GENERAL RULES

  • Disruptive behaviour on the tracker will result in a warning. You will only get one warning! After that you'll be banned for any offense!
  • Trashing of other people's torrents (e.g. SPAM) will result in a warning.
  • Inactive accounts (no logins or no torrent activity) will be closed after six months.
  • New accounts that remain inactive for 8 weeks will be closed.
  • Staff reserve the right to delete any comment at their discretion.
  • Staff reserve the right to ban members at their discretion.
  • The tracker has a Requests section for filling members' requests. Don't misuse this module or you'll get a warning.
  • Invite trading is not allowed. Invites may be given to friends or fellow film enthusiasts.
  • Invite selling is not allowed.
  • Staff monitor invites and may remove a member's invites at their discretion.
  • Bonus trading on non-Karagarga websites is not allowed.
  • The use of a VPN is allowed.
  • The use of a seedbox is allowed.

SHARE RATIO and DOWNLOADING RULES

  • In order to use this tracker you need to use an up-to-date BitTorrent client. Several clients are banned from the tracker. All attempts to manipulate your ratio or to cheat will result in a ban.
  • You will not be banned from the tracker due to poor share ratio.
  • You need to meet these ratio requirements:
    • Download amount: 0-100 Gb. Minimum share ratio: no requirement.
    • Download amount: 100-200 Gb. Minimum share ratio: 0.05.
    • Download amount: 200-400 Gb. Minimum share ratio: 0.1.
    • Download amount: 400-700 Gb. Minimum share ratio: 0.15.
    • Download amount: 700-1000 Gb. Minimum share ratio: 0.2.
    • Download amount: 1000 Gb or more. Minimum share ratio: 0.25.
  • If you drop below these ratio requirements at any time, you will receive a warning for two weeks. You need to use this warning period to improve your ratio. When the warning period has ended, the system checks if you meet the ratio requirements. If you do, the warning is removed.
  • If your ratio stays below the minimum requirements beyond the warning period you will be placed on probation. During probation you cannot download any new .torrent files except Featured Torrents and Temporary Freeleech Torrents. You can only seed the torrents you have previously downloaded or uploaded yourself.
  • You can boost your ratio by getting bonuses. Read more information on your Bonus page. Bonuses are applied to your total upload automatically.
  • Do not download too many torrents at once, if your ratio won't permit it. See our guide on ratio maintenance.
  • Keep the files seeded after downloading them for as long as you can. See our guide on how to reseed a torrent.

FORUM RULES

  • Be sure you read all the stickies and FAQs and have done a search at the forum before asking a question.
  • No posting requests in Forums, there's a request module on the tracker, please use that instead.
  • Don't use all capital letters, it will seem like you're shouting. Don't use colouring for your whole message either.
  • Be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational.
  • Don't point out or attack other member's tracker statistics or share ratios.
  • Use descriptive and specific subject lines. This helps others decide whether your particular words of wisdom relate to a topic they care about.
  • Refrain from quoting excessively. When quoting someone, use only the portion of the quote that is absolutely necessary.
  • Don't waste other people's bandwidth by posting images of a large file size.
  • No spamming. No flaming. No double posting.
  • Invite offers to other sites permitted in this forum thread. Invite requesting / trading / selling not permitted.

AVATAR RULES

  • The allowed formats are .gif, .jpg and .png.
  • Be considerate. Resize your images to a width of 100px and a size of no more than 50 KB.
  • Do not use potentially offensive material involving porn, religious material, animal / human cruelty or ideologically charged images. Mods have full discretion on what is acceptable.

