30 Sites For Legal (and Free) Torrents

Although bittorrent has a reputation for illegally distributing copyrighted content, there is a large, and rapidly growing amount of content in bittorrent that is legally distributable.  Much of this is issued under a Creative Commons license which allows you to copy, distribute, advertise and play as long as you give credit to the artist.  Some also allow altering for mixes as long as credit is given to the artist.
Most of this content is music audio and is from up and coming artists.  There are some current movies from independent producers, but most is older movies in the Public Domain.  There is some content from mainstream popular music, mostly live concerts, but a few popular artists have released their content over bittorrent.
All of the content at these sites is legal to download and distribute.  I have never heard of a fake or infected torrent at these sites (but I suppose they could exist) and there is no worry about copyright legalities.
In addition to these sites, any torrent search site will index legal torrents.  A search for public domain, open source or creative commons will usually bring up a substantial list.  Any Linux distribution will almost always be available also.
This article is part of a series of articles on bittorrent here at Gizmo's Freeware.  If you are not familiar with bittorrent, then before using this article you should read this:

• How To Use Torrents

Archive.org  The Internet Archive has just opened its torrents section, which offers over 1 million items from its collection for free download through torrents.  This collection includes (as of August, 2012) 1,225,491 ebooks, 127,383 items from the music and audio section of the Archive and 9,674 videos from the movies archive.  This collection will grow rapidly as all new entries to the archive will be offered as torrents and older entries are being added continually.  In my test of a few of the torrents, download speeds were excellent.  The Archive is seeding all content.
BitLove  creates torrents for RSS feeds of Podcasts and helps to seed them.  Many of the current podcasts are in German, but there are a few English podcasts available.  All are free downloads through torrents.
BitTorrent Bundle  mostly music with some video and audiobooks.  All available through torrents.  Though put out by BitTorrent, any bittorrent client may be used.
C. Dominik Bodi  has each of the 24 promotional CDs of Baen's free science fiction novels available in ISO.
ClearBits about 1300 torrents of Creative Commons licensed digital media.
eTree is a community for sharing the live concerts of Trade Friendly artists.  It is a very large collection of many genres and has a nice mix of old and new.
Fanatics4Classics  a good size collection of classic novels from Project Gutenberg available for free download in genre bundles.  There did not appear to be a web seed supporting these and the speeds for each torrent were variable.  The bundles are available in EPUB and Kindle compatible MOBI.
FrostClick   an impressive collection of free music, games, software, movies and shows offered under creative commons license.
GameUpdates.org carries legal patches, demos and mods for the latest games.  There are dedicated high speed seeders, so files are always available.  Looking at their forums, they weed out any illegal material uploaded quickly.
ibiblio torrents provides Bittorrent access to ibiblio's open source content.  There is a great deal of free content available here in software, audio and video.
JamToThis is a private site featuring legal audio and video in a similar vein to eTree above.
Legit Torrents is a collection of close to 1,700 torrents, which appears to be mostly software with some of the other content.  It bills itself as hosting 100% Legally Free Media.
Librivox  offers all of its public domain audiobooks for free download through torrents.  From what I saw, all the torrents are seeded by the Archive.org servers.
Linux Tracker bills itself as the Premiere Linux Bittorrent Website and hosts around 500 torrents of free and open source software, preferably Linux.
Media History Digital Library   a collection of works regarding the history of cinema, broadcasting and sound.  If you click on the link to the Internet Archive page (IA), a torrent is available for each of the library offerings.
MiniNova's Featured Content is a good sized collection of mostly music and videos, with some software and games and ebooks.  These torrents are issued under MiniNova's Content Distribution service.  Download speeds on these torrents are enhanced as MiniNova provides servers to help with upload.
Panda.cd is a private site featuring creative commons and artist permission releases of music.  Their collection has grown rather large.  Registration is open.
PlaneShift  a 3d fantasy MMORPG that is free and open source.  Cross platform downloads are available free through torrents.  Registration, with valid email, is required to play the game.  There did appear to be at least one web seed available, so speeds were good.
Public Domain Flicks  offers a collection of free public domain movies for free download through torrents.  All appear to be through Archive.org and its web seeds.
Public Domain Torrents is a collection of classic movies and B-movies that are in the public domain.  The collection includes approximately 1,000 movies that are available in DivX, iPod, PDA and PSP.  Speeds are generally a bit slow.
StanfordSchoolOfEngineering offers free classes and lectures.  The print material is available through direct download.  Video lectures are available through torrents.
SuprNova.org  offers 4 shows for free download through torrents.  All appear to be released through MiniNova's featured content, so speeds are very good.
SXSW Torrents   not the official site of SXSW, but this site has 9 years of the music releases from SXSW.  There are over 9,000 songs included in these collections.
TAS Videos  tool  assisted game movies.  These run through classic and modern games at high speed, allowing new users to quickly become experts.  All are available as free downloads through torrents.  The torrents all appear to be supported by Archive.org, web seeds.
The Mercury Theater On The Air   an excellent collection of shows from the classic radio drama, famous for the War of The Worlds broadcast, but also responsible for some of the best radio dramas ever.  A torrent of all the material is at the bottom of this page.
The New Voyages   a fan series based set in the Star Trek universe.  Now referred to as Star Trek:  Phase II, the series began as Star Trek: New Voyages and continues where the original series left off.  All episodes available for free download through torrents.  Spanish and Portuguese hard coded subtitled versions also available.
ThePaulWayMixes Paul Way released 52 of his mixes for free and legal download through torrents.
Vodo  Bittorrent distribution of independent films and movies.
Vuze. As of June, 2009, Vuze now carries only videos.    This is a small collection of some TV shows, movie trailers and news clips.  All are available for free download with any bittorrent client.
Vuze Blog  posts links to an interesting collection of legal torrents around the web.  All are free.
This is not a complete listing of free and legal sites.  If anyone knows of other sites they feel should be on this list, then please post here.
Related Articles

