Here are some interesting examples or possibilities:
http://www.cinemanow.com: Definitely legal, charging by the movie and within a 24-hour period of "renting." Purchases also available. You cannot burn the movies onto DVD or onto a handheld device.
http://www.unlimiteddownloads.com: Charges a one-time membership fee. After that, there are no more fees.
http://www.EMOL.org: FREE downloads  courtesy of Entertainment Magazine, as a vehicle for their own promotions and advertising.

In January, 2006, DivX Inc. and Google Inc. came to a an agreement for a partnership that will eventually use the DivX technology to put Google Video onto all sorts of handheld devices.  This is an evolving technology, with all sorts of possibilities!

For legalities of downloading (a very serious matter), look at http://www.mpaa.org, the site for the Motion Picture Association of America. And, for more things to consider when considering movie downloads as an option, look at  http://www.onlinereviewboard.com, which will caution you about outdated software etc.

Movies by mail

If you are not quite ready for movie downloads, and are happy to carry on with your trusted DVD player, but are tired of going to your corner store in bad weather (just when seeing a movie at home is the best idea), you have 2 tried and true options for movies by mail, with one being more "tried" than the other.

Some years ago, Netflix started the concept of DVDs by mail. The concept is simple: you join (at a level that makes sense to you), you browse online, choose the movies, and they are then mailed to you in a flat envelope that also doubles as a return envelope. When you are done, you return it, postage-free, you receive the acknowledgement by email, and the next movie in your "queue" is sent out.

Sounds good? It is. The service is generally excellent, and even if once in a blue moon, a movie is lost, all that needs to be done is for the loss to be reported. Drawbacks? Sometimes,  you cannot get the most current movies.

Blockbuster, the movie rental giant, got into the picture relatively recently, using the same concept. The result? A lawsuit between Netflix and Blockbuster, with Netflix claiming that Blockbuster had copied its concept. If interested, see the NPR news article on the legal battle: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5331394

Netflix has been in the DVD-by-mail business a long time, with many satisfied customers. They both offer trials,  and cancellation policies are fairly straightforward. If interested in this hassle-free way of continuing to use your DVD player, check out both services!

Pay-Per-View, TiVo and the Slingbox

Movie buffs who also want convenience and watch on impulse have for years subscribed to premium movie channels on their cable service. Specific shows may be recorded onto the VCR (older technology) or onto a DVD recorder. This takes a little planning, as you have to be at the setup to set the timers and make sure the clock is right etc.

Of course, those who are given to impulse also enjoy pay-per-view through the subscription to a directTV service or dish network (check your local area for service -- sometimes, large electronics outlets like Circuit City are authorized "vendors" for these services). We have all encountered the service in hotels, and at home, it functions in much the same way.  You order the movie, decide the day and time and place, sit back and turn it on. You can even order an all-day-pass so that you may watch the event or show again. Note that the shows are scheduled in real time, unlike some other options.

See the Wikipedia's definition and description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay-per-view

A step beyond is the TiVo. The TiVo box functions like a DVD recorder with its own brain. It will automatically record shows whenever they are on, and will even skip repeats. There is a search engine for you to define your interests (e.g. actor, director or category), and there are "to-go" features for you to download onto your mobile devices. You can even do last-minute scheduling online from work! As if this is not enough, you also have the option for it to record 2 shows at once. For this service, you need the TiVo equipment as well as a subscription to the service. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TiVo

And finally, the hottest and newest, the Slingbox. The new technology is simple to use, and allows you to watch your movies from your computer or handheld device absolutely anywhere you are. Very recently, slingmedia even released compatible software for the UMPC!  Basically, you connect your video outlet to the slingbos, the slingbox player to your network and then the assocaited software onto your computer. For information, see http://www.slingmedia.com/.  For a review, see:
http://reviews.cnet.com/Sling_Media_Slingbox/4505-6463_7-31423815-2.html?tag=nav







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