image. In that case, provided one of the experienced posters agrees to properly encode the image and repost it, it would be acceptable to post such an image, with the subject line clearly stating "NOT VCD COMPLIANT" to avoid inconvenience to as many people as possible.

3. Otherwise, non-VCD compliant binary articles SHOULD NOT be posted to the group. Commonly used VCD or newsgroup tools and utilities programs may be posted individually by request, or in the "newbie package", as discussed below.

Non-VCD compliant posting exceptions

Non-VCD compliant documents that support the compliant image being posted are permissible and encouraged. These include, but are not limited to, information files (NFO) that give details about the image being posted, SVF files or other such CRC data files, parity data files (PAR files) and VCD/CD cover picture images (GIF, JPG, BMP, etc).The other exception to this guideline is one pre-made "newbie package' designed specifically for that purpose, and named accordingly. Such a 'newbie package" should include the most commonly used utilities and tools of the group in general. (ie - a commonly used freeware video encoder, a freeware posting utility, a freeware parity checker/rebuilder, and a freeware CD-R burning program.) The posting schedule of this "newbie package" should be based on the average retention rate of the the group's news servers, to ensure that it is posted often enough to be readily available for newbies, yet not so often as to clutter the group.

4. Non-binary articles MAY be posted to this group. This generally includes discussion related to the content of the group, as well as any semi-related topics. This does NOT include 'spam" advertisements for websites or porn, etc. Spam is the number one killer of good newsgroups, so "No Spam" is a hard and fast rule in this group. See #6 below.

5. A binary posting news client SHOULD NOT be used to post text or binary attachments of any kind in lieu of posting a text message with a standard news client. Use common sense and your own discretion, and try to accept gentle feedback from the group as a whole if this becomes a problem. Non-binary article posting exceptions:

B.) Article postings that do not comply with this Charter may be responded to with a non-inflammatory informational reply regarding group policies and may point the user to this Charter, and/or any relevant FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions documents). In other words, be gentle and avoid flaming. It never works out well in the end.

6. Articles containing an advertisement for a commercial product or service (also known as "spam") or containing pornography or links to pornographic sites SHALL NOT be posted to this group. This includes, but is not limited to, "Make Money Fast" chain letters, "For Sale" announcements and ads for any type of unrelated website, IRC channel, audio or video feed.

7. Articles crossposted into or from other non-related newsgroups are strongly discouraged. Crossposted articles to and from ANY non-binary group are strongly discouraged. Articles crossposted into or from any related newsgroup MUST conform to the charters of all groups to which the articles are posted to. It's not only a matter of keeping this group on track, it's a matter of respecting other groups as well. Please use discretion and sense when crossposting.

8. If an image requires disc layout information (generally referred to as a "cue sheet" or "layout file") or other data, all of these special components MUST BE posted with the image, preferably at the beginning of the post or within the archive. The term "MUST" is used sparingly in this charter, but this is a necessary guideline. If, for example, someone fails to post a CUE with a BIN/CUE post, the entire image is essentially useless.

10. HTML text, whether in the body of a message or in a signature (sig), is strongly discouraged. It wastes bandwidth, annoys many people, and is not viewable by many newsreaders anyway.

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Group Etiquette

1. At least 24 hours prior to any VCD image submission to alt.binaries.vcd.only, an article proposing the image SHOULD BE sent to the group for discussion. This post should place in the subject line the phrase, "INTENT TO POST:" or some other header information intended to convey an intent to post a binary image. This SHOULD BE done in order to determine if there is sufficient positive interest in the file being offered. Sufficient immediate interest alone IS ENOUGH to warrant the posting of an image. Sufficient positive interest is defined as any reasonable number of people who would like to see the file posted to warrant the use of bandwidth and other limited Usenet resources. Based on the responses and the current number of posts in the group, please use common sense as to whether or not a file should be posted.

2. This group deals primarily with VCD compliant movie files of all types, but also other VCD compliant images such as concert video, and other multimedia content. VCD compliant files such as Star Trek or Beverly Hillbillies, while perhaps more appropriate in other groups, are permitted here, though not necessarily encouraged. Again, please use common sense. If you get positive feedback, post to your heart's content. If, however, you begin getting a negative reaction which signifigantly outweighs the positive, please refrain from posting the material. Erotica is the only PROHIBITED video image type, as there are far more appropriate groups, such as alt.binaries.erotica.vcd, which specifically accept and encourage this type of material. Remember, while some may or may not have an issue with pornography, this group is generally going to be readily available to minors. Simply put, this is not the place.

