OVERVIEW
The Basics
The contents of this toolbox are the programs every Usenet user should have. Most of you will already know what these programs do, why you need them and how to use them.
Still, I think it's a good idea to lay things out for people new to Usenet just in case they need some help. So, forgive me if what follows seems over simplified. I just remember how it was when I started out and I want to help new people out.
If you are just starting out with Usenet, you might want to study up on the programs in this section. These are the tools most people use for downloading. There are a ton of other programs out there that people use for various reasons but the big four are the foundation.
SONARR
TV Show Recording
Sonarr is a PVR for Usenet and BitTorrent users. It can monitor multiple RSS feeds for new episodes of your favorite shows and will grab, sort and rename them. It can also be configured to automatically upgrade the quality of files already downloaded when a better quality format becomes available.
Current Features
- Support for major platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, etc.
- Automatically detects new episodes
- Can scan your existing library and download any missing episodes
- Can watch for better quality of the episodes you already have and do an automatic upgrade. eg. from DVD to Blu-Ray
- Automatic failed download handling will try another release if one fails
- Manual search so you can pick any release or to see why a release was not downloaded automatically
- Fully configurable episode renaming
- Full integration with SABnzbd and NZBGet
- Full integration with Kodi, Plex (notification, library update, metadata)
- Full support for specials and multi-episode releases
- And a beautiful UI
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RADARR
Movie Recording
Radarr PVR for Usenet and BitTorrent users. It is an independent fork of Sonarr reworked for automatically downloading movies via Usenet and BitTorrent. The project was inspired by other Usenet/BitTorrent movie downloaders such as CouchPotato. It can also be configured to automatically upgrade the quality of files already downloaded when a better quality format becomes available.
Current Features
- Adding new movies with lots of information, such as trailers, ratings, etc.
- Support for major platforms: Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, etc.
- Can watch for better quality of the movies you have and do an automatic upgrade. eg. from DVD to Blu-Ray
- Automatic failed download handling will try another release if one fails
- Manual search so you can pick any release or to see why a release was not downloaded automatically
- Full integration with SABnzbd and NZBGet
- Automatically searching for releases as well as RSS Sync
- Automatically importing downloaded movies
- Recognizing Special Editions, Director's Cut, etc.
- Identifying releases with hardcoded subs
- All indexers supported by Sonarr also supported
- New PassThePopcorn Indexer
- QBittorrent, Deluge, rTorrent, Transmission and uTorrent download client (Other clients are coming)
- New TorrentPotato Indexer
- Torznab Indexer now supports Movies (Works well with Jackett)
- Scanning PreDB to know when a new release is available
- Importing movies from various online sources, such as IMDb Watchlists (A complete list can be found here)
- Full integration with Kodi, Plex (notification, library update)
- And a beautiful UI
- Importing Metadata such as trailers or subtitles
- Adding metadata such as posters and information for Kodi and others to use
- Advanced customization for profiles, such that Radarr will always download the copy you want
NZBHYDRA2
MegaSearch
NZBHydra2 is an open-source program that allows you to combine Usenet indexes (meta search). You can search all your indexes from one place and use it as an indexer source for tools like Sonarr. It provides easy access to newznab indexers and many torznab trackers via Jackett.
Current Features
- Searches Anizb, BinSearch, NZBIndex and any newznab compatible indexers. Merges all results, filters them by a number of configurable restrictions, recognizes duplicates and returns them all in one place
- Add results to NZBGet or SABnzbd
- Support for all relevant media IDs (IMDB, TMDB, TVDB, TVRage, TVMaze) and conversion between them
- Query generation, meaning a query will be generated if only a media ID is provided in the search and the indexer doesn't support the ID or if no results were found
- Compatible with Sonarr, Radarr, NZBGet, SABnzbd, nzb360, CouchPotato, Mylar, LL, Sick Beard, Jackett/Cardigann, Watcher, etc.
- Search and download history and extensive stats. E.g. indexer response times, download shares, NZB age, etc.
- Authentication and multi-user support
- Automatic update of NZB download status by querying configured downloaders
- RSS support with configurable cache times
- Torrent support:
- For GUI searches, allowing you to download torrents to a blackhole folder
- A separate Torznab compatible endpoint for API requests, allowing you to merge multiple trackers
- Extensive configurability
- Save torrents in a black hole folder; Torznab API endpoint
- Migration of database and settings from v1
SABNZBD
Downloader
SABnzbd is a free/open-source cross-platform binary newsreader written in Python. It simplifies the process of downloading from Usenet dramatically, thanks to its friendly web-based user interface and advanced built-in post-processing options that automatically verify, repair, extract and clean up posts downloaded from Usenet. SABnzbd also has a fully customizable user interface, and offers a complete API for third-party applications to hook into.
** NOTE **
Another popular downloader is NZBGet. While SABnzbd remains the most popular choice by number of users, NZBGet has a strong following too. NZBGet is more 'feature-rich' and lighter in resource useage than SABnzbd. That means NZBGet offers more control and runs faster but it also means it may have a steep learning curve for some users. Both downloaders have their strong points.
AUTOMATION
Work Smarter, not harder
Here's where it all comes together. Once you have your Usenet provider and two or three well respected Indexers (I suggest VIP subscriptions), download Sonarr, Radarr, NZBHydra2, and SABnzbd. Read up on each program so you have a fundamental understanding of how they work. Remember, there's no free lunch when it comes to downloading so reading about these programs is important. A little time educating yourself in the beginning will save you a ton of time later.
Load your information about your Usenet provider into SABnzbd. Then load the information from your Usenet Indexers into NZBHydra2. In both Sonarr and Radarr, enter the information for NZBHydra2 as your Indexer. This will allow you to make changes just once in Hydra later on instead of having to make multiple changes in Sonarr and Radarr.
If you have done your reading, you'll know that there a a lot of steps to take to make all this work. But, what I've outlined here are the basic steps. Once you've done all of the above, you're ready to go.
All you have left to do is plug into Sonarr the TV shows you want to download and load into Radarr the movies you want. A special note here: Sonarr will keep an eye out for new TV episodes and any movies you've plugged in. For movies especially, you can load movies that aren't available yet and when they become available, Radarr will grab them for you. Cool huh?
MORE HELP
Google first, then ask
Some of you will be tempted to just jump in and expect to be able to put everything together without reading the material on each of these programs. Then, you'll get all fouled up and start asking dumb questions in a forum or discord. SOME people may help you; EVERYONE will think you're an idiot because you didn't read up on things before you asked for help.
It's gonna take some time to understand how all this works. It's your decision as to how much time you spend getting there. You can either spend a little time up front, or a LOT of time on the back end fixing things you've screwed up. It's your choice.
