Newsbin Pro 6.40 review
When I started to get interested in the Usenet, or newsgroups, I quickly worked my way through the available programs to find the best suited program for that. I tried many different programs at that time which all had their issues and flaws and finally found Newsbin Pro in 1999 I think it was. It was a commercial program even back in the days and while I preferred free software over commercial for obvious reasons, I decided to take the plunge and purchase the program.
Newsbin Pro has been on my computer ever since and I never looked back again. Before I start reviewing the program, I'd like to point out that you get lifetime upgrades with a purchase. You pay $20 once, that is the current price at least as shown on the website, to get all future updates free of charge. That in itself is a great deal in times where it is common that you need to pay an upgrade fee to upgrade to new (major) versions of programs.
Newsbin Pro is primarily a downloading tool for the Usenet which means that you need access to a Usenet account to use the software at all. Some Internet Service Providers give you access to the Usenet for free, but most of the time, you need to subscribe to a service like Giganews to get access to it.
First thing that you may want to do after installing the program on your system is to add a server to it. This is done via Options > Servers. Here you need to click on the new server button and add the server information that your Usenet provider provided you with. All it takes is usually to enter the server address, username and password.
You can modify a couple of advanced settings here, like using SSL for extra security, whether you want to block header downloads from the server or use it as a fill server only. I do not want to get into too many details here, but headers require some explanation.
Users post information to Usenet groups, and to retrieve the information, the Usenet client downloads headers of those posts first.This is similar to the option in desktop email clients to only retrieve headers first. A header offers information about the contents of the post, the name for instance that the uploader has given to it. So, you usually download headers first, browse through the list of posts the program retrieves for you, to download the items that you are interested in. Some providers support header compression which speeds up the process significantly (Giganews does).
Once you have added at least one server to the program, you can start adding groups to it. You do not need to do that, as you can also load nzb files directly into Newsbin Pro. NZB files contain information about posts made on the Usenet. When you load a NZB into the program, you provide it with information on how to download the data of that post. This is an excellent option to download data fast from the Usenet as you do not have to browse groups first to do so. Many popular Usenet indexing services like Binsearch support the creation of NZB files.
The majority of groups that you will be interested in are binary groups. These groups contain messages and attachments, as opposed to other groups where attachments are not allowed to be posted in. Binary groups always being with alt.binaries followed by one or multiple group names. There is for instance alt.binaries.mp3 for music posts, but also also.binaries.mp3.audiobooks where only audiobooks get posted in.
Note that I'm making no judgment on the legality of the posts to the binary groups. You will find posts that you can legally download but also copyright materials posted there.
To add groups to Newsbin, select Groups > Add Groups from the menu. This opens the groups browser. If this is your first start, you may want to click on the download groups list from server button to retrieve the latest list of Usenet groups from your provider.
You can use the search to find groups of interest or add groups manually if you already know a group that you want to add. I'd suggest you check the filter out low post groups box to hide groups with little activity. Each group is listed with its name, post count and the date it has been added.
To search all groups, uncheck the binaries check box at the top. This provides you with options to browse the non-binary groups as well which offer some interesting options. A large part of the Usenet consists of bulletin boards that are made available, which is like a very very big forum that everyone with access can participate in. This ranges from tech support over health discussion and fan-maintained groups to groups discussing politics, religion, and every other possible topic under the sun.
Once you have added at least one group you can start downloading headers. Hit Ctlr-a to select all groups, right-click and select download all headers or download headers from the context menu. This operation may take a while Depending on your connection, whether compression is supported, and the number of posts to the groups. Newsbin saves all header information to a local database so that you do not need to download already downloaded headers again next time you use the program.
You can double-click a group to list the posts that have been made to it. A search is provided at the top that you can make use of to filter results. You can also filter results by size or display age. Each post is listed with a subject, size, status information and date it has been posted to the group.
Some posts may be incomplete as you can see from the screenshot above. It is recommended to only download complete files from the Usenet. You may also stumble upon fake files and files containing malicious contents. Newsbin ships with a couple of options to protect you from some of those files. It will for instance block the download of double-archives by default (a RAR in a RAR), but gives you the option to bypass that restriction if you know what you are doing.
To download, simply double-click a file or highlight multiple posts at once and right-click the selection afterwards to select download. You can enable thumbnail previews in the software if you are downloading images which can be interesting as it gives you a first impression of the quality of a post. This can be a great way of taking a look at one or two images of a series of images to assess the quality of the posts.
Newsbin Pro ships with a set of features that improves the downloading significantly:
- It can automatically assemble archives and unpack them on the system.
- It can run Par2 recovery files to fix broken downloads.
- You can blacklist posters that spam the groups.
- You can configure a watch folder to load nzb files automatically in Newsbin Pro.
- It features a duplicate detector to prevent the downloading of the same files.
- You can limit the bandwidth or schedule downloads.
- Multi-server support, helpful if your main provider sometimes offers incomplete posts.
There is a lot more the program can help you with though. You can right-click any post to download and read the post body which usually consists of the message that has been posted by the user. You can also post to a group, for instance to participate in the discussion that is taking place. This is an excellent option for non-binary groups that you are interested in.
Verdict
Newsbin Pro is the number one Usenet tool for Windows. There are a number of reasons for that, including the dedication of the developers to integrate new features into the program, the lifetime upgrades you receive with a purchase, support for cutting edge features. and the feature-richness of the client itself. You can download a fully working ten day trial version from the developer website to test it for yourself.
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I must admit that I haven’t the faintest idea what Usenet is or what I would be using it for. But since it has existed for so long and so many people are using it there’s bound to be some information one it that would interest me.
With one of these license I hope for a whole new world to open up for me.
Such a n00b Martin…1999? We were using Usenet back in 1989 and there was obviously a generation before that ;-) (Just messin’)
I wish I’d have discovered it earlier ;)
I does not even know about Usenet in 2012 even. So I will try to use it if I win this giveaway.
I used to be an addict to the usenet years ago, until my isp decided that the news had no interest for anyone and closed the service.
From then I’ve walked errand from one free server to another with my old Xnews client without much success.
I think I will try the service of Giganews and if it convinces me, I will do like Gloria Gaynor’s song… “I will suscribe” (or was it survive?) XD
I would definately give a try to Newsbin Pro too if I get one of these licenses…
I’ve been using Mozilla Thunderbird as a “traditional” newsreader in combination with a free news server in the past. Would be great to get a license for Newsbin Pro to benefit from all the bells and whistles that USENET offers :-)
I am currently not using newsgroups to download my stuff, but I’d like to try this software out! Thanks in advance for this giveaway!
Currently i’m using Sabnzbd & Indexing Service. Would be great to have a Newsbin Pro license -looks very useful :)
Am currently using GrabIt.
Wow, a Newsbin Pro license to win! Count me in for sure! :-)
Currently, I’m using SpotNet to download content from Usenet. And although I’m quite happy with it, I think I’v come in the stage of wanting to have some more tweaking and searching possibilities. So I’m very eager to give that NewsBin Pro a try. I’ve always heard that it is the best, let’s see if I agree with that.
It’s been a long time since I looked at any newsgroup. One of the reasons was the various readers I tried – I was not happy with any of them. I have never tried Newbin Pro.
I started using SpotNet (freeware) two years ago. It’s simple to use and it just works.
But, no doubt that a paying alternative – the best if I can believe the rumours – will have some interesting extra functionalities.
I’m very willing in trying those out. So count me in for one of those licenses.
i dont know what is usenet and how to use it.
count me for this. used various readers. wud luv to shfit to newsbin pro.
Hi,
i would love to win a newsbin pro license. Currently I use SABnzbd.
Best regards,
Daniel
big fan of sabnzbd and sickbeard, a newsbin pro licence would be tidy smart !
Sadly, I am just getting to the usenet stuff. I’ve know about it for a while, but never got into it. Now that BT is more junk than good, I would love to learn and do more on the usenet side.
I don’t need a license for this since I’ve already purchased it. Just wanted to post to say this program is ESSENTIAL in filtering out all that massive posting by the copyright owners that’s been bombarding the newsgroups lately. There’s literally 100s of gigabytes of space filling posts now. Without Newsbin, I don’t see how anyone can possibly filter out the jamming to find the stuff they want.
I previously used the services of binverse result of winning the giveaway, unfortunately I can not enjoy it anymore, I think the best way to find a file that I need is a usenet service, I really really hope to get this application due in the near future I will buy a usenet account.
thanks for this great giveaway
Nice presentation for a useful program, thank you Martin/Newsbin.