3. In order to conserve bandwidth and utilize all available resources efficiently, if there is zero positive response expressing interest in the proposed post, the binary submission SHOULD NOT be made. Again, there's no sense posting something that no one wants.

4. If there is sufficient interest after the full 24 hours have elapsed the proponent MAY proceed in posting the image following the format requirements outlined in this Charter. Sufficient immediate interest alone IS ENOUGH to warrant the posting of an image.

5. Requests for files, reposts of missing or corrupted parts of an image file, or binary posts of any nature, are permitted within the group. There is no obligation by any user to fill any request, so please use some manners and tact for your own benefit.6. Along with each video image posted, an informational text file (i.e., NFO file) SHOULD BE posted. The text file SHOULD BE standard ASCII text. The file extension SHOULD BE ".NFO" but MAY BE ".txt". This same information SHOULD BE included as in-line text (not as a file attachment) when posting an 'INTENT TO POST' in the discussion group. The informational file SHOULD NOT be included in the RAR set or the PAR set, as this causes file corruption problems to be much harder to locate and/or repair.

6. Suggested information to be included within a NFO file:

Movie title or Internet Movie Database (IMDb) URL
Plot summary (or IMDb URL of title)
IMDb rating
Run time
Format (MPG, BIN/CUE, etc.)
Number of discs
Image file size
Archive file size
Number of archive parts
Number of PARity files or parity data percentages
Posting schedule (parts per day, MB's per day)
Reposting policy
Technical notes
Technical specifications
Any other information or comments the poster may wish to include.

PLEASE INCLUDE AN INDICATION OF VIDEO/AUDIO QUALITY.

No one wants to spend hours downloading a file, only to find it is unwatchable. Also, please indicate if you actually decompressed and burned the image sucessfully. This indication eliminates many problems. Some may choose not to download untested images, and others may, and upon being given an error message, may know that the image has (or has not) been burn tested. This aids in troubleshooting.The use of automated NFO generators that include this information or use of a widely-accepted NFO template (available from the FAQs or from prior postings) is recommended to ensure that the recommended data is included.

7. Parity data files (PAR files) SHOULD BE posted as part of the original archive files. The number of PAR files SHOULD BE based on a percentage of the total data posted so as to allow reliable data file recovery of incomplete files from competent news servers. Generally, at least 10%, but not more than 20%, is sufficient for data recovery. The actual number of PAR files to be posted is solely at the discretion of the poster.

8. File names SHOULD BE in the standard 8+3 naming convention to avoid truncation problems and for better cross-platform compatibility. File names SHOULD NOT be any longer than 31 characters. Filenames SHOULD NOT contain ACSII Control Codes or non-standard alphanumeric characters.

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Posting Format, Volume and Frequency Requirements

1. The VCD compliant image file MUST BE compressed and split into multiple files (parts) using an archival tool that incorporates RAR (preferred), JAR, ACE, ZIP or other such accepted compression format as agreed upon by the majority of the users. To not do so creates very annoying results, most notably a severe drop in file completion. Since the beginning of common binary use within USENET, this has been a generally agreed upon format, though the compression methods have changed with the times.

2. Each compressed part SHOULD BE no smaller than 3 megabytes and no larger than 20 megabytes in size, except for the last part of the archive which may be smaller. The smaller the compressed part, the greater the propagation. In many instances a 5 megabyte file will propagate better than a 15 megabyte file.Each part of the archive MUST contain any recovery and/or reassembly and validation information that the archival tool generates.

3. Prior to posting, the submitter SHOULD reassemble the VCD compliant binary from the separate parts, test the validation information, burn the image (if applicable), and test it for playback compatibility to ensure that no corruption of data has occurred during the disassembly and reassembly process. Accepted validation tools include, but are not limited to, QuickSFV, SFV32w, FastSFV, Checkerz, Validate and TreeCRC, all of which may be found by searching the World Wide Web. For PAR files, acceptable tools include, but are not limited to, SmartPar and FSRAID. Any validation or parity program which outputs the same results as would be obtained by one of the programs mentioned above, and the output is compatible for use with the above-mentioned programs, may be utilized, as well. Any new validation or parity tools that are not compatible with the above listed applications SHOULD BE discussed, and a positive consensus reached in the discussion group before utilizing them in a binary posting. Lack of response will not be considered a valid reason to submit video images validated with any new validation tool. In other words, if no one else knows how to use it, you're going to get a stack of unhappy messages, so save yourself the trouble and stick with the standard for a while, until more people become familiar with the new format, and (if applicable) designers of the various newsreaders (X-News, Agent, etc) have time to write updates to their software. Let's try and avoid anything similar to the recent huge yEnc debate.

