Download Movies

Watch Movies On Your Computer

You don't have to burn movies to DVDs to be able to watch them. Any file can simply be played on your computer with the right programs and codecs. I'll tell you what you need, and soon you'll be on your way.

Do note that this is intended for movies you already own or have downloaded legally, and is not meant to be used for any illegal activities.

First thing you need is a media player. Windows comes with a media player, but it's pretty crappy, so go download Media Player Classic. It comes with most of the stuff you need, takes up far less memory, and it's completely free. Do a search for it, and I'm sure it will turn up.

To Play Most Movies

Next, you need to know what kind of movie file you have. They come in so many different types I won't even try to name them all. A few examples would be Xvid, mov, mpeg, and avi. Each type of movie is compressed differently to make it smaller. Each one requires a different codec, which enables it to be played.

Now, you could go hunt down each and every codec you need, or just download a codec pack. There are a bunch of them out there, so do a search for codec pack and see what you find. Try to get one from a reputable source to make sure you don't get any spyware.

Whenever you find your movie not working, showing a blank screen, or not having audio, it's a codec problem. Maybe you already downloaded a codec pack ages ago. It's time to get a new one. New compression types are always coming out and getting more efficient.

Other Media Types

Occasionally you will come across files that you just can't get to play, even with the right codecs. The previously mentioned movie files were all video files, but there may be times when you want to play a DVD or a VCD from your computer and can't get it to work.

To play DVD's on your computer, well you obviously need a DVD Drive. Most of them come with software to play DVD's, but if you don't have one you'll need to get one. Media Player Classic can handle most of your problems.

For anything that codecs and Media Player Classic can't handle, I'd recommend VLC Media Player. It can handle everything else, and even plays incomplete or damaged files. You should also be able to play ISO files straight off your hard drive without burning them to a dvd first (although you should).

I'll update this with links to the various players at a later time, but as they are widely available and links tend to change, I've left it up to you to search for them.