Frequently Asked Questions!



Our goal is to provide the absolutely latest and greatest children's TV programs from across the world. If you would like to become an uploader or capper please don't hestitate to contact the staff!

Before you do anything here at ttoktv we suggest you read the rules! There are only a few rules to abide by, but we do enforce them!


Contents



Site information


What is this bittorrent all about anyway? How do I get the files?

Check out Brian's BitTorrent FAQ and Guide.


Where does the donated money go?

All donations go towards server costs.


Where can I get a copy of the source code?

The source is not available at present.


What should I do if a programme my company made is on the site?

TTOKTV only allows programmes that are not available to buy commercially, so please be assured that our users sharing your shows is not an economic threat to you. Rather it allows fans of your programmes to see them when otherwise they would not be unable to. Obviously we will remove them if you really want us to. Please drop an email to admin@ttoktv.com from your company email address, we will email back to ensure you are genuine, and then will gladly remove your show from the tracker.


User information

Can you rename my account?

We do not rename accounts. Please create a new one. (Use this form to delete your present account.)


Why did I receive a message about my username?
As it is a site for children's programming, the username you have chosen may be deemed as offensive. Even though we do not generally allow users to change their username, we do give the opportunity to change them in these circumstances to something more appropriate. Just reply with the username you would like to have it changed to, and we'll be glad to change it for you.


Can you delete my (confirmed) account?

You can do it yourself by using this form.


So, what's MY ratio?

Click on your profile, then on your user name (at the top).

It's important to distinguish between your overall ratio and the individual ratio on each torrent you may be seeding or leeching. The overall ratio takes into account the total uploaded and downloaded from your account since you joined the site. The individual ratio takes into account those values for each torrent.

You may see two symbols instead of a number: "Inf.", which is just an abbreviation for Infinity, and means that you have downloaded 0 bytes while uploading a non-zero amount (ul/dl becomes infinity); "---", which should be read as "non-available", and shows up when you have both downloaded and uploaded 0 bytes (ul/dl = 0/0 which is an indeterminate amount).


Why is my IP displayed on my details page?

Only you and the site moderators can view your IP address and email. Regular users do not see that information.


Help! I cannot login!? (a.k.a. Login of Death)

This problem sometimes occurs with MSIE. Close all Internet Explorer windows and open Internet Options in the control panel. Click the Delete Cookies button. You should now be able to login.


Why am I listed as not connectable? (And why should I care?)

The tracker has determined that you are firewalled or NATed and cannot accept incoming connections.

This means that other peers in the swarm will be unable to connect to you, only you to them. Even worse, if two peers are both in this state they will not be able to connect at all. This has obviously a detrimental effect on the overall speed.

The way to solve the problem involves opening the ports used for incoming connections (the same range you defined in your client) on the firewall and/or configuring your NAT server to use a basic form of NAT for that range instead of NAPT (the actual process differs widely between different router models. Check your router documentation and/or support forum. You will also find lots of information on the subject at PortForward).


What are the different user classes?

  User   The default class of new members.
  Superchap   Can view NFO files.
  VIP   Same privileges as Superchap and is considered a special member of TTOKTV. Immune to automatic demotion. Ratio rules do not apply to this user class.
  Taoist   Same privileges as Superchap/VIP and is considered an elite member who has contributed extensively to the site. Immune to automatic demotion. Ratio rules do not apply to this user class.
  Moderator   Can edit and delete any uploaded torrents. Can also moderate user comments and disable accounts.
  Administrator   Can do anything.


How does this promotion thing work anyway?

  Superchap   Must have been be a member for at least 4 weeks, have uploaded at least 25GB and have a ratio at or above 1.05.
The promotion is automatic when these conditions are met. Note that you will be automatically demoted from this status if your ratio drops below 0.95 at any time.
  VIP   Assigned by mods at their discretion to users they feel contribute something special to the site.
(Anyone begging for VIP status will be automatically disqualified.)
  Taoist   Appointed by Admins.
(Anyone begging for Taoist status will be automatically disqualified.)
  Moderator   You don't ask us, we'll ask you!


How do I add an avatar to my profile?

First, find an image that you like, and that is within the rules. Then you will have to find a place to host it, popular choices are Photobucket, Upload-It! or ImageShack). All that is left to do is copy the URL you were given when uploading it to the avatar field in your profile.

Please do not make a post just to test your avatar. If everything is allright you'll see it in your details page.