4. The submitter MUST put forth a reasonable effort to ensure the files posted are free from any virus, Trojan Horse, or anything that might act as such. The submitter is also responsible for checking their news article submission software and operating system for viruses PRIOR to a binary submission. Potential submissions that fail ANY of these tests MUST NOT be posted. Intentionally posting viruses and/or any (intentional or not) posting of child pornography WILL (not may, -WILL-) result in immediate notification of the poster's ISP or news service.

5. Each 3 to 20 megabyte file (described in #2, above) SHOULD BE encoded for submission using the most widely-accepted method of binary encoding. Experimental and narrowly-supported binary file encoding formats are not acceptable and SHOULD NOT be submitted. Due to the fact that binary files with large part and segment sizes are not widely propagated by many news servers, the size of each encoded part of each file MUST BE of acceptable size in order to facilitate sufficient Usenet news server propagation.

Posting size guidelines are as follows:The file segment size SHOULD NOT exceed 500 kilobytes (approximately 8,126 lines). Segment sizes of between 250 kilobytes (approximately 4,063 lines) and 461 kilobytes (approximately 7,500 lines) are highly recommended. The minimum part size SHOULD NOT be smaller than 100K (approximately 1587 lines).

6. The files SHOULD NOT be encrypted in any form or employ privately distributed passwords of any type.

8. When an image is posted, the subject line of the message SHOULD begin with the word "VCD", the name of the movie, or anything to denote it as a VCD compliant binary posting header. The subject line SHOULD NOT begin with any non-standard numeric or alpha character including, but not limited to, any "attention-getters" such as punctuation marks, exclamation marks, pound signs, etc. While you are permitted to use them, articles beginning with these types of characters are often filtered out, as with traditional attention-getting spam, by both end users and many news services. The subject line SHOULD BE kept as short as possible to allow for the easy reading of the header. Run-on headers, excessively long headers, entire message bodies in the headers, or any information unrelated to the file being posted, such as a request of any kind, SHOULD NOT be posted.

The standard for posting a binary file to Usenet is:
Subject: FILE: A very brief description of the file - file x of n - {filename.ext}

Examples include:
Subject: Moviename - disc 1 of 2 - day 1 of 5 - {filename.ext}
Subject: Moviename - Telecine - disc 1 of 2 - day 1 of 5 - {filename.ext}

Additional Information on alt.binaries.vcd.only

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Proponents of this group actively maintain a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and other helpful files on building, testing, posting, retrieving and re-assembling binary and VCD compliant images. The files, themselves, or pointers to these and other related materials, are posted regularly to the discussion and utility newsgroups. The FAQ for this newsgroup and any other related FAQs may be housed at a Web site, the location of which (if available) may be obtained from any regular participant of the newsgroup. The newsgroup also conforms to the basic rules of Usenet and Usenet behavior as laid out in the Usenet FAQs that are regularly posted to the news.announce.newusers newsgroup. These materials should be reviewed carefully prior to posting a question in the discussion newsgroup and before posting content to alt.binaries.vcd.

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REASON FOR NEWSGROUP

This newsgroup fills a need for non-erotica VCD-specific binary posts of various entertainment or educational material, ranging from movies to television to concerts, and more.

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JUSTIFICATION

As the commonly used and carried group alt.binaries.vcd was formed without a proper charter, and despite the creation of an informal charter which, by many, is still not recognized as valid, it has become a somewhat mixed media group, with SVCD posts often outnumbering VCD posts.There is, due to the many types of media being posted in alt.binaries.vcd, an excessive number of posts within the group. (Currently 700,000+ based on my ISP's 14.5 day retention of binary newsgroups.)This creates the obvious problem of poor retention with many news services, as well as the inconvenience of wading through hundreds of thousands of unwanted posts to find a specific post. Filters may be used (for instance, to filter posts with SVCD in the subject line) but many newsreaders still must download all of the group's headers before filtering them. This results in a long and large download for every user of the group who wishes to peruse older posts, up to the retention offered by their news service, and results in a signifigant waste of already heavily used USENET bandwidth.The overall hostility within the group has caused many former users to simply unsubscribe from the group. Much of this hostility has been caused by a few individuals who have become the self-appointed rulers of the group. Of course, the debate rages on, but this new group will eliminate certain issues of concern for many users and maintain a general attitude of "majority rules", as is and was the intention of USENET from the beginning.