Movies are pure sources of entertainment. For a long time now since the time of the silent movie eras people have turned to them for pleasure and passing away time. After the growth of Internet, pirating movies started off slowly. The actual and big pirating of movies began when the bit torrent technology came out.

What exactly is bit torrent technology? The bit torrent protocol breaks the file down into smaller fragments, typically a quarter of a megabyte (256 KB) in size. Users download missing fragments from each other and upload those that they already have to users that request them. The protocol is 'smart' enough to choose the user with the best network connections for the fragments that it's requesting. The technology allows of requesting the rarest bits from those who have them and spreading it on the temporarily created network of users who are receiving the file. This removes all problems including bottlenecks. It is crucial to remember that the Bit torrent users start uploading fragments to their peers before the entire file is downloaded. Sharing by each peer therefore begins when the first complete segment is downloaded and can begin to be uploaded if another peer requests it. This technology allows the downloading and sharing of videos and high quality movies.

The distribution of online movies has raised a lot of controversies. Companies have filed cases against Sharman networks, the creators of KAZZA and various bit torrent sites. These sites list files that can be downloaded. Sites like ISO hunt in Canada, Pirate Bay and Mininova are the most popular sites that distribute a lot of movies. One of the biggest controversies in this matter was created when on the release of Star Wars III, it instantly was downloadable by thousands of people free of cost.

Bit torrent site owners have replied by saying that they are not the controllers of what is distributed by them. In stead, they just provide the service for publishing content easily. What comes up on their site is usually the work of individuals over whom they have no control.

There are however online sites that are offering high quality movies for downloading and viewing. These sites are completely legitimate and approved. One such site is CinemaNow. This site offers movies from all categories and Genres.

Another popular service is provided by the search giant, Google. The google video service allows you to download trailers and buy movies that you may be interested in. Using the Google Video player, you can try out episodes and the latest blockbusters.

As the battle between movie companies and bit torrent sites grows hotter, a lot of people support the cause of the torrent sites. People want content in expensively and these sites offer just that through their technology. Big companies however are now taking active interest in checking on individual downloads through their Internet service provider, prosecuting and ruining bit torrent sites and P2P companies and suing other people who have used pirated movie content.