What Is Kanopy?
Be Entertained. Be Enriched. is the tagline of Kanopy.Kanopy is a movie lovers' dream! Particularly if you are a fan of documentaries, Indie Films and non fiction entertainment then you will not be disappointed. It is akin to being transported to your local library, but through the ease of your computer.
Who can Access Kanopy?
Kanopy is free to members of participating public libraries and universities. Check the digital services section of your library website or university; chances are Kanopy is available.
How Does Kanopy Work?
The Kanopy membership is linked to your library card account number. Create an account on Kanopy and the activation of the account is triggered when the library card number is entered and then automatically verified. An account can be created, verified and activated in less than five minutes.
A member receives 10 credits per month and one movie equals one credit. The checkout process is one familiar to library card holders when checking out a DVD or CD. The movie must be viewed within 3 days of checkout except with canopy the checkout is online access to the movie.
How Do I View The Movie?
Very easily! Kanopy is available on the majority of platforms including: Apple OS, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku, Fire stick, Fire tablet and desktop.Simply download the app or access Kanopy in the menu section of Roku or Fire TV.
My first two "checkouts" were the documentaries "Above The Fold" a profile of legendary journalist Robert Scheer and "Celebration of the 89th Anniversary of The Martha Graham Dance Company."
What Does Kanopy Offer?
The major categories of Kanopy are:
- Movies
- Documentaries
- The Arts
- Business
- Health
- Education
- Media & Communication
- Global Studies
- Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Instructional Films & Lessons
The title selection is huge with over 30,000 titles including the Criterion Collection which features classic cinema at its' best.
Kanopy Kids
Looking for the littles? Kanopy has a collection curated specifically for children at Kanopy For Kids. One of the main differences between the content on Kanopy For Kids and Kanopy is a parental control dashboard and unlimited viewing (because we know the littles love to watch and rewatch and rewatch their favorites!)
Again the variety of content is impressive with organized categories easily navigated:
- Movies
- Story Time
- TV Series
- Funny Stuff
- Adventure
- Quick Flicks
- Explore Science & Math
- Learning Languages
- Animals
- Tales From History ... to name a few.
Is Kanopy Really Free?
Kanopy is free with free* receiving an asterisk. The library or university pays a fee to Kanopy for access to the service. Just as your library card is "free" to obtain, but ultimately paid for by your municipality. Check with your local library or the library website to find out if Kanopy is available. Students and educators at .edu can also access Kanopy with their library card.
Cutting The Cable Cord?
Kanopy is an alternative to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime. As I am currently in the process of cutting the cord with cable television I am thrilled to find Kanopy and even more ecstatic with the easy access to Indie films, documentaries and classic cinema which are genres I already favor.
More on my journey to cutting the cord ... it is a work in progress!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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Excellent review and information! I immediately checked my library and sadly, it does offer Kanopy. I'll remember to check again to see if they have added it. We cut the cable years ago, but I still subscribe to Netflix. Of course, now that Disney plans to "take" a lot of the movies, I don't know how much longer they will be a reasonable service for our household. I do enjoy movies and we love documentaries. Sure hope our library get Kanopy soon. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteI also checked my library website and Kanopy does not appear to be available. I will ask the library the next time I go if they plan to add it in the future. Sounds like a wonderful service. Thanks for your interesting review.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this wonderful free streaming service with us! I’m off to see whether it’s available through my library.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for sharing this great review. Sadly, I can not get it.
ReplyDeleteWow Tracey, I wonder if we have this availability in Canada too! I have a library card and we have something called "Libby" we can take out books online and return online. But I don't know if we have videos and documentaries available. What a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great I will definitely check it out with my library.
ReplyDeleteJust checked with my library and we have it. Thank you so much for the recommend.
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