MovieGrabber is a Python script designed to automate movie downloads from Usenet and Torrent sources. Created by a GitHub developer known as binhex, this tool allows users to easily configure custom movie search criteria using data from IMDb, significantly simplifying the process of finding and downloading new films.
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Key Features of MovieGrabber
IMDb Integration
MovieGrabber seamlessly integrates IMDb data, enabling users to define sophisticated search parameters. Users can filter movies based on:
- IMDb Ratings: Download only movies with a specified rating range.
- Votes: Set the minimum number of IMDb votes required for a film to be considered.
- Genres: Specify preferred genres (e.g., drama, action, thriller, sci-fi, comedy, etc.).
- Release Years: Choose movies released within specific years or periods.
- Cast & Crew: Automatically fetch films featuring certain actors, directed by specific filmmakers, or written by particular screenwriters.
- Specific Titles: Manually add movies by their exact IMDb titles or IDs for guaranteed downloads.
Index Site Compatibility
MovieGrabber offers broad compatibility, supporting various index sites including:
- All Newznab-based indexing services, including locally hosted servers.
- Popular Torrent indexing sites such as Kickass Torrents.
- Flexible integration options, allowing users to connect their preferred services effortlessly.
Advanced System Checks
To ensure maximum efficiency and prevent unnecessary duplication, MovieGrabber incorporates advanced checks:
- Verifies whether a specific film has already been downloaded previously.
- Checks if the movie file or NZB file exists in your ‘watch’, ‘NZB’, or ‘completed’ directories.
- Supports automatic replacement of previously downloaded content with higher-quality releases when available, according to user-defined criteria.
Installation and Setup Guide
MovieGrabber supports installation on both Windows and Linux platforms, with detailed step-by-step instructions below.
Windows Installation:
- Download the latest win32 version from the official SourceForge page.
- Extract the downloaded ZIP file to your desired installation directory.
- Navigate to the installation folder.
- Run the file named
MovieGrabber.exe. - Open your browser and go to
http://<your_ip>:9191to access the configuration interface.
Linux Installation:
- Ensure that Python 2.6.x or higher is installed on your system. Note: Python 3.x is NOT supported by MovieGrabber.
- Download the latest source package from SourceForge.
- Extract the package to your chosen installation directory.
- Navigate to this installation directory via the terminal.
- Launch the script with the command: bashКопироватьРедактировать
python ./MovieGrabber.py --daemon - Open a browser and navigate to
http://<your_ip>:9191to configure and operate MovieGrabber.
MovieGrabber vs. Similar Tools
MovieGrabber differentiates itself from comparable solutions like CouchPotato primarily through its robust automation features. Unlike CouchPotato, which requires users to manually enter movie titles to initiate downloads, MovieGrabber fully automates movie selection based on detailed IMDb-based criteria. This streamlined process ensures that desired movies meeting specified parameters are downloaded automatically without user intervention, greatly reducing the manual workload.
Additionally, MovieGrabber’s flexibility allows integration with multiple indexing sites, ensuring reliable sources and consistent results.
Community Feedback and Reception
Since its initial release around August 2011, MovieGrabber quickly gained popularity among users seeking automated solutions for downloading movies. The community praised its intuitive IMDb filtering capabilities, ease of use, and comprehensive automation features.
Online discussions on forums and community-driven platforms regularly highlighted MovieGrabber as a standout tool, emphasizing its ability to minimize tedious manual searches and downloads. Users particularly appreciated the script’s stability and reliability, noting how effectively it handled downloading large volumes of movies while accurately respecting set preferences.
Current Development Status and Maintenance
As of July 14, 2023, the official MovieGrabber repository on GitHub was archived by its developer, binhex, and is now available only in read-only mode. This status means no further updates, bug fixes, or new feature implementations will be made available through the official channels.
The archive status doesn’t prevent continued use; rather, it encourages the open-source community to fork the project for further customization or updates according to evolving user requirements. Users interested in maintaining or enhancing MovieGrabber may consider creating their forks or joining community-driven projects aimed at reviving and enhancing the original functionality.
Pros and Cons of Using MovieGrabber
Pros:
- Fully automated IMDb-based movie selection.
- Broad compatibility with various indexers (Usenet and Torrent).
- Effective prevention of duplicate downloads.
- Straightforward installation and setup for both Windows and Linux users.
- Community-supported open-source codebase, allowing for easy modifications and extensions.
Cons:
- No longer actively maintained, archived repository since July 2023.
- Incompatibility with Python 3.x limits future-proofing and compatibility.
- Requires technical familiarity with Python and indexer configuration.
Alternatives and Future Options
Given MovieGrabber’s archival status, users looking for actively maintained alternatives might consider:
- CouchPotato: Continues to be widely popular, especially with users who prefer more manual control over downloads.
- Radarr: A modern, automated movie downloader offering robust functionality and frequent updates, particularly popular among Plex and Emby media server users.
- Sonarr: Primarily focused on TV shows, but similar in automation and configuration complexity.
- Forked versions of MovieGrabber maintained by other community developers.
Conclusion
MovieGrabber remains an influential project within the Python and automated downloading community. Its innovative IMDb integration and streamlined automation approach dramatically simplified the movie downloading process. Despite the official project being discontinued, the existing open-source repository remains a valuable resource and foundation for future improvements.
Users seeking an automated, efficient, and reliable system to manage movie downloads based on detailed IMDb criteria may still find value in MovieGrabber’s robust capabilities. However, long-term viability will depend on community-driven forks or transitions to alternative, actively maintained solutions like Radarr or CouchPotato.
MovieGrabber’s legacy underscores the enduring interest and demand within the open-source community for intelligent automation solutions in digital media management.