Do you like watching movies? Do you like watching free movies? Of course you do, who doesn’t? If your looking for the best way to enjoy free video content as an alternative to other video streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, you may want to take the time to consider Popcorn Time. Believe it or not, by using Chromecast to connect your computer to the HDMI port of your television, you can actually stream all the movies you want straight to your TV. But before we look at how to set things up, we need to discuss a few points about Popcorn Time.
What Exactly Is Popcorn Time?
Popcorn Time is essentially a free Bit Torrent that comes with extra software, most notably an integrated media player. The software has many forks and versions, and it’s a great way to access different types of media, especially video content. In fact, it was originally created to be a free alternative to paid subscription services such as Netflix, Hulu, and other similar providers.
After Popcorn Time launched, it met almost instant success, and users went wild. They grew a following moderately fast, but it seems they flew too close to the sun, much like Icarus. In March of 2014, the original developers were forced to take down their software and service by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America).
Critical Popcorn Time Caveats
Anyone who has been using Popcorn Time since its initial launch knows that it got shut down due to some heavy coercion from legal and governmental organizations. All of the pressure got to the team, and they decided to abandon the project. However, most of the members only went on to start additional projects that were extremely similar in nature to the original Popcorn Time. These alternatives, called forks, started popping up all over the Internet. In the recent past, alternatives like the Butter Project were the only viable replacements.
Today, however, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It seems that like a zombie, Popcorn Time has been raised from the dead – though it isn’t clear if the original developers are running the show behind the scenes. Back in August of 2015, many of the original developers embraced popcorntime.io as there darling. There are many other alternatives and forks, though, and they are important to keep in mind for several reasons.
As we all know, applications that allow users to access their favorite media are always changing. The fact of the matter is that we don’t know if Popcorn Time will stay around for years to come. So, in the event that they do get shut down again, all a user will need to do is turn to one of the Popcorn Time forks. Because there are so many different versions of the software, it is next to impossible for the MPAA to ever hope to block and shut down all of them.
Court battles are a lengthy (and expensive) process, and things are changing too fast for the MPAA and other entities to keep up. Though they have tried to file suits against other versions of Popcorn Time, things are far out of their control. For the time being, Popcorn Time forks are showing no signs of slowing down, so they remain a viable way to access free video content.
What You’ll Need to Chromecast Popcorn Time
Before you can play video content on your television from your computer, there are a couple things you’ll need. First and foremost, you’re going to need to download and install Popcorn Time on your computer. In addition, you are going to need to purchase the Chromecast device, which plugs into your television set. They’re pretty affordable, and only cost about $59.00. After you have met these two requirements, you can begin the setup process.
Users should also consider what type of device they want to install Popcorn Time on. There are a variety of options, but most people will want to either install it on their desktop computer or Android device. If you want to install it on a mobile device, you’ll need to download the appropriate app from the app store.
How to Use Popcorn Time
In this example, we’re going to take a closer look at how to setup Popcorn Time on a Windows platform. After you have downloaded and installed the software, you will, of course, need to launch the program. Then, all you need to do is select a video that you want to watch and click on the small up-arrow icon located near the bottom of the window near the Watch Now button.
If everything goes according to plan, you won’t have any issues and you’ll be able to watch your content, absolutely free of charge. However, some users may run into firewall issues that are pretty common. Windows Firewall can be a real pain, but this problem is easily solved. Just browse through to Control Panel, System and Security, and then click on Windows Firewall. Unless you already have special rules in place (most users don’t), just click on Restore Defaults.
After this step has been completed, you should see a popup-box asking you to permit or deny Popcorn Time traffic through the firewall. Simply allow access, and you shouldn’t have any issues. However, users that have firewall rules in place already may want to ensure their configuration isn’t damaged. Simply click on the Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall option and make the appropriate changes for Popcorn Time.
As a final note, make sure that you see your Chromecast television device appears in the Watch Now drop-down list in the Popcorn Time interface. If you don’t see this option, you will need to confirm that the computer system you are using contains a wireless card (this is critical). If not, you can easily purchase a USB wireless dongle inexpensively.
As always, don’t forget to protect yourself with a good VPN fit for Popcorn Time streaming.
