Tech Tips for Movie Buffs

Summer is coming to a close, and as the days get shorter and colder, Galloway residents will be spending less and less time outside, and more time going to the movies, or just curling up on the couch with a rental.

With the right set of gadgets and apps, any movie buff can get more out of every trip to the movies, and they can bring more of the movies they love into their home.

Planning a night out at the movies can take some effort. First you have to pick a movie you want to see, and then you have to figure out which theater has the movie you want to see. Instead of grabbing a newspaper, or calling each theater you’re considering visiting, you can look up what’s playing at every theater in your area at Hollywood.com

Just type your ZIP code into the search field, and you’ll be presented with a list of theaters in order of proximity to you, and under each theater you’ll see a list of movies and show times.

Once you’ve picked a movie and made it to the theater, there’s one serious problem that every moviegoer has to face—picking the right point in the movie for a bathroom break. A poorly timed bathroom break can prevent you from seeing the best special effects in the movie, or from seeing an important plot twist.

Fortunately, there’s help in the form of RunPee. Available for both the iPhone and Android phones, this app features a timer that will let you know which parts of the movie you’re watching are safe to walk away from.

Of course, if you’re more inclined to watch movies at home, you won’t have to worry about that particular problem thanks to the pause button. You will, however, have to face another problem—getting ahold of movies.

Video stores are a dying breed, and renting videos by mail from services like Netflix just doesn’t offer the instant gratification of picking a movie to watch, and watching it on the same day. So what’s the solution? A Playstation 3.

Sure, the PS3 is primarily a video game system, but it also serves as a robust source of movies and television shows. You can access Netflix’s streaming service and Hulu Plus, rent digital movies through VUDU, and even buy digital copies of movies from the Playstation Store. It also handles both DVD and Blu Ray disc playback.

When combined with a broadband internet connection, a PS3will give you instant access to just about any movie you might want to watch. Oh, and it plays games too—that’s a nice added bonus.

If you already have an Xbox 360, a PS3 or a Wii in your living room, and you’re not entirely satisfied with the movie selection at your disposal, you can add a few more choices with a little help from PlayOn.

The PlayOn software gives you access to additional online streaming services like Amazon’s video on demand service. Just download the software to your computer, plug your log in information for the various services into it, and you’ll be all set.

As long as your video game console and your computer are on the same network, the PlayOn service will show up in the list of available video options on your console of choice.

Whether you prefer a night out at the movie theater, or a night in curled up on the couch, the right tech can help any movie buff get the most out of their movie-watching experience.