Stats


Most common reason for stats not updating

  • The user is cheating. (a.k.a. "Summary Ban")
  • The server is overloaded and unresponsive. Just try to keep the session open until the server responds again. (Flooding the server with consecutive manual updates is not recommended.)
  • You are using a faulty client. If you want to use an experimental or CVS version you do it at your own risk.

Best practices

  • If a torrent you are currently leeching/seeding is not listed on your profile, just wait or force a manual update.
  • Make sure you exit your client properly, so that the tracker receives "event=completed".
  • If the tracker is down, do not stop seeding. As long as the tracker is back up before you exit the client the stats should update properly.

May I use any bittorrent client?

Yes. The tracker now updates the stats correctly for all bittorrent clients. However, we still recommend that you avoid the following clients:

� BitTorrent++,
� Nova Torrent,
� TorrentStorm.

These clients do not report correctly to the tracker when canceling/finishing a torrent session. If you use them then a few MB may not be counted towards the stats near the end, and torrents may still be listed in your profile for some time after you have closed the client.

Also, clients in alpha or beta version should be avoided.


Why is a torrent I'm leeching/seeding listed several times in my profile?

If for some reason (e.g. pc crash, or frozen client) your client exits improperly and you restart it, it will have a new peer_id, so it will show as a new torrent. The old one will never receive a "event=completed" or "event=stopped" and will be listed until some tracker timeout. Just ignore it, it will eventually go away.


Multiple IPs (Can I login from different computers?)

Yes

For those of you who are interested...

Some info about the "Anatomy of a torrent session".


Uploading


Why can't I upload torrents?

Only specially authorized users (uploaders) have permission to upload torrents.


What criteria must I meet before I can join the uploader team?

You must be able to provide releases that:
� are not available to purchase new, anywhere in the world. If they have been deleted / discontinued, or never released, then they are fine to upload. � you'll be able to seed, or make sure are well-seeded, for at least 24 hours.

If you think you can match these criteria do not hesitate to contact one of the administrators.
Remember! Write your application carefully! Be sure to include your UL speed and what kind of stuff you're planning to upload.
Only well written letters with serious intent will be considered.


Can I upload torrents from ttoktv to other trackers?

Yes. While ttoktv is a 'private tracker', we don't put any restrictions on how the files here are used.. You should only upload files to ttoktv if you're happy for them to be shared across the web.

Can I upload shows to ttoktv that I've downloaded from elsewhere?

Yes, you can. In fact the site would be a bit empty if you couldn't!
Things to bear in mind however -
  • It's customary, and polite to thank the original capper / uploader, by name if possible. This is not mandatory, but it makes sense to credit someone for their hard work.
  • It's a VERY BAD THING to take someone else's files, retag them and pass them off as your own. This means that if the original uploader has added their name to the file, you should not delete this and replace it with your name. That's BAD.
    • If it is found that a show has been retagged in this way, the uploader will be given a warning. The show will only be deleted from ttoktv, however, if someone is able to upload the original, correctly tagged version.

    What kind of shows can I upload?

    Uploaders can upload any children's tv that is not available to buy commercially anywhere in the world. If any programmes are due to be released they will be deleted from the tracker 14 days before their release date, without exception.

    If a programme has been released on DVD but has subsequently been deleted / discontinued, then you are welcome to upload these. These must not be available to buy NEW from Amazon, play.com, sendit.com etc. Items that are only available on Amazon Marketplace (i.e. used / secondhand) are fine.


    Downloading


    How do I use the files I've downloaded?

    Check out this guide.


    I don't know what HDTV/PDTV/DSR etc means.

    HDTV -
    HDTV stands for High-Definition Television and as its name suggests, it specifies a higher resolution to the viewable TV image than the existing widely-used "standard" TV formats, such as NTSC and PAL.
    Term HDTV is very often confused with the term DTV which simply stands for digital TV, but doesn't actually define higher resolution than the existing resolutions of PAL and NTSC. This "normal" DTV standard is widely used in Europe with normal PAL resolution of 704x576. European-wide standardization of HDTV specs is still largely under discussion and it is likely that Europe will switch to digital without actually changing the resolution to a higher one.
    The specified HDTV resolutions that are used in United States and most notably in Japan, are called 1080i, 720p and 720i. HDTV's native aspect ratio is 16:9 -- same as with anamoprhic DVD-Video discs, but in HDTV the resolution is "really" in 16:9 and not achieved by strecthing the pixels to be wider, like in anamorphic DVD-Video discs.

