How to Find Alternatives to Pirated Entertainment Products
Use online music services., Search online archives., Watch movies online., Explore free video sites., Watch free television online., Get a free trial of an online service., Share with friends.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use online music services.
Rather than downloading pirated music, use an online streaming services such as Pandora or Spotify.
These sites allow you to listen to brand new albums without purchasing the album.If you pay for premium service, you can listen without commercial interruptions.
You can listen to brand new music for free if you don’t mind hearing occasional advertisements. -
Step 2: Search online archives.
Internet Archive, for example, is an online source for thousands of hours of classic television, movies, books, software, music and more.
Everything on this site is available for free.Depending on your interests, other specialty archives can be accessed to stream entertainment in your home.
Open Library is an internet project devoted to providing free digital access to every book ever published.Some books may only be eligible for borrowing, while others can be downloaded permanently.
Open Culture is another site dedicated to streaming online entertainment for free., For a small monthly fee, you can legally watch a variety of feature films, televisions shows, and concert videos online.
Sites such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and others are alternatives to pirated movies.Getting a Roku, Apple TV, X-box or another device allows you to stream entertainment directly to your television.
If you already pay for premium cable channels such as HBO or Showtime, you’ll be able to get internet access to these shows on your computer by downloading an app such as HBO GO.
Other specialty streaming sites include Fandor for indie films, Crunchy Roll for anime, or Snagfilms for documentaries. , Youtube, Vimeo, and other online sites post user-generated content that anyone can watch for free.
While you may not be able to watch the latest blockbuster movie, you’ll find documentaries, short videos, even feature-length films that aren’t owned by major distributors.These sites offer apps that allow you to watch them on your television, computer, or tablet.
Some online sites may offer recycled content from other streaming sources.
For example, TV Duck is a site that relies on content sourced from sites like Hulu and Netflix., All the major networks have some content available online.
The most recent episodes of your favorite show are almost always available for viewing within 24 hours of their airing.
You may be able to watch shows from months or years ago, or access special interviews with television stars.Services like Sony's Crackle offer a wide variety of shows for free.
Livestation is a site that streams news programs from all networks for free, including BBC World News, CNN International, Bloomberg, Sky News, and Al Jazeera English. , All the major entertainment online services, including Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Lovefilm (in the UK), offer 30-day trial services.
To take advantage of these streaming services for free, simply sign up for a 30-day trial.
Then, at the end of the month, you're free to cancel this subscription.You can use various services to provide fake credit card numbers (since a credit card number is required to register for the 30-day trial) and fake names and email addresses if you want to re-register every 30 days for a new free trial, but technically this practice would also be considered pirating.
One way to extend the trials is to try one service for 30 days, then another for the next 30 days, another for the next, and so on.
As many services have similiar content, you'll be extending your free trial for months.
When you get to the end of the round, start again with the first service using a second email account and repeat the process. , If you pay for one streaming service, you can sign in anywhere to use it.
This is intended to be used by one person who has multiple viewing devices.
In practice, though, it means that one account can be shared by many different people just by sharing user names and passwords.As long as one person is paying for access, you should be able to receive uninterrupted service.
This practice is not currently discouraged by most online entertainment providers. -
Step 3: Watch movies online.
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Step 4: Explore free video sites.
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Step 5: Watch free television online.
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Step 6: Get a free trial of an online service.
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Step 7: Share with friends.
Detailed Guide
Rather than downloading pirated music, use an online streaming services such as Pandora or Spotify.
These sites allow you to listen to brand new albums without purchasing the album.If you pay for premium service, you can listen without commercial interruptions.
You can listen to brand new music for free if you don’t mind hearing occasional advertisements.
Internet Archive, for example, is an online source for thousands of hours of classic television, movies, books, software, music and more.
Everything on this site is available for free.Depending on your interests, other specialty archives can be accessed to stream entertainment in your home.
Open Library is an internet project devoted to providing free digital access to every book ever published.Some books may only be eligible for borrowing, while others can be downloaded permanently.
Open Culture is another site dedicated to streaming online entertainment for free., For a small monthly fee, you can legally watch a variety of feature films, televisions shows, and concert videos online.
Sites such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and others are alternatives to pirated movies.Getting a Roku, Apple TV, X-box or another device allows you to stream entertainment directly to your television.
If you already pay for premium cable channels such as HBO or Showtime, you’ll be able to get internet access to these shows on your computer by downloading an app such as HBO GO.
Other specialty streaming sites include Fandor for indie films, Crunchy Roll for anime, or Snagfilms for documentaries. , Youtube, Vimeo, and other online sites post user-generated content that anyone can watch for free.
While you may not be able to watch the latest blockbuster movie, you’ll find documentaries, short videos, even feature-length films that aren’t owned by major distributors.These sites offer apps that allow you to watch them on your television, computer, or tablet.
Some online sites may offer recycled content from other streaming sources.
For example, TV Duck is a site that relies on content sourced from sites like Hulu and Netflix., All the major networks have some content available online.
The most recent episodes of your favorite show are almost always available for viewing within 24 hours of their airing.
You may be able to watch shows from months or years ago, or access special interviews with television stars.Services like Sony's Crackle offer a wide variety of shows for free.
Livestation is a site that streams news programs from all networks for free, including BBC World News, CNN International, Bloomberg, Sky News, and Al Jazeera English. , All the major entertainment online services, including Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Lovefilm (in the UK), offer 30-day trial services.
To take advantage of these streaming services for free, simply sign up for a 30-day trial.
Then, at the end of the month, you're free to cancel this subscription.You can use various services to provide fake credit card numbers (since a credit card number is required to register for the 30-day trial) and fake names and email addresses if you want to re-register every 30 days for a new free trial, but technically this practice would also be considered pirating.
One way to extend the trials is to try one service for 30 days, then another for the next 30 days, another for the next, and so on.
As many services have similiar content, you'll be extending your free trial for months.
When you get to the end of the round, start again with the first service using a second email account and repeat the process. , If you pay for one streaming service, you can sign in anywhere to use it.
This is intended to be used by one person who has multiple viewing devices.
In practice, though, it means that one account can be shared by many different people just by sharing user names and passwords.As long as one person is paying for access, you should be able to receive uninterrupted service.
This practice is not currently discouraged by most online entertainment providers.
About the Author
Richard Wilson
Writer and educator with a focus on practical organization knowledge.
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