TV over broadbandFilm downloads

You don't need to leave the house to buy or rent the latest blockbuster films – just pop online and download them. There's an increasing selection of online film download stores offering movie downloads and below we've listed some of the most popular.

You can download films to own straight to your PC from the BT Vision Download Store

BT Vision Download store

BT has struck deals with a number of film production companies, including Universal Pictures and Warner Brothers, to sell downloads of films compatible with computers and portable video player. Check out the BT Vision download store website for the full range of films available.

Prices typically range from £5.99 to £19.99, so in some cases the movie download costs more than buying a DVD. On the plus side, each film download comes with a version to watch on your PC and another copy for your portable media player. With some of the titles you get a DVD too - the disc is posted out to you.

Apple iTunes

Apple's iTunes Movie Store offers over 700 feature films for rent or purchase.

Disney, Paramount, Warner Brothers and Lions Gate UK are among the major studios offering films through iTunes. Library films cost £6.99 to buy and £2.49 to rent, while new releases cost £10.99 to buy and £3.49 to rent.

Films can be transferred to iPods (including the iPod Classic, Nano with video, Touch and iPhone). Some HD films are available, but to watch them you'll need Apple TV.

Users have up to 30 days to begin watching rental titles and 48 hours to watch it after it has been started.

LoveFilm

Online DVD rental specialist LoveFilm offers movie downloads to buy or rent alongside its core business of renting DVDs.You can find out more about LoveFilm's service in our Which? guide to renting DVDs online.

Film downloads start at £9.99, and as well as being able to download the film direct to your computer, you're also able to download a copy to transfer onto a portable video player. Certain movies also come with a DVD copy that's posted to you after purchase.

Rental films can be watched as many times as you like within a given time limit (usually up to a week) once downloaded.

You can buy or rent movies from Tiscali Movies but to watch you'll need Windows Media Player

Tiscali Movies Now

Tiscali also has its own film download rental service Movies Now. Rental prices start from 99p, with the latest blockbuster films available for rent at high quality for £2.99 or at super high quality for £3.49. Buy to own films typically start at around £13.99.

Like rival services, films are sold in varying qualities and formats, and some also come complete with a DVD copy.

Free sites

There are even some decent sources of free (legal) downloads out there. The Internet Movie Archive has short films, adverts, public information broadcasts and even whole classic feature films to download – basically anything that has fallen into public domain.

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much and George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead are among the amazing treasures you'll find here in their entirety. And they're all free to download.