I decided to give AOL's
In2TV service another try, now that I have a broadband connection that can fully take advantage of it.
They have quite a collection of older TV shows and some movies available, and as far as I know you don't need an AOL account to take advantage of it. (even if you do, you can get a free
AIM account)
My daughter is a Godzilla freak, so I decided on the Rodan one. You can watch it low quality,
youtube style, instantly, or opt to get the Hi-Q download. (I decided to go for the Hi-Q)
All the downloads are high DVD quality... free...and legal. (DRM protected though)
It is delivered to you at
blazing speeds, 'torrent style', meaning you are getting parts from people that have already downloaded it, and you become a part of the distribution chain when you have the file. This is why the speeds are really fast. I don't have the fastest DSL on the planet, but I was really surprised at how fast this downloads.(
read more about the technology behind it)
Even though it's DRM protected and you can't burn it, the license term is pretty generous. The one I am downloading has a 3 year license...I can watch it as many times as I want within the next 3 years. I think that is pretty good for free.
I have downloaded from them before (back when I was on dialup) and the picture quality is very good....even at full screen.
Their downloading software doesn't bog down your bandwidth. It is 'smart' and adjusts speeds when necessary. I was able to continue streaming music from
Pandora without even the slightest hiccup, and it doesn't noticeably affect web page loading times.
So if you are looking for a little free legal video fun, give them a try.