With the release of Apple iPod, movie lovers worldwide now have the option of taking their favorite movies wherever they go. The excellent storage capacity offered by iPod enables users to store a number of movies that can be downloaded or purchased from online websites. As the popularity of iPod with video playback feature is increasing rapidly, online portals have started offering free iPod movie downloads.

Free iPod movie downloads are provided by websites as part of their core services and these are a great relief to those who cannot afford pay for services such as iTunes. Although most websites claim to provide unlimited free iPod movie downloads, some of them charge a small one-time membership fee, which is reasonable, considering the unlimited movie downloads they offer to their users. These websites provide movies which are of near DVD and high definition (HD) quality. The general rule regarding quality is that the bigger the movie file size, the better is the quality. Free movie websites also take care to update their online movie collections periodically with the latest blockbusters and classics.

Some of these movie formats may not play on your iPod. In such cases, converter softwares need to be used for converting the movie into a format that can be recognized by your iPod. One of the iPod video file formats that guarantees better video quality is the H.264 format.

Currently, many websites providing free iPod movie downloads do not ask for one time payment or pay-per-download fees. Most free iPod movie websites have databases which can be browsed by user for both classic movies and new age movies alike. For faster downloads, it is recommended to have at least a 2MBPS broadband internet connection.

Although iPod offers PC connectivity, direct downloading of movies from the internet to iPod is not possible. First the movies need to be downloaded directly into your computer. Then software such as the Apple iTunes can be used to copy the movies from your PC to your iPod. The software can detect any iPod connected to your computer and start copying the movie with a single mouse click.

Today, although many websites are offering free downloads, to be on the safer side, it is ideal to check whether these websites are obeying the copyright laws and that the downloading is 100% legal. With free iPod movie downloads, it is ideal to check the quality of the movies being offered, the category of movies available and the speed of download.