Since I spend alot of time leeching anime on IRC (when i'm not leeching manga), I decided to include a small section on watching the anime you download.

First of all, anime is usually encoded in one of 3 ways (there are others, but these are the majority). The most popular is .avi (also .mpeg or .divx) format, to play these files you can use any of the following: Windows Media Player, ZoomPlayer (optimized for those with TV out), and Divx Player. Another media type is .rm format, to play these files you need RealOne Player. The last is .mov (also .qt), you need QuickTime to play those.

The other things you will need in order to playback the anime are the proper CODECS. You should always get the most recent audio and video codecs available from DivX.com.

If your anime downloads get corrupted, you may be told to make a checksum file. You can find instructions on how to do this HERE.

To find out where to download your favorite anime titles or for information about the latest releases Envirosphere is the best site.

I have never tried this myself, but if you would like to serv your own anime/movies on IRC, you need to know how to rip the files from dvd format to an .avi, .divx etc format on your hard drive.

The best places to find all you need to learn & the software you need to do it with are: Doom9.Org (Check the Guides Section), divx digest, and VCD Help.