A movie, also known as a movie motion picture, short video, mini-video, or digital video, is a creative work of multimedia art that uses moving pictures to simulate everyday experiences that convey stories, ideas, emotions, beauty, or environment through the utilisation of moving pictures. Although the term movie is generally used to refer to a movie that has been produced and shown in one form or another for entertainment purposes, the history of the term can be traced back to the pulp magazine industry of the late 19th century. The first movies were not widely distributed outside of the industry, as they were often derided upon by the mainstream media as “crud” movies and “filthy propaganda”. However, with the growth of the industry and the evolution of technology, the production of movie formats has improved dramatically. Most major motion pictures are now available in both DVD and VHS formats.

DVD (DVDs) have taken over the traditional roles of movie distributors. The availability of DVDs has led to the growth in popularity of the DVD rental or download market, which was previously dominated by the movie theatre. DVD rentals allow users to rent videos that they own, at the click of a button. These rental services are often provided by online websites, although some are based exclusively online. The advantages of renting movies through this method include the ability to sample a wide selection of titles; the ease and convenience of finding a service that offers the best price for the title you want; and the opportunity to view a selection of different DVDs without having to travel to a rented theatre.

Online movie downloads offer users the opportunity to rent or download movies on a weekly or monthly basis. While most releases are available instantly via online movie downloads, some titles may require a longer waiting period. Many movie download sites offer free streaming video; this allows viewers to view a movie as it would be played in a regular cinema. Some video sharing websites offer free movie downloads to members, while others charge a fee to use the service.

Online rental sites usually offer a library of DVD titles, some with new titles added daily. With this service you can search for movies based on your preferences, rental dates and genres. Most services also offer rentals on a pay-per-download basis, allowing you to download as many movies as you like without worrying about incurring additional charges. Pay-per-download titles are also available on several video-sharing websites.

DVD to VCD transfer is another option available on the Internet for home entertainment. This conversion process can be completed quickly and easily using common office software. It converts the DVD titles to a high quality VHS compatible file, which can then be played on any VCR or DVD players that support this format. Title conversions can also be done to audio tapes, videotapes, and CDs, although these conversions are more complex and costly.

Movies are available for purchase on many retail outlets and on websites through a variety of sources, but most people prefer the convenience of renting a movie online at a low cost. There are also new options that allow rentals to be submitted to online databases that have built-in access to popular movie titles. These allow users to browse and select titles from a wide selection without downloading each movie directly to their computer. Instead, they watch the movie as if it were an online movie rental.