Downloading the Legal Way - Where, What and How to Get Your Movies

Typically when the average person wants to download a movie from the internet, the legal ramifications are the furthest thing from their mind. Piracy is illegal regardless of your intentions, be it simply downloading or distributing the movie. What appears to some as a victimless crime becomes a whole other matter when lawsuits are filed and/or time is spent behind bars for the simple action of downloading an illegal copy of said movie. Of course, the punishments vary depending on the degree in which the person is involved. Every year the film industry loses billions of dollars in revenue due to the illegal distribution of movies as torrents on several websites. Not only can you protect yourself, but you can also put a positive foot forward and support the entire industry itself by assuring that all of your films come from a reputable source. There are several websites that allow you to download movies legally, for a small price, and provide top DVD-quality movies for you to choose from.

Many of the websites offering these illegal torrents are careless in who they let upload and download their files. More often then not you find users, and/or bot programs, that upload malicious content in hopes of tricking users to download their files. What may appear to be the latest hit blockbuster one moment, may in fact be a keylogging trojan waiting in the wings to steal your account information (which could very well include your personal bank or credit card information). Victims of the theft often don't realize what's hit them until it's too late. The trojans themselves are embedded into files and require the user to click on the executable file in order to spread throughout your computer. Often times the result is merely a mild form of spyware that is used to track website hits and incorporate popup advertisements, though in extreme cases users have had their virtual identity stripped from their computers and lost countless dollars due to password theft. The best solution possible is the one in which the threat does not exist. Protect yourself and your computer by avoiding these unmonitored "free" websites or you may just get more then you bargained for.

So you want to download movies legally and with efficiency? There are so many websites providing this service these days that it can be difficult to know which one is the best means for you. The best way to determine which site you want to use is by closely examining the website's After Sales Report. A good site will provide 24-hour support, be it live chat or a phone call away, and be easily contactable via email. Several websites will list email as their only means of support, and often tend to place their customers into a queue in which they pick and choose what to answer at their own convenience. Customer service should always be at the forefront of their concerns. If you feel for any reason that your issues aren't in the companies interest, simply find another source.

The last thing to consider when downloading movies, is the format in which to view them. There are several factors involved when it comes to compatibility. If you're watching the films from your computer, be sure to take note of the player you are using. Different programs tend to use different file extentions, which may prove to be a hindrance. For example, if you are using Windows Media Player(WMP) the default format is a .WMA extension. The average movie file is in .AVI format and will require a codec in order to play on WMP. It is especially important to consider, when burning the film to a DVD as a good share of older file types won't be compatible with the DVD players of today. While it's convenient to expect the websites to keep up with ever-evolving technology, the reality can be far from the case. There are a good number of websites that will charge high prices for a format that was common five years ago, yet isn't compatible with todays DVD players. A good website will carry multiple formats, for the old and new - most even to accommodate portable players such as the iPod. Hand in hand with the format of your film comes the resolution. You'll want to consider the size of the television (or in some cases monitor) before initially downloading your movie. You don't want to be downloading something meant for a 17" display when you're watching it on a 50" widescreen TV, as the picture may appear cutoff or distorted.

It may seem complicated at first glance, though once you take the necessary steps to finding a well developed website, you'll be on your way to downloading movies the legal (and safe) way in no time!

Convinced? Then Join Us in the 21st Century, it's after all. Check out our Reviews of the best Movie Download Sites and Services.