FAQ

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This FAQ is designed to cover the most common issues. For more details, check the Troubleshooting page.

Contents

General

What is KAA?

KickAssAnime [KAA] is a DVD backup group. If you are interested in more information about the group or what the encodes look like, please check the information page.

What's so wrong with Dual Audio?

It wastes space, and KickAssAnime's philosophy is that anime dubs are just plain wrong.

Is KickAssAnime the same as Anime-Junkies?

No, it is not. They are totally unrelated groups. KAA has much higher quality encodes. Anime-Junkies just redirected their site to KAA's at some point, causing tremendous amounts of confusion.

How can I contact KAA?

You have two options:

What should I know about the IRC channel?

Just read the rules at http://kaa.animeconnex.net/torrentpage/selur.html and you'll be fine.

What should I know about the forums?

READ THE STICKY TOPICS IN ALL FORUMS.

Who are the members of KAA?

Go to our IRC channel and find out. ;) Just don't ask. It's rude.

Can I help KAA?

Unless you are an experienced encoder, typesetter or karaoke'er, speak Japanese very well, or have a large bandwidth to distribute our releases, probably not.

If you think you qualify, contact us at IRC.

When will the next episodes of *** come out?

When they are done. Maybe soon. Maybe not soon. Maybe they won't. Maybe they just came out. It's a mystery, really. :)

It might be worth checking if the DVDs are even out in Region 1 yet: http://www.animeondvd.com/releases/

How do I request anime?

You don't.

I'm looking for some anime that KAA didn't do. Where can I find it?

Check AniDB (http://anidb.net)

What's with "R1", "R2", etc?

First, keep in mind you DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THEM to watch our releases!

They are the different DVD Regions.

General Playback

What is the Combined Community Codec Pack?

The Combined Community Codec Pack is a pack that contains everything you need to play practically any anime release from most groups. This is the successor to the KickAssAnime Playback Pack.

What player should I use to play KAA releases?

Under Windows, we recommend you to use Zoom Player or Media Player Classic (note that this is NOT the Windows Media Player) to play our releases, both of which are included in the CCCP. We don't recommend you to use Windows Media Player, VideoLAN Client/VLC media player, and ESPECIALLY NOT the DivX Player (as it simply won't work at all). Under Linux and Macintosh, we recommend using MPlayer. However, keep in mind that while it is the best alternative to CCCP for those operating systems at the moment, it is still not guaranteed to be compatible with all releases; more details can be found below.

I can't play some video file!

It's probably corrupt. If you used eMule or BitTorrent to get it, make sure it completed 100%. Just because the file is already at the right size doesn't mean that it's complete! If you used IRC, you'll probably have to re-download, or resume it with the torrent. Another way to make sure the file is complete is to check its CRC and verify that it matches the hexadecimal number inside brackets in the filename. To do this, use the "CRC Check" function in CCCP Insurgent.

I don't know how to open .mkv files!

See the section about Matroska below.

How do I convert my anime to watch on a DVD Player?

The easiest way to watch anime on TV is get yourself a video card that has TV-out. Most recent ones do. Then just hook it directly there.

To play our releases on a standalone DVD player, you will either have to convert them to Super Video CD (SVCD), which will result in tremendous quality loss and possibly unreadable subtitles, or you can transcode them to DVD, which will result in lesser degradation. Generally, KAA does not support transcoding, so please refrain from asking and refer to Guides instead.

I try to open the video, but Windows/my media player says it doesn't know how to open Torrent files!!

Well, duh. :)

You are not supposed to try to play THOSE. They are only torrents; you need to use them to download the actual anime.

Check the BitTorrent section below.

How do I play KAA anime on Linux?

You can use MPlayer to play almost any file format. For files encoded with WMV9, make sure you install the MPlayer essential codecs package. Also, you may have trouble with AAC on it. Lastly, Linux will have issues with ASS subtitles, but there is a workaround in progress that you may read about here (http://www.kickassanime.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2547); if there is a simpler subtitle stream (like SRT) it should be used instead.

ASS styling will work well on newer versions of mplayer, but only when configured correctly during compilation, run with the -ass option and with ~/.mplayer/subfont.ttf installed correctly. If it doesn't, and you are sure it's the compilation that's causing it, feel free to complain to whoever compiled it.

Video Issues

What video codecs do I need to play KAA releases?

WMV9, XviD, or H.264, depending on the encode. Check the release list, or simply use the CCCP.

Why does the video look blocky?

If it's an XviD encode, DON'T use DivX to decode. Even after installing XviD, DivX will try to take over it. To fix it, go to DivX Decoder properties (in programs from start menu), then go to the second tab and disable "Support Generic MPEG-4", or better yet uninstall DivX. You may also enable postprocessing such as deblocking, but this will require a bit more processor usage.

The video starts, I can see a few frames, but then it stops.

Chances are, you have ffdshow installed. Don't let it decode WMV9.

