Netflix, Lovefilm - Watch movies online Cheap & free movie streaming

If you've got Sky TV and the Sky Movies package (£16 on top of a standard Sky subscription), you'll probably have more than enough films to watch. And even more movies if you've a Sky+HD box with Sky Anytime+, as you can watch them on-demand whenever you want.

If this is the case, a monthly subscription to an online movie streaming service may not be the best MoneySaving way to get more films. Sky Box Office charges about £3.50 per film for the new releases; which is the same price as new releases on Lovefilm, Blinkbox and at Blockbuster.

You may be able to cut costs by haggling with Sky (and if you haven't already got Sky Movies, you could blag a free trial) though. For full info, see the Sky Haggling guide. And if you want to try streaming, browse the free online movie services before you sign up for anything.

You can stream movies onto your on a PC/laptop with minimal effort. To get the best viewing experience when streaming, you need:

• A compatible internet browser. When you sign up to a service, read its techie requirements and run films in a compatible browser.
  
  For example, Lovefilm suggests installing the latest version of either Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Apple Safari. You may also have to install the latest version of Microsoft Silverlight Player.
• A new-ish PC/laptop. You should be running either Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or, if you've a Mac, OS 10.3+. Almost all recent laptops and PCs come with one of these, so it shouldn't be a problem.

All the newest games consoles are capable of streaming TV and films, when connected to the internet (either over wi-fi or via an 'ethernet' cable straight from your router).

The streaming services available to you will depend on your console:

It's important to note though, you may also have to pay an extra subscription to access these services. For example, if you've an Xbox 360, in order to get Netflix or Crackle you'll need the Xbox Live membership, which is effectively a £5/month charge to use online Xbox services, including gaming and streaming.

Combining this extra cost with a subscription service like Netflix will mean your overall cost is higher. So watching via your console may not necessarily be the best route for you, unless you're already paying for these subscriptions for your online gaming.

When streaming a movie, the data is sent to you bit by bit. As each bit arrives, it is processed by your PC (or other device).

The online film provider will try to send the data to your device as smoothly as possible, but if your broadband connection isn't fast enough to process it, the film will keep pausing while the connection waits for the next bit of data to be sent, known as 'buffering'.

Most services recommend a connection speed of around 2MB to prevent buffering (check your speed with the Broadbandchoices online speed checker). If you find your broadband can't handle streaming a film, there are a few things that you can do to help speed up your connection:

• If you pause the film, it will continue to be streamed. This will queue up more of the film, so when you hit play, it should run more smoothly.
• Try switching from high-definition to standard definition (or 'normal resolution'). Streaming in HD requires more bandwidth, so will slow down the connection and could cause buffering.
• Turn off any other applications, such as MSN Messenger or iTunes, that could be running in the background - these use up vital bandwidth.
  
  Also, if you (or someone else in your house) are downloading anything else, playing games etc, this will slow your connection speed and cause the film to buffer.
• If you're watching on a computer that's using a wireless signal, connecting it straight to your router with an ethernet cable will make a big difference. Because wireless signals travel through the air, they can weaken when they have to go walls and furniture.
  
  So, if you're watching a film upstairs in your bedroom but your router is downstairs in the living room, the signal could be intermittent, causing the film to buffer.

It may also be worth talking to your internet provider to see if your connection speed is being reduced at all. Your provider can reduce your connection for streaming at certain times of the day or on certain days of the week.

If your broadband is still too slow to stream a film without it buffering, consider switching to another provider with a faster service. Full info in Cheap Broadband.

Your broadband download allowance is a limit on the amount of data that can be transferred over your broadband connection.

Any internet use counts towards your total usage, whether you're actually downloading something or not. Even casual surfing or Facebook-ing will use up some of your allowance.

So, although you're not actually downloading a film when you stream, it will still use a large chunk of data. As a general rule:

• A standard definition (SD) film of about 90mins will use about 1.5GB of data
• A high-definition (HD) film of about 90mins will use about 3.5GB of data.

It's important you keep tabs on how much you're using, as unless you have an unlimited broadband package, you may be hit with gargantuan charges for going over your limit.

Likewise, if you're routinely watching Netflix or Lovefilm on a 3G mobile device, like an iPhone or iPad, and you're not using wi-fi, you run the risk of exceeding your mobile provider's data allowance.

For more info read the Cheap Broadband guide for home web deals with unlimited usage, and the Cheap iPhone and Cheap iPad guides for info about mobile data packages.

All of the streaming sites listed in this guide are 100% legal - even the free ones. But there are plenty of websites online that offer "free movie streaming" which aren't legal, and could put your PC/laptop at risk of viruses, malware and trojans.

So it's important you know how to protect yourself, both from the security threats and the fine and/or prison sentence you could face for streaming an illegal movie.

We spoke to online security expert Graham Cluley to get his advice on online streaming:

Am I breaking the law if I stream movies online? "It's not breaking the law if the site has permission to stream the movie! It's all to do with whether the site has struck a deal with the movie company to reproduce their movie in streaming form," says Cluley.

There is a plethora of free streaming sites available, and many are illegal, so it's important you know what to look out for when choosing one.

What should I be looking out for when choosing a site to stream online content? Cluley says: "You're obviously going to feel more comfortable when visiting a site which has a well-established brand."

Sites like Netflix and Lovefilm offer trusted, secure streaming services. A quick Google for "free online moving streaming" brings up a host of illegal sites - nine times out of 10, if it is offering the latest releases for free, it's not legit. It'll be a bootleg site which is streaming an illegal copy.

This could make you suceptible to viruses and other malware. Cluley's advice: "Go with a well-established name."

What about viruses/malware? Is streaming safe? If you're using a big name service, like Lovefilm, it will be safe. But be vigilant and look out for phonies. "Hackers have in the past created websites which attempt to trick you into installing malware (on the pretext of being a video plugin)," says Cluley.

"You should always run up-to-date antivirus software, and only download a Flash plugin, for instance, from Adobe's real website." The Flash site will tell you what version you have here.

What about pop-up blockers? "A site may ask you to disable pop-up blockers because it might prevent the playing of the video or because they plan to pop up adverts," says Cluley. "Either way, my advice would be to be wary of disabling such blockers."

So, will I be safe while streaming movies online? It's unlikely that a big-name streaming site such as Netflix or Lovefilm will pose a security risk, but you can never be too careful, as Cluley suggests: "Of course, any website (including legitimate) ones can be hacked - and have malware planted on them. Up-to-date antivirus software and security patches can protect you."

For more info about protecting your PC/laptop, see the Free Antivirus Software guide.