    PDTV -
    Often seen as part of the filename of TV shows shared through P2P systems on the Internet. It is a label given to files that were ripped directly from a purely digital source, having less resolution than HDTV. This is accomplished by using a TV tuner card capable of receiving Digital Video Broadcasts.

    DSR -
    Digital Stream Rip (AKA: Digital Satellite Rip) Now refers to ALL 480i digital stream captures (no analog). Can be Fullscreen OR Widscreen, where widescreen will usually be labeled WS.DSR.

    Why did an active torrent suddenly disappear?

    There may be three reasons for this:
    (1) The torrent may have been out-of-sync with the site rules.
    (2) The uploader may have deleted it because it was a bad release. A replacement will probably be uploaded to take its place.
    (3) Torrents are automatically deleted after 28 days.


    How do I resume a broken download or reseed something?

    Open the .torrent file. When your client asks you for a location, choose the location of the existing file(s) and it will resume/reseed the torrent.


    Why do my downloads sometimes stall at 99%?

    The more pieces you have, the harder it becomes to find peers who have pieces you are missing. That is why downloads sometimes slow down or even stall when there are just a few percent remaining. Just be patient and you will, sooner or later, get the remaining pieces.


    What are these "a piece has failed an hash check" messages?

    Bittorrent clients check the data they receive for integrity. When a piece fails this check it is automatically re-downloaded. Occasional hash fails are a common occurrence, and you shouldn't worry.

    Some clients have an (advanced) option/preference to 'kick/ban clients that send you bad data' or similar. It should be turned on, since it makes sure that if a peer repeatedly sends you pieces that fail the hash check it will be ignored in the future.


    The torrent is supposed to be 100MB. How come I downloaded 120MB?

    See the hash fails topic. If your client receives bad data it will have to redownload it, therefore the total downloaded may be larger than the torrent size. Make sure the "kick/ban" option is turned on to minimize the extra downloads.


    What's this "Access Denied" error?

    Error: Access Denied can be caused by a number of things. The most common causes seem to be Google and MSN Desktop. A possible fix is turn off the indexing feature, or to uninstall them. Excluding the download folders from indexing should work.

    WinZIP Quickfind has the same effect as Google/MSN Desktop. It must be disabled.

    Roxio Media Manager and Nero Scout both do the same. They are installed by default when installing Roxio's and Nero's burning software, respectively. They must be disabled, or uninstalled.

    It is possible that an anti-virus' real-time scanner may cause this, but there is no known AV that causes this error. If it does, the same fixes for Google/MSN Desktop apply (exclude the folder(s), uninstall the AV/disable the real-time scanner, or turn off flush files).

    A third possibility is that you are viewing the folder while it's downloading, and Explorer is set to thumbnail mode. If this is the case, Explorer would try to access these files while viewing the folder in Thumbnail mode, and lock out �Torrent from writing. The solution is to not view the folder until the download is finished, don't use Thumbnail mode, or turn off flush files. It's also possible that Explorer is trying to read the media files (MP3, AVI and so on) in the folder to make thumbnails, show you information about them, or preview them. You can unregister the media indexer (Start -> Run -> regsvr32 /u shmedia.dll ), and/or unregister the image indexer (Start -> Run -> regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll ) as an alternative for either case, not view the folder, or turn off flush files.

    A fourth possibility is that you set the files to read-only, which would prevent �Torrent from writing. This only affects downloading; �Torrent can seed files that are set to read-only. However, if the error appears when trying to seed, it may mean that the original files are damaged and are failing the hash check.


    What's this "IOError - [Errno13] Permission denied" error?

    If you just want to fix it reboot your computer, it should solve the problem. Otherwise read on.

    IOError means Input-Output Error, and that is a file system error, not a tracker one. It shows up when your client is for some reason unable to open the partially downloaded torrent files. The most common cause is two instances of the client to be running simultaneously: the last time the client was closed it somehow didn't really close but kept running in the background, and is therefore still locking the files, making it impossible for the new instance to open them.

    A more uncommon occurrence is a corrupted FAT. A crash may result in corruption that makes the partially downloaded files unreadable, and the error ensues. Running scandisk should solve the problem. (Note that this may happen only if you're running Windows 9x - which only support FAT - or NT/2000/XP with FAT formatted hard drives. NTFS is much more robust and should never permit this problem.)


    What's this "TTL" in the browse page?