I know Newsbin a little from Twitter and is highly active.
I’m with Usenet almost every day so a decent tool like Newsbin would be fantastic.
I’ve been a long-time user of Forte Free Agent. I’m currently using the freeware version of NewsMan Pro.
thank count me in too!
I’m currently using SABNZBD but would really like to try Newsbin Pro!
GrabIt, fo sho.
I use usenet mainly for binary retrieval (trainers, alternate iso download, pictures,.. ). Newsbin is excellent for this. :-)
Well oh well, this is a flashback to my old Usenet days!
Just checked out my old handle and forum posts…. still on view of course.
Would love to try this program out.
Thanks
I have been using Newsleecher for my usnet needs, but they recently started charging to use their supersearch(indexer) so I am thinking of switching programs, and would like to give this one a try!
I don’t use anything at present since i always wanted to look into Usenet but never did so this could be a good incentive.
Some Usenet tutorials might be good too Martin.
And I don’t care about the “you don’t talk about Usenet”.
Everyone knows about it they just don’t know how to use it. :D
true dat
(1) I have a Cablevision cable modem account. How do I find out whether it offers Usenet access?
(2) If it does not, and I don’t want to change ISPs, are there services that will give me Usenet access?
Just started to use Usenet, really need this to get the most out of it.
i admit i don’t know usenet.if i win this license , i will try it.
pls count me in.
Using SABnzbd but would love to win Newsbin pro
Count on me for this giveaway.Using Usenet is sometimes painfull but with this licence….Cheers.
Would be great to win this one. Now I use SABnzbd. Thanks!
It would be awsome to win in this giveaway. Count me in.
I used to use UsenetServer, but now rely in bitorrent… Would love to try this service. Thanks !
Invoking rule #1 of usenet :)
Have been meaning to try Usenet for many years now. This would be a great reason to finally get around to it. ;)
This looks lightyears ahead of anything I’ve used for Usenet. I could sure use a nice reader like this!
Hi, I would like to win a license for newsbin Pro. Currently, I am using SABnzbd.
I use XNews but Newsbin Pro seems far better. Count me in. Thanks.
I have been different Usenet off and on for a long time and presently using xsusenet. I have heard very good comments about Newsbin and I would like to win a license.
Thank you for this Giveaway
For anyone who hasn’t experienced Usenet, you should really give it a try. Amazing the massive amount of material that’s available. Retention has increased dramatically over the years. I’ve been using Forte Free Agent for years. I find it works well but it has become somewhat bloated in more recent releases. I’m trying to remember if I looked into NewsBin way back when. As a side note, although there are still a few free Usenet providers out there, it’s worth it 10x over to pay a small monthly fee to a specialized service. I’m with EasyNews and I’ve always been happy with their service. I think they offer a 7 day free trial so with NewsBin’s 10 day free trial, you could really give the Usenet a good test drive. Happy holidays everyone.
Always wanted a pro version but have been to broke, i hope i win.
Using freeware Binreader, not very good, repairs fail more than they work but it works in windows8 atleast…
Great giveaway! Currently on SABnzbd which is excellent, but I certainly prefer a program with a dedicated UI instead of a web interface.
I’m in the dark when it comes to Usenet but would love the heck out of trying to learn with one of the license. it would become my precious.
a must have for old geeks like me…..
thanks for the giveaway….
Sounds like a great application. The one’s I’ve used in the past were pretty cumbersome and user unfriendly.
I’m using GrabIt and have tried Alt.binz, but have never been super satisfied with either. Would love to try Newsbin Pro.
I’m a Newzleecher user but the latest stable version doesn’t work on Windows 8. A Newsbin Pro license would be great!
Thanks for these giveaways.
Leave me out of this one, I have version 5.59 (win 2k being my main windows operating system last version of Newsbin to support it) and love it for binary groups, for txt groups I like agent better, so I use both. Also make sure you use encryption like ssl or Giganews accelerator or your isp (and others) will know what you are doing.
Thanks! again, Merry Christmas.
As an old xnews user, I would love a new newsreader.
I used to use Newsleecher and Grabit, then switched to Sabnzbd.
@KRS: you can look into subscribing to a premium NSP such as Usenetserver, Easynews or Giganews.
The average user In the U.S. doesn’t even know what Usenet is, and ISP’s throttle down throughput on their own Usenet servers so severely, it’s hardly worth bothering with. To get the most out of Usenet, you need a third party Usenet service. At least, that has been my experience with local ISP’s for the past 29 years.
