Luminous Landscape Forum
Site & Board Matters => Luminous Landscape Video => Topic started by: John.Murray on March 28, 2007, 08:15:45 pm
-
I applaud your decision to make your library available for download! The content that I have viewed so far has only served to completly "recharge my batteries" leading to better photos and satisfaction from them.
One comment and possibly request:
Quicktime . . . .
I *hate* it - granted, it's an Apple thing, the player for Windows is positively *viral*, not even allowing fullscreen playback, stuffing unwanted processes in memory at startup . . . fortunately alternative players exist.
Are Mpeg4 files completely out of the question? Advantages are seamless playback on your chosen platform's "native" viewer, in addition - streaming the videos across my home network to my livingroom becomes easily possible, regardless of my "current" media server and/or client.
Best regards - john
-
I applaud your decision to make your library available for download! The content that I have viewed so far has only served to completly "recharge my batteries" leading to better photos and satisfaction from them.
One comment and possibly request:
Quicktime . . . .
I *hate* it - granted, it's an Apple thing, the player for Windows is positively *viral*, not even allowing fullscreen playback, stuffing unwanted processes in memory at startup . . . fortunately alternative players exist.
Are Mpeg4 files completely out of the question? Advantages are seamless playback on your chosen platform's "native" viewer, in addition - streaming the videos across my home network to my livingroom becomes easily possible, regardless of my "current" media server and/or client.
Best regards - john
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109261\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Quicktime Pro allows full screen on PC. I think iTunes does also.
Or, you could follow me in my over-indulgence. I ordered an Apple TV device - I will install it Saturday. That will stream the hi-rez files to my HDTV.
Luminous Landscape has cost me over the years. Good thing they aren't reviewing the new Gitzos yet.
-
. . . and mpg4 files would stream beautifully over it
-
Download is fine if it is in a format that is easy to put on a DVD. The tutorial was fine in download form but the LLVJ is a living room thing.
-
If you search around I'm sure you can find quite a few options for playing .mp4 files on a PC outside of quicktime. There are quite a few options for the mac platform I can't imaging it wouldn't be the case for you too. Besides, .mp4 isn't a Apple technology. It's owned my the Mpeg group. Apple is just the company that promotes it the most.
Anyway, hurrah for downloadable content!
Honestly this is the direction the entire industry will follow as evidenced by the ever increasing popularity of video podcasts and the IPTV services that are out or in the works (Joost, MS, ATT, and Verizon). To heck with the HD DVD/Blue Ray DRM encumbered pissing match. The industry will simply bypass the dopes at the MPAA. </minirant>
Great to see the LLVJ join the pioneering individuals pushing for new and effective distribution models.
-
If it helps the viability of LLVJ (and indirectly this site) I would gladly convert from mailed DVDs to online downloads. The LightRoom tutorials downloaded smoothly and I was able to store them on a DVD for future reference at minimal cost. So why not convert to what seems to be the way of the future?
-
Michael,
I hope you reconsider eliminating LLVJ on DVDs.
I really like and prefer being able to watch the LLVJ on the TV screen.
Viewing LLVJ on my TV in a convenient and relaxing environment offset the speed of the download advantage. Also I like to replay segments of older LLVJ editions. This is a simple task to execute with DVDs.
Importantly none of these points address the financial impact of your decision.
Thanks for listening.
Marc Schoenholz
-
I for one am not interested in downloadable videos. I prefer the physical DVD. If this is the direction that LLVJ is going, then I'll have to reconsider my subscription.
Respectfully,
Mike Boden
-
I too will have to rethink my subscription decision if this is the future of LLVJ. It is not a given that I won't renew my subscription, since I really do enjoy it, but it is certainly less likely. That is a decision I will have to make when the time comes. I will not be converting my current subscription to download.
As a software designer, I spend quite enough time in front of a computer. I did not take on photography so I can spend even more time there. Sitting in an office chair, in front of a desk and monitor is not a relaxing environment for me. I'm much more comfortable and relaxed watching LLVJ in my family room, on my comfy leather couch.
As for delivery times, I guess I benefit from living just 4 hours NE of LL central, so my discs arrive within a couple days of being mailed.
Michael, I hope you will rethink this decision. If it means an increase in the cost of LLJV, so be it, but please continue the option to subscribe to the DVD.
-
I too will have to rethink my subscription decision if this is the future of LLVJ. It is not a given that I won't renew my subscription, since I really do enjoy it, but it is certainly less likely.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109297\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I have to add my voice against a download-only LLVJ. I also hope that you will reconsider this decision.
Sincerely,
Paul
-
Assuming Michael does not use DRM (which considering he has not yet) then it will be possible, and simple, to burn the downloads to DVD for playback on a TV.
-
There is no DRM on our downloads. One is free to burn them to DVD.
As for playing them on a TV vs a computer or iPod, this is going to be come increasingly possible as devices like Apple TV become widely in use.
