Streaming Video and More: Home

We are always taking suggestions for content.  Purchasing a DVD or Blu-ray is usually more cost effective and permanent than other sources.  Please use our "Suggest a Purchase" form for items.

• The library pays the "Higher Education /Institution" price (often a separate price, especially for documentary/educational videos).
• At this time, we do not purchase individual titles available for streaming that is not part of our current streaming database lineup.
• There are often different prices on DVDs and online streaming options (1-year, 3-year, permanent "life of file" ownership").
• Educational/documentary videos are usually much more expensive than commercial/popular videos:
  • DVDs often cost between $25 to $400.
  • Online streaming rights for 1-year often cost $150 or more (per year).

Here is a list of some of the freely available streaming content found online.  These are not part of the database content provided by CNU.

• American Archive of Public Broadcasting

  40,000 hours of public radio and television broadcasts curated by the Library of Congress and GBH in Boston

  American Memory Collection

  Several hundred early motion pictures are viewable in the Library of Congress's American Memory collections. Most of these early films are documentaries.
• British Pathe

  With a unique combination of information and entertainment, all 85,000 documentaries, newsreels, serials and films searchable and viewable on YouTube.
• CSPAN Video Library

  Includes almost every program that has aired on C-SPAN, including more than 170,000 hours of content, going back to 1987, including author interviews, political rallies, interviews with news makers and journalists.
• Documentary Heaven

  Browse films by category options such as activist, celebrity, conspiracy, mystery, war, technology, and more.
• Fandor

  Over 2000 streaming indie movies. It also includes international movies and documentaries covering various categories such as comedy, drama, action and science fiction.
• Fedflix

  Movies from the United States Government, from training films to history and national parks.
• Folkstreams

  A national preserve of documentary films about American roots cultures.
• Free Documentaries

  Run by a non-profit organization that offers a wide variety of documentaries by independent film makers from around the world.
• iTunes U 
• Japanese Animation Movie Classics
  With works that go back as far as 1917, this is a deep dive into the world of Japanese animation curated by the Nobuo Ofuji Memorial Museum. There’s traditional cell animation, but also a surprising amount of cut-out animation.
• Library of Congress Webcasts

  Webcasts from the Library of Congress covering Biography, History, Culture, Performing Arts, Education, Government, Poetry, Literature, Religion, Science, and Technology.
• Moving Image Internet Archive

  Over 1.5 million digitized videos and clips, including cartoons, commercials and classic films, many public domain or available via Creative Commons license.
• National Film Board of Canada

  The National Film Board of Canada’s online Screening Room, offering documentaries, animated film and more from around the world. They also have channels for topics like history, biography and the arts. 

• Netflix Educational Documentaries

  A selection of free Netflix films on YouTube.

  Open Video Project

  A repository of open access digitized videos for education and learning purposes.

• PBS Video 
• Prelinger Archives

  Holds approximately 11,000 digitized videos, primarily home movies and amateur films. There is free access to many (but not all) films from the collection on the Internet Archive site.
• Public Domain Project

  Thousands of audio, image, and video files in the public domain from the collection of the Pond5 stock footage company.
• RTVE.es A la Carta

  The Spanish public broadcasting company, providing free online streaming for a wide variety of its films, documentaries and television programming.
• SlideShare

  Search thousands of videos through this content sharing program. Click on the "Education" tab for highlighted finds.
• TED Talks

  Search the TED Talks library of videos filmed at TED conferences, TEDx events, and other events. Try narrowing your search to TED-Ed and view animated video lessons targeted to educators to use for customizing lessons.
• The Travel Film Archive

  A collection of travelogues and educational and industrial films that show the world the way it was between 1900 and 1970. Its holdings include archives of the renowned travel filmmakers Burton Holmes, Andre de la Varre, and James A. FitzPatrick.
• Vimeo Creative Commons

  Browse videos with a Creative Commons license. The site has a clear explanation of the different licenses and how you can or cannot use the videos.