DVD or video

[Lin and Larry]

Hi folks, Larry and I need some imput. We have just finished the edit work on a new program called, Storm tactics, it runs 84 minutes and has footage from our voyage east to west around Cape Horn. Now we are having to decide if people will prefer to have this on Video, or on DVD. Also, what proportion will want each format. As we are out on an island in New Zealand, its hard to get feed back to make the final planning decisions. Any thoughts?

If you want to see what type of program this will be, our distributor has put the cover and a synopsis on his site www.paracay.com click on Lin and Larry Pardey.
Thanks in advance for any imput.

[bporter]

For my $.02, if you''re only going to do one, do the DVD. Both would be better for your market, but I can imagine the cost of producing in both media would be high.

Video tape is on the way out. Our VCR broke, if we didn''t have sa bunch of kids videos on VHS I would not have replaced it. When I went to buy a new one, there were only two models of VHS only devices in the store I went to - everything was either DVD or combo VHS/DVD units. Both were under $100 though...

DVD advantages:

- DVD has almost the market penetration of VHS these days
- Can watch them on newer PC''s too, and add special PC features to the DVD
- Don''t wear out the same way
- Can''t get demagnetized
- Don''t pull out & get tangled
- Look & sound better
- Don''t have to re-wind, makes finding the part you want to see easier.

Disadvantage:
- If the quality of your video is not high, it won''t look great on DVD. People are used to lousy video quality on VHS.
- You will shut yourself out from the few people that do not have a DVD; I don''t know how many cruisers this encompasses though.

I don''t know how DVD equipment & media holds up in a marine environment, although I can''t imagine it does any worse than VHS.

[WHOOSH]

L&L:

Who (where) is your market? The answer to your question is, in part, a function of your publisher''s distribution and marketing plans before it''s a function of VHS vs. DVD.

I think it''s fair to say the U.S. is, with a few exceptions in the Far East and Western Europe (essentially Scandanavia & Germany), well ahead in both the widespread deployment of computer useage in the home and also use of DVD technology for home entertainment. If you''re hopeful that a significant part of your target audience is in the EU and Australasia, VHS is an important media of choice, at least for those areas. (And you''ll need to think in terms of the different formats).

OTOH if the predominant audience is American and in the near term the publisher is willing to forego potential sales from those other regions as well as some U.S. sales, DVD is the coming thing. (In which case, the ability to play your program will be affected by Region Codes instead of formats).

We (globally, not just in the U.S.) seem to be in another of those technical transitions (remember Beta VCRs? 8-track tapes? 5" floppies? even computer zip drives are becoming passe now...). I notice many products today are offered in both formats; that would reach your maximum audience...but may not be as lucrative for you & your publisher.

Jack

[Sailormon6]

IMHO, there will still be a demand for VHS. If you only produce the program in DVD, you will lose whatever market there is for VHS. My local public library loans movies in both DVD and VHS format, but there are far more in VHS format, and they seem to get more play than DVD. I live in a midwestern metropolitan area with well over a million people. Other cities may be transitioning to DVD much faster, but I think there is still a significant VHS market. Can you produce a test issue of a couple thousand in each format, and then order a larger quantity based on the percentages sold of each?

Good luck! I started sailing at about the same time you started writing, and have always enjoyed the accounts of your travels.

[KenD]

For what it''s worth I prefer dvd over vhs for quality reasons, last longer,sound is clearer,picture has more resolution. A plus is the ability to play on computers,with todays electronics on boats of all types it would be natural to watch and learn while cruising about with little or nothing to do.
I look forward to the release of your work on storm tactics. fair winds.

[harvh]

Like many households, we have both, but on my boat I would used the DVD on my lap top. I think I would offer it in both formats. If it contains information that I could use while boating, I would leave it on board. If its more oriented twards entertainment, then VHS would be fine.

[RobGallagher]

DVD is the only think I rent/purchase. My VCR is no longer even hooked up. I also rent online now (netflix) and DVD is the only option.

Good luck.

[gerryn926]

In my opinion, DVD''s are just a more appropriate choice for boats, the media is more robust, moisture can harm magnetic tape like on VHS.

Also from a pure energy standpoint, it takes less juice to spin a disk than to spin tape heads. I have one of those portable DVD players that just plugs into the video ports on the TV.

[svdragonseeker]

If you were to go into a Blockbuster video nowadays you would find that probably 90% of the product there is in DVD form. am interested in seeing vidio as I would like to go the same way.

[Peter_pan]

Hi Folks
Nice that you have a story to tell. I found out quite by accident that nobody speaks the same language. That includes comunication formats. What works for us in the US doesn''t work in the EU, Asia, or Aussi. machines. Apparently there are seperate video formats for each of these areas to help prevent piracy. Do a little more checking.