We may not agree with the RIAA on much, but today they made a surprising statement that we can actually get on board with: innovation is the best way to stop piracy. Our question for you is: What kind of innovation would get you to stop downloading media illegally?

The statement was hidden away in a much longer article about the impact of their anti-piracy efforts—which TorrentFreak argues is more than a little misleading—but at least they're acknowledging that draconian business models are not going to get them out of this mess. So, for you pirates out there: What kind of innovations would get you to go legal? Or, for the less anonymous among you: what kind of innovations do you think would be the most effective at curbing piracy? Lower prices? Less DRM? A bigger selection on Netflix or Spotify? Let us know in the comments below. And, while you're at it, hit the link to read the RIAA's statement, and TorrentFreak's response.

The Evidence of Anti-Piracy's Impact Continues To Mount | RIAA Music Notes Blog via TorrentFreak

Dear Lifehacker,
I've heard people murmur about "private" BitTorrent trackers and how they're so much better than sites like The Pirate Bay, but I don't really know what a private tracker is. Does it just increase my privacy? I have a Demonoid account, but I never use it. Should I be?

Sincerely,
Secret Sharing

Dear Secret,
You're somewhat on the right track. You do get a bit of increased privacy from a private tracker, but the greater benefits include larger selections of files, faster downloads, higher quality files, and strong communities behind them. They're called "private" because they regulate who is allowed to use the site—it's an exclusive community. They have a lot of benefits, but they also come with a lot of rules, regulations, and difficulties. So before I continue, I want to make clear that private trackers are definitely not for everyone. You need to have a pretty strong dedication to most of these communities, and they often have strict rules about what you can and cannot do once you get invited (which is a whole process in and of itself). Most of you might be better off with something like Usenet to share and download files, because it doesn't require nearly as much work on your part. Here's what it means to be a private BitTorrent tracker, and what you'd get from being a part of one.

What Does It Mean to Be "Private"?

A BitTorrent tracker, for those of you that don't remember, is a server that regulates the communication between those downloading and uploading torrents. The defining factor of private BitTorrent trackers is that they're selective about who gets to use the site. Unlike The Pirate Bay or isoHunt, on which anyone can search and download torrents, private trackers require you be invited by another user and create an account in order to use the service. If you don't know someone with an account, then you need to go through a somewhat intense interview process to get an invite (trading or selling invites online is strictly prohibited in most cases). In addition, they often have many rules about how you can use the site. These can include but are not limited to:

• Rules regarding ratio: You need to have a certain upload to download ratio, meaning you can't just download torrents and delete them—you need to seed them so others can download them too. Some sites will ban you if you have a low ratio, some just restrict what you can do on the site, like upload torrents, make torrent requests, or invite other users.
• Rules regarding invites: Users you invite reflect on you, and if they harm the community, it can harm your stance in the community as well (in some cases, you could be banned).
• Rules regarding uploads: If you upload files to the site, they need to be of a certain quality, format, and/or use a certain organizational structure. Where most BitTorrent sites seem like a hodgepodge of unorganized files, private trackers are usually much more organized and quality-conscious.

These rules will vary from site to site, but that's a general idea of what you can expect. There are a lot of great private trackers out there, most of whom have specific niches—for example, What.CD focuses on music, BroadcastTheNet stocks lots of television and PassThePopcorn has a strong movie library. If you're interested in signing up for one, I recommend searching around for a private tracker that fits your needs, then researching that sites rules, regulations, and invitation practices before joining. If you can't keep up with the rules, there's no point in even trying to get an invite, because these guys tend to be pretty serious.

I should note here that Demonoid is, for all intents and purposes, not a private tracker. They hold open signups far too often and have little to no rules regulating the community. It's so easy to get an invite or sign up that it can barely be considered private, so while it's a fine place to find torrents, don't assume you're getting any anonymity just by downloading from there. Their selection isn't much better than public sites, either, though the community is a bit better than sites like The Pirate Bay in terms of keeping things seeded (even though there's no required ratio).

