Popcorn Time Review - Watch Movies, TV series and Anime Online

excellent
key review info
application features
  • Watch online movies, TV series and anime
  • (7 more, see all...)

For all of us out there who feel there's nothing better than spending some quality time at home with friends and family in front of a monitor to binge watch the latest TV series or motion picture (especially after a busy New Year's Eve that demands rest and relaxation), there's something faster than downloading torrents: directly watching the videos online.

Popcorn Time offers a free, fast and convenient solution in this regard. Developed as a software application that can be easily installed on Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android and iOS platforms, it facilitates a comfortable and attractive graphical interface for watching online videos retrieved from torrents.

Installation and interface

The setup procedure is a rapid and uncomplicated job that requires minimal attention, thanks to the fact that it doesn't bundle third-party components that you might unwillingly install.

As far as the interface goes, Popcorn Time is a simple as they get. Its main window is large and contains the latest titles in movies, TV series and anime, allowing you to perform searches for any media not existing on this list.

Watch movies, trailers, TV series, and anime

When it comes to movies, it is possible to read their synopsis, open their iMDB page in the default browser to find out additional information, show subtitles and pick the preferred language out of the ones available, as well as check out the trailer (YouTube embedded) to decide whether the movie is worth watching or not.

Watch TV series online
Watch TV series online

An important aspect worth keeping in mind is that the program puts special emphasis on high quality, which means that a movie must be released in high quality before it can be placed into the Popcorn Time database, so you shouldn't expect to find the most recent titles on the list. Depending on your hardware's specifications, you can choose between 720p and 1080p.

Integrated media player and VLC support

The software application has a built-in media player that permits you to switch to full screen mode, seek a position in the stream, pause the clip, and adjust the volume level. Alternatively, you can play the clip in VLC Media Player if you have it installed on the PC.

When it comes to TV and anime series, the tool reveals all current seasons and episode numbers, so you can easily play a particular episode. By default, the next episode is automatically played.

Watch anime online
Watch anime online

It is possible to bookmark movies, TV series and anime or mark them as unseen to rapidly access them later. Apart from browsing the online database using a common search function, you can sort items in the list by type, genre, popularity, date of update, year or name. Lastly, you can create a watchlist with upcoming episodes, for instance, provided that you have a TraktTv account.

Program preferences

Popcorn Time offers support for multiple interface languages and themes. You can pick the default subtitle language and font size, disable the app from automatically playing the next episode in the list, or enter Trakt.tv login data (required for the watchlist).

Some advanced settings are also available. It is possible to show movie ratings over covers, make Popcorn Time stay on top of other windows, hide or show watched items instead of fading them, change the subtitle color and disable shadows, list only movies in 720p or 1080p instead of both, show the movie quality on the list, as well as alter the default caching and database directories.

Global and video player keyboard shortcuts are supported.

Online content that it blocked due to various reasons (such as geographical) may be accessed by installing a VPN client. However, this is not a free service.


The Good

The software application worked smoothly on Windows 8.1 Pro during our evaluation, without causing the operating system to hang, crash or pop up error messages.

Video streaming was rapidly loaded, while CPU and RAM consumption was normal.

It is multilingual and cross-platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android and iOS.

With the help of this easy-to-install and easy-to-use tool, you can watch online movies, TV series and anime in a built-in media player or VLC, view subtitles in various languages and customize their settings, create bookmarks, a favorites list and watch list, as well as control the program via keyboard shortcuts for global commands and the video player.

It is free and open-source.

The Bad

During our evaluation, the app failed to show all movie covers.

The Truth

The bottom line is that Popcorn Time represents an excellent interface for watching online TV without going through too much trouble, ideal for all types of users.

user interface 5
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 5


final rating 5
Editor's review
excellent
 
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Popcorn Time (8 Images)

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