TV, Video and Film Library

The Internet is a vast library and this library includes much in the way of video and film. With continuing improvements in computer technology and faster broadband speeds, watching video and film in the Internet is becoming a pleasant experience, whether it be on your computer monitor or on your TV screen. Now one can no longer complain that there is nothing to watch on TV. You can find videos and films on some websites that offer much in the way of historical and cultural interest, going back to the earliest days of motion pictures. On other websites, you can watch TV episodes of your favorite shows and full length feature films, or favorite home or viral videos. Here is a list of the best of these websites, where motion pictures, videos, TV episodes and feature films are free and legal to view, and in some cases, share:

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive was set up in 1996 for the purpose of offering access for researchers, historians and scholars to historical collections in digital format. Its moving image library offers over 180,000 free movies, films and videos. In this rich and fascinating collection, you can find and watch classic cartoons, full length classic films, Universal Newsreels that were shown in theaters and brought us the news before the days of TV news, the Prelinger Archives containing advertising, educational and industrial films of days gone by, and so much more. Some of these moving images are in the public domain and some are licensed under a Creative Commons license. In most other cases, there is contact information for the creator or the organization that holds the rights for the item.

Library of Congress American Memory

The American Memory website, created and maintained by The Library of Congress, provides free and open access to selected digitized resources, including motion pictures. Their motion picture collections range from the earliest motion pictures filmed by Thomas Edison in the late 1800's, to films of American life in the early 1900's, to the September 11, 2001, Documentary Project in this decade. The website provides copyright information for each motion picture, if available.

YouTube

YouTube offers everything in the way of sharing video. You can become a broadcaster by uploading your own videos or recording them directly to YouTube with your webcam. You can then share your videos publicly with the world or privately with friends and family. Videos uploaded by millions of people around the world cover a wide range of topics, such as current events, hobbies, music, travel, technology and so much more. You can find instructional videos here, discover new artists and filmmakers and view the latest viral video that everyone is talking about. YouTube offers an online Handbook that tells you everything you want to know about watching videos, tips and tricks for making videos, how to upload to YouTube and copyright information.

Hulu

Hulu offers many of your favorite classic TV episodes, current TV episodes from many TV networks and full length feature films. If there is an old TV series that you want to watch, or if you missed your favorite episode of a current series, chances are that you can find it here, and watch it on your own schedule, leaving the typical cable TV video on demand service in the dust.

Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is primarily an extensive database of movies, TV shows and episodes and anything related to them. If you look up your favorite movie at IMDb, and the movie or TV show is available on the Internet, you will see a button labeled "Watch It". You can then click on the button to watch this movie or TV show.

List of TV networks offering full episodes

Although you can go to websites such as Hulu or IMDb to watch your favorite TV show online, you can also go to the source. Johnny Appleseed has compiled this list of TV networks with links to their web pages offering full episodes. Most of the major TV networks offer full episodes of some of their shows, so you can choose your network, find out if your favorite show is available, and view to your heart's content.

I'm always on the lookout for the best free and/or shareable video and film resources. If you know of any websites that should be included in this list, please e-mail us.