Usenet

Usenet is a globally connected service which has existed before the rise of the internet we know today. It consists of many interconnected servers which synchronize their data between each other.

Think of Usenet as a large forum. It is completely text based, and anyone can connect and post anything they’d like.

If Usenet is completely text based, how are binary files supported? People take a binary file, base64 encode it, break it into chunks (articles) and post each article to the news servers. Others can then download the text in every article in the set, base64 decode it and you have your original binary file back again.

Like torrent files, NZB files provide the necessary metadata required to locate all the articles required to piece together a binary file.

“Retention” is another frequently used term. Basically it determines how long a particular article remains on the server before it is deleted. Higher retention is better.

Usenet Provider

This is your actual connection to the Usenet news servers. The servers are hosted all over the world, and are synchronized between providers.

My setup:

NewsHosting Unlimited package monthly $14.95
Host: news.newshosting.com
Port: 563
Retention: 2075 days (might be more now)
SSL: yes

Download Client

This is the program which handles downloading articles from Usenet. Think of this like your torrent client.

My setup:

SABnzbd+ http://sabnzbd.org/

Set these properties:

• Folders
  • Temporary download folder
  • Completed download folder
  • Watched folder
• Servers
  • Add server info above
• Categories
  • Add movies (defaults)
  • Add tv (defaults)

Indexers

These websites index content on Usenet, and provide NZB files for download. Think of this like your torrent search engine and NZB’s as your .torrent files.

Indexers provide a web interface to search for files, but they also provide an API for your TV / movie manager applications to use.
Indexers are the backbone of this setup. Without a good set of indexers you will have trouble finding and downloading what you’re looking for.

Indexers are not public. They all require registration and some require payment to cover their server costs. Sharing accounts is prohibited, as is multiple accounts from the same IP address.
Indexer registration is almost always closed. On rare occasions, the indexer websites will open registration for a short time to allow for new users. If you can get into a paid indexer, it is usually a one-time ~$10 “donation” to sign up.

The “paid” indexers are generally better, as they have faster indexing and search systems. Usually new releases are indexed within a minute or two of the actual articles being posted to Usenet.

Free indexers do exist, however they tend to have limitations. They are slower to index, so new releases are usually indexed within 30 minutes to 5 hours after the articles are posted to Usenet. They also impose restrictions on the number of API calls you can make in one 24-hour period.

My setup:

I started out using free indexers and have had some pretty good success. Nowadays I use a combination of free indexers and paid ones.

• Nzbs.org (paid)
• Nzb.su (paid)
• Dognzb.cr (paid)
• Nzbid.org (free)
• Nzbzombie.com (free)
• Nzb.ag (free)
• Wombles Index (free)

TV Series Manager

This is the program which handles searching for and grabbing TV series releases from the indexers.

My setup:

NzbDrone http://nzbdrone.com/
I used to use Sickbeard but it never seemed to work all that well. NzbDrone is vastly superior and I’ve never had any issues.

Set these properties:

• Indexers
  • Add indexer API URL and API key
  • Set retention to the retention of your Usenet provider
• Download Client
  • Add SABnzbd and it’s host and API key
  • Set category to tv
  • Set drone factory folder to completed downloads w/ tv category folder on the end

Movie Manager

This is the program which handles searching for and grabbing movie releases from the indexers.

My setup:

CouchPotato https://couchpota.to/

Set these properties:

• Searcher
  • Set Usenet retention to the retention of your Usenet provider
  • Add indexer URL and API key
• Downloaders
  • Add SABnzbd and it’s host and API key
  • Set category to movies
• Renamer
  • Set from folder to completed downloads
  • Set to folder to the folder where your movie library is stored

Mediacenter Application

This is the program in which you navigate your media library and watch your movies and TV episodes.

My setup:

XBMC http://xbmc.org/
Configure XBMC library to point to your media library on disk