Media How To ...

Introduction

There are numerous ways to obtain movies and TV Series from the Internet.

Over time, and as things have changed, what was the standard practice two years ago now becomes 'old hat' as file formats emerge and methods and services evolve.

Since this website first went online, the whole process and list of available resources has changed as websites come and go.  So what you read here today, may not be the case in a week's time.  However the general underlying principles remain, be careful and check before you download.

I am going to focus on the how I now obtain my TV Shows.

TV Shows are a preferred option for me with so many very good TV series available compared with occasional great movie.  TV Series such as Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Game Of Thrones, True Detective and Fargo all score above 9/10 and are excellent entertainment value.

Movies:

There is the occasional movie which gets a 'good' score and these too can be obtained from sites such as "RapidMoviez" and others listed throughout this website when they become available. 

I have setup the Rapidmoviez website on my PC so it only lists the movies. If you wish to do this as a major way of keeping up with what new movies are available go to the Rapidmoviez website (HERE) and register. Once registered, click on the My Releases button and go to the new page. Just below the DMCA button is another button called "Presets".

 

Click on the Presets button and select 'Movies Only'. 

Click on the Rapidmoviez name again (below) and the page which opens should be movies exclusively.

Create a Bookmark/Favorites for the newly created Rapidmoviez "Movies Only" webpage.

If you find a title you want but it isn't the format nor the download size of what you want, go to the download links anyway.  At the foot of those links you will see something like the picture below.

 

Click on it and you will see ALL the releases for that movie available from Rapidmoviez, all the various formats and all the various file download sizes.  Here is an example of ALL the file types and sizes available for a TV Show episode. Click on the image below for a larger view, then on the "X" to return to this page.

Select the format/size file you want and click on it.  You will be taken to the download links for that file.

I prefer the matroska/.mkv file format for my movies.

You need to select a media player which plays HEVC format files.  The old WDTV doesn't play them.  Many have moved onto Android TV Boxes and use a program called Kodi or SPMC.  

Overview:

TV Shows will be the major focus on this website.

People can still elect to use subscribed to storage sites such as "Uploaded", "Rapidgator" "KingFiles" and the like.  An annual subscription to one of these sites may cost around AU$100 p.a.  If you seek top quality files or files which are in excess of 2MB in size then this is probably a good way for you to go.

If you wish to use RapidMoviez as your preferred download site for movies and TV shows, a 90 day "premium" RapidRAR account will set you back under AUD$40 which works out to around a little over 40c per day.  With this you get advert free browsing of the site and full speed downloads with direct download links.  You then don't have to worry about adverts, your PC being infected by unwanted Malware or hitting the wrong download button and getting something installed on your PC that you don't want.

Mid 2016 I purchased an Android TV Box which has become my go to device for media playback and streaming.  I have also purchased a Real Debrid account at 16 Euros for 6 months.  This equates to about AUD$1 per week.  It works on my Android TV Box and allows me to stream from "Subscription Sites".  By using the Firefox or Chrome addon, Real Debrid allows me to download files from Rapidgator, and similar sites at full speed.  At AUD$1 per week, it is an excellent investment.

It is worth considering!

Of course there is the old favorite of downloading free via torrents.  I now use a program called qBittorrent as my preferred torrent download client as it includes a "Search" feature.  For some downloads, especially for 'older' files, torrents remain an attractive option.  Often the 'older' files are not available on the 'free' sites so torrents proves a capable solution.

Torrent downloading does depend on others and their willingness to share files.  This can lead to slower download speeds.  If time isn't the essence, then use torrents as required.  I sure do.

One way to play an HEVC file on your TV is by connecting your VLC Laptop to your TV (via HDMI) and then playing the file on your computer but showing it on your TV.

If you are going to download .mkv files, ensure your file playback device is suitable.  My WDTV Live SMP (Streaming Media Player) handles matroska files very well indeed, but not HEVC matroska files. HEVC files do play via VLC media player available for your PC or android tablet.  HEVC files will playback via Kodi (XBMC) on Android TV Boxes and other platforms.  (See HERE)

A Summary of the Information Which is Available Under Each Tab on This Website:

1. Home:  This page, an introduction to, and overview of, the website.

2. Find A Show To Download:  Before you even begin to download anything you need to know what good shows are out there and when they are going to be available to download. The top section of this page provides numerous links to review sites.  By following these links you can see what is coming up on TV in the near future and when it will be on.

Also under this tab (Current Major Websites for the Free Downloading of Matroska (.mkv) Files) you will see the 6 major websites I check out to download my .mkv files from and which file storage sites are free to use.

3. Before Beginning:  Under this tab are a few thoughts and tips on some software you may want to use to make your downloading easier.

4. Which Files:  There are times when you find numerous links to a TV Show episode you are looking for.  Under this tab is information which will assist you to understand and select the best file for your purposes. Remember this site focuses on .mkv/matroska files and using free downloads.

5. Let's do It:  Under this tab is a step by step walk through of downloading a TV show episode.

6. Software: Here you will find links to the software you might want to use.

7. Media Players: Now you have your downloaded file, how do you plan to watch it on your TV.  This page will show you several different units you could consider to playback your files.


8. Other:  Under this tab is information on (a) each download storage site I use and its strengths and weaknesses, (b) settings for Internet Download Manager and (c) information on Matroska files.

Steering Your Way Through The Advertising:

As the 'free' sites need to make money, there can be extensive advertising to negotiate as you navigate through to the file's weblinks eg wait 7 seconds, Skip Ads, Leave This Page links etc (see below).

Since this page was first written there have been numerous 'minor' changes to procedures for downloading at all sites.  I urge you, be careful, don't use their downloader and whenever possible click on the "Create download link".  Despite this advice, as options change things may still not work for you.  If you are not comfortable, close the page and refresh it again by again clicking on the link.

For a wonderful site such as Minishares there can be as many as 2 x CPVLinks, 1 x SHORTE.ST links and a Linkbucks link to navigate before you get to the weblinks page.  Other websites are less demanding and may only have 2 x Linkbucks "Skip This Ad" pages before getting to the web download links.

But if you can accommodate the adverts, then the download is available free and usually (but not always) at full speed.

I use Firefox with Web of Trust, Skip Screen and AdblockPlus addons installed.  I find the AdblockPlus addon for Firefox works very well, however the Internet Explorer version appears to be less effective.

If necessary you may want to use other pop-up stoppers and ad blockers as well.  Use whatever you need to stop the adverts popping up and new pages opening!

When the Web of Trust (WOT) warning pops up when I am navigating my way to the download links, I always select "Go To The Site" as I know AdBlockPlus should lock out most of the pop-ups. You can access settings for WOT and turn off the "Go To This Site" popup.

The Firefox Addon Adblock Plus is a must have if you don't want pages opening everywhere in your browser as you navigate through to the weblinks.  Failure to install this addon will most likely lead to you to being disappointed and frustrated with the process!

On the advertising page which has Shorte St (and possibly several others) you will be asked to disable 'AdBlock Plus' so the links to get to the movie files will work.