Tutorials

None of the tools can help you obtain illegal content such as movies or music.

Tutorial: Quick 'n dirty pyReScene usage to create SRR file

This quick tutorial aims to let a total newbie use the command line with pyReScene to create SRR files.

  • Have a directory with stuff you want to create SRR files for. In this example D:\my\stuff
  • Download the latest file ending on -win.zip or -w32.zip to have Windows executables: https://bitbucket.org/Gfy/pyrescene/downloads
  • Have WinRAR or UnRAR installed.
  • Extract pyrescene.exe, fpcalc.exe, python34.dll and pyrescenelibrary.dat to D:\my\stuff or to a folder in your path if you want to use it from any folder later again (recommended! just extract all the files to its own folder).
  • Start the command prompt and navigate to your dir. Alternatively, you can hold shift and right click a folder in Windows 7 to show "open command here"
  • Now you should be seeing D:\my\stuff>_
  • Type pyrescene.exe --help. This will show how you can use it.
  • pyrescene.exe -r --best D:\my\stuff will create SRR files and puts them in the current directory.
  • Upload the SRR files to http://www.srrdb.com. Also upload scripts exist.

Check the result

You can check the info of the .srr file before uploading. Try to make sure it's not all .txt files for music the first time you check.

D:\>srr Big_Dog-Greg_Packer-BIGDOG002-2003-sour.srr -l
Creating Application:
        pyReScene Auto 0.6

Stored files:
           14 359  00-big_dog-greg_packer-bigdog002-2003-sour.nfo
               71  00-big_dog-greg_packer-bigdog002-2003-sour.m3u
              132  00-big_dog-greg_packer-bigdog002-2003-sour.sfv
            4 148  a-greg_packer-groove_me-sour.srs
            4 221  b-greg_packer-soul_weekender-sour.srs

SFV comments:
        ; sfv passed thru ASGARD GATES!
        ;

Tutorial: Basic tools

Introduction

The purpose of ReScene is to recreate or repack an extracted movie into its original RAR archived format.

You might do this to re-seed a torrent containing rar-format files (x.rar, x.r00, x.part001.rar etc), from files you've already extracted, or for various other reasons. See The RAR Argument for a detailed discussion. Bear in mind, you can always play movies directly from RAR anyway.

Requirements:

  • ReScene (downloaded here), with srr.exe either in the folder where the movie is, or in your system path.
  • Basic knowledge of the command prompt (unless you use the GUI).

ReScene works with both 'x264' and 'xvid' Scene releases (and theoretically with any file archived using m0 (store) compression.

ReScene: Recreating RARs from video file

Let's assume you have the file Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.mkv, but have foolishly deleted the original rar files.

Now you want to repack it into those archives it came in.

[1] Grab the .srr file by searching the release name in the database on srrDB, and put it in the same directory as the film.

[2] Open command prompt, and navigate to the folder containing the files.

C:\Users\Fanboy>U:

U:\>cd FILMS

U:\FILMS>

Tip: If you navigate to the desired folder in explorer, and hold Ctrl+Shift while right-clicking, you can 'open command window here' directly.

Tip: You can paste text into the command line (useful!) using the right-click menu (but not Ctrl+V).

[3] List all files and details stored in the .srr, using the -l switch.

U:\FILMS>srr Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.srr -l
Creating Application:
      ReScene .NET Beta 6

Stored Files:
      twilight-septic-sample.srs
      twilight-septic.nfo
      twilight-septic.sfv

RAR Files:
      twilight-septic.rar
      twilight-septic.r00
      twilight-septic.r01
     
      twilight-septic.r68
      twilight-septic.r69

Archived Files:
      twilight-septic.mkv

U:\FILMS>


Tip: If you get the "'srr' is not recognized as an internal or external command" error, you haven't put the srr.exe file either in the same folder, or in a folder on your system path.

The original filename for the release (twilight-septic.mkv) is shown. You now have three options.

[4 - Option A] Rename the movie file to match the given release filename (i.e. twilight-septic.mkv).

Note: The -o switch (output) places the generated files in a directory with the name supplied.

Note: The -p switch (path) ensures the generated files are stored in their proper subfolders, such as "/Subs".

U:\FILMS>srr Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.srr -o Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC -p
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic-sample.srs
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic.nfo
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic.sfv
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.rar
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r00
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r01

Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r68
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r69

Release successfully reconstructed.
Please re-check files against the SFV to verify before using.