• How To Use Torrents
• Best Free Bittorrent Client
• Searching for Torrents (Popular Torrent Search Sites)
• What is Bittorrent?

Source: http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/finding-legal-and-free-torrents.htm 

Note:
I was amazed to find old B&W TV shows of Flash Gordon and Radar Men From the Moon at :
http://www.publicdomaintorrents.info/nshowcat.html?category=action

Sherlock Holmes Fans can find the old B&W movies here:

http://www.publicdomaintorrents.info/nshowcat.html?category=mystery

The 8 Best Devices for Streaming Movies to Your TV

Written by Joel Lee December 11, 2015
There’s a reason why we’re so enthusiastic about streaming media to your TV: all things considered, it’s simply better. Compared to traditional TV options, streaming is cheaper, more convenient, and more suited to individual tastes.
Seriously, the numbers don’t lie… streaming is the future.
However, there is one problem: there are several ways to stream media to your TV, and deciding which way is right for you can be overwhelming. Let us help you explore what’s currently available and at least narrow down your potential choices.

 

 

Roku Streaming Player

For the past few years, the Roku streaming player has been considered by many to be the best streaming device on the market. It’s available for a modest price tag, it’s compatible with all kinds of streaming services, it has a lot of advanced features, and above all, it looks great.

Roku 3 Streaming Media Player (4230R) with Voice Search (2015 model)

Fully loaded. Top rated: Voice, headphone & games
Price: $78.00

Buy Now at Amazon.com

The Roku 3 is a solid purchase. It’s basically a set-top box, not unlike a cable TV set-top box, that connects to your TV’s HDMI port. It can connect to 2,500+ different streaming channels — both free and paid — and comes with a remote control (which has a headphone jack for private audio) and video resolution up to 1080p.
See our full review of the Roku 3 for more details.