    The torrent's Time To Live, in hours. It means the torrent will be deleted from the tracker after that many hours have elapsed (yes, even if it is still active). Note that this a maximum value, the torrent may be deleted at any time if it's inactive.


    How can I improve my download speed?


    The download speed mostly depends on the seeder-to-leecher ratio (SLR). Poor download speed is mainly a problem with new and very popular torrents where the SLR is low.

    (Proselytising sidenote: make sure you remember that you did not enjoy the low speed. Seed so that others will not endure the same.)

    There are a couple of things that you can try on your end to improve your speed:


    Do not immediately jump on new torrents

    In particular, do not do it if you have a slow connection. The best speeds will be found around the half-life of a torrent, when the SLR will be at its highest. (The downside is that you will not be able to seed so much. It's up to you to balance the pros and cons of this.)


    Make yourself connectable

    See the Why am I listed as not connectable?  section.


    Limit your upload speed

    The upload speed affects the download speed in essentially two ways:
    • Bittorrent peers tend to favour those other peers that upload to them. This means that if A and B are leeching the same torrent and A is sending data to B at high speed then B will try to reciprocate. So due to this effect high upload speeds lead to high download speeds.
    • Due to the way TCP works, when A is downloading something from B it has to keep telling B that it received the data sent to him. (These are called acknowledgements - ACKs -, a sort of "got it!" messages). If A fails to do this then B will stop sending data and wait. If A is uploading at full speed there may be no bandwidth left for the ACKs and they will be delayed. So due to this effect excessively high upload speeds lead to low download speeds.
    The full effect is a combination of the two. The upload should be kept as high as possible while allowing the ACKs to get through without delay. A good thumb rule is keeping the upload at about 80% of the theoretical upload speed. You will have to fine tune yours to find out what works best for you. (Remember that keeping the upload high has the additional benefit of helping with your ratio.)

    If you are running more than one instance of a client it is the overall upload speed that you must take into account. Some clients (e.g. Azureus) limit global upload speed, others (e.g. Shad0w's) do it on a per torrent basis. Know your client. The same applies if you are using your connection for anything else (e.g. browsing or ftp), always think of the overall upload speed.


    Limit the number of simultaneous connections

    Some operating systems (like Windows 9x) do not deal well with a large number of connections, and may even crash. Also some home routers (particularly when running NAT and/or firewall with stateful inspection services) tend to become slow or crash when having to deal with too many connections. There are no fixed values for this, you may try 60 or 100 and experiment with the value. Note that these numbers are additive, if you have two instances of a client running the numbers add up.


    Limit the number of simultaneous uploads

    Isn't this the same as above? No. Connections limit the number of peers your client is talking to and/or downloading from. Uploads limit the number of peers your client is actually uploading to. The ideal number is typically much lower than the number of connections, and highly dependent on your (physical) connection.


    Just give it some time

    As explained above peers favour other peers that upload to them. When you start leeching a new torrent you have nothing to offer to other peers and they will tend to ignore you. This makes the starts slow, in particular if, by change, the peers you are connected to include few or no seeders. The download speed should increase as soon as you have some pieces to share.


    Why is my browsing so slow while leeching?

    Your download speed is always finite. If you are a peer in a fast torrent it will almost certainly saturate your download bandwidth, and your browsing will suffer. Most BitTorrent clients will allow you to limit your download rate, thereby freeing up some bandwidth headroom to allow you to browse more easily.
    Browsing was used just as an example, the same would apply to gaming, IMing, etc...


    My ISP uses a transparent proxy. What should I do?


    Caveat: This is a large and complex topic. It is not possible to cover all variations here.

    Short reply: change to an ISP that does not force a proxy upon you. If you cannot or do not want to then read on.

    What is a proxy?

    Basically a middleman. When you are browsing a site through a proxy your requests are sent to the proxy and the proxy forwards them to the site instead of you connecting directly to the site. There are several classifications (the terminology is far from standard):

     Transparent   A transparent proxy is one that needs no configuration on the clients. It works by automatically redirecting all port 80 traffic to the proxy. (Sometimes used as synonymous for non-anonymous.)
     Explicit/Voluntary   Clients must configure their browsers to use them.
     Anonymous   The proxy sends no client identification to the server. (HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR header is not sent; the server does not see your IP.)
     Highly Anonymous   The proxy sends no client nor proxy identification to the server. (HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR, HTTP_VIA and HTTP_PROXY_CONNECTION headers are not sent; the server doesn't see your IP and doesn't even know you're using a proxy.)
     Public   (Self explanatory)

    A transparent proxy may or may not be anonymous, and there are several levels of anonymity.