U:\FILMS>

[4 - Option B] Use the -h switch to manually specify the alternate movie filename.

U:\FILMS>srr Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.srr -o Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC -p -h twilight-septic.mkv:Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.mkv
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic-sample.srs
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic.nfo
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic.sfv
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.rar
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r00
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r01

Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r68
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r69

Release successfully reconstructed.
Please re-check files against the SFV to verify before using.

U:\FILMS>

[4 - Option C] Use the -r switch to attempt to guess the filename.

U:\FILMS>srr Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.srr -o Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC -p -r
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic-sample.srs
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic.nfo
Re-creating stored file: twilight-septic.sfv
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.rar
Could not locate data file: U:\FILMS\twilight-septic.mkv
Attempting to substitute file: U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC.mkv

Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r00
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r01

Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r68
Re-creating RAR file: twilight-septic.r69

Release successfully reconstructed.
Please re-check files against the SFV to verify before using.

U:\FILMS>

Tip: It's probably a good idea to keep the downloaded .srr file with the release in case you need it again.

ReSample: Recreating the Sample

Having recreated the original RARs, it might also be useful to recreate the sample. This can be achieved using either the rar files, or the complete movie file. This is achieved using the ReSample (SRS) tool, with a small .srs file. Effectively, the .srs file stores the location within the main video file from which the sample is taken, allowing it to be recreated by simply snipping it from the complete file.

Generating the sample is very straightforward, and there are two options - using the original movie file, or using the RAR files.

[1] Extract ReSample (srs.exe) from the ReScene Pack, and move it to the current directory, or into your system path.

[2] Change directory to where the files are located. You will want to move the movie file here too.

U:\FILMS>cd Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>

[3 - Option A] ReSample using the original video file. (You might need to move it into the right folder.)

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>srs twilight-septic-sample.srs twilight-septic.mkv
SRS Load Complete…           Elapsed Time: 0.02s
Track Location Complete…     Elapsed Time: 7.22s
Track Extraction Complete…   Elapsed Time: 8.55s
Rebuild Complete…            Elapsed Time: 9.25s

File Details:    Size          CRC
                 ------------- --------
Expected    :       63,711,542 6375CE2F
Actual      :       63,711,542 6375CE2F

Successfully rebuilt sample: twilight-septic-sample.mkv

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>

Tip: The filename of the complete movie is irrelevant in this context.

[3 - Option B] ReSample using the (first) RAR file.

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>srs twilight-septic-sample.srs twilight-septic.rar
SRS Load Complete…           Elapsed Time: 0.03s
Track Location Complete…     Elapsed Time: 1.14s
Track Extraction Complete…   Elapsed Time: 1.45s
Rebuild Complete…            Elapsed Time: 1.95s

File Details:    Size          CRC
                 ------------- --------
Expected    :       63,711,542 6375CE2F
Actual      :       63,711,542 6375CE2F

Successfully rebuilt sample: twilight-septic-sample.mkv

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>

If required, move the new sample file into a 'Sample' subfolder.

Creating new Reconstruction files (SRRs)

Note: This is the old way where you do everything yourself. Try using pyReScene Auto (pyrescene.exe/pyrescene.py). There you just point to the directory and it does everything. Use --help to see which other parameters are available. We like -s and -v.

If possible, find any releases that aren't in the database, and add them yourself. You can quickly check for these releases using the List Search feature!

Creating a .srr file is very simple. You can use the RARs or the SFV file, but either way it's a one-step process!

[Option A] Using the SFV file

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>srr twilight-septic.sfv
Storing file: twilight-septic.sfv
Processing file: twilight-septic.rar
Processing file: twilight-septic.r00
Processing file: twilight-septic.r01

Processing file: twilight-septic.r68
Processing file: twilight-septic.r69

Reconstruction file successfully created: U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC\twilight-septic.srr

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>

[Option B] Using the RAR files (only if SFV is unavailable)

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>srr twilight-septic.rar
Processing file: twilight-septic.rar
Processing file: twilight-septic.r00
Processing file: twilight-septic.r01

Processing file: twilight-septic.r68
Processing file: twilight-septic.r69

Reconstruction file successfully created: U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC\twilight-septic.srr

U:\FILMS\Twilight.720p.BluRay.x264-SEPTiC>

If you're feeling extra productive, why not hunt for some releases with missing NFOs and upload them?