GOLDEN UPLOADING RULES

  • Consult the forum guides (here and here) before you upload a torrent to KG.
  • Staff may delete any file at their discretion. Communicate with staff in a civil manner.
  • If your torrent is deleted, read the logs to find out who deleted it and why. If you disagree with the decision, contact that staff member via private message and explain your point of view.
  • You must provide an appropriate description for your upload in English. See the guide to uploading a torrent.
  • Use meaningful file and folder names inside the torrent folder, as well as for the folder itself if applicable. No filenames such as Untitled1.mp3 or Movie.avi. Do not change scene release filenames (but make sure to use the full name and not the abbreviated one).
  • There are five film quality categories: SD (standard definition) rips, DVD-Rs, HD (high definition) 720p rips, HD 1080p rips and Blu-Rays. No staff approval is needed to upload a film in a film quality in which it is not yet available on the site. Upgrading (the process of uploading a better version of a film in a quality category in which it is already available on site) requires staff approval; see upgrading rules below. No uploading of downgrades in a given quality category. For audio files, there are two quality categories: MP3 and FLAC, and similar considerations apply.
  • No archives (RAR, ZIP, ACE...) or ISO images.
  • No images, sample files, NFOs or other irrelevant files inside the torrent.
  • No hotlinking of images in the torrent description. Instead of directly linking the covers or posters from the websites and blogs, upload them to IPFS. It's the preferred service for hosting images to appear in the torrent descriptions (forum post).
  • Do not upload a torrent unless you intend to seed it to completion.
  • We recommend you write your torrent description in a text editor and save it locally. This way it can easily be restored.
  • If in doubt about your upload, consult a staff member on the tracker through a private message or via our IRC channel.
  • If an exception has been made for you to upload something that doesn't go with all the rules, make sure to indicate in the torrent description the staff member who approved the upload.

GENERAL FILM / TV UPLOADING RULES

  • No mainstream productions from Hollywood or India.
    For a general guideline on films NOT allowed on the tracker, see this forum thread.
  • No uploads of ongoing TV series.
  • No mainstream porn. If in doubt, consult a staff member.
  • No pre-releases. That includes all screeners, workprints and DVDs before their official release date.
  • No lower quality rips (or DVD-Rs) from VHS, TV or laserdisc sources if there's a DVD available.
  • Urchin bay rule: Rare material which does not meet the quality standards specified below is allowed. Examples: Archival viewing-copies, official web-copies and TV recordings that were not encoded by the uploader.
  • Different versions of a film are allowed if they are significantly different. For example, theatrical and director's cuts can co-exist.
  • The link field in the upload form should point to the film's IMDB page. If no IMDB link is available, use the URL of the most relevant website.
  • If you don't know whether or not the movie is allowed, ask a staff member via private message or use this forum topic.
  • Each upload should include at least three screenshots (instructions here). The screenshots need to be in the display resolution of your rip and they should be directly included in your torrent description. No thumbnails, hotlinked images or image links. Allowed formats: png (preferred, compulsory for HD uploads) and jpg.

In the following, "rip" means any video contained in one file. Full DVD-Rs and Blu-Rays have separate sections below. An "encode" is a rip which has not been obtained from the web.

FILM / TV RIP UPLOADING

  • Preferred format is x264 inside a MKV container.
  • Xvid inside an AVI container only allowed where no other encode can be sourced or made. Upload requires prior approval by staff.
  • DivX, MP4, FLV, OGM, WMV, 3GP and QuickTime formats are not allowed.
  • Re-encodes (encodes from other encodes or from WEB releases, also called transcodes) are generally not allowed. Exceptions: SD re-encodes of high quality 1080i or 1080p sources when no blu-ray is available (see the following section), and other very specific cases under prior staff approval (example: a WEB rip has playback problems that can be fixed by frame decimation).
  • TV shows should be uploaded as one torrent per season.
  • Incomplete season torrent uploads only with prior approval from staff.
  • Single episode uploads of television shows allowed where material is part of an anthology, a documentary, or standalone in another way.
  • No images, sample files, NFOs or other text files inside the torrents.
  • No hardcoded subtitles. If the source doesn't have the subtitles burnt into the video, the subtitles need to be in a separate file or soft subs included in the mkv container. Ripping of the subtitles in all the languages included in the source is strongly encouraged. If SRT subtitles were produced through OCR, inclusion of the original image subtitles as well is encouraged, OCR errors being frequent. Adding subtitles to an existing title may be achieved by posting them in the forum and then linking them in the announce.
  • No redundant audio tracks. A standard rip should have no dubbing tracks, only the original language track. An English dub alongside an original, non-English audio track is allowed only if there are no English subtitles available. Non-English dubs are generally not allowed (exceptions may apply). Dubs intended by the original producers are accepted. If you have an English dubbing track for a film in a non-English language with no English subtitles, and make sure that it's synched to a rip already existing on KG, then you may upload the audio track separately (as an Extra).
  • For films: one feature film per torrent, typically in a single video file. Extras are allowed (interviews, deleted scenes, commentary tracks, etc.). They may be included in the same torrent with the main film (in which case the title of the upload should have a [+Extras] appended at the end, or a [+Commentary] if it's only a commentary track), or they may be uploaded separately if they are too heavy or numerous (marked with an [Extras] in the title). Stand-alone shorts included together with the film in the DVD or Blu-Ray they come from should be uploaded separately.
  • Proper rip details are required for every upload, as furnished by MediaInfo. Any upload lacking rip specs may be deleted.
  • Filesize target guideline for DVD/Blu-Ray rips. Oversized and undersized rips are discouraged. Suggested x264 minimum and maximum video bitrate ranges below:
    SD DVD 1500 - 2500 kbps
    SD 576p Bluray 2000 - 3500 kbps
    HD 720p 4000 - 8000 kbps
    HD 1080p 8000 - 17000 kbps