What Do I Get Out of It?

That sounds like an awful lot of work just to use BitTorrent, doesn't it? Well, you get what you pay for, in this case. Because of these rules, you get a lot of benefits, including (but again, not limited to):

• A fantastic selection of torrents: Most of these sites pride themselves on a wide selection of whatever type of file they focus on. In fact, in many cases, it's hard to find something they don't have.
• High quality files: Most sites have very high quality standards, and if an uploaded torrent doesn't meet them, it's deleted. If you're looking for lossless music, for example, a private tracker is a great place to start looking.
• Crazy-fast downloads: Because the community is so great about seeding, and because lots of them have fast internet connections, you'll get pretty insane speeds on private trackers compared to public ones.
• Some increased privacy: Because the rules are so strict and the sites are so much less traveled than sites like The Pirate Bay, you're a lot less likely to have someone looking over your shoulder at everything you download. However, I wouldn't recommend a private tracker just for anonymity—if you really want to keep your downloading private, I still highly recommend a VPN or proxy service like BTGuard.
• A great community: The people on private trackers are very helpful in answering questions, keeping things seeded, and even uploading torrents that you request.

Should I Use One?

At this point, only you can really answer that question. Check out some tracker reviews over at Torrent Invites, and if you find a few that appeal to you, research their invite process and site rules and see if they're things you can handle (Remember that asking for invites is against the rules, though, so while Torrent Invites is a good site for reviews, don't go asking for invitations there). Do you know enough about BitTorrent to understand how the site is maintained? Are you able to seed your torrents often (that is, do you leave your computer on all day or have an always-on NAS to seed for you)? If the site's rules or interview process don't look like something you can handle, then I don't particularly recommend joining. Again, Usenet will get you pretty far when it comes to most things—but if you're serious about following the rules and want a great selection of quality torrents, private trackers can be pretty awesome.

Love,
Lifehacker

P.S. If you have any experience with private trackers—good or bad—tell us about them in the comments. There are a lot of different trackers out there, with different niches, rules, and benefits. The above is just a general summary.

Also, please don't ask for or share invites in the comments of this post. Not only is this prohibited at most private trackers, but it also spams up our comments and takes away from the conversation.

Have a question or suggestion for Ask Lifehacker? Send it to tips+asklh@lifehacker.com.

Dear Lifehacker,
I know a lot of video players (like PotPlayer) can play any video file out there, but why are there so many video formats in the first place? Is there a real difference between DivX and XviD, or MP4, and MKV? When I rip a DVD, or go hunting for downloads, which format is the best to use?

Sincerely,
Confused About Codecs

Dear Confused,
The world of video formats can be pretty confusing, but there are only a few things you really need to know. First, it's important to note that a video format is more than just its file extension. Extensions like AVI are not, in fact, video codecs—they're containers. A container is the file format which can use multiple different codecs—such as DivX or x264—to compress a certain standard of video—such as MPEG-4 or H.264, respectively—into a hard-drive friendly amount of space. Here's what you need to know about both codecs and containers, and what that means for the videos you rip yourself.

What Is a Codec?

Most of the video you'll come across is compressed, meaning its been altered to take up less space on your computer. For example, a regular Blu-Ray disc usually takes up around 30 or 50GB of space—which is a lot for a normal person to download or store on their hard drive. So, we compress movies to make them more manageable, usually with some loss in video quality.