Tip: Use the -d switch to use the parent directory name (often the release name) as basis for generated .srr file name.

Footnotes

The ReScene project originated at ReScene.info. Tutorials created by squiddz.

Tutorial: Reconstructing compressed RAR archives

Reconstruction of compressed RAR archives is only possible with the Python implementation and not the .NET version. You can download the latest pyReScene from Bitbucket. The flow is as follows: we start by extracting RAR executables from the WinRAR installers distributed by Rarlab. The resulting directory we pass as parameter to the reconstruction command.

Preparing the RAR executables

Use the preprardir.py script or executable to extract the RAR executables from the WinRAR installers or tar archives. Make sure to not have mixed packages from different operating systems in the same input directory. Linux executables just won't run on Windows… An 120MB archive of all WinRAR installers we've found can be grabbed from here.

The input directory will need to look like this:

Z:\rar\windows>dir /b
winrar200.exe
winrar201.exe
winrar202.exe
winrar203.exe
winrar204.exe
winrar205.exe
winrar206.exe
...
wrar410.exe
wrar411.exe
wrar41b1.exe
wrar41b2.exe
wrar41b3.exe
wrar41b4.exe
wrar41b5.exe
wrar420.exe
wrar42b1.exe
wrar42b2.exe
wrar42b3.exe

Note that many of these versions won't be needed. E.g. all versions between 3.60 and 4.11 yield the same compressed data for the same compression parameters. The versions we have empirically determined to be needed can be found here. With fewer versions to choose from, the faster it'll fail or reconstruct.

Running the script on the Command Prompt will look like this:

python preprardir.py Z:\rar\windows Z:\rar\_test
Extracting 1996-09-02_rar200.exe... done.
Extracting 1997-03-12_rar201.exe... done.
Extracting 1997-09-16_rar202.exe... done.
Extracting 1998-03-19_rar203.exe... done.
Extracting 1998-05-13_rar204.exe... done.
Extracting 1998-09-21_rar205.exe... done.
Extracting 1998-12-03_rar206.exe... done.
Extracting 1999-03-24_rar250.exe... done.
Extracting 1999-01-15_rar250.exe... done.
Extracting 1999-10-21_rar260.exe... done.
Extracting 2000-05-11_rar270.exe... done.
Extracting 2000-06-20_rar271.exe... done.
Extracting 2001-03-02_rar280.exe... done.
Extracting 2001-09-07_rar290.exe... done.
Extracting 2002-05-14_rar300.exe... done.
Extracting 2002-12-18_rar310.exe... done.
Extracting 2003-01-15_rar311.exe... done.
Extracting 2003-05-15_rar320.exe... done.
Extracting 2004-01-22_rar330.exe... done.
Extracting 2004-09-08_rar340.exe... done.
Extracting 2004-11-02_rar341.exe... done.
Extracting 2004-12-26_rar342.exe... done.
Extracting 2005-08-03_rar350.exe... done.
Extracting 2005-10-07_rar351.exe... done.
Extracting 2006-08-05_rar360.exe... done.
Extracting 2006-09-14_rar361.exe... done.
Extracting 2006-12-03_rar362.exe... done.
Extracting 2007-05-22_rar370.exe... done.
Extracting 2007-09-20_rar371.exe... done.
Extracting 2008-09-16_rar380.exe... done.
Extracting 2009-08-16_rar390.exe... done.
Extracting 2009-12-12_rar391.exe... done.
Extracting 2010-02-10_rar392.exe... done.
Extracting 2010-03-15_rar393.exe... done.
Extracting 2011-03-02_rar400.exe... failed.
Extracting 2011-05-28_rar401.exe... done.
Extracting 2012-01-09_rar410.exe... done.
Extracting 2012-02-17_rar411.exe... done.
Extracting 2012-06-09_rar420.exe... done.

In this case extracting version 4.00 failed because the executable did already exist inside my _test directory. Other failures can happen when a WinRAR installer is corrupt. By default the script will mostly extract non beta versions. Use the -b parameter to extract them all.