    Bitrate averages outside of those suggested may apply depending on source material. In this case, the upload may be flagged "trumpable" at staff discretion.

  • Minimum encoding settings for x264 rips from DVD or Blu-Ray:
    • Level High@3.1 (for SD rips), High@4.1 (for HD rips)
    • Preset: slower
    • CABAC must be yes, or cabac=1
    • rc=crf or rc=2pass (no rc=abr which is single pass or Const. Quantizer)
    • trellis=2 (recommended, 1 will be tolerated)
    • merange=16
    • me=umh, me=esa or me=tesa (me=dia and me=hex are not acceptable)
    • subme=9 (recommended, 7 will be tolerated)
    • rc_lookahead=60 (recommended, 40 will be tolerated)
    • bframes=10 (or optimal value) (recommended, 3 will be tolerated)

    See the forums for guides to encoding which are compliant with the above.

Standard Definition (SD) FILM / TV RIP QUALITY RULES

  • All rips made by the uploader need to meet the minimum quality standards.
  • Moderators may delete rips that do not meet these minimum quality standards. If you're unsure whether your rip meets these standards, contact a staff member or use this forum topic.
  • If you're unsure how to rip and encode properly, please consult the forums or ask our First Line Support volunteers (or staff members) for help.
  • Proposed uploads that do not meet KG minimum requirements will generally be allowed if no good source exists, of if the DVD/Blu-ray is out of print, no longer available or hard to obtain.
  • Existing DVD encodes and new 576p encodes from Blu-Ray may co-exist. 480p Blu-Ray encodes are considered of equivalent quality to x264 DVD anamorphic encodes, and are discouraged.
  • Re-encodes of high quality 1080i or 1080p sources to 576p are permitted where no blu-ray exists. Consult a staff member if source quality is in doubt.
  • No resizing for x264 DVD rips: they should be anamorphic.

  • Guideline for xvid (legacy: see the general Rip Uploading Rules for the x264 guideline):

    • xvid encodes from disc media are permitted only after consultation with a staff member. Encoders should use the x264 codec.
    • Maximum: for most sources this means that the ideal video bitrate would be around 1200-1800kbps (with 0.20-0.26 bits-per-pixel ratio). Fullscreen (1.33:1 aspect ratio) rips do need more bitrate in order to get decent bits-per-pixel ratio, but should not exceed 2000kbps.
    • Minimum: the file size should be in correlation with the duration of the movie. This means that for most rips the video bitrate should be over 1000kbps and bits-per-pixel ratio at least 0.18. Extras can be ripped at lower bitrate values if needed.
    • Mod16 standard. In xvid rips the width and height of the frame need to be divisible by 16 with no remainder. This is because xvid divides the image into blocks of 16x16 and then encodes them. If the rip doesn't follow this standard, the image quality will suffer considerably.
    • Correct resolution. DVDs come in two sizes: 720x480 pixels for NTSC and 720x576 for PAL. Ripping over these sizes means that your encoder needs to invent the extra pixels itself. This does not increase quality of the rip, but instead lowers it. Therefore maximum width is 720 pixels. Maximum height for NTSC DVD-rips is 480 and for PAL 576 pixels. Absolute minimum width for DVD-rips is 512 pixels.
  • Correct aspect ratio. The aspect ratio (AR) should be the same as the source's. If the source has it wrong, it's up to the uploader to correct it. In general the aspect ratio error should be unnoticeable (below 3%). If you're unsure whether the aspect ratio is right, post a few screenshots on the forums and we'll help. Note: many older films were shot in the Academy format (1.37 AR) but are released in 1.33 AR. An encode of such a film with 1.33 AR is acceptable, but the original AR of 1.37 is much preferred.
  • Cropping. The black bars from each side need to be properly cropped. This will increase the quality of the rip by saving the bitrate needed to encode the black bars.
  • 29.97 fps. NTSC DVDs come at 29.97 frames per second (fps). Those made from film sources need to be properly restored to framerates close to the original (most often 23.976, 24 or 25fps), typically by inverse telecining (IVTC) to 23.976fps or by deblending to 25fps. If you merely deinterlace the source and leave the framerate at 29.970, it will cause ghosting, duplicate frames and jerky motion, and also waste a lot of bitrate for the unneeded frames. Consult the forums for more information on the subject.
  • 25 fps. 24fps restorations from 25fps sources (either PAL DVD or blended NTSC sources deblended to 25fps) are allowed and encouraged. See here for details.
  • Audio codecs: AC3 recommended. E-AC3, MP3, AAC, FLAC allowed.
  • Anamorphic x264/mkv SD may trump xvid/avi SD rips for an upgrade (at staff discretion). See upgrading rules below.
  • Anamorphic XviD not allowed.
  • 10-Bit x264: not allowed.
  • x265: not allowed.
  • BRrips not allowed (these are re-encodes of HD rips).

