Couchpotato is software that lets you “Download movies automatically, easily and in the HD quality whenever they are available”. If you love to download and watch movies, then you know how annoying the process of searching and downloading them can be. Couchpotato address this and then limit the effort required after making much of the process automatic.
In this guide, we’ll first explain to you what Couchpotato is all about and discuss what’s you really want to use successfully. Whenever you know about Couchpotato, we’ll teach you its configuration or installation. Too much work is required to make it work flawlessly. Our easy-to-follow steps can make it an easy task. And after we successfully installed and configured it, we’ll discuss with you how to use Couchpotato to find what you’re wondering for.
Contents
Newshosting
If you want to get started with Usenet, then you want the best service provider. With lots of suppliers to select from, this can be a difficult task. This one is the best we recommend is known as Newshosting.
Newshosting offers the best 256-bit SSL encryption to secure your privacy, a built-in, full-featured newsreader so you don’t want any additional software.
Couchpotato Overview:
Well, Couchpotato is a PVR for torrents or Usenet. PVR stands for Personal Video Recorder. Whenever you tell it what you’re interested in, it’ll search daily through various torrent sites or NZB indexers, looking for a match. And once you find what you’ve been looking for, it will download it automatically through your favorite software. However, the software is available for both Windows or MacOS. Also, it is available as source code that you can compile on Linux systems.
Torrents or Usenet? Which One To Prefer
Couchpotato can set up either or both torrents or Usenet to download the files when it finds. As it raises the following question: Which one should we prefer? Well, the debate between torrents or Usenet is a neverending one. So, in short, Usenet is very faster than torrents in terms of downloading speed. For that reason, it is the best option we prefer.
Requirements To Use Couchpotato
As we said earlier, Couchpotato uses torrents or Usenet to download movies to your PC. But you can’t do it directly. You want a newsreader or Usenet subscription and/or a torrent client. Couchpotato works well with many of them, but we choose Newshosting as our Usenet provider, µTorrent as our torrent software, or SABnzbd as our newsreader.
Both µTorrent or SABnzbd can be installed from their respective websites. Not just this but also both are available for free and their installation is very easy as any other popular software. If you don’t already have them, move ahead and install or download them. You want them if you want to follow our Couchpotato steps.
After starting SABnzbd, you want to choose your language and input your Usenet server credential.
After tapping Next, you’ll have the choice to modify the default location for downloads. If you want to keep them, simply tap Go to SABnzbd. That’s all about it! SABnzbd is ready to use. Well, for µTorrent, you simply run the installer and it starts work.
How To Install & Configure Couchpotato
Installation
Once you’ve got all the prerequisites addressed, you can now start configuring or installing Couchpotato. So, head over to the Couchpotato homepage. Then tap the OSX or Windows button. It depends on your OS. You can then save the file to your PC and when your download is complete, double-tap it to initiate the installer.
When the installer begins, simply tap next a couple of times. You can then tap Install and allow the installer to work its magic. After a few seconds, the installation will be successfully complete. Tap Finish to close the installer and initiate the application. It really is that easy! However, installing or downloading Couchpotato is just the starting; the remaining work is configuring it.
Initial Configuration
- After you start Couchpotato, rather than opening in an independent window, it’ll open in a browser window. Well, I’m using Chrome, so it successfully opens in a chrome window for me.
- The presentation is quite minimalist but doesn’t allow that to stop you. You’ll then check how robust this software can be. Dive down just a bit to the Basics section.
- You have a chocie to set a password or username to access Couchpotato. If you want to access it from a remote location, we recommend you to do that.
- Now, dive down again until you move to the Download Apps section.
- This is where you’ll tell Couchpotato what app you’ll be using to actually install the files. As we’ve shown earlier, we’ll be using µTorrent for torrents or SABnzbd for Usenet. We just flip the toggle located next to µTorrent and SABnzbd.
- Before we move further, simply adjust some SABnbzd or µTorrent settings. Initially, start µTorrent and then open the Preferences through the gear button. Now from the Preferences window, tap the + located next to Advanced on the left to expand the options. You can then tap on Web UI. Mark the box to Enable Web UI, and select a username and password. And when you’re there, check the Alternative Listening Port box (with the port at the right number set to 8080). Click the OK button at the bottom to save your changes.
Further;
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- As we’re still outside of Couchpotato, we want to prepare SABnzbd. Initiate the app and head over to its browser window. Then tap the Config button located at the top right of the screen. Then tap the General tab, take a proper note of the SABnbzd port number located at the top and move down a little until you view the Security section.
