Up until the 1980s, if we wanted to see a movie, our only options were to see it in theaters or wait more than three years for a cut down version of it to play on network television. Entertainment technology has made leaps and bounds since that time, so now watching movies at home is easier than ever. No matter what type of systems you have, there's a method that will work for you. Here are some of the latest new ways alongside the tried and true methods.

On TV

Movies still come on TV for us to watch in our home, just like they always did, only now there's a staggered hierarchy. A few months after the movie leaves theaters it will be released on disc, and at the same time the paid specialty movie channels will get it. If you don't have any specialty channels, you'll have to wait a year or more for it to be released on basic cable, and between two and three years for it to play on network TV. Except on paid channels, movies on TV are usually edited for length and mature content, such as sex and swearing.

On Demand

If you just can't wait to bring a certain movie into your home, the digitization of television makes things easier for you. Now everyone has a cable box, which means we can order movies on demand right from our providers. On demand movies usually come out around the came time as the disc copies and cost about the same as renting the disc. Most providers give you a set amount of time, usually between two days and a week, to watch the movie as many times as you like before it expires.

DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Copy

Some people still have VCRs (video cassette recorders) hidden in the spare rooms of their house, but there are no VHS tapes made anymore. the old VHS 'loading dock pads and truck dock bumpers' tape you watch now and then may no longer work. Instead, the formats you have to choose from if you want to own rather than just watch the movie are DVD and Blu-Ray (both discs) and digital copies. Digital copies can be downloaded onto your computer and uploaded to paired devices like video mp3 players, but DVDs and Blu-Rays contain special features and bonuses. An increasing number of DVDs and Blu-Rays now come with a digital copy.

Streaming

If you don't want to take up storage space on your hard drive, and you also don't want to wait around for a mail order DVD or go to the store and rent one, you can always stream it live. Many national DVD rental companies now offer live streaming of movies for a small fee. You can watch it in your home or wherever you happen to be if you have a laptop.