Roku 4 Streaming Media Player (4400R) 4K UHD

2,500+ streaming channels. Choose from the biggest selection of streaming entertainment, including movies, TV shows, music, sports, news, international, kids programming and more.
Price: $123.01

Buy Now at Amazon.com

There is also the newer Roku 4, which connects via HDMI but can also provide 4K video quality if connected through HDCP 2.2. It can also upscale 720p and 1080p to 4K, making the Roku 4 a nice option if you plan on upgrading to a 4K television set in the near future.
Both can also cast media from smartphones and tablets to your TV. With compatible Android and Windows Phone devices, it can even mirror the entire screen to the TV.
Features at a glance:

• Set-top box with an included remote control.
• Voice search makes it faster to find content.
• Cast media from mobile devices to your TV.
• Mirror screens from mobile devices to your TV.
• Compatible with 2,500+ streaming channels, like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, HBO Go, Sling TV, YouTube, Pandora, and more. See the full list of supported channels.
• Cost: $89 for Roku 3, $129 for Roku 4.

 

 

 

Roku Streaming Stick

Roku also provides a lighter option for those who aren’t interested in cluttering up their media center with yet another set-top box, or for those who want to spend less: the Roku Streaming Stick.

Roku 3500R Streaming Stick (HDMI)

Compact stick design. Plugs discreetly right into the HDMI port. Great for wall-mounted TVs.
Price: $29.95

Buy Now at Amazon.com

What’s nice about the Roku Streaming Stick is that it looks like a USB flash drive, except it plugs into an HDMI port. This keeps it neatly tucked away out of sight, but still controllable with the included remote control or with the Roku app for mobile devices.
In terms of content availability, anything you get with the Roku 3 is also available with the Stick, and it can handle video resolutions up to 1080p. For more details, check out our full review of the Roku Streaming Stick.
Features at a glance:

• Compact design takes less space and stays out of sight.
• Remote control for convenient browsing of content.
• Cast media from mobile devices to your TV.
• Compatible with 2,500+ streaming channels, like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, HBO Go, Sling TV, YouTube, Pandora, and more. See the full list of supported channels.
• Cost: $39.

 

 

Chromecast

The success of the Chromecast can’t be overstated. At only $35, it’s one of the cheapest ways to cast media from any mobile device or Chrome browser to your TV. And the best part? Google released version 2.0 of the Chromecast without any increase in price. Yup, you can still get it for just $35.
Chromecast 2.0 is a mini-set-top device that requires a power outlet to operate while Chromecast 1.0 is a stick device — reminiscent of a USB flash drive — and just plugs into your TV, no power outlet needed. Both versions require an HDMI port. Read up on everything new in Chromecast 2.0 to see if the upgrade is worth it.
Features at a glance:

• Compact design that doesn’t take up much space.
• Cast media from mobile devices to your TV.
• Only compatible with apps that support Google Cast, which includes Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, Sling TV, Spotify, Pandora, Twitch, and more. See the full list of supported apps.
• Cost: $35.

 

 

Amazon Fire TV

The Amazon Fire TV is an interesting hybrid between a gaming console and a media streamer, although the media streaming functions are definitely the point of focus for this device.
Like the Roku, the Amazon Fire TV is a box that hooks up to your TV through an HDMI port and connects to thousands of media channels, allowing playback in 720p, 1080p, or even up to 4K assuming you have a TV that can handle it. It also comes with a remote control with support for voice search.

Amazon Fire TV

All-new Amazon Fire TV now supports 4K Ultra HD for true-to-life picture quality. Watch high-definition 1080p streams on Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu and more, even without a 4K TV.
Price: $84.99

Buy Now at Amazon.com

What’s nice about the Amazon Fire TV is that it has a relatively powerful mobile processor and a dedicated graphics engine — which means it can play games without much loss in performance — and even has an optional controller that you can plug in. Over 800 titles are supported, including Minecraft, Terraria, and The Walking Dead.
But is the ability to play games enough to warrant buying it? Not really. You’re better off playing mobile games on a mobile device, desktop games on a desktop computer, and investing in a device that’s wholly dedicated to media streaming instead. Check out our full review of the Amazon Fire TV for more details.
Features at a glance:

• Sleek design that matches well with any home media center.
• Remote control for convenient browsing of content.
• Compatible with Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO GO, Hulu, and more.
• Cost: $100.