- Choose the text in the API Key box and then copy it to the clipboard (ctrl-C).
- Turning on SABnbzd and µTorrent has revealed some fields we want to fill.
- From the Sabnzbd section, next to API Key, (Ctrl+V) the key you simply copied from the SABnbzd window. Keep in mind that the port number is accurate and under Category, input the name of the category you like Couchpotato to put nzb files in. For ease, let’s just input Couchpotato in that field.
- Continue moving down the page, make sure the switches located next to Binsearch and NZBClub are on.
- Now move all the way down and then tap “I’m ready to start the awesomeness!”
Keep in mind that for Couchpotato to work, you should leave SABnzbd and µTorrent running.
Before you initiate using Couchpotato, we recommend you install the Couchpotato browser extension. It will add files to your wanted list. There is one for Chrome, Firefox, and one for Safari. It quite differs from browser to browser but an easy search within the extension saves for Couchpotato should instantly locate it. Then, it’s just a matter of installing and turning it on.
If you want to connect the extension to Couchpotato, move back to your Couchpotato page. Then tap the Couchpotato extension icon. A list of instructions will open, simply follows the directions.
Set Up Couchpotato
Adding Movies
Once you installed Couchpotato, let’s check how it actually works. Its basic principle is quite easy or simple. You explain what movies you’re searching for and it will periodically search the torrent sites or Usenet groups for the movie title that you specified. When you successfully find the match, it’ll automatically install it. Let’s check how to add a movie to your search list.
- Move to the Couchpotato window and keep in mind that you’re on its homepage. Tap the Home link located on the left pane if you are not. If you want to search for a movie. Then tap on the box saying Search & add a mew media located at the top of the screen. Simply input the movie name you like to add into the box.
- Once you type, a list of suggestions will appear. All you need to do is to find one that matches what you are searching for and then taps on it. The movie or tile year will be replaced by two drop-down lists. One has the movie quality and another one has a title.
- Keep in mind that the title is the right one and then tap Best to choose a different quality. There are different levels of quality you can specify from HD to cam. If you like to get the best available quality simply leave “best” to install the highest resolution variant of the movie. At last, tap on Add. The movie will be added to your wish list.
- If the movie is available then it will appear in your library. Simply tap on Movies located on the left pane and on Manage located at the top of the window to view what movies are in your library.
Looking For Wanted Movies
When the movie is unavailable for download, it’ll then appear in your wanted list. You can then view the content of your wanted list after tapping Movies from the left pane then Wanted at the top. Couchpotato will frequently search the torrent sites and Usenet NZB indexes for your file. When it locates it, it will then call SABnzbd or µTorrent to initiate downloading the file. The files are installed to any location is configured in either SABnzbd or µTorrent.
Remember that you don’t leave the Couchpotato browser window open for it to work. It will continue to work in the background once you close your browser.
Another best option is the renamer, which takes the downloaded files and rename them. You’ll then configure it through the Couchpotato settings after tapping the gear icon near the bottom left of the screen and selecting Settings. You can then specify the renaming parameters after tapping Renamer at the left. Then moving it on at the far right and filling in the correct information.
Once you’re in the settings, you can then look around for other adjustments. For example, you can then fine-tune the searcher. Then specify the quality levels the app will search for and if it should wait for HD quality files to become available.
Overall, there are lots of other options you can configure to increase your Couchpotato experience. In fact, there are lots of others to talk about them all here. Then try to play around with them and experience to get the app working the way you like it.
Browser Extension
Make sure we recommend you install the Couchpotato browser extension? Let’s check how that works. It’s made to work with the Internet Movie Database website. It probably works with many other sites but the documentation doesn’t specify which.
So, from any movie page, you just tap the add-on button located at the top of your browser screen. As it brings the extension’s panel from the right side.
Similar to the Couchpotato search results, you can choose the correct title (if various titles exist) and choose a particular quality level. If you want to add the file to your wish list, simply tap the Add button. The file is also added to your wish list and will be downloaded automatically whenever Couchpotato finds it. Optionally, you should tap the Cancel button to get out of the extension without adding any movie to your wanted list.
Conclusion
Well, its installation is quite complicated but Couchpotato is the best software. It is particularly essential for those who plan ahead and want to make sure they don’t miss out on any movies. Also, it will also ensure you get your files in HD quality that you want them.
Is it helpful? What do you want and hate about it? Have you ever face issues configuring, installing, or using it? We would like to hear from you, so share your opinion in the comments section below!
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