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If you have to download videos, at least watch them right

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Sahil Mohan Gupta
Sahil Mohan GuptaJan 28, 2015 | 15:30

If you have to download videos, at least watch them right

Not many openly admit it, but the blunt truth is that at least in India, a vast majority downloads movies and TV shows illegally. It is a simple fact. Many content creators will liken this act to theft, but in India, where access to TV shows from the West, particularly the United States, is limited at best or otherwise fraught with heavy edits, this is the only option.

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Game of Thrones TV show is a great example of this rampant piracy. In the last few years, it has become the most pirated show on the planet. So even though the show is aired in India, albeit in a heavily edited, gore-free avatar, people like to watch the show within hours of it airing in the US. Reportedly even some directors don't lose too much sleep over piracy. It is also noted that some of their shows would never have become "cult" if it wasn't for piracy. Here, for instance, Game of Thrones cannot be aired without censorship, considering the level of nudity and gore the show has. Therefore, piracy is not the big issue.

The issue is that we are watching these shows the wrong way.

For starters, let us stop running random Google searches for the torrent file of XYZ movie or TV show. Google itself has adapted its search algorithm to rid itself of results that promote torrent sites, which are perceived to be safe havens for pirated movies and TV shows. Chances are that you will not find what you are looking for, and end up on a site that hosts some nasty malware.

Instead of randomly looking for something, people should be visiting sites that have a good track-record for hosting torrents or streaming movies and TV shows. However, this is again just a basic step. These sites are often riddled with malicious advertisements. Hence, the installation of an ad-blocking tool is a must as a basic layer of protection.

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Still, a lot more can be done. For instance, if a user just buys a subscription of uTorrent Plus, which is the paid version of the uTorrent client, a safer and virus free downloading experience can be found. It does not cost a lot. Rs 1,800 for a subscription is not a lot when one takes into account the amount of content that one can access for free.

Windows PCs are notorious for malware. Hackers know this to be true the world over and they exploit this by hiding malware in videos that people download thinking to be a movie or a TV show. This results in a lot of trouble for the user in the end. Does anyone remember pesky pop-ups? Moreover, it offers benefits like real-time streaming of the video file that you are downloading and a level of anti-virus protection.

Apps like Popcorn Time already offer a curated list of movies and TV shows, which can be streamed on demand. Users can download the Plex server to access content on their hard drive anywhere at the click of a button.

Most people also watch these movies and TV shows on their laptops, which is plain wrong. If you have a 32-inch TV in your house, then you should be using it. Right? The small screens are also not good for your eyes and are certainly a strain when you are binging on shows like Breaking Bad, House of Cards, or Homeland.

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Earlier, the process of viewing videos downloaded on the computer on a TV was irksome, to say the least. Now, that is not the case. Most modern laptops have HDMI ports. For about Rs 600 you can get a long two-way HDMI cable, which will enable you to mirror your laptop display onto the big screen in the house.

New gadgets like the Google Chromecast, Teewe, and the Amkette Evo TV make this even simpler and clutter-free.

In the case of the Chromecast, you get a small dongle, which is roughly the size of a USB drive. You just need to pair it on the same Wi-Fi network as your PC, and you are good to go. The Chromecast not only turns your TV display into the Chrome web browser, which makes it ideal to view YouTube videos on the big screen, but you can also stream videos from various sites and also videos stored on your PC.

You can drag and drop your videos on to a tab on Chrome, and via Chromecast, can watch anything on your TV. Apps like Plex and Popcorn Time have Chromecast support built-in and streaming from them to the TV doesn't even need you to open the browser. Apps supporting the Chromecast can be controlled using your iPhone or Android phone. YouTube is a great example.

Teewe is also similar to Chromecast and has a client that you can install on your PC and it can stream your videos on the big screen without any wires. The Amkette Evo TV is slightly different, however, as it can add the power of Android to your TV. It adds support for various file formats for video that you may download on the internet. It also doubles as a casual gaming rig.

So in case you're planning to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation at home, this how you should do it. Rest assured, I sure will be.

Last updated: January 28, 2015 | 15:30
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