DVD-R UPLOADING RULES

  • All DVD-R uploads need to be VIDEO_TS folders located in a parent directory folder (Folder/VIDEO_TS).
  • No DVD uploads of non-English language films without English subtitles, if a DVD of equivalent quality with English subtitles was released. Exceptions may apply (e.g. in case the DVD with English subtitles is difficult to find).
  • No DVD uploads of inferior sources if a better DVD was released.
  • Different DVD editions of the same movie may co-exist if they significantly differ in the Extras they contain (upon prior approval by staff).
  • Every DVD upload has to fill out this template for the rip specs (or provide the same information in other format):

    DVD label: ?
    DVD5 / DVD9 ?
    DVD Format: NTSC / PAL ?
    DVD Audio: Codec (AC3, DTS, PCM) ?, Channels (1.0, 2.0 or 5.1) ?
    Program(s): Program(s) used to rip/customize the DVD ?
    Menus: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    Video: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    Audio: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    DVD extras: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    Extras contain: (Making of / Interviews / Trailer(s) etc.) ?
    DVD runtime(s) (main feature and extras): 00:00:00 (hours:minutes:seconds) ?

    Where information is missing, write unknown. Members or staff may be able to supply missing information.

  • Remove copy protection and region limitations (use dedicated software).
  • Untouched DVD is preferred.
    • Re-encoding DVD requires dedicated software (CCE, HC, ProCoder).

    • Transcoding DVD with DVDShrink or DVDFab is not suitable.

  • Custom DVD must be properly authored.
    • Specify software used.
    • Retain menus and extras (even if not subtitled).

High Definition (HD) FILM / TV RIP QUALITY RULES

  • There are two quality categories: 1080 and 720. 1080 is either 1920 pixels in width or 1080 pixels in height; 720 is either 1280 pixels in width or 720 pixels in height.
  • Rips should be progressive (not interlaced). 1080i (interlaced) allowed where no Blu-Ray exists.
  • HDTV rips and HD web downloads are allowed. They are trumped by Blu-Ray rips, see upgrading rules below.
  • Allowed audio codecs: FLAC, AAC, DTS, AC3, E-AC3, MP3.
  • Disallowed audio codec: DTS-HD.
  • Screenshots must be provided in PNG format, JPG not allowed.
  • Not allowed:
    • UHD/4K/2160p
    • x265
    • 10-Bit
    • .TS (raw mpeg). This must be placed in an MKV container for upload. Exceptions may apply (consult staff)
    • upscales
    • scene or personal encodes at HD resolution but at SD bitrate

BLU-RAY UPLOADING RULES

  • All Blu-Ray uploads need to be BDMV folders located in a parent directory folder (Folder/BDMV). The CERTIFICATE folder may also be included.
  • No remuxes (only full Blu-Rays allowed).
  • No Blu-Ray uploads of non-English language films without English subtitles, if a Blu-Ray of equivalent quality with English subtitles was released.
  • Every Blu-Ray upload has to fill out this template for the rip specs (or provide the same information in other format):

    Blu-Ray label: ?
    BD25 / BD50 ?
    Blu-Ray Audio: Codec (AC3, DTS, PCM) ?, Channels (1.0, 2.0 or 5.1) ?
    Program(s): Program(s) used to rip/customize the Blu-Ray ?
    Menus: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    Video: Untouched / Reencoded /Removed ?
    Audio: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    Extras: Untouched / Reencoded / Removed ?
    Extras contain: (Making of / Interviews / Trailer(s) etc.) ?
    Blu-Ray runtime(s) (main feature and extras): 00:00:00 (hours:minutes:seconds) ?

