Now here's a smart idea. Lions Gate Home Entertainment are giving people the option to "try before you buy" on some of their DVD releases, by making episodes viewable online as a taster. It's like illegal downloading, but without the illegal bit! Or the downloading, come to think of it. In short: it's not like illegal downloading.
Two of the first releases to get the treatment are the now-canned US TV show about Harry Dresden, a wizard who helps the cops with weird supernatural cases; and The Lost Room, a rather intriguing mini-series centring on a motel room that exists outside of space and time.
To stream sample episodes of both shows, head to www.lionsgatefilms.co.uk/VIPTV .
You'll have to enter a few basic details (email address, age, gender) before the stream starts but we're fairly confident it's not part of some sinister CIA monitoring project.