A codec compresses and decompresses data. It interprets the video file and determines how to play it on your screen. Your computer comes with many codecs pre-installed, though you can install codec packs for wider support, or a program like VLC or PotPlayer (which we prefer to codec packs). Some examples include:

• FFmpeg (which includes formats like MPEG-2, the format in which DVDs are stored, and MPEG-4, which is the video format Apple uses in the iTunes store)
• DivX, which works with a certain type of MPEG-4 file, and was often used to rip DVDs in the pre-HD era
• XviD, an open source version of DivX, popular among movie pirates
• x264, which compresses H.264 videos (Also known as MPEG-4 AVC), and is very popular for high definition videos

There are a lot of different codecs out there, and it can get really confusing with all the different versions of MPEG standards. These days, you really only need to concern yourself with a few—which we'll talk about in a couple minutes.

What Is a Container?

A container is, essentially, a bundle of files. Usually a container consists of a video codec and an audio codec, though it can also contain things like subtitles. Containers allow you to choose one codec for your video and one for your audio, which is nice—that way, you can choose to use the high-quality DTS audio, or compress your audio to something like MP3 for even more space savings. It just gives you a bit more control over how you record your videos or rip your movies. Popular containers include:

• AVI
• Matroska (which uses the extension MKV)
• MP4 (which has been popularized by Apple in the iTunes Store—note that this can also come with the M4V extension, but the container is the exact same)
• MOV (which was created by Apple)

The main difference between different containers is not only the codecs they support but what other features they support—like subtitles or chapters. These days, MKV is an extremely popular container, mainly because it supports nearly any video codec under the sun, as well as a ton of extra features (plus it's open source).

So Which Should You Use?

These days, you'll only really come across a few different codecs and containers as you browse the web for video. DivX and XviD (DivX's open source counterpart) are popular for standard-definition videos, like ripped DVDs, but are mostly outdated, so I wouldn't use them to rip your own DVDs. Handbrake, our favorite DVD ripper and video encoder, supports three video codecs (which you can see under the "Video" tab) and two containers (which you'll find under "Output Settings"). H.264, which Handbrake uses by default, will give you the best quality, though if you don't care about quality, MPEG-4 will probably compress faster. As for containers, both MKV and MP4 support high quality H.264 video, but in general we prefer MKV for almost everything, since it has a few more extra features, supports higher quality audio, and is open source. The one downside of MKV is that it isn't as well supported by certain programs and devices. So, if you're putting these videos on your iPad, Apple TV, or Xbox 360, for example, you'll want to go with the more widely supported MP4. If you're watching them in VLC, PotPlayer, XBMC, or another video player that supports MKV, then MKV is the way to go.

That's a lot of information to throw at you in a few paragraphs, but like we said—despite how big and confusing the world of video is, a lot of those codecs are outdated, and you only really need to concern yourself with a few. If you want a more detailed comparison, check out Wikipedia's Comparison of Video Codecs, Comparison of Container Formats, and its entry on MPEG for more info on all the different variations of the MPEG standards of video compression.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

Photo remixed from Péter Gudella.

You shouldn't have to pay more to tether your phone, get a digital download, or use your devices the way you want, but many companies seem to disagree. They take action to try and get more of your money for products and services you shouldn't really have to pay for. Here are three ways to stop that from happening to you.

Cellular Service Providers Charge Extra for Tethering Your Smartphone

The Problem: Although somewhat understandable in an unlimited plan, when you have a finite amount of data each month you should be able to use it how you please. Nonetheless, cellular service providers insist on charging a premium for tethering your smartphone (via USB or wirelessly) but this restriction is easily circumvented by getting the right app.

The Solution: On pretty much any smartphone, you can grab PDANet (our favorite tethering app for both Android and iPhone). PDANet not only provides tethering options, but also the ability to mask the type of data you're using. Cellular service providers can detect if you're accessing mobile sites or the full versions from your computer as a way of determining whether or not unauthorized tethering is taking place. PDANet can force mobile sites to load on the desktop as a way around this problem, although it's obviously not perfect as you probably don't want to browse the mobile web on your desktop in many cases. PDANet generally works out of the box on most phones, but iPhone users will need to jailbreak. Also, expect to pay at least $16 for full functionality. Although that might seem a bit steep for something you shouldn't have to pay for in the first place, most official tethering plans cost more than that per month. In the long run, it's a pretty good deal.

Movie and Music Studios Create Artificial Wait Times to Encourage You to Buy Their Product in Multiple (or Undesired) Formats

The Problem: Media companies—especially the in the film industry—have a business model that's heavily based around a release schedule. Taking movies as an example, they go to the theater first, then to airplanes/hotels/other on-demand services, then to DVD, then to the internet, and finally to television. This isn't the timeline for every film (and is also oversimplified), but it illustrates the problem: if you want to watch a film in a certain way, you have to wait until the production company decides you can.

There's really no reason to employ a staggered release schedule anymore aside from the fact that it earns more money. It's a little ridiculous to have to wait additional months to buy a digital copy when it's already available on DVD or Blu-ray. Additionally, channels like HBO do the same thing. To watch their shows, you have to subscribe to an already expensive cable package just to have the option of purchasing access to their shows. If you don't want to pay upwards of $100 per month, you get to wait about a year until the show is released on DVD and you can rent or buy it. If you want to purchase the show in a digital format, you generally get to wait longer and—in the case of Game of Thrones, where the Blu-ray is $35 on Amazon and the iTunes Season Pass is $39—pay more. It's also difficult when you use streaming services like Netflix and Spotify and content is removed (like in the case of several indie labels and Starz Play).

The Solution: Although third-party music and video streaming services aren't without their issues, their goal is to provide the entertainment service you want. It's the media companies that are resistant because it takes away control. Supporting services like Netflix, Spotify, Rdio, and others continues to build up evidence that these are the kinds of places consumers want to go. Additionally, you have the option of downloading TV shows and movies using BitTorrent or Usenet, but doing so can bring up some legal issues. However you choose to proceed, your best course of action is to use your purchasing choices to inform media companies of the way you want to acquire and use their product. The business model is unlikely to change until it has to, and sometimes that means a little disobedience is required.

Companies Use Proprietary Technology to Lock You In

The Problem: If you've ever used a Sony Memory Stick or purchased an Apple product you know what it means to deal with proprietary technology. An Apple iPhone sync and power cable can be used with other iDevices, but if you decide to switch to Android you're suddenly stuck with a useless cord that ends up in a drawer or bargain bin Craigslist listing. You don't want to waste your money on useless accessories, so owning proprietary junk encourages you to keep buying products that can use it. This helps companies lock you in, and it's pretty annoying. Additionally, you see this same problem on the software side of things. The best example is Apple's iPhone (and iOS in general), which is severely restricted. It prevents you and prevents developers from realizing the full potential of the device. It doesn't matter that you paid for the hardware—you're supposed to do what Apple wants you to do with it.

The Solution: There is no perfect solution to the proprietary cable problem, but there is a solution nonetheless. Convertible cables, such as this one, allow you to buy a single cable that you can plug in to different types of devices. This way your cable can still work if you switch devices (or just if you want to use it with a different device for awhile). Although this doesn't suddenly give your iPod a standardized connector like mini- or micro-USB, it'll help you avoid getting stuck with one company's device.

When it comes to locked-down software, you're probably already aware of what you can do: jailbreak your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or root your Android. Then you can do pretty much whatever you like.

---

A final note: While companies, large and small, have a tendency to do things that we might see as unfair, they're just one half of the problem. It's important to remember that we, as consumers, can sometimes be excessively demanding and what things that companies cannot financially provide. A lot of tricky methods are used in business to get more money out of consumers because we demand very low prices. Companies will often take a loss on certain items—such as cellphones and smartphones when you agree to a two-year contract or video game systems since you'll be buying a bunch of games later on—to offer those prices to you. It's important to remember that we are, in some part, responsible for the way companies are acting by making the demands we make. Before you decide to fight back on any consumer issue, be sure to understand your responsibility in the matter.

Title photo by Slavoljub Pantelic.