 

 

 

Amazon Fire TV Stick

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a much better purchase than the Fire TV — not because it has more features, but because it’s more refined, more intentional, and priced more in line with its value.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Fire TV Stick connects to your TV's HDMI port. It's an easy way to enjoy over 250,000 TV episodes and movies on Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO GO, and Hulu, plus games, music, and more
Price: $39.99

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Most importantly, the Fire TV Stick has a sleeker design: it’s literally a stick that plugs into an HDMI port. It takes up very little physical space, making it comparable to the Roku Stick and Chromecast 1.0. However, this means giving up 5.1 surround sound.
It can also play all of the games that are available on the Fire TV except for the more graphically intense titles, and even then the gaming performance isn’t that smooth. Overall, the Fire TV Stick just isn’t as good as the other devices in the “media streaming stick” category.
Features at a glance:

• Compact design that takes up no space.
• Remote control for convenient browsing of content.
• Compatible with Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO GO, Hulu, and more.
• Cost: $40 standard, $50 with voice remote.

 

 

Apple TV

A new version of the Apple TV has finally been released, which is great considering the fact that the last version debuted all the way back in 2012. The update comes with a price hike, but that’s to be expected with all of the new features and improvements.
The new Apple TV brings some neat features from iOS, including support for all kinds of apps (e.g. games, music, TV, utilities, etc) and a new remote control with Siri for voice commands. You can also play games, whether with the remote or a third-party Bluetooth controller.
But the lack of 4K support and the exorbitant price — it’s the most expensive device on this list — makes it a dubious purchase for anyone but the most hardcore of Apple fans. In its current state, the Apple TV’s value doesn’t match the cost.
Features at a glance:

• Sleek design with a hefty aluminum body.
• Full app ecosystem, including games, music, TV, and utilities.
• Stream from your computer to your TV using iTunes.
• Stream from your iOS device to your TV using AirPlay.
• Cost: Starting at $149.

 

 

PlayStation 4 or Xbox One

People have firmly debated the merits of the PlayStation 4 versus the merits of the Xbox One ever since they debuted back in 2013, so comparing the two is beyond the scope of this article (read our full review of the PlayStation 4 and full review of the Xbox One for that).
What we do want to highlight, however, is the fact that these two consoles can double as media streamers — if you’re willing to put up with the drawbacks.

The PlayStation 4 supports apps that allow streaming from Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO Go, Hulu, YouTube, Redbox, Dish Network, and more. It can also play Blu-ray media and has the capability of 4K resolution playback (even though games don’t make use of this).

Xbox One 500GB Console

This item includes the Xbox One console, 1 wireless controller, a chat headset, HDMI cable, and power supply
Price: $325.00

Buy Now at Amazon.com

The Xbox One supports apps that allow streaming from Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, YouTube, ESPN, Redbox, Pandora, Twitch, and more. Like the PlayStation 4, it can also play Blu-ray media and has support for 4K video resolution.
Nobody should buy either of these consoles just to stream entertainment to a TV. However, if you already own one of these, then you may not need to buy something like the Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV. Just something to keep in mind.

 

 

 

Which Media Streamer Do You Like Best?

Hopefully we’ve helped you narrow down your list to the two or three that fit your needs the best. Personally, I think the Roku (the player or the stick, it doesn’t matter) is one of the best investments you can make going forward while the Chromecast offers the absolute most bang-for-your-buck.
And not to state the obvious, but all of these make wonderful gifts for your movie-loving friends and family as well.

Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-devices-streaming-movies-tv/