Where to Download Movies Legally

Here's an interesting tidbit I picked up from today's edition of thelondondpaper. It's a comparison of the best places to download films legally, which is kind of relevant to this site. LoveFilm came out on top with 4/5, not surprising given that they've really been pushing it on the LoveFilm site..

Anyway, check out their conclusions here. "In the game of legal film download one-upmanship, our American counterparts may have had the upper hand, but with the launch of Apple’s new film download service and ­iLoaded.com in the past two months, we’re catching up. Here’s a round-up of what’s on offer for cinematic ­computer buffs.

Apple

Cost: From £3.49 to rent and £10.99 to buy The set-up: Apple has 700 films on iTunes, and it has nifty suggestions – all with mini-trailers. The site is easy to navigate, and films automatically save to iTunes. Rentals must be watched within 48 hours of when first viewed. Highs: It’s the best service for Mac users. Film choice isn’t vast, but varied. Lows: The set-up box to screen on your TV is expensive and, apart from Juno and ­Cloverfield, the selection of new releases is limited. Verdict: 3/5

iLoaded

Cost: From free to £17.50 The set-up: Currently 200 films to download, with a further 800 promised by the end of the year. Films are sorted by genre, and you’re given a choice of downloading files to suit various formats for your iPod, PC or mobile. Highs: The checkout and website is speedy. Lows: Although they’ve got hot films such as Cloverfield, the overall selection is fairly standard, with a few hangover films – ones you don’t mind watching but wouldn’t pay for. Also, Mac users are stuffed – most of the content is incompatible. Verdict: 2/5

LOVEFiLM

Cost: From £1.99 to rent and £5.99 to buy The set-up: LOVEFiLM takes a bit longer to set up than the rest – but for PC users, it offers the most choice with 2,500 titles to rip into. Highs: LOVEFiLM’s biggest hook is that you can burn your download to DVD. Rented films have a much longer life – a week – and you can watch them as many times as you like. In most cases they will also post you a DVD version. Has a good selection of new releases; Forgetting Sarah Marshall and What Happens In Vegas are available. Lows: Most of the content is DRM (digital rights managed), so you can’t use it on Macs. Verdict: 4/5

And the rest...
skyplayer, 4od:

Channel 4’s 4oD offers films screened on Film Four, and ones it owns the rights to for rent-only, starting from £1.99, but only for PC users. BSkyB’s Sky Player offers box-office films, such as Sweeney Todd, for free. If, however, you are a Sky user but don’t have films in your set-up package, you can hand over £3.99 to rent one of the 30 box-office titles. Picture quality is top-notch.