Can I repair partially downloaded video files? Thank

[seymoria]

I have various partially downloaded video files from torrents ranging from 50% to 99% downloaded. Since there are no more seeders, the downloads have been stalled (for some since more than 6 weeks).

Instead of deleting them, I would like to restore them for playback especially those whose major portions has been downloaded.

Please advise about some software and method to restore them. I want to strain out the bad portion and keep the good portion so that they can be played normally.

The bulk of these files are .avi. The rest are .wmv and .mp4 and very few are .mpeg.

For your info, when I play the files (in VLC player), one of the following happens :

1) There is no playback (i can see flickering toolbar buttons).
2) I get 2 options : Rebuild index, or, Play as is.
3) Playback starts normally without any message but later on occasionally gets stuck momentarily and then resumes.

I would be grateful for your advice and guidance.

Thank you.

[DB83]

I have a tool that works for all your quoted situations.

Get it from:

www.BuyTheDVD.com

[redwudz]

Some fake torrent files are made incomplete on purpose. As long as they don't complete, it's hard to tell they're fake. And if the files don't have PAR files for repair included, you may never recover them completely.

And some files will end up being an entirely different movie or video than what is listed. The object is to waste your time.

For rest of the files, depends on what format they are in. Some you may be able to repair, most you can't.

With VLC playback if you have one that gives you the option of rebuilding the index, let the player do that. You can then usually save the result if there is any.
Generally, if VLC can't play it, it isn't worth wasting time on. Delete it and move on.

[seymoria]

Redwudz, thanks a lot for your reply.

The torrent files I downloaded are not fake and neither of other movies. They are from a prestigious private torrent tracker with invite only memberships and strict rules and host only high quality stuff from member uploaders. It is a very well run and managed site and one of top-rated private trackers on the net. The problem with torrents is that as they get older, the number of seeders drop till there are only one or two. If they decide to delete the file, you end up with an unfinished download.

In these forums I have seen people doing amazing stuff with videos, and this site is probably the best and all encompassing reference on the net for anything to do with videos. Thus the name.

And this sub-forum was very specifically titled also, Restoration. I assumed there would be many gurus here who could give specific advice on options to restore the files I have.

Many of the files are done more than 90%. Thus, it may not be a very difficult task to convert them to working videos.

Yes, I did the re-indexing thing with VLC but it didn't work out very nice, as after it, the files play with lots of shaded areas on screen and the video is often botched up. Though the best one, VLC is just a player after all and may not be meant for heavy duty video manipulation.

Although I do not have any clue about how to restore my video files, I have a feeling that there must be sufficiently more experienced people on this forum who may be able to provide more tips to achieve my goal as well as advise appropriate software specifically made for this purpose.

Thank you.

[Baldrick]

No. You can't restore them. Just follow db83 advice.

[Hoser Rob]

... this sub-forum was very specifically titled also, Restoration. I assumed there would be many gurus here who could give specific advice on options to restore the files I have.

Why would anyone think real gurus would be interested in people with problems with torrents? Gurus generally do it for a living and kind of expect to get paid for it. They're not very warez friendly.

Many of the files are done more than 90%. Thus, it may not be a very difficult task to convert them to working videos....

You don't seem to understand that bittorrent is essentially random. You can't assume that the missing bits are clustered together. The video format (avi or whatever) isn't that relevant, though if it's h.264 with CABAC enabled (it usually is) I'd assume you'd need 100% of the file. But the "bad portions" will be statistically spread pretty evenly throughout the file.

You may be able to just cut out some parts, but otherwise you're asking for information that just isn't there.

[-t40-]

I have a tool that works for all your quoted situations.

Get it from:

www.BuyTheDVD.com

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/buythedvd.com

Strange, it's not too often visited ...