I use grabit currently
I am currently using newsgroups but I would like to try Usenet.
I’d love to win a copy.
I currently use an old version of NewsLeecher
i have been using newsbin for a long time i never wil go to other ones
I’m currently using GrabIt.
I use SabNZBD or Easynews web interface.
Still new to the usenet, hope this software would help me to learn fast.
I do not need this.
Currently using SuperNews with SABnzbd for Usenet, but a license for newsbin pro would be great. Always wanted to try newsbin app out.
Thanks
Used USENET in the past but not for a number of years.
Thanks gH for the Christmas gift!!!!
Currently I am using spotnet but I would love to give Newsbin pro a go.
I have been using Grabit for over 15 years. I like its simplicity and speed. It has not been updated in a long time. I don’t think it is being supported anymore. I also use Sabnzbd for automatic downloading a couple of TV shows in combination with Couchpotato and Sickbeard. However, I like to use a Windows client like Grabit or Newsbin Pro because I find them to be faster. Maybe it is because they use more threads to download.
Would really like to get a better understanding of how usenet works. Please.
thanks in advance.
not used before. free will be good to try. thanks.
Not currently using Usenet, but I am intrigued to try after this article.
I’m still using Xnews from way back in the 90s and could really use a better newsreader for binaries. I subscribe to supernews, so I would actually use this license.
Usenet seems interesting and I’d like to play around and see what it can bring to me.
I use SABNZBD but for some groups it might be better if you have the possibility to import all headers instead of only working with NZB files.
just give me the key because i really hate mimo.TIA
Currently using Grabit!
Yeeh, this looks great, I recently joined UPC (a dutch provider) and I got 120Mbit Internet, and as I found out, this would be great way to use it, so yes please, make my day!
Usenet kullanmadım . Ancak ilgimi çekti . Denemek isterim .
Thanks For Giveaway.
Not use Usenet. However, I am intrigued. I’d like to try.
Thanks For Giveaway.
It has been such a long time since I used Usenet (and Newsbin!) It would be cool to get back into it!
I am currently not using any news reader, but would love to try it! Thanks
Currently using Newsflash but this is way better, so I’d like to win. Thanks!
really curious about usenet…
I’ve keep intending to check out Usenet for awhile. Thanks for the opportuntiy.
Im am now using sabnzbd and I am intrested in trying something new!
I currently use Pan, but this one looks like it’s worth a look.
The timing of this might be a little unfortunate with the forced closure of many of the best indexing services thanks to DMCA/takedown notices in recent days. Does anyone know how the Newsbin indexer compares with nzbmatrix and nzb.su in terms of ease of use and breadth of content?
I’d like to give this a go. currently using alt.binz which is pretty good too
I have never unserstood this thing. I have tried it many times though. If I understand correctly I need program and service. So why not just buy a monthly service for giganews. It is too complicated for my brains. :D
I’ll give it a try again… if newsgroups survive the mpaa assault…
I’m looking for a Usenet Reader, Newsbin looks excellent! Thanks for the review
Hello Martin,
usenet is a topic I want to work in,
Newsbin Pro would be a good begin.
As novice I’m searching for the right way
and a solution where I could stay.
Newsbin Pro looks to be stand of the art,
so I’ll take in this contest part.
Best Regards and a have a nice advent day.
BlogWurm
I look that a good program for Usenet. Thanks for a contest.
I’ve been using NewsLeecher since I first discovered Usenet. It’s been good to me so far, but trying out something new couldn’t hurt.
I currently use SABnzbd, it’s my favourite free software. I would love to have a Newsbin Pro license though. I’ve always considered buying one but so far have stuck with the free SAB.
Haven’t used Usenet for years due to all the garbage, but with using Newsbin Pro sounds like useful items could be gleaned from the trash.
Thanks for the great review.
I used torrents for a long time and it just became a hassle never knowing whether i would find what i wanted whether it was infected or anything like that and on top of that the downloads are so slowwwww. A friend told me about newzbin few months ago but i have never had the money to be able to get it. I would love to have this, i have been using binreader and its nothing special i would like to be able to get everything worth getting out of usenet.
I’ve used GrabIt for some time and would welcome Newsbin Pro
I have tried many of the other competitors and none come close to NewsBin! Download it, trial it, I know that you will love it, then buy it!
