What can replace Newzbin2?

November 30, 2012 4:45 PM

My favorite site when down yesterday, Newzbin2, what is a safe alternative?

So the site went down due to lack of funding. You can check out their full media release at their site. I was wondering if anyone knows of a similar site that offers comparable services? I was a paid subscriber and I don't mind if I have to pay for a different service.

posted by birdlips to technology (11 answers total)

nzbmatrix.
posted by mhp at 4:53 PM on November 30, 2012 [1 favorite]

+1 for nzbmatrix
posted by Hairy Lobster at 5:00 PM on November 30, 2012

Thanks mhp, that is exactly what I was looking for. Cheers!
posted by birdlips at 5:38 PM on November 30, 2012

binsearch.info
posted by jannw at 4:46 AM on December 1, 2012

I apologize for jumping in with a question but I've (tried to use) used all of above mentioned but I'm still lost on how to do it effectively. The Lifehacker tutorial just confuses me even more. Can anyone recommend a simple tutorial on how it all works?

(If you need to delete this post or if I should post as a new question, please go ahead)
posted by eatcake at 7:03 AM on December 1, 2012

I mostly use nzbs.org (currently invite-only) and nzb.su (open registration), both are free and integrate with most third-party NZB programs.

eatcake, what exactly is the problem you're running into? The bare minimum you need in order to make this work is:

1) Usenet access (via your ISP or third-party provider, aka. Giganews, Supernews, etc)
2) Client software to connect to Usenet (http://sabnzbd.org/)
3) An NZB of the file you want to retrieve from Usenet (obtained via above links)

Once you have this all set up and working you can further automate the process with programs like SickBeard and CouchPotato, including the ability to remote-initiate downloads via your mobile.
posted by bizwank at 11:42 AM on December 1, 2012

I'm with you until about step 3. I had gotten myself set up but couldn't find anything I searched for to save my life.

From what I understand I would search for an NZB file on say nzbmatrix then open it up in SABnzbd?

I'm probably bringing the IQ level of this thread way down but I guess I don't understand what nbzmatrix has to do with the usenet providers (Giganews etc).

If I'm using the client (SABnzbd) to connect to the server (Giganews), why do I need nzbmatrix or binsearch.info?
posted by eatcake at 12:18 PM on December 1, 2012

An NZB file is an index of all the parts that SABnzbd needs to download from Usenet to construct the actual file(s) you want.

You save the NZB file on your PC in whichever directory you have set SABnzbd to periodically scan.

When it finds an NZB file in that directory, it then goes out to Usenet and downloads the thousands of articles it needs, and then joins them and uncompresses them which results in the perfectly legitmate file you wanted to download.
posted by Diag at 2:15 PM on December 1, 2012 [1 favorite]

And nzbmatrix just died....
posted by rdr at 8:30 AM on December 9, 2012 [1 favorite]

nzb.su as mentioned earlier.

Also, nzbindex.nl/ and nzbsrus.com (payment by bitcoin only)
posted by mhp at 2:11 PM on December 9, 2012

followup: nzbmatrix is now down as well. For the week I used it, it was a fantastic service. I will try nzb.su and report back on that, assuming it will be up long enough for me to try it out.
posted by birdlips at 3:46 PM on December 11, 2012