You usually have access
to binary usenet groups via your ISP or you can buy
access from a newsgroup
service providers.
I
have my favourite binary newsreader software (Xnews)
but there are a variety to choose from. You
can pick and choose for yourself.
How
you do this will depend on your choice of
binary newsreader but with the better newsreaders
it is really quite easy.
Material
is compressed before being posted to binary usenet groups
because smaller things transfer faster than
bigger things.
The
wide range of material requires different
software, codecs, procedures, etc to get it
in a format you can view, play or use.
You
may eventually feel like contributing material
to binary usenet groups because people who just take,
take are called leeches!
Please Read
This website does not contain unlicensed software, multimedia or adult material - it only offers instruction and advice about using the binary Usenet to find and obtain these materials.
Newsgroups (or Usenet, as they are collectively known) are a veritable Amazon River of information and goodies that flows 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Usenet is sometimes called the "underground internet" because the Usenet is not as widely used as is the World Wide Web, although it does pre-date the WWW and is one of the older parts of the internet. However, the Usenet is not point-and-click like the WWW.
Generally, you will need to use a "newsreader" instead of a web browser to view it, although you can use a browser to view, post to and search the Usenet. In fact, Google Groups (formerly Dejanews) is a html archive of non-binary Usenet posts from about the 10 years or so. There are some more recent innovations that are bringing the binary Usenet to the web however, most of these are restricted to providing an index of what is currently available in the binary groups. One company GUBA has just started providing video from binary Usenet groups through their website although they have offered images (strictly xxx) for a few years. The video is currently mainly xxx but they have started adding music and amateur video too.
Usenet consists of a decentralized network of computers (news servers) that allows people around the world to share information. In a way, you could think of Usenet as a massive peer-to-peer network between news service providers. More than 10,000 new binaries are posted every day. This equates to mega-gigabytes of software, movies, tv shows, mp3's, ebooks and yes, xxx, posted on a daily basis!
The basic concept behind binary usenet groups is that people "post" or upload binary files (MP3s, movies, videos, photographs or any other digital media including software). They do it to share with friends or with loosely associated groups of like minded people. Sometimes you really have to wonder as some of the regular contributors really do contribute so much that it must be a full-time job.
Usenet = Mega-sized file sharing
Any file sharing application pales in comparison to the variety and quantity of free MP3 downloads available in newsgroups. Unlike file sharing, you cannot shut down the Usenet or sue a newsgroup. A particular ISP could decide to remove a newsgroup from their server, but their customers would probably complain. In addition, you could also just buy access to commericial newsservers specializing in binary usenet groups.
It won't take long before you get the hang of software required to read newsgroups, download, decode binary files and store them on your hard drive, finally viewing, playing or using ill-gotten booty from newsgroups. If it sounds complicated, its not so bad but you will have to understand the basics of file management, system configuration, software installation, etc.
Afterwards, you will feel like you are a true participant in the technological revolution and you will join the small percentage of people who regularly use the binary Usenet and you will finally have a good reason for a faster computer and broadband access!
Ironically, even though the newsgroups are largely officially unregulated, there are rules and codes of conduct that are upheld within newsgroups as you may discover if you do something contrary to a particular group's rules and you are flamed by 30 people much more knowledgable than you (irony and sarcasism all in one sentence!)
alt.binaries.mpeg.videos - music videos in avi, mpeg format
alt.binaries.warez.pocketpc.movies - video formatted for Pocket PC
alt.binaries.vcd - movies, tv shows, various video in vcd format
alt.binaries.pictures.erotica - xxx pictures in jpeg, gif format
alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica - xxx movies, various video in asf, avi, mpeg format
alt.binaries.warez.quebec-hackers - variety of video, music and software
The material posted is often excellent quality and generally indistinguishable from the original media.
Does your ISP's news server have poor content and retention?
Adult material probably accounts for easily one-third of the newsgroups and at least as much of the content. The adult entertainment industry has been a driving force in the world wide web and it should be no surprise that it was, and is, a large part of the Usenet and newsgroups.
There is, unfortunately, still child pornography in various newsgroups. There are many volunteers who patrol for illegal pornography in addition to law enforcement agencies around the world keeping tabs on what gets posted but because the Usenet is made for anonymity, it is easy for these predators to peddle their wares on the Usenet.
People like you and me .. well sort of. The material in the binary usenet groups comes from a vast number of individuals. It isn't a commercial realm but is more of a hobby oriented environment.
Lots of hacker groups and individuals are probably posting because they are simply interested in showing their skills and in some way playing Robinhood by distributing expensive software for free to the masses. It is a tangled legal and ethical web that has been wove, so follow your own sensibilities and conscience and tolerance for risk.
However, often people record movies in theatres with videocameras on tripods and then it ends up in newsgroups. The material was probably recorded so it could be sent to parts of the world where the movie is not yet released because these movies often have Chinese, Vietnamese or Russian subtitles. Some of these recordings are pretty bad but others are ok. You can sometimes see people's heads as they walk past the camera and hear the noises and laughter in the theatre - almost like being right in the theatre!
Busy, Busy People
The amount of amateur porn in some newsgroups is really amazing and provides an interesting perspective of the human condition. What some of these people from all around the world are doing! Some people just want to let it all hang out for the world to see. What some pets and barnyard animals will tolerate is even more amazing .. wow.
Often versions of movies still in theatre, called Screeners, are somehow obtained and converted to digital format and find their way onto a newsgroup. Movies on VHS video, Video CD or DVD are regularly converted to a variety of video formats and posted. There a variety of factors that can affect quality including the skill of the person doing the work.
