Downloading movies

[LouisEly]

Over the next 8 months I will be traveling back and forth from LA to NJ somewhat frequently for work. As far as entertaining myself for those 5-hour cross-country flights Blockbuster used to be great because they gave you up to two weeks before charging you any extra fees, but now they charge you extra after 5 days. The "one-at-a-time" Netflix doesn't work because you need more than one DVD for 10 hours of airtime. One other issue is that with a company-issued laptop I'm not supposed to install any software/programs on it.

 

So what is the best source for downloading movies and TV shows? The most important thing to me is download time - I have Verizon FiOS 25/25 so my download speed is really, really fast - I can download a movie in a couple of minutes. I don't mind paying for it, but I'd rather pay less to rent it than own it. I see that Blockbuster allows you to download stuff and keep it for up to 30 days (once you start watching it they give you 24 hours to finish it), however you have to install their player and I don't know that I want to install it on my company laptop.

 

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[nate82]

I'm not sure if Netflix installs anything or if you have to install anything for Netflix.

[ewizabeff]

you can download movies on itunes....same as Blockbuster I think, but you only have a week or so and 24 hours once you play it. I wonder if iTunes is standard enough to be allowed on your computer.

[nullbyte]

Netflix streaming is just a browser thing -- no software install (except for maybe Silverlight)

[logan82]

Netflix is streaming so you would need an internet connection.

[GAME05]

ah, so THAT'S why i recieved a bill from Blockbuster. that place is more expensive than most but i patronized them specifically because they didn't really have late fees.

 

beyond what was said about Netflix, Hulu doesn't have a ton of movies worth watching (mostly garbage), but a few are decent.

[TooLiveBrew]

Do any of the cable companies stream their free on-demand stuff online? I guess you'd have to provide some kind of username & password to access this if it existed, so I doubt it. They really should do that.

[1992casey]

I think I'd look into installing an operating system onto an external hard drive and booting from that. That way, you'd have a full OS set up to your liking that wouldn't interfere with your work stuff.

 

I wouldn't have a clue how to do this with Windows, which is what I assume you have. On a Mac, it's incredibly easy to do this.

[LouisEly]

Thanks for the suggestions. As mentioned, I would be watching it on an airplane, so anything streaming or on-line would not be an option.

 

I'll see if I can sneak iTunes by. I think I saw someone else with that on their laptop. I'll say I need the music for a presentation.

[endaround]

Amazon also has a video marketplace and they tend to be cheaper than iTunes. You may still be better off just looking for specials on DVD box sets of TV shows. How's the battery life on your laptop?

[sheethead]

Netflix - 3 out at a time is $16.99. You can drop them in any mailbox when you are done (after the flight out), and there will likely be more waiting for you when you get back home. This is what I use. Also allows you to stream what's available when you have an internet connection available. Good for Weeds, Californication, and documentaries. Not many good movies available for streaming.

[Katuluu]

I disagree with the movies available for streaming on Netflix, they keep adding titles every day and its now my preferred way to watch movies. I rarely watch the discs I rent, and instead stream them whenever possible.

 

I'd also second the recommendation of Amazon VOD. Its cheap and easy and has a good selection of films to choose from.

[sheethead]

I should have said not many new releases available to stream.

[mothershipconnection]

I disagree with the movies available for streaming on Netflix, they keep adding titles every day and its now my preferred way to watch movies. I rarely watch the discs I rent, and instead stream them whenever possible.

 

Selection is good, but how's your picture quality? Maybe this is a function of internet speed, but my quality is never even up to that of a standard DVD. Thus, I pretty much just use it for documentaries and things where visuals are not of great importance.

[bullox]

I'm a recent Netflix convert and I have noticed pretty high quality while streaming, comparable if not better than dvd quality. Granted I have a 20Mb cable line that often gives me better performance than that. It does take a short while (less than a minute) before the streaming quality gets up to its peak, it has to buffer the data before the quality comes in.

[LouisEly]

So I've installed iTunes on my (company) laptop and downloaded some TV shows. Unfortunately my laptop completely locks up when I try to play them.

 

And I can't play them on my personal desktop either - I downloaded a free TV show and when I go to play it nothing happens. Anyone know why this might be happening?

 

Edit: I've done some searching and apparently this is a problem. Any other solutions? Any other places I can download movies/TV shows from (and not slower than death - I have FiOS for a reason)?