Help! I can't find the WMV9 codec for Macintosh!

AS FAR AS WE KNOW, it's impossible to play our WMV9 releases on a Macintosh. If you've found a solution please mention it on our forums.

Help! I use an ATI video card and all of a sudden all the colors look totally screwed!

Fear not. This is related to ATI trying (and failing) to decode WMV9. Go to the driver's control panel and disable WMV acceleration, then reboot your computer. It should solve it.

Audio Issues

What audio codecs do I need to play KAA releases?

You will need MP3, AAC and AC3. All of them are included in the CCCP.

The sound is too low!

AC3 sound is naturally low. Open the FFDShow Audio Decoder Config from the CCCP menu in your Start Menu Programs, check the "Volume" box, and while it's highlighted raise the "Master volume" bar to maximum. Unfortunately, this will cause all of your audio decoded by ffdshow to be louder than usual. For a more specific solution, you can use AC3 Filter (http://www.free-codecs.com/download/AC3_Filter.htm) to decode AC3 and raise its Master volume instead.

My sound is getting out of synchrony!

Your processor is probably too slow. You will usually need AT LEAST 600MHz to play our releases, though 1.0GHz or more is highly recommended. For H.264, you will likely need AT LEAST 1.4GHz. Keep in mind that these clock speeds are based on the Pentium desktop line of processors, so if you have a different processor then try to find what the equivalent is of the respective clock speeds.

In addition, try opening Task Manager (ctrl-alt-del) and closing every non-essential process. Also, try different players. Finally, try disabling post-processing you may have enabled in decoder properties. This will reduce processor usage, and hopefully help with audio sync.

Please post on forums if you believe that your issue is not processor related.

As a added note, if you have trouble playing a H.264 encoded release consider purchasing a copy of CoreAVC. Their decoder is a great deal more efficient than the one that is included in the CCCP, so you should be able to play H.264 content on lower end machines (we're still talking at least 1.0 GHz here). You can find more information at their website - http://coreavc.corecodec.org/.

Subtitle Issues

I don't see any subtitles!

Some of our encodes use softsubs, which must be rendered by your computer in real-time, as opposed to hardsubs, which are actually part of the video data.

To see softsubs, you will need either a player that can render them, or VSFilter (for Windows). Even if your player can do it, we still recommend you to use VSFilter, because it often produces better looking subtitles, and can do some special effects with them.

MPlayer doesn't play softsubs by default, so you need to specify the sid (subtitle ID) by yourself. Usually, adding the -sid 0 arguement works. Also, you can cycle through available subtitle streams by using the keys j/b.

I'm using BSPlayer and I don't see any subtitles!

First, note that this is NOT one of the recommended players. To see some reasons why, read this (http://forum.zhentarim.net/viewtopic.php?t=290). However, if you insist on using it then there are workarounds that SHOULD work, but we can't guarantee anything.

If you want BSPlayer to render subtitles itself, go to Options->Video, set to Overlay Mode 1, then go to Subtitles and enable them. This works on most cases, but it can't render ASS subtitles, which have several cool special effects, and they don't look as good.

To use VSFilter instead (recommended), make sure it's set to use Overlay Mode 2 (Mixer) or VMR9 in Options->Video, and that Subtitles are DISABLED in Options->Subtitles. Also, BSPlayer doesn't seem to be able to load VSFilter for subtitles in DivX 5.2.x videos. Either downgrade DivX to 5.11 or use a different player.

You may get additional information here.

The subtitles are too hard to read on TV! How do I make them bigger?

Unless they are softsubs, you can't. Sorry. If they are softsubs, make sure you are using the SRT track (unformatted, as opposed to ASS/SSA), then go to VSFilter properties (double click green arrow on systray during video playback) and change font style there.

Matroska

What is this .mkv file?

Just like AVI and OGM, MKV is a container. It contains all data necessary for video playback: the video tracks, audio tracks, subtitle tracks, and more.

For more information on why Matroska is used, check its article.

What player can I use to play Matroska files?

After you have CCCP installed, any DirectShow-aware player should be able to, but one of the two included with CCCP is recommended.

How do I install Matroska on my computer?

Haali Media Splitter is included in the CCCP. If it is out-of-date and you need the newest one, download it from Haali's site (http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/) and replace it.

I can already play Matroska files, but I can't seek on them! If I click the seeking bar, the file goes back to the start!

If you're using Media Player Classic (Note that this isn't Windows Media Player), disable the internal Matroska Splitter in options. If that doesn't solve it, uninstall your splitter and install the newest Matroska splitter.

I've tried everything and it doesn't work! PLEASE HELP ME!

Don't panic. Try reading the help forums (http://www.kickassanime.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=3), someone may have the exact same problem as you and have solved it already. If that fails, come to our IRC channel (irc://irc.rizon.net/kickassanime) or Forum (just make sure you post on the HELP forum) and we'll try to help you.

