Graboid Review

Graboid is a free-to-try application that allows you to stream movies and television shows. It utilises Usenet – which has thousands upon thousands of videos, but Graboid is superior to Usenet, since it doesn't require any waiting around for the video to download before you can begin watching.

Since Graboid uses Usenet, it always has the very latest videos ready to be watched, and all the videos download at the maximum your internet allows. Streaming a video begins after approximately 20 seconds of initial buffering.

For frequently asked questions about Graboid, please refer to our frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Installation Process

When I first downloaded Graboid, I did so with many expectations as to what it would provide. The installation itself was straight-forward – and curiously it asked me to install the VLC player, but it's not necessary to install it if you already have it installed. The other installation steps were all standard – absolutely no other applications are installed alongside Graboid.

After the installation, I ran Graboid and was presented with a form to fill in my details to begin my free trial. The information which Graboid asks from you is the following, which I believe is a sufficient amount. Thankfully I did not have to enter my payment details, as you do with so many trials these days. Therefore even if you begin the free trial, and forget about it, you will not be charged.

• First Name & Surname
• Email Address
• Username
• Password

Graboid then sent me a confirmation email, which simply required me to click on the link to activate my account. I was then free to login to Graboid to begin watching any videos of my choosing.

First Impressions

The first screen that I was presented with in Graboid was a page listing the latest videos. In the free trial, every single video can be played, apart from those that are available in high-definition (HDTV), since these consume a lot more bandwidth. Each of these videos can be clicked on, and played straight away. Each video also has a rating for the video quality and audio quality – sine some of the videos found on Graboid are the very latest videos, which may have been recorded in front of a cinema screen, and therefore suffer slightly in their quality. One aspect of Usenet however is that unwatchable videos are flagged and removed. I ascribe the aformentioned as to the reason why I did not encounter any unwatchable videos on Graboid. My only gripe is the buffering – which can sometimes take up to a minute or two, but I believe this is a minor price to pay for what you get.

If you are knowledgeable as to the Usenet terminology, then Graboid has a very high retention rate. I have seen videos available on Graboid with up to 365 days' retention, which is remarkable, since it is difficult to find such retention for a reasonable price.

Graboid has a search functionality at the top of the application – and I found this to be rather useful. While it does not search through attached NFOs for keywords, it is particularly useful if you have a vague idea of what you're looking for. Curiously, the search usually takes around 5 seconds to complete, which is considerably quicker than many of the Usenet indexes out there. Presumaly Graboid keeps a well indexed databae of what's available on Usenet in the most popular Usenet groups, and uses this to quickly find what you're looking for.

My first impressions are therefore very positive. It is difficult to ask for anything more from an application that provides a good amount of videos, with quick search functionality, and videos that are available to be streamed after a short buffer time.

What's Available

I found an iminagable amount of videos available on Graboid. Since Graboid is a video application, such files as games and other applications are not availale for download through Graboid. For every video there is, I found there is usually a high-definition equivalent – such as those videos in BluRay or DVD. Television shows are typically uploaded in both normal quality, and high-definition quality. As a side note for those who wish to watch the more adult videos, then Graboid provides access to those as well – again, these videos are present in their thousands.

The following are the categories of videos on Graboid:

• Adult
• Movies
• HD Movies (High-Definition)
• Television Shows
• HD Television Shows (High-Definition)

Once a video has been successfully streamed on Graboid, it can be saved to your computer permanently for if you wish to watch it again in the future. This means that you won't have to download it for a second time, and can burn the video to a CD or DVD for a friend to watch. I found this particularly useful, since I often recommend videos to my friends if I enjoyed them.

After Thoughts

In my review of Graboid, I found it very useful, in that it does exactly what I expected it to do. I was often tired of waiting for videos to download with other methods (such as Torrents and RapidShare) – and would try to waste some time until I could begin watching a video. With Graboid, however, this is eliminated, as all the videos begin playing straight away, without any loss in the quality of the videos what-so-ever.

If after your trial has finished, you wish to continue using Graboid, then you can pay as little as $4.99 per month. With that subscription, you can continue using Graboid just as you were doing in your trial. If you wish to upgrade, downgrade, or cancel your Graboid subscription, then it easy to do. Nevertheless, the trial remains 100% free for 30 days, and will give you plenty of opportunities to decide whether or not you want to use Graboid to download your videos.

Further Reading

We attempt to provide as much information as posible about Graboid – from our review which you have just read, to a video review giving you an overall look at Graboid, as well as user reviews submitted by people just like you!

• Take a look at the user reviews written by people like you.
• Care to watch a video of Graboid? Then begin watching now!
• Curious how it looks? Then lose yourself in our collection of Graboid screenshots.

Rating

For its easy-to-use nature, the peerless quality of the videos, and the speed at which they download, as well as the thousands upon thousands of videos available, I'm going to give Graboid full marks. There may be one or two minor issues, such as a slightly longer buffer time on occasions, but overall, this does not take anything away from Graboid's overall strengths.