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Watch Movies Online and View TV Shows with Video on Demand

Effective Living > Technology > Video

20080527-chicago-round-rock-maze-DSC05031Summary. Below is a list video on demand content providers for watching on-demand streaming video of movies and TV shows online as well as uploaded user content that is hosted. The best video providers offer excellent quality content, crisp image quality, high sound quality, and the ability to embed videos.

Procrastination Warning. Like surfing the web, playing video games, or spending time on social networking websites, watching short videos can be very addictive since most sites continue offering relevant/similar video content after you’re done viewing which feeds your interest. For this reason, we encourage purposeful and limited video viewing.

Service Key. The services below are keyed as follows: E=Embed, H=High Resolution Professional Quality, L=Link, M=Mixed High Quality and Low Quality Video, U=Upload.

  • Apple iTunes – “Music, movies, TV shows, applications, podcasts, audiobooks, university lectures and more. Download and enjoy all of then with iTunes.” (HL)
  • Apple Movie Trailers – High definition movie previews that can be downloaded with QuickTime Pro. (HL)
  • Apple Movies Under $10 – Weekly selections offered at a discount – requires iTunes. (HL)
  • Blip.tv – “A new class of entertainment is emerging that is being made by the people without the support of billion-dollar multinationals. Our mission is to support these people by taking care of all the problems a budding videoblogger, podcaster or Internet TV producer tends to run into. We’ll take care of the servers, the software, the workflow, the advertising and the distribution. We leave you free to focus on creativity.” [ Visit the ResourcesForLife.com Channel on Blip.tv ] (EHLMU)
  • FanCast.com – “Fancast is THE top entertainment site dedicated to celebrating television. Fancast gives fans instant access to an extensive video collection of television shows, movies, trailers and clips, so they can tune-in, catch-up and critique their favorite television programming. Fancast also offers comprehensive editorial and blog coverage with in-depth recaps and analysis on what’s hot and happening everyday in the world of television and entertainment.” (EHL)
  • Google Video – View our videos on Google and YouTube or post your own. (EMU)
  • Hulu.com – “Hulu was founded in March 2007 by NBC Universal and News Corp and is operated independently by a dedicated management team with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Beijing. Hulu closed a $100 million investment from private equity firm Providence Equity Partners in October 2007. Hulu’s mission is to help people find and enjoy the world’s premium video content when, where and how they want it. Hulu offers U.S. consumers a vast selection of premium video content, on demand, free and ad-supported: full episodes of TV shows, both current and classic, full-length movies, thousands of clips, and much more.” (EHL) [ Tour ]
  • Mag.ma – “Magma is for exploring, discovering, collecting, sharing, and tracking videos from everywhere. The Magma home page is composed of video charts for the most popular videos being watched, right now. Every video is given a score from a low of 1 to a high of 11, an indication of how popular the video has become. This is determined by the amount of related videos, views, comments and social media activity from all around the web.”
  • MSN Video – Offering a variety of video clips, with some advertising. Registered users can upload clips. (LMU)
  • ReelGood – “Reelgood is the most extensive streaming guide in the US and UK, with every TV show and movie available online. Browse through every TV series and movie and sort by title, release vear, genre, IMDB rating, and, most important- see where to watch it. Then play with a single click or tap.”
  • SideReel.com – “SideReel is an entertainment guide and community site for television and film enthusiasts. Here, you can be the guide, the critic, the expert, and of course a fan. SideReel is made of contributions from users like you. Feel free to add news, review one of your favorites, start a discussion, add information about the cast or crew of a show, or a new page entirely.” (EHL)
  • TED.com – “TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.” An excellent source of inspiring and thought provoking videos.
  • TheDailyShow.com – An amazingly designed video distribution system offering video searching based on topic, guest, as well as a unique timeline view. (EHLM)
  • Veoh.com – “Veoh is a revolutionary online video service that gives users the power to easily discover, watch, and personalize their entertainment viewing experience. With a simple broadband connection Veoh gives you free access to all of the great TV and film studio content, independent productions, and user-generated videos on the Web. From hit series on CBS, ABC, MTV Networks to content from Warner Bros., Sony Pictures and ESPN to your favorite YouTube clips, Veoh turns the vast universe of Internet video into an easy-to-use, high-quality, personalized experience that entertainment fans everywhere can enjoy.” (EHLMU)
  • Vimeo.com – “Vimeo is a thriving community of people who love to make and share video. From simple moments to masterpieces, Vimeo is the perfect home for you to upload, store and share all the video you create. Your video’s quality and security is important to us, and that is why we’ve built advanced privacy options, sharing tools, and high quality video encoding. So whether you are an amateur filmmaker, proud mom, restaurant critic, or just a guy with a cellphone, connect with Vimeo today.” (EHLMU)
  • YouTube.com – “Founded in February 2005, YouTube is the leader in online video, and the premier destination to watch and share original videos worldwide through a Web experience. YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on www.YouTube.com and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.” (EHLMU)

By Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson is a freelance writer and tech consultant in Iowa City. He is also the founder and Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website. Learn more at AboutGregJohnson.com