The resulting directory will look like follows:

Z:\rar\_test>dir /b
1996-09-02_rar200.exe
1997-03-12_rar201.exe
1997-09-16_rar202.exe
1998-03-19_rar203.exe
1998-05-13_rar204.exe
1998-09-21_rar205.exe
1998-12-03_rar206.exe
...
2011-03-02_rar400.exe
2011-05-28_rar401.exe
2012-01-09_rar410.exe
2012-02-17_rar411.exe
2012-06-09_rar420.exe
RarReg.key

Note the RarReg.key file that appeared inside the directory. This file is your licence key if you have bought WinRAR. The file is placed there to prevent any limitations that could be applicable to the shareware versions.

Reconstruction of compressed RAR volumes

To illustrate the reconstruction, we'll try this out on some old DeViaNce release from 1998. The reconstruction process on these old releases is slower because some CRC checks that can speed up the detection process aren't built-in yet and those old RAR versions are just slower.

D:\OutRage-DVNiSO>dir /b
OutRage-DVNiSO.srr
outrage.bin
outrage.cue
D:\OutRage-DVNiSO>mkdir temp

Reconstruction is similar to regular SRR files, but we have to supply the directory we prepared with the -z parameter. You can supply your own custom empty temporary directory with the -t parameter. If the reconstruction process fails, there can still be files left in the temp folder. It also might be a good idea to pick a separate hard disk to speed up the copying process.

D:\OutRage-DVNiSO>pysrr OutRage-DVNiSO.srr -z z:\rar\_test -t temp
SRR file created with pyReScene Auto 0.4.
Recreating stored file: dvniso.nfo
Recreating stored file: outrage.sfv
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.rar
Trying to rebuild compressed file outrage.bin.
Trying 1999-01-15 2.50.
Trying 1998-12-03 2.06.
Good RAR version detected: 1998-12-03 2.06
['z:\\rar\\_test\\1998-12-03_rar206.exe', u'a', '-m5', '-mdE', u'-s-', u'-ds', u'-vn', u'-o+', u'-ep', 
u'-idcd', u'temp\\pyReScene_compressed.rar', u'D:\\OutRage-DVNiSO\\outrage.bin']
Compressing outrage.bin...

RAR 2.06     Copyright (c) 1993-98 Eugene Roshal     3 December 1998
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help

Evaluation copy. Please register.

Creating archive temp\pyReScene_compressed.rar

Adding    outrage.bin                                         Ok
Done
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r00
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r01
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r02
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r03
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r04
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r05
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r06
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r07
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r08
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r09
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r10
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r11
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r12
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r13
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r14
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r15
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r16
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r17
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r18
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r19
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r20
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r21
Re-creating RAR file: outrage.r22
Trying to rebuild compressed file outrage.cue.
Grabbing large enough data piece size for testing.
Trying 1998-12-03 2.06.
Good RAR version detected: 1998-12-03 2.06
['z:\\rar\\_test\\1998-12-03_rar206.exe', u'a', '-m5', '-mdE', u'-s-', u'-ds', u'-vn', u'-o+', u'-ep', 
u'-idcd', u'temp\\pyReScene_compressed.rar', u'D:\\OutRage-DVNiSO\\outrage.cue']
Compressing outrage.cue...

RAR 2.06     Copyright (c) 1993-98 Eugene Roshal     3 December 1998
Shareware version         Type RAR -? for help

Evaluation copy. Please register.

Creating archive temp\pyReScene_compressed.rar

Adding    outrage.cue                                         Ok
Done

The last step you can do is checking the SFV:

D:\OutRage-DVNiSO>cfv
outrage.sfv: 24 files, 24 OK.  0.733 seconds, 464018.4K/s

Tutorial: Fix music releases

This tool fixes the tags of music files with the information stored in the .srr file.
retag.py --help for all available options.

python retag.py ReleaseName.srr --output X:\somewhere

Make a copy of your files when trying to fix them or make sure to supply an output path with the -o parameter. Otherwise the files will be overwritten.

rescepy is able to do the same.

Tutorial: Clean up your MP3 releases

How to clean up and prepare your MP3 Collection for www.srrdb.com and yourself ;)
Tutorial MP3 cleanup

Tutorial: rerar

Situation: there is no SRR file available.

  • You have an SFV file, the movie file and one or more rars. (but not all)
  • OR
  • You have the extracted movie file with a proper file date (straight from the rars) and an SFV file.

Rerar can help you with rebuilding the RARs using some parameter guessing: http://rescene.wikidot.com/rerar

Tutorial: Fix broken samples

Fix Broken Mkv Samples Created With Mkvmerge

Other

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