| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
CinemaNow |
No. of Movie Titles: 1400+
Countries Serviced:
- USA - full range of titles
- UK - limited range of titles depending on licensing
- Worldwide - limited range depending on licensing
|
|
In the emerging market of legal online movie downloads CinemaNow has set itself out to be a cut above the rest. Its wide selection of movies and the vast array of different devices they can be played on make it stand out from the competition and belong at the top of our top 10 list.
On arriving at CinemaNow's elegantly designed main page you are instantly shown a selection of new releases on offer, which is handy if you aren't quite sure what you want to watch. From there you are provided with two main sections of the site for renting or buying movies. These two sections can be browsed by category or searched based on a variety of different factors. We particularly like the fact that you can search based on the director of the film or the actors in it...
>> Read the Full Review of
CinemaNow
|
|
|
|
Blockbuster Movie Downloads |
No. of Movie Titles: 1000+
Countries Serviced:
|
|
Retail movie giant Blockbuster now offers movies to download from its website. As you would expect from such a major player in the DVD movie business, the service is first rate and there is a wide selection of titles on offer. Just a couple of small niggles keep it from reaching the top spot in our top ten list.
The first thing you will notice about Blockbuster is the speed and ease of use of their web site. It incorporates loads of useful little features for navigating the site and finding the content you want. If you have used the Blockbuster website before you will instantly be familiar with the download section as it integrates with the rest of the site. If you haven't used it read on while we enthuse about some of its best features...
>> Read the Full Review of
Blockbuster Online Movie Downloads
|
|
|
|
Amazon Video on Demand |
No. of Movie Titles: 1500+
Countries Serviced:
|
|
Pioneers of online shopping Amazon are branching out into the uncharted territory of online movie downloads. As you would expect, their offering exudes the simple elegance and ease of use now synonymous with the Amazon brand. With lots of great movies and prices to match, Amazon Downloads sits high on our top ten list.
Amazon are the company others look to when setting the standard for online shopping - and their movie download section is no different...
>> Read the Full Review of
Amazon Video on Demand
|
|
|
|
iTunes Movie Downloads |
No. of Movie Titles: 1000+
Countries Serviced:
- UK
- USA
- Worldwide
- Titles available will depend on location
|
|
Apple's movie download offering through iTunes is as slick as you would expect from the pioneer of stylish computing. However, it lacks the substance to put it nearer the top of our top ten list at the moment. Read on to find out why.
From its website to its products to its software Apple clearly does things with style. After downloading the software, which is compatible with either PC or Mac, and signing up for an iTunes store account you are ready to begin downloading movies.
If you have never used iTunes before you will be impressed at how easy it makes buying, organising and watching the multimedia content on your computer...
>> Read the Full Review of
iTunes Movie Downloads
|
|
|
|
MovieFlix |
No. of Movie Titles: 4000+
Countries Serviced:
|
|
MovieFlix breaks from the usual movie download site mould to offer a different kind of service than we are used to. It doesn't offer new release feature movies but has a huge collection of classic movies that will appeal to film buffs and enthusiasts.
The first impression we got when arriving at the MovieFlix home page was that the site looks pretty amateurish and could do with a bit of a redesign. However, it's certainly not the worst looking site out there. It's difficult to put your finger on exactly what is wrong with it - maybe it's the dodgy banner ads or the Google ad-words box you wouldn't expect to see on a professional company's web site - but the whole site just feels a bit below par. On the plus side though, it is very easy to navigate and all the movies are organised into intuitive categories...
>> Read the Full Review of
MovieFlix
|
|
|
|
LOVEFiLM Movie Downloads |
No. of Movie Titles: 2000+ (includes TV and sports titles)
Countries Serviced:
- UK
- Some European Countries
|
|
Lovefilm bills itself as the most popular UK based online DVD rentals provider. It has now branched out into offering movies for download as well the original mail order service. Unfortunately it's only available to UK and a few European country customers just now, but still deserves a place high up here in our top ten list. Read on to find out why.
Lovefilm offers an excellent, cleanly designed web site for accessing their movie library. Movies can be browsed by category or searched for based on a number of different parameters. Both ways provide a really easy route to finding the movie you want. One particularly nice feature of the browsing method is that beside each thumbnail of the DVD box cover it lets you see the average star rating other users have awarded the movie...
>> Read the Full Review of
LOVEFiLM Movie Downloads
|
|
|
|
Vongo Starz Play |
No. of Movie Titles: 2500+
Countries Serviced:
|
|
Starz Play is a high profile movie download service offering lots of Hollywood movies as well as specialist content. It has recently taken over the Vongo service and now is provided in conjunction with Verizon - meaning it's available to US based customers only.
We were a bit confused when we first set off to review the Starz Play service as many of their links still refer to the old Vongo service which used to offer Starz Play. What's more Starz Play is a service in itself which is provided through a third party (currently only the Verizon internet service in the US) so some links refer to that as well. Despite this disjointed, split personality style web site, if you do manage to arrive at the correct page first time, signing up and downloading are a breeze...
>> Read the Full Review of
Vongo Starz Play
|
|
|
|
Netflix Movie Downloads |
No. of Movie Titles: 2000+
Countries Serviced:
|
|
Mail order rental favourite Netflix has jumped on the movie download bandwagon, but unlike its rivals this comes as a free extra with any mail order subscription. Read on to find out why, once again, Netflix is leading the way forward in movie rentals.
The Netflix website is a great example of how to design a simple and fun to use interface to pick your movies. There are great flash-based widgets that make it seem a bit like browsing the shelves in your local video store. What's more they don't slow the site down like many of these types of extra features tend to. Combine this with an excellent help section, a 24 hour helpline and everything is in place for an excellent level of service.
>> Read the Full Review of
Netflix Movie Downloads
|
|
|
|
EZTakes |
No. of Movie Titles: 5000+
Countries Serviced:
- UK
- USA
- Worldwide
- Titles available will depend on location
|
|
EZtakes is a unique service in that it offers movies to download DRM free. It doesn't carry Hollywood titles or the latest releases but has a huge catalogue of classic and independent movies. Film buffs and casual watchers alike are bound to find something of interest here.
EZtakes web site definitely does not have one of the most eye-catching designs we have ever seen. Often the text doesn't line up properly and the graphic icons look dated and washed out. In some ways it feels like it probably hasn't changed much in the 6 or so years since the company was established. However, as they say, looks aren't everything, and if you can get past the dreary design the site actually works very well. All the movies on offer are categorised nicely and there are specialist lists to group together hand picked collections...
>> Read the Full Review of
EZTakes
|
|
|
|
Real Superpass |
No. of Movie Titles: less than 1000
Countries Serviced:
|
|
Real Superpass is the streaming entertainment offering from Real Networks - creator of the popular RealPlayer Software. The Real Superpass is more than just a movie download service and provides access to a variety of other content.
The Real Superpass is not a fully fledged movie download service. It's more of a jack-of-all-trades entertainment service with some movies added into the bundle. You will probably find one or two titles to entertain you, but if you only want movies we recommend going elsewhere. However, if you want access to some good quality radio stations, TV channels and music downloads then this is definitely an option to consider...
>> Read the Full Review of
Real Superpass
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
