Guide to Watching Free TV and Movies Online

Users are accustomed to paying nothing or next-to-nothing for online content, be that the written word, music, or other works, including television episodes and feature-length films.

Since the days of Napster, however, the legalities and intricacies of consuming copyrighted content has been a hotly contested topic. These days, many content creators are striking deals that involve free-for-users online distribution. Often, advertisers find creative ways to use online distros as unintrusive marketing vehicles, creating a business model that creators and consumers alike can live with.

Here are the top three sites for legally getting free television and movies online.

1. Hulu.com

Hulu is the granddaddy of all online viewing sites. It currently hosts a plethora of high-quality feature-length films and some of the best, newest television programs available, including those airing on premium channels.

Viewing is simple, incorporating an easy point-and-click graphic interface, and the media takes very little time to load and stream.

Users can choose to watch in standard or high definition and can click to view full-screen content.

Must-watch, premium television content abounds, and the roster of available films is constantly expanded. Perhaps best of all are the Web-exclusive offerings for rabid, can't-get-enough fans of selected shows.

Advertising is brief (15- to 30-second ads) and nonintrusive, appearing only every so often through the course of a program.

2. BitTorrent.com

BitTorrent requires a bit more technical savvy and a lot more downloading time, but this peer-to-peer protocol offers almost limitless opportunity for downloading and watching content.

Although the availability of content in this file time abounds, caveat emptor: Some torrents may contain copyright content that was not authorized for such uses. However, by sticking to reputable sites, such as BitTorrent.com or the creators' websites, users can get tons of free content at no charge.

Also, users can often choose to purchase torrents for certain shows or films at a low cost.

Not only are torrent files used to share online video; many musicians and labels, software companies, and video game publishers are also using this protocol to distribute their work.

As long as users shy away from pirated material, BitTorrent.com is a great place to start for massive amounts of free online entertainment.

3. Fancast.com

Very similar to Hulu, Fancast offers a very similar point-and-click interface with only a few drawbacks. Some content is relatively low-resolution, for example. And some programs require users to allow pop-ups and view the content in a separate window, a hassle to fans of tabbed browsing.

There are a few redundancies in content offerings, but Fancast does offer episodes of original Star Trek, South Park, a few other shows not available on Hulu.

At the end of the day, the interface is a bit less sophisticated and the resolutions are lower, but it's worth a user's time to check Fancast if Hulu isn't offering the desired program.

Last, a quick warning to users: Beware any website that asks for your personal information, requires downloading unknown software, redirects you to another site, or exhibits similarly suspicious behavior before allowing you to view content online.

Many websites are affiliated with disreputable Internet adware giants (Zango, for example) known for creating software that would misbehave all over your PC. When in doubt, run a quick Google background check on the company or browse its Wikipedia page before proceeding.

Happy viewing, everyone!