Illegal streaming alternatives for the TV-less

As easy as streaming or downloading the latest TV show or newly released movie is, is it worth the risk of a large fine or Columbia shutting off your Internet? It may seem like the benefits outweigh the risks, but there are many ways to keep up with all the most popular entertainment without chancing a run-in with campus officials.

Columbia University Information Technology and Barnard Resnet abide by all federal copyright laws, and according to the CUIT website, if a student is accused of copyright infringement, Columbia “is required under the law to take away the infringer’s computer account and terminate all access to our network.” It seems a harsh punishment for watching that latest episode of “Jersey Shore,” and while many students do stream or download, there are easier (and legal) ways to do it.

All major residence halls have large, flat screen televisions in their main lounges—all high quality and worth a wait. They get cable (unfortunately, not HBO or Showtime, but close to everything else) and HD channels as well. In more highly populated dorms, it can be hard to get the remote, so it’s always a good idea to get down to the TV early and stake out a bit. Bring homework an hour or so before the show, get the remote, and hang out. The TVs are first come, first served, so there’s no shame in making sure to be the first one there.

For students interested in keeping up with the latest blockbuster releases, there are many ways to avoid the steep $12-17 New York price range for a movie ticket. All AMC movie theaters (the nearest locations are on 125th Street in Harlem and on Broadway at 84th and 66th streets) have $6 matinee prices for any film before noon.

CUArts is an insider’s gold mine for cheaper movie tickets. They sell premium gold AMC tickets for only $8, which can be used at any time for any film. They also have $7 discount tickets for art house cinemas all over New York, including the Upper West Side staple Film Society of Lincoln Center (70 Lincoln Center Plaza).

If waiting to get a TV or taking the subway to get to a movie doesn’t sound appealing, there are always the legal online outlets for watching films. Websites like Hulu put up many shows the next day, and all the major TV networks have full episodes available for viewing online. Purchasing episodes and movies on iTunes or Amazon is an option as well.

For not-so-new releases but still reliable entertainment, Netflix has an amazing selection of instant-watch movies and TV shows online, as well as an incomparable selection of DVDs that can be delivered even to campus mailboxes. And don’t forget that Butler has a collection of over 150,000 films that can be viewed whenever (though at the moment, they can only be watched in the library itself).

Whether it’s a guilty-pleasure TV show or a new artsy film, don’t get desperate: There are endless options for keeping up with what you’re interested in without risking trouble on campus.