We have to look to the future, not the past. DVD video distribution, with all the hassles of bulk disk replication, wharehousing, packaging, fullfillment, shipping, postage, returns, lost disk, mail delays, customs (half of our business is international).... all of this simply tells us that download is the way to go.
Just as five years ago we turned away from VHS videotape to a new technology called DVD, we now have to look to downloads as the future of non-broadcast video. No DRM, instant availability, much lower cost to the customer, ability to be played on a multitude of devices, from iPods to computer screens to TVs.
No, I'm afraid there's no turning back. We've been researching and planning this for almost 6 months, and the move is necessary. We will likely continue to publish at least another couple of DVDs, but the content will appear online weeks beforehand (maybe even longer).
We know we will lose some customers by dropping DVD distribution, and this is unfortunate. But the reality is we are now selling vastly more downloads a day that we used to sell DVDs in a week, so the writing is on the wall.
Michael
-
I think you will get many more new customers in the future with this wise decision. So far I have hesitated to sign-up for a subscription due to the ridiculous cost of sending a DVD from Canada to Sweden compared to the price for the DVD. Even though I have bought some single LLVJ issues, I much more prefer your latest download approach and you can be sure I will buy everyone of them in the future. However, considering the suggestion made earlier about also providing MPEG4 versions would be appreciated.
Lars
-
An AppleTV is an ok solution for people in the US that want to watch on their TV, since they can also purchase TV shows and movies through iTunes. On this side of the border, and most other places in the world, Apple doesn't have distribution rights for this type of media, making an Apple TV a very limited use device, that's not worth the money. The Apple TV also requires an HD set which some of us (myself included) do not yet own (and have no desire to buy either).
Burning to DVD is an option, but it takes hours to do, and when done, it will still be an inferior product to what is delivered now. As Chris said in the thread on burning the LR Tutorial to DVD, it takes a lot of work to properly convert content encoded for computer display to look as good on TV.
I can understand your desire to provide the content through download, and I think you will get new customers by doing so (hopefully for you, more than you're going to lose). But I don't understand why it needs to be one or the other.
To me LLVJ is too good a product, and too nicely produced to deserve this kind of treatment. I'm sorry to hear that your mind is made up. I have 3 more DVD's coming to me in my subscription, which I will not convert to download. After that, I will have to decide whether I will continue.
Might I suggest, since most of your subscribers have probably never seen the downloadable version of LLVJ, that you make the current issue 15 available to current subscribers, so we can at least see what we can expect in your new future? Maybe once we see it, there will be less concern.
-
Michael:
I think it is a good but temporarily annoying thing to drop the DVDs. I work as an appellate lawyer--basically spending lots of my day in front of the computer.
I truly enjoy the DVD when I come home sit down in front of the TV with a warm cat on my lap. I think the annoyance will diminish as products like Apple TV become more prevalent. I can appreciate the hassle and cost of dealing with the DVDs.
-
I think I'm missing something here - is it impossible to burn the downloaded file to a DVD and then fire up the TV and watch it there, cat and all?
I am pleased with the decision to offer downloads of LLVJ. I would probably be dismayed if I didn't have a broadband connection!
I haven't tried using iTunes to watch the journal - thanks for the tip. Quicktime is indeed a PITA on a PC.
-
I think I'm missing something here - is it impossible to burn the downloaded file to a DVD and then fire up the TV and watch it there, cat and all?
It is possible, but it is a very time consuming process, and the end result will not be of the same quality as the current DVD offering (not even close).
Michael is right that this will allow more people to buy the LLVJ without the costs and hassles of international mailings. But you cannot take 4.7GB of already compressed video, further compress it down to 800MB and expect it to have the same quality. There's no way around it, this will be an inferior product to what is being delivered today.
-
It is possible, but it is a very time consuming process, and the end result will not be of the same quality as the current DVD offering (not even close).
Michael is right that this will allow more people to buy the LLVJ without the costs and hassles of international mailings. But there's no way around it, this will be an inferior product to what is being delivered today.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109356\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
And that is my question. Is the product after conversion to a form I can watch on my TV the same product. If I can get the same result as the DVD by converting and burning a download then a download is fine.
-
No, it will not be the same product. It will be poorer video quality, and will not have the navigation menus of the current DVDs (you will have to build your own menu to navigate the DVD content).
Michael, a thought I had as I was walking the dogs. If the decision to go to exclusively downloadable video has been made and is final, have you considered offering a DVD ISO file option for download? I realize that the files are large (4.7GB), but burning an ISO file to DVD is trivial, only takes a few minutes, and will enable you to deliver the identical content at the same high quality as you deliver today on DVD. This is an option that I could live with.
I realize that DVD ISOs are too large for some to download, so the QT files would still be required.
