Is Usenet for me?

[primetime34]

I have been hearing so much about usenet that I'm interested in knowing if it is for me. So I would really appreciate some insight from those who use usenet regularly if it is for me. Here are my current habits:

I only download about 3 current tv shows (although if I could find my wife's Dr Phil online I would download that as well)
I get maybe 10 movies a month (generally in 720p)
I like to get some older shows as well

I can get most of these things from torrent but I'm wondering about the ease of use that usenet would provide me since I'm currently using a XBMC setup and sickbeard + couch potato seem to get huge reviews. Thoughts from experienced users?

Also, what providers would you recommend for a beginner (basically I'm looking for low cost, maybe even a free trial). Thanks.

[mjmacky]

Try a block account, not subscription based. You should be able to get a taste of how it works for you without commitment and for not too much investment. You might be the type that solely would use a block account. Usenet gets easy once you've done it. It seems daunting at first, but one can quickly adapt once they figure out what's going on.

[sandman_1]

Usenet can be dirt cheap. I can pretty much get 99% of anything I want: TV Shows, Movies, Games. Dr. Phil might be sort of tricky getting a hold of. I use this site sometimes for TV shows http://www.nzbtvseeker.com/. Unfortunately I didn't see Dr. Phil listed.

Usenet can be bought in blocks, GB's or TB's, or you can get an unlimited account. Free trials are offered by a lot of providers, for instance here http://www.newsgroupreviews.com/free-newsgroups.html

I personally have Astraweb and pay $11/month for unlimited.

[hdjunky]

Get yourself a block account from blocknews or better yet if you are after motly tv shows sign up with frugal usenet. 100 days retention is more than enough for tv plus its only about 5 bucks a month. For the other stuf you could keep a block account on hand as needed. I have this setup and my cost works out to about 5.50 a month.

[primetime34]

Any of you use sick beard and/or couchpotato on xbmc? It sounds like I need to just purchase a block account and give it a shot.

Also, I have a family member who would like to get into usenet as well. Is it possible to share an account from two different ip addresses?

[sandman_1]

primetime34
Also, I have a family member who would like to get into usenet as well. Is it possible to share an account from two different ip addresses?


Some providers don't care as long as 1 ip address is logged in at one time. I usually share my Astraweb account with my family and it works fine.

[Cabalo]

You could give it a try for free by using a free ISP like just4today.net
It will suite you perfectly if you're downloading mostly 0-day (or up to 10 days old) stuff.

[mjmacky]

You could give it a try for free by using a free ISP like just4today.net

I'm curious about free ISPs, do I have to use a paid ISP to connect to a free one? I mean, it's not like my 56.6 kbps modem will connect to one of those old free NetZero numbers anymore. Isn't free broadband just stealing WiFi from your neighbor or tapping in a coffee shop, is it really necessary to create a free ISP these days?

I don't know why I had to ride that slip up so hard. It just took me back to the days of free crap internet...

[Cabalo]

I meant USP. :dry:

I apologise for my mistake. I will now hide in shame.

[mjmacky]

I meant USP. :dry:

I apologise for my mistake. I will now hide in shame.

Here on AOL, we all forgive each other without needing to hide in shame. Hey, want to go hit on some teen girls in a chat room called teens only?

[zot]

It would seem that fans of daytime talk-shows like Dr. Phil and Operah Winfrey tend not to be very computer-literate. Despite the shows' immense ratings popularity, copies are rarely ever posted online -- on any file sharing network. (maybe a geek boycott perhaps? ;))

There is a new all-in-one usenet service geared toward beginners called Binload that is free until the beta testing period ends.

http://filesharingtalk.com/threads/433039-Free-Test-Service-Binload

footnote: if any Californians could use a free (no-strings) dialup ISP (not USP), there is www.socalfree.net

[mkutte]

Usenet is actually the primary distribution route for many release groups (after IRC), before they get filtered down to torrents, etc. It's probably the fastest way to get anything since your download speed is only capped by the maximum speed of your provider and there is no need to upload anything.

[B18C5]

I just love the randomness and chaos of Usenet. Every time I look, I find something different and interesting. It's a place you can explore for years an still not see everything.

[Cabalo]

I meant USP. :dry:

I apologise for my mistake. I will now hide in shame.

Here on AOL, we all forgive each other without needing to hide in shame. Hey, want to go hit on some teen girls in a chat room called teens only?

Seems nice enough, it's a fine opportunity to meet overweighted middle aged men with lack of social skills !

[anon]

Usenet is actually the primary distribution route for many release groups (after IRC), before they get filtered down to torrents, etc. It's probably the fastest way to get anything since your download speed is only capped by the maximum speed of your provider and there is no need to upload anything.

When I saw the good grammar, I knew you copied and pasted that post from another site. And I was right.

http://scroogle.org/cgi-bin/nbbw.cgi?Gw=%22by+the+maximum+speed+of+your+provider+and+there+is+no+need+to+upload+anything%22&n=2

[zot]

sharp eye, anon-sbi.

I probably need to set up my own library of copy/pastes for all the new members who ask a question that's been regularly answered many times before.

[mjmacky]

Here on AOL, we all forgive each other without needing to hide in shame. Hey, want to go hit on some teen girls in a chat room called teens only?

Seems nice enough, it's a fine opportunity to meet overweighted middle aged men with lack of social skills !

Looks like we're on the same page :naughty:

[anon]

I probably need to set up my own library of copy/pastes for all the new members who ask a question that's been regularly answered many times before.

I usually bookmark links to posts where I or other members have answered repeated questions (for example, how to PM or what's the IRC info for tracker X) and post that when necessary. :happy:

[primetime34]

So I took the plunge and have been using usenet in conjunction with sickbeard for 24 hours....and it is great. I can't believe how much content I've already downloaded....it's easy to just download a show that I've never seen and watch it without having to worry about seeding it back. This is great.

I have one more question. How hard is it to get into nzbs.org? I have a vip sub on nzbmatrix and a free one on nzb.su. However, I'm curious about the difficulty of getting into nzbs? Thanks for the help and the direction!!

[heiska]

nzbs.org is level 9, so yeah. hard!

[primetime34]

nzbs.org is level 9, so yeah. hard!

Understood. I read somewhere else that they aren't taking any new members at all. Is that true? I'd like to find a path into that indexing site since I assume it's different than building ratios on torrent sites, etc.

[heiska]

nzbs.org is level 9, so yeah. hard!

Understood. I read somewhere else that they aren't taking any new members at all. Is that true? I'd like to find a path into that indexing site since I assume it's different than building ratios on torrent sites, etc.

There are no "levels" in usenet sites etc, I was just being an ass, sorry. NZBs.org won't most likely open registrations ever again, and there isn't going to be an invitation system according to the guy who runs the site.

nzb.su is almost as good though :)

[primetime34]

So nobody new will ever get in? That sounds like a pain. Is there any irc chat for the site where somebody could go and get to know some people and hopefully get an account?

[heiska]

PMed.

It's not too hard to figure it out by oneself anyways. :naughty: