YOUR INTERNET
CONNECTION
Maximum PC readers don’t need to be
told that downloading movies and TV
shows just ain’t gonna happen with a
dial-up connection—this is a job for
broadband: You’ll want DSL service with
a download speed of at least 800Kb/s for
standard-defi nition content; the faster your
connection, the less time you’ll wait before
you can start watching. Given the choice
between DSL and cable, we’d take cable;
fi ber is even better—just make sure your
ISP won’t throttle your connection if you
start downloading a lot of content.
If you crave high-defi nition movies,
you’ll want a much faster connection.
Most of the service providers covered in
this story recommend connection speeds
of 2Mb/s or faster. Upload speeds are not
nearly as important, since you’ll send very
little data to these service providers.IS HD AN OPTION?
Make sure your computer monitor or tele-
vision can handle HD content before you
pay extra to download it. HD content is
typically delivered in 720p, 1080i, or 1080p
resolution, with the “p” standing for “pro-
gressive scan” (all the horizontal lines are
drawn in sequence: 1, 2, 3....) and the “i”
meaning “interlaced” (the odd-numbered
horizontal lines—1, 3, 5...—are drawn fi rst,
and then the even-numbered lines—2, 4,
6...—are drawn in the next frame). Many
people can detect a fl icker in an interlaced
display, although a good HDTV will dein-
terlace content before displaying it.
Most large computer monitors (
inches and up) can handle 1080p,
although that’s often not their native
resolution. Only enhanced-definition
and high-definition TVs can handle any-
thing beyond 480i. You should also keep
aspect ratio in mind: Nearly all HDTV
content is presented with a native aspect
ratio of 16:9, so you’ll get the best expe-
rience from a display that has a native
resolution of 1080p and a native aspect
ratio of 16:9. Still, you probably won’t
notice any difference from a monitor that
has a native resolution of 1920x1200 and
an aspect ratio of 16:10.WATCHING ON
YOUR TV
The service provid-
ers reviewed here
have adopted one of
three business models:
Download content to
your PC and view it on
your computer monitor;
download content to your
PC and either view it on
your computer monitor
or stream it to your TV
using your wired or wire-
less (you’ll need 802.11n)
network and third-party
hardware you’ve pur-
chased; or download
content to a set-top box
that you’ve purchased
and plugged into your TV
or computer monitor.PAYING THE PIPER
While there’s plenty of free
amateur video to be found
on the Internet, Hollywood expects to be
paid. The services reviewed here operate
on one or some combination of three rev-
enue models: subscription , an all-you-can-
eat plan that allows you to download and
watch as much content as you’d like for a
monthly fee; rental , a pay-per-download
model that typically gives you 30 days to
begin watching and a 24-hour viewing win-
dow once you’ve initiated playback; and
purchase , the model that gives you the
most fl exibility (but far less fl exibility than if
you’d purchased a disc).
Service providers take very differ-
ent approaches to how they implement
these models, so be sure you understand
the terms of the service being offered.
CinemaNow and Vongo, for instance,
both offer a subscription service, but
CinemaNow’s subscription offerings exclude
most mainstream Hollywood releases.TERMS OF SERVICE
We can’t overstate the importance of know-
ing exactly what you’re going to get when
you do business with any of these service
providers. Here’s an overview of the ques-tions you should ask, but we’ll cover the
answers in detail in each review and in
our comparison chart on page 38: Is the
content in high defi nition or standard defi ni-
tion? Do you need to buy extra hardware?
Can you stream the content from your PC
to your TV? Can you transfer the content to
a portable player? If so, which devices are
supported? You won’t be able to burn rent-
ed content to a disc, but what about the TV
shows and movies you buy? If your hard
drive craps out or your download becomes
corrupted, can you re-download content
you’ve purchased?DEPTH OF CATALOG
Don’t assume all these services have the
same movies and TV shows on tap. Each
company negotiates independent deals with
the Hollywood studios that control the bulk
of the top-shelf content. We’ll grade each
provider’s catalog in our individual reviews,
based on the availability of new releases,
depth of their catalog, and their collection
of cult classics (we’ve posted our complete
fi ndings at http://tinyurl.com/yp7w8u ). We’ll
award extra points for high-def content.What to Know Before Logging On
Downloading movies and TV shows is a very different experience than renting or buying a disc
20 MAXIMUMPC | MAY 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
If you’re going to download high-resolution movies, make
sure your display can handle it. We used ViewSonic’s
42-inch N4285p LCD TV, which supports a maximum
resolution of 1080p.BUYERS GUIDE
DOWNLOAD
SERVICES
MOVIE GUIDE