-
Might I suggest, since most of your subscribers have probably never seen the downloadable version of LLVJ, that you make the current issue 15 available to current subscribers, so we can at least see what we can expect in your new future? Maybe once we see it, there will be less concern.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109337\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Or at least an example segment to test for download times and viewing quality.
I can appreciate the economic necessity (and a download LLVJ is better than none at all). But I fear that the LLVJ viewing experience will be greatly diminished; like viewing side-by-side large prints of the same subject, one shot at 6 megapixels and the other at 39.
Six looks okay until you see the higher resolution print. And, Michael, for better or worse, we've come to expect 39 megapixel quality from the LLVJ.
Best,
Paul
-
No, I'm afraid there's no turning back. We've been researching and planning this for almost 6 months, and the move is necessary. We will likely continue to publish at least another couple of DVDs, but the content will appear online weeks beforehand (maybe even longer).
Michael
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109318\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
As a long time viewer, I will miss the DVDs. It's great to look at those small round illustrated discs to select an episode to review. Manufactured DVDs last, while burned ones don't, of course. I assume we will be losing the "DVD functionality" along the way; it would be nice to have some way to capture this for burning content to DVD for playback.
Still, to be honest, my computer is where I watch the DVDs. Loss of quality is one concern I do have. I also wonder what has become of the move towards HD? I would opt for the DVD over the downloads to get better quality, and I would opt for bigger downloads (perhaps optional) for better quality as well.
I guess I'll just place my old DVDs in the drawer with my beloved Nikon F. Just please, make sure we really get more from the new technology, not just cheaper and faster.
Keep it coming,
Jeff Goldfarb
-
I must be in a serious minority who don't actually have a DVD player (or a TV for that matter) but I was happy to join the LLJV club once it became downloadable and I downloaded the Lightroom tutorial within seconds of installing Lightroom on my computer. I'm looking forward to the ability to download future editions and hopefully past ones as well.
-
I'm not in favour of this. Even though I watch it on my computer (we also don't have a TV), we do not have a fast internet connection. We will remain on dialup for the forseable future (it's just another expense we can do without). I also do not have a DVD burner. Regrettable i will probably have to cancel my subscription when you stop DVDs, but this could change but not in the near term.
Steve
-
I must be in a serious minority who don't actually have a DVD player (or a TV for that matter) but I was happy to join the LLJV club once it became downloadable and I downloaded the Lightroom tutorial within seconds of installing Lightroom on my computer. I'm looking forward to the ability to download future editions and hopefully past ones as well.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109388\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Yes, well, clearly you're an anarchist. I believe not owning a TV in the USA gets you sent to Gitmo. I mean how else do you know what to buy?
It should be noted that I like things like the tutorials as downloads. Without seeing a LLVJ download I've no idea what I think of that.
-
Well I look forward to seeing Issue 16 for free on YouTube.....
Sorry, but I think this is a case of technology for the sake of technology. Surely the time between issues is more a question of the time it takes to record & edit the material, rather than the time it takes to post it ? I thought once it went out to the duplicators, that was the end of the story ?
I'm also concerned about the quality. I though we were headed for HDTV quality DVD, not MPEG4 ?
Basically you're going to end up with a glorified video blog. Fine if that's what you want, but it seems to be strange for a photographer who strives for the best standards in equipment, printing and creativity to be going in exactly the opposite direction in video publication production standards.
I'm not saying I won't try it out, but to be honest, I can think of a whole load more reasons why this is a poor idea, both from the audience point of view and the production.
-
... If the decision to go to exclusively downloadable video has been made and is final, have you considered offering a DVD ISO file option for download? I realize that the files are large (4.7GB), but burning an ISO file to DVD is trivial, only takes a few minutes, and will enable you to deliver the identical content at the same high quality as you deliver today on DVD . This is an option that I could live with.
I realize that DVD ISOs are too large for some to download, so the QT files would still be required.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109366\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
[underline is mine]
Ditto here!
I think that's a good idea: may be with a smaller "market share" but I think that could keep part of the possible future lost buyers willing to pay for the higher quality and easy navigation mentioned by "mikealex" above.
I would be ready to pay for that option even if it could possibly require to me a download time equal to the current average of physical mailing (about a week).
[span style=\'font-size:8pt;line-height:100%\'](of course I have a not too much fast broadband, but no time neither traffic limited)[/span]
P.S.: thinking about it again, I fear that it (4GB) could be a problem more for the "LL" server limits than for the users line... hope that's not the case.
-
The DVD image file for download is a very good idea and one we will pursue. There will be some minor extra cost to purchasers due to extra bandwidth.
BTW samples of the LLVJ-15 Download Video have been available for months. Just click on the LLVJ Downloads (http://luminous-landscape.com/video_journal/downloads.shtml) link in the navigation bar of the website. You will need to scroll down to see stills of the HiRes and iPod versions; clicking on those images will bring you to an appropriate QuickTime file.
If you are rightly sceptical about the quality and size of our Download video, I believe you will be very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the sample HiRