Using SFV

What is it?

We are trying to get updated files out to people, and do away with older encodes. We are using this automated system so that people can own (and serve) sets of correct encodes without having to go to boresome lengths to check every file.

This is very easy to do using the SFV filecheck system. This system will automatically check your collections, tell you which encodes are and aren't "correct", and give them the correct number and title.

Do please note that this process is optional; however, it is the quickest and most efficient method available of ensuring that your collection is up to date with everyone else's. There has been a deluge of new encodes lately and it's easy to have missed some of them.

We recommend that you use a program called hkSFV, as it does everything you need it to automatically. So the first step is to visit Big-O Software's site and download it. When that is downloaded and installed, you're set to start immediately, so head to the front page of the encode guide, where you can download the latest SFV pack.

How do I use it?

Well, it's easier than it might seem. The pack is a zip file, which you can open using WinZip or, my recommended option, WinRAR. Inside is an SFV file for each data set; one for the primary encodes of each season, one for any secondary encodes of any season; one for each category of specials; one for each set of promos; and finally, one for the channel's CD rips.

Pick one from the pack to start with. I suggest Lightspeed Rescue, if you have it, as the current editions are all a similar size (106mb), so already you will have an idea as to how many of your encodes are current.

Before you start, be sure to finish reading this document! hkSFV will change your file organisation. This is for the positive, but be sure to fully understand before you begin.

To start the SFV checking your files, move it to the folder with your LR encodes (or whichever season you are using), and double-click it. It will open hkSFV and start working its tricks.

What exactly will it do?

In short, it will show you what is worth keeping/serving. It finds all the files you have that match those in the SFV file (i.e. what we are regarding as current encodes). Anything that doesn't get marked with a green tick icon, as shown in the above diagram, either contains errors or is an older encode that has been replaced with an upgraded version... or is just plain absent, of course.

Do be aware that any file matches the program finds, will be renamed to the channel standard filenames, as shown on the encode guide pages for each series. If you wish to use this file scheme, PLEASE DO NOT USE IT FOR ANY ENCODES NOT APPROVED BY THE LATEST SFV FILE. Sorry for the capitals, but it is very important that good and bad files are not mixed up. We only want this naming scheme used for good files. File should certainly never be labelled with an incorrect CRC (the 8-digit hexadecimal value in the square brackets in the filename).

What do I do with the results?

Well, it's up to you, really. We strongly encourage all servers to remove ALL episode encodes not green-ticked from the SFV file. This includes files that may have been approved with an earlier SFV pack, but have been replaced since. If people keep serving old encodes, it's harder for new ones to get around.

It is advantageous for those wishing to keep their collections up-to-date to use the channel's BitTorrents. Every new encode is released via BitTorrent, and it is very rare that a file will be downloaded through this system with errors, so you can be sure your file is not damaged from the very start.