    Where information is missing, write unknown. Members or staff may be able to supply missing information.

FILM / TV UPGRADING & TRUMPING RULES

  • Unapproved upgrades will be deleted.
  • To get an approval to upload an upgrade, send a request to only one staff member and wait for a reply. You need to provide 3 screenshots plus full MediaInfo rip specs.
  • Approvals are at staff discretion. Staff reserve the right to reject upgrade proposals. After an upgrade has been approved and reviewed by staff, it will be freeleech for all users for 48 hours. This works similarly as Featured Torrents (see FAQ).
  • A torrent may be flagged "trumpable". This flag means that there is a realistic possibility of upgrading the content at hand (e.g. the DVD/BluRay encode is sub-par, or this is a web release and a Blu-Ray is available, etc.). It may also be applied to torrents that have a serious issue, for example: wrong aspect ratio (AR), over-cropping, wrong framerate, playback issues.
  • You can ask permission for uploading an upgrade if the old torrent meets one or more of the following criteria:
    • marked as trumpable
    • poor source (VHS, laserdisc, old DVD release, cut etc.)
    • poor rip (inadequate encoding settings, low or too high bitrate / bits-per-pixel ratio and filesize, small or too large resolution, resized x264 rip, improper 29.97fps, no cropping, wrong aspect ratio, etc.)
    • hardcoded subtitles (external subtitles are preferred over hardcoded)
    • re-encoded DVD5 (untouched DVD9 is preferred)
    • personal rips (avisynth encoder based) may trump scene rips. x264 encoding guide is here: forum link
    • encoded with an inferior codec (e.g. DivX, Xvid)
  • Quality increase needs to be clearly visible.
  • When uploading your approved upgrade, write "Upgrade approved by moderator ---" somewhere in the torrent description, replacing --- with the moderator's name.
  • Guideline for upgrade proposals: Rips in each category (SD, 720, 1080) may be ordered according to their quality, as per the following general rules.
    • SD:

      576p Blu-Ray x264 > 576p x264 re-encode of high-quality 1080 WEB-DL > DVD x264 (anamorphic) & Blu-Ray x264 480p > DVD xvid & x264 non-anamorphic > TV rip / Laserdisc > other.

    • HD:

      Blu-ray source > Web-source / HDTV capture

  • When two rips in the same quality category coexist, the lower quality one will be flagged "Upgrade available on site". Note that the lower quality one may contain material not available in the upgrade, like extras or subtitles in other languages.

AUDIO UPLOADING RULES

  • No chart or mainstream music. Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and similar are not allowed.
    For a list of music NOT allowed on the tracker, see this forum thread.
  • Preferred formats are MP3 and FLAC.
  • M4A, APE, ALAC and WV formats are not allowed.
  • No uncompressed music files (AIFF, WAV, etc.).
  • No album / singles collections. Full discography (at least of studio albums) or single album uploads only.
  • No discography torrents from active artists.
  • No mixed file formats in discographies. Stick to one file type.
  • No different quality settings on different tracks of an album. The whole album needs to be encoded with the same settings using the same encoder.
  • No single-file uploads of music albums or singles with multiple tracks. Each track must be a separate file.
  • Each description must include the full tracklist and, if possible, the album cover.
  • Minimum bitrate for music uploads is 192kbps CBR or LAME -v2 VBR (around 170kbps). If the material is rare and the encode is not yours, 128kbps is allowed.
  • Re-encodes from lower bitrate sources are not allowed.
  • Audiobooks can be uploaded at lower bitrates where listenable quality meets filesize.
  • In case of soundtracks the link field in the upload form should point to the film's IMDB page.

LITERATURE UPLOADING RULES

  • No mainstream. Literature torrents should fit the tone of film and audio uploads.
  • No recent Marvel/DC releases.
  • No uploads of ongoing comic book series.
  • Allowed formats: DJVU, EPUB, PDF, CBR, CBZ.
  • All DRM must be removed from content before uploading.
  • Indicate in rip specs what changes (if any) were made.

Rules updated on 19-Nov-2019