Best Movie Download Sites

Downloading Legal in a Nutshell

No doubt if the MPAA had any control over the situation, they would gladly tighten the screws down on movie downloading or streaming video. But one only has to look at the organization's success with movie pirating over the years or the 2007 writers' strike over compensation for movie and content downloaded over the internet to see how contentious the issues are and how impotent the producers and players of movies are to control the flow of streaming data. But that's for a different article; this one is about the best movie download sites. We will approach the subject strictly in regards to legal download sites and not those involved in illegal file-sharing a la Grokster, bootleggers, or any user-generated movie sites such as YouTube. It also excludes the cable or satellite movie downloads.

Basic Requirements and Process

The basic premise for the majority of movie download sites is that the user has a computer, an internet connection (and hopefully it's broadband), time, patience, and a credit card. In general the process for most sites goes as follows:

1. Browse for the movie title.
2. Pay via credit card or in some cases PayPal.
3. If necessary, download the movie site's software application for viewing the movie. Many support Window® Media Player, Apple iTunes, RealPlayer, or other media download software programs, but in some cases you will need the site's proprietary program for downloading movies.
4. View the movie on your PC/iMac, laptop, iPod/PDA, or actually your television (imagine that!).
5. To watch on your TV, you will either need to burn a DVD copy (if legal and allowed) for playback or have a PC-TV network connection capability.

Rent it, Buy it, Burn it

The best movie download sites give you options to download and view for a 24-hour period or buy it. Not all sites allow burning DVDs for viewing but those that sell the movies usually include digital copy authorization to burn a DVD for viewing. Some will also allow copying to your DVR for playback on your TV. Figure out which download site fits your needs and go with them. Many offer monthly subscription services similar to the mail order subscriptions like Netflix.

A Short List of the Best

Here is a short and abbreviated list of some of the best movie download sites in no order of relevance:

• Amazon Unbox

Yes, what doesn't Amazon do? Download a movie title to your PC with Amazon's Unbox Player, or there's an option to link directly to your TiVo. You can rent or own...Hey, PC only, what about my iMac?

Apple iTunes Use iTunes to download the digital rights to movies to watch on your iPod, iMac or play on your television using Apple TV. Take that, Amazon.

Walmart They tried, they failed, they closed down on December 21th, 2007.

VUDU Black magic downloads without needing a PC. Use VUDU's proprietary set-top box with pre-loaded movie titles. When you select a movie VUDU begins downloading it in real time for playback direct to your TV. VUDU could be ringing the bell on video stores, Netflix, TiVo, and the world as we know it. Does HD. Stay tuned.

SuperPass™ RealPlayer Use RealPlayer's SuperPass™ to watch near DVD-quality films on your PC or iMac. Note the word, near, and say no more.

Movielink® Movielink is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Blockbuster. You can download movies to your PC with Windows® XP or Vista and network to your TV or AT&T's Homezone DVR. You can rent for 24 hours or purchase a license to watch on a maximum of 3 PCs. What? Again, no iMac? Hey, and what if I'm boycotting AT&T?

CinemaNow They're one of the pioneers in legit movie downloads, since 1999. They licensed many flicks from major studios and give you three options: Rent for 24-hour period, purchase to own, or get the legal right to burn a DVD on your PC to play on your TV. Adult titles to boot. They support multiple media players.

EZTakes Esoteric and eclectic titles. The place to go to find those late-night movies in the "B" category.

How Good are Movie Downloads over the Internet?

At best, typical downloaded movies are near DVD-like quality. That means it isn't. The biggest hurdle for downloading movies is bandwidth. Digital movies mean lots of data. Even with data compression, if you don't have a high-speed internet connection you will need the perseverance of a tortoise and be satisfied with less than DVD quality, much less HD quality movies. But if you like to watch flicks, don't want to scoot down to the video store to watch Legally Blonde for the 10th time, and don't mind jaggy edges; then downloaded movies could be a convenient compromise..