I would if the pennies wern’t tight SO I guess this is why I am posting in hope to be one of the 10 lucky readers who will win this much sought after program.
thanks Santa
I have been using the bin reader since 2 years..it simply crashes on my pc based on what ever i do..so i am really interested in newsbin…Please please count me in this giveaway..
I really need this. I have a usenet account but never used it, hopefully this program will make the transition easy. I will download the trail version and give it a try.
thank you count me in too, i love newsbin, its great program.
I used to love to use NZBMatrix until it closed, and used Newsleecher to get the content. Really a shame NZBMatrix is down, seems like most other websites are closed registration now, so I don’t really know where to go to get anything besides binsearch, which, well, is alright I guess. Freakin hard to sort through which posts aren’t password protected or have a trojan in them though.
VEry nice app. Count me. Never tried usenet and want to begin with the best app.
Currently using newsleecher, however would be intrested to see how newsbin handles
I have not used usenet, though I would like to.
Please,count me in. Thanks so much :)
Maybe not too late.
I currently use SpotNet to download my usenet content.
But no doubt I would like to use Newsbin Pro.
I use torrent in order to download, but I’ll move to france so I hace to change to usenet. That program will be awesome to have.
I use GrabIt. I’d like to try Newsbin and I hope to win a license. Thanks.
I don’t have any thing like this so currently i am not using i download all files directly from mail server i nevr use newsbin pro but i want to use this so please count me in
thanks for giveaway
Hi,
I’m using SpotNet to download from Usenet. So I’m very eager to give that NewsBin Pro a try. I’ve always heard that it is the best, let’s see if I agree with that.
Would love to try this program out.
Haven’t used Usenet in a bit (well, not awhile) but am wondering about the traceabilty under to new DMCA and other laws for tracking/reporting traffic.
Would love to try this out for broadcasting updates (or attracting new folks) for my non-profit.
I would LOVE to get a Pro license to really shake out the possiblities!
Evan
I’ve been thinking about giving usenet a try again – it’s ages since I’ve used it. Newsbin would make it easy to get back into usenet. Thanks for the great site and giveaways! :)
Used a variety of free news readers back in the day. My ISP offered free Giganews access for a while but eventually dropped it. Would like to get back into it again.
MegaBitz.net used to have free bin access with a limit a 1GB limit per month (iirc)… which was plenty for my occasional Coast-To-Coast show needs. Unfortunately, they’ve switched to a strictly paid model, albeit good prices.
I haven’t had much luck with the only other free provider I know of, xsusenet.com.
Back in the late 90’s my tool of choice was Forte’s Agent, but I think the last program I settled on after trying a few (Newsreactor, NewsRover, BinaryBoy, xnews) was GrabIt.
soft Newsleecher is ok
isp news.newsleecher.com is ok, bots30 / speed 8MB/s
I’d be interested. This looks nice.
Id love this one :) Thanks
Just found out a couple of months ago that my isp is offering free acces to usenet (50GB/m.). This has made me take my first steps on how to download from Usenet.
I’m now using the all-in-one freeware ‘Spotnet’ for it. Works nicely, but i’ve also heard about Newsbin Pro. If i could get a license i would certainly like to give it a try.
I use Forte Agent for txt groups. For binaries I use ton’s of NZB sites & SABnzbd + dropbox.
Been using newsgroups since the early 90s with nn via linux cli.
sabnzbd as my Usenet program. Easy to use :)
I’ve been using NewsLeecher for several years – first as pirated versions (Shhh!), and now the monthly subscription route. It seems to have most of the features that your article outlines for NewsBin, but given your glowing recommendation I’d like to give NewsBin a try :)
I am using Altopia as my Usenet provider, one of the oldest Usenet companies, I am glad to see that they are still in business providing reliable and affordable Usenet.
MesNews is my newsreader, it is freeware but it only works with text and single part binaries, I could certainly give good use to a NewsBin Pro license since I know that the program works very well downloading binaries.
Invaluable tool, tried the rest, newsbin leaves them all standing.
So, has the licenses already been given away?
If not, I’d like to participate.
Currently I’m using SABnzbd + Thunderbird as my client.
I don’t use it nowadays but got a free usenet account sometime back and used the software that came with it.
Long time xnews users, would love to upgrade.