With the recent onslaught of lawsuits over the illegal downloading of music and movies, many people have been on the lookout for cheap alternatives to their old ways.
Gone are the days when you could just log on to KaZaA and, without worry, download the new OutKast song or the latest Tom Cruise flick. Many look to new websites to fulfill their downloading desires.
Predictably, websites have sprung up trying to capitalize on this search. One such website is called Movielink.com. Movielink is an online movie download service that allows consumers to legally download - for a small fee ranging from $2.95- $4.99 - from its movie database. After downloading a selection, the movie stays in a computer's hard drive for 30 days, but once it is viewed a customer only has access to it for 24 hours - similar to pay-per-view services on television.
The site itself is very well-organized and easy to figure out. From the homepage there are a variety of ways to search for a movie: by category, by the name of the specific film, or even by browsing through staff picks similar to those that on display at a local Blockbuster.
Once a movie is selected, all a customer has to do is enter his credit card number and download the movie, which with high-speed modem connections is often quite fast. There are no late fees (as it deletes the movies from a computer automatically), and no cost for subscription.
For college students, this service seems ideal. Picture this: It's 3 a.m., you and your roommate have just ordered some Domino's, and you have a sudden hankering to watch one of those Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movies. You are too embarrassed to ask random people in your hall if they own it, and Blockbuster has already closed. In this scenario, Movielink.com could come to your rescue.
Another instance when this website might prove useful is when traveling, because once a movie is downloaded, you don't have to be connected to the Internet to view it. Heck, You could even watch the movie during class.
For all these good points about Movielink.com, it can also be frustrating. When I tested it out, I spent about the amount of time it would take to walk to Blockbuster in Cleveland Circle (and back) scouring the website for a movie that I hadn't seen before and would want to see. Even though the site provided a wide variety of categories and movies, some of my favorites were not available.
Movielink.com definitely has the potential to develop into a widely-used service, especially since it can be hooked up to a TV and played on a TV screen. The limited selectionleave some people doing the unthinkable - actually getting up and going to an old-fashioned video store.
Spring Break
