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Download 'Terminator Salvation' for free (legally)

Okay, so most people thought the movie sucked. It's still something for nothing. You do, however, have to jump through a few account-setup hoops to get it.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida

Normally $19.95 if "downloaded to own" from CinemaNow, Terminator Salvation is currently available absolutely free. CinemaNow

I've always been a fan of the "Terminator" movies, even the much-maligned third one. But having wasted considerable hours on the generally awful "Terminator" TV series, I never bothered to go see "Terminator Salvation." Just figured I'd rent it someday.

Well, I'm glad I waited. CinemaNow and Divx are offering the movie absolutely free. After downloading it, you can play it on your PC, burn it to a DVD, or watch it on any Divx-certified device (like a PlayStation 3).

To get your freebie, follow these steps:

  1. Head to the "Termination Salvation" promo page.
  2. Enter coupon code TS201023 and click Next.
  3. Create a CinemaNow account if don't already have one, or sign in if you do.
  4. Install the Divx player if you haven't already done so, otherwise click Download to start.

The download will actually take place within the Divx player, which requires you to have a Divx account (also free). So, yeah, there's a bit of hoop-jumping here, but in the end you get a free download of a movie that would otherwise cost you $19.95.

Mine is downloading as we speak. It's pretty slow going, but I can verify that the coupon works. Also, you can start watching before the download is done; on my system, playback kicked in at around the 7-percent mark.

By the way, this qualifies as a "download to own" title, not a rental, so you can view it as many times as you want.