PC
Mac
General
On average, it will take about 30 seconds for the film to begin playing, but it depends on the speed of your internet connection. It is normal for the "beach ball" to briefly appear on Macs while the film is loading, but we are always working on improving the online viewing experience.
Yes. In 2009, we expect to make films available for viewing offline as well.
Click here to watch a clip from The Leopard. Click the triangular play button to start watching and click the lower right of the video player interface to enter full-screen mode. If this clip plays back acceptably, you should have no problem watching feature films on our site.
Yes. Depending on your internet connection speed, it should not affect the downloading of the film. For the best results, however, close all other windows and applications before beginning to watch the film.
Yes. You will need a video cable to connect your computer to your television. The correct video cable depends on the output connections on your computer and the input connections on your television. For example, if you have a computer with a DVI output and an HDTV with HDMI inputs, you can use a DVI to HDMI cable to watch online films on your television.
Not right now, but we are making improvements to our player all the time. A film will load into your browser from the beginning each time you start watching it. If the film you are watching has been loaded into your browser previously, however, it may load more quickly on subsequent viewings.
The sizes available for viewing the film in the browser are limited to the default size and full-screen.
Yes. As long as you are logged in to your account, you can watch any active rentals.
For the best viewing experience, the distance you sit from your monitor should be about twice the width of the monitor (e.g., with a 15-inch laptop screen, you should sit 30 inches away).
You need an HDTV and a compatible Blu-ray player.
Yes. Blu-ray players are fully backward compatible with DVDs.
No.
We only publish Blu-ray discs for the North American market, and our Blu-ray discs are encoded Region A.
We encode mono and stereo sources using PCM, and we encode surround-sound sources using DTS-HD MA.
No. Some of the first-generation Blu-ray players will not play Criterion Blu-ray discs. A known example is the Samsung BD-P1200. Additionally, the following players exhibit initial loading times of 2 to 3 minutes: Samsung BD-P1400, Sharp BD-HP20U, and Panasonic DMP BD10. This is normal for these players.
Blu-ray discs are extremely sensitive to dirt and fingerprints, so be sure to handle them carefully and avoid getting fingerprints on the playback surface. Even a small, partial fingerprint has been known to cause problems.
If you do need to clean a Blu-ray disc, here are some helpful tips: Be sure to wash, rinse, and dry your hands thoroughly before cleaning the disc. Hold the Blu-ray disc under cool running water (don't use soap on the disc!) and use your thumb or fingertip to clean the surface by gently rubbing from the center outward. Don't use a back-and-forth motion or rub the disc in circles (the motion should be like rays extending from the sun, not like the hands of a clock). After washing, it is important to dry the disc thoroughly, or it will gather lint. Sandwich the disc between several layers of good-quality paper towel and very gently pat dry until all the water has been absorbed from the surface. Do not rub the disc with a paper towel!