[FNi31]

Okay guys, this idea has been on my mind for quite a while now, but before I begin to invest the huge amount of time required, I would like to test the waters to find out if people would even be interested in using and/or contributing to it.

The main inspiration for the project is a little application called NZBPlayer which allows you to 'stream' video files from Usenet just by feeding it a NZB file (it doesn't actually stream, instead it progressively downloads the files while it plays back the RARs).

My idea is the expand that idea by implementing a browsable interface in XBMC full of the most popular TV shows and movies. This is connected to a web service which would then supply you with the requested NZB file,allowing a local service to download the Usenet parts and 'stream' it as soon as it's ready to go.

As you've probably guessed, the web back-end would require authorised people to upload the relevant NZB files (including different versions such as SD/720p etc) and assign it to the correct TV show/film.

Obviously this system would require the user to not only have a premium Usenet account but also a fast enough connection speed (roughly 2Mbit/sec for SD content and 5Mbit/sec for 720p).

Possible areas to then build on would include such things as the ability to archive the video file locally once it has finished downloading, automatic nfo/fanart inclusion, detection of broken Usenet parts with option to download/repair first etc.

Any feedback would be appreciated (especially from people who are familiar with Usenet) even if you think the idea sucks, has major flaws, wouldn't get used or alternatively if you have suggestions about ways to streamline the process.

Again, this is just in the planning/research stages at the moment so don't expect an alpha build tomorrow.

[mr.b]

check this thread -- ltchambers has already done a lot of the work.

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=64887

[bramblepants]

I think it sounds like a very clever idea, but it's not something I would want to use.

I've been using Usenet for many years and have a large amount of TV shows and other things to watch - I'm never in such a rush that I want to watch something that second though.

I tend to see what's good and download it for later, and maybe schedule the download for when my internet isn't being used, or overnight when there may not be any usage caps.

Apps like SickBeard also make the downloading of TV shows completely automated, so you just switch the media center on and it does the rest in the background.

I get the feeling a lot of people who use XBMC/Media Centers are collectors, so they download things to add to their collection and watch later. That maybe just me though!

[coolspot18]

I would rather just download the movie and store to disk - seems a waste just to stream.

[DanielEis]

I'm using the usenet since 2005, especially for tv shows. Your idea is good, but I don't think i'm going to use it. There are tools (like SABnzbd+ with a RSS feed) which can automatically download the desired tv shows and place them in a certain folder. I just have to watch it. That's why I see no need in streaming the files. Furthermore the corrupt files could be a big problem - I wouldn't like to miss a minute or two because of that when i'm watching the simpsons.

[eg4190]

I think this idea would work much better for movies than TV shows. It takes an hour or two for me to download a full Blu-Ray rip, so it would be great to have an easily searchable library for movies I want to stream that aren't already saved locally. Most of my TV shows download automatically, and storage is so cheap there's really no reason not to store every episode of everything -- but it would be awesome to be able to easily stream x264 movies from the XBMC interface, maybe with an option to add the movie to the main library after watching or delete it.

[xeonicxpression]

I can't see myself using this either. Storage is so cheap and there are so many tools to automate downloading now that there really isn't much of a need. I have my own tool to auto download movies and I use sickbeard to download tv shows. It's all saved to my 6tb server. I only watch movies in HD and my connection isn't even close to fast enough to stream those.

[kebirek]

I would use it.

I have 3.5 TB, and with SABnzbd+ and RSS feeds, store every movie and tv show I want to watch. However, there are some shows I don't need to store, for example late night shows.

I used NZBPlayer a lot to watch shows, I think it's a great solution for watching those not-so-high-priority shows. It's nice to just browse shows, select and stream.

TVNZB.com could provide NZBs for your application, I think they catalog them by show and all in all is a fairly neat site.

I can contribute with your project in my free time.

[midgetspy]

Yeah I'd use this for sure as long as it was integrated into XBMC with a front end that was easy enough to use.