WHY are you using Matroska if AVI worked just fine!?

This is covered in the Matroska article.

General Downloading

How can I get your releases?

There are basically three ways: BitTorrent, eDonkey, and IRC. Links for the first two methods can be found in the Releases section of our Forums.

How do I open my incoming ports?

Check the article about port forwarding.

What's this ed2k:// link!?

It's an eDonkey link. Check eDonkey section below for more information.

BitTorrent

How do I get your releases through BitTorrent?

This is the recommended way. Nearly all our releases are available on BitTorrent, and it's "click and forget", meaning you just tell it to get the batch and wait for it to be done. It's also fast (if you get a green light). You will first need a BitTorrent client. We recommend you to either get ABC, Azureus, BitTornado, or µTorrent. Once you have installed the client you will need to download the .torrent file from the KAA torrent page (http://kaa.animeconnection.net/torrentpage/). Open the .torrent file (the client should be automatically associated with the extension but if not, browse to where you installed it in the dialog box that appears) and then specify the directory to download to when prompted. The client will do the rest; downloading the files as they become available and, once it has downloaded all necessary pieces, it will notify you that your download is complete. Once the download is 100% complete the files are ready to watch using either MPC or Zoom Player.

I already have N episodes from this anime, but now there is only a full batch. Can I download last few without redownloading whole thing?

Yes. You have two choices:

  • Using Azureus, ABC, or BitTornado, mark the files that you already have as "Download never" (BitTornado & ABC) or "Do not download" (Azureus). You may want to have file pre-allocation disabled as well to avoid creating ghost files for them, even though this causes greater fragmentation. Using µTorrent, you just need to uncheck the files you already have in the initial dialog. Disabling file pre-allocation is not required for µTorrent.
  • Save the full torrent on the same folder as the eps you already have. Your client should automatically resume the torrent with the data you have. This will only work if you didn't rename or delete them. This option is recommended since it allows you to share all of the other episodes as well, which in turn should speed up your download and helps the distribution.


Why do I get yellow light?

Your computer doesn't have BitTorrent's ports open. See the port forwarding question above. BitTorrent's default port range is 6881-6999. Some clients (like Azureus) only use one port, that can be set up on configurations. You can also have it use UPnP instead. Check the BitTorrent page for more information.

I get a message saying my client is banned, why?

BitComet, BitLord, BitSpirit, and other variants are banned from the KAA tracker, due to cheating. Please get another client. Check the BitTorrent page for a list of recommended clients. For those wondering, you may see BitComet connections on occasion. The banning cannot affect peer to peer connections. It appears that if there is a spoofed client on the torrent, BitComet, with the new peer sharing thing will allow BitComet to connect to peers.

My BitTorrent downloads are slow! How do I speed them up!? 

   * Set your BitTorrent upload speed to about 80% of your maximum internet upload speed. MORE will slow down your whole connection, LESS will give you less priority on other's people's upload.
   * Make sure you have a green light. If you get a yellow light instead that means your computer can't receive incoming connections, and thus torrents are greatly slowed down. See above for the solution.
   * Don't use your internet too heavily for anything else.


This whole BitTorrent thing is confusing me! What are these seeds, peers, distributed copies, tracker and all?

Check the BitTorrent article for details.

I only need to finish getting x episodes from this torrent, but I still can't play first episode!!

That's because BitTorrent downloads ALL files at once, "random" bits of each.

The files are NOT downloaded in order. So this usually means that all files are incomplete until the very end of the torrent. So wait for it to be 100% done before trying playing.

If you use BitTornado, Azureus, or µTorrent, you can prioritize certain files so they finish quicker. Those clients should let you see how complete each individual file is. You should be able to play any file that reached 100% or says "done" in the details view.

I'm trying to get a torrent, but all I get is a page full of gibberish! Help!

First, make sure you have a BitTorrent client installed. If you do, right click the torrent link and click "Save As". Then save the *.torrent file somewhere onto your HD and open it.

If your computer doesn't know how to open the *.torrent file (unlikely if you have a client installed, but possible), try opening your client and forcing it to open the file.

BitTornado gives me a cryptic error message. What does it mean?

Check this page: http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/romeria/errors.htm

What is Super Seeding?

Check the BitTorrent page for more information.

eMule and IRC

What is eMule?

eMule is the best eDonkey client.

How do I get releases through eMule?

After you have eMule installed, go to Preferences and click 'ed2k links' to make sure that it's catching links. Then just click on a ed2k link.

For more indepth instruction use The Little eMule Tutorial (http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/little_emule_tutorial.cfm)

I get a LowID! How can I get rid of it?

This usually means your ports are closed. Check the article about port forwarding.

How do I get releases through IRC?

Type !kittens to get an XDCC botlist. Also, several people who visit the channel do serve our releases, and you can download some files from them.

Go to our channel, READ THE RULES, then you can use !list to list all file servers or @find to look for a specific anime.

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