Please Turn on Your iPhone (iPad or Laptop) for the Movie
February 24, 2012
Watching Movies on Your iPhone, iPad or Laptop
If you have an iPhone, iPad or laptop, watching movies has never been easier. Forget the whole process of going to the video store. Do they still have those, anyway? Sure, there’s the RedBox, but who wants to drive back to return the film? Netflix is great, but having to wait days in between videos can be frustrating. These iPhone apps, iPad apps and websites will help you get caught up on new movies before the Academy Awards on Monday – even if you’re on the go the entire time.
1. Netflix App & OnDemand
If you have a 3G iPad or iPhone, watching movies on the go is as simple as downloading Netflix. Netflix makes an app that streams video to mobile devices. A subscription is $7.99/month, and the app is free to subscribers. Most of their online content is film, but they also have television series that have been released on DVD. (If you like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, The Tudors or Doctor Who, this is good option.)
If you’re using your laptop (or any other Internet ready device), you can watch videos OnDemand on the Netflix website. Rentals are also compatible with most gaming consoles, select Blu-ray players and HDTVs, Tivo DVR players, Roku and Apple TV.
2. Hulu & Hulu Plus
Hulu Plus is a great option for television fanatics. The app is only available to subscribers, but some programming can be watched at no cost via Internet on your laptop or home computer. Hulu’s free website boasts the most recent five shows in many popular network series, with Hulu Plus adding on full season and, in some cases, full series runs. This may not be as helpful for the Academy Awards, but you’ll be thankful for it when the Emmy’s come around. Hulu Plus does offer some movies, including selections from Mirimax and the Criterion Collection. The subscription price is the same as Netflix ($7.99/mo), and covers many of the same devices.
3. iTunes
iTunes is a reliable option. You can buy or rent movies or episodes of a television show straight to your devices. There is a much greater selection than Netflix or Hulu Plus, but it’s a flat fee per rental, instead of a subscription rate. If you buy programming, you can share it easily among your devices, so you can watch movies you purchase on your computer, iPad, iPhone and television. (We’ll tell you what kind of hardware you need to stream content to your television in a later article.)
4. Air Video
If you have a movie on your computer, you can use Air Video to share that content with your iPad or iPhone. Make sure the files you want to share are either in a folder on your hard drive or on an iTunes playlist. Just install Air Video Server on your computer and add the folders you want to share with your devices by selecting “Add Disk Folder” or “Add iTunes Folder.” You can then use the Air Video App to connect to the server you created, which will allow you to access and watch your videos!
There are so many ways to watch your movies on the go; get caught up by Monday, and your Oscar predictions will be spot on! Whether you already own a video or want to rent or buy it, you can take it with you. Now all you need is Octa’s iPad stand and a good pair of speakers or headphones.
Dana Braziel-Solovy is a comic book aficionado who’s getting more and more into technology every day. When she’s not busy training her Sith Apprentice, she uses her iPhone to command an army of virtual dragons.