    Why am I listed as not connectable even though I'm not NAT/Firewalled?

    The TTOKTV tracker is quite smart at finding your real IP, but it does need the proxy to send the HTTP header HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR. If your ISP's proxy does not then what happens is that the tracker will interpret the proxy's IP address as the client's IP address. So when you login and the tracker tries to connect to your client to see if you are NAT/firewalled it will actually try to connect to the proxy on the port your client reports to be using for incoming connections. Naturally the proxy will not be listening on that port, the connection will fail and the tracker will think you are NAT/firewalled.


    Can I bypass my ISP's proxy?

    If your ISP only allows HTTP traffic through port 80 or blocks the usual proxy ports then you would need to use something like socks and that is outside the scope of this FAQ.

    The site accepts connections on port 81 besides the usual 80, and using them may be enough to fool some proxies. So the first thing to try should be connecting to www.TTOKTV.com:81. Note that even if this works your bt client will still try to connect to port 80 unless you edit the announce url in the .torrent file.

    Otherwise you may try the following:
    • Choose any public non-anonymous proxy that does not use port 80 (e.g. from this, this or this list).
    • Configure your computer to use that proxy. For Windows XP, do Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, Connections, LAN Settings, Use a Proxy server, Advanced and type in the IP and port of your chosen proxy. Or from Internet Explorer use Tools, Internet Options, ...
    • Visit TTOKTV. Hopefully the tracker will now pickup your real IP (check your profile to make sure).

    Notice that now you will be doing all your browsing through a public proxy, which are typically quite slow. Communications between peers do not use port 80 so their speed will not be affected by this, and should be better than when you were "unconnectable".


    How do I make my bittorrent client use a proxy?

    Just configure Windows XP as above. When you configure a proxy for Internet Explorer you're actually configuring a proxy for all HTTP traffic (thank Microsoft and their "IE as part of the OS policy" ). On the other hand if you use another browser (Opera/Mozilla/Firefox) and configure a proxy there you'll be configuring a proxy just for that browser. We don't know of any BT client that allows a proxy to be specified explicitly.


    Why can't I signup from behind a proxy?
    It is our policy not to allow new accounts to be opened from behind a proxy.


    Does this apply to other torrent sites?

    This section was written for TTOKTV, a closed, port 80-81 tracker. Other trackers may be open or closed, and many listen on e.g. ports 6868 or 6969. The above does not necessarily apply to other trackers.


    Why can't I connect? Is the site blocking me?


    Your failure to connect may be due to several reasons.


    Maybe my address is blacklisted?

    The site blocks addresses listed in the (former) PeerGuardian database, as well as addresses of banned users. This works at Apache/PHP level, it's just a script that blocks logins from those addresses. It should not stop you from reaching the site. In particular it does not block lower level protocols, you should be able to ping/traceroute the server even if your address is blacklisted. If you cannot then the reason for the problem lies elsewhere.

    If somehow your address is indeed blocked in the PG database do not contact us about it, it is not our policy to open ad hoc exceptions. You should clear your IP with the database maintainers instead.


    Your ISP blocks the site's address

    (In first place, it's unlikely your ISP is doing so. DNS name resolution and/or network problems are the usual culprits.)
    There's nothing we can do. You should contact your ISP (or get a new one). Note that you can still visit the site via a proxy, follow the instructions in the relevant section. In this case it doesn't matter if the proxy is anonymous or not, or which port it listens to.

    Notice that you will always be listed as an "unconnectable" client because the tracker will be unable to check that you're capable of accepting incoming connections.


    What if I can't find the answer to my problem here?


    Post in the Forums, by all means. Also, come into our chat room by clicking on "Chat" at the top of the page. You'll find they are usually a friendly and helpful place, provided you follow a few basic guidelines:
    • Make sure your problem is not really in this FAQ. There's no point in posting just to be sent back here.
    • Before posting read the sticky topics (the ones at the top). Many times new information that still hasn't been incorporated in the FAQ can be found there.
    • Help us in helping you. Do not just say "it doesn't work!". Provide details so that we don't have to guess or waste time asking. What client do you use? What's your OS? What's your network setup? What's the exact error message you get, if any? What are the torrents you are having problems with? The more you tell the easiest it will be for us, and the more probable your post will get a reply.
    • And needless to say: be polite. Demanding help rarely works, asking for it usually does the trick.

    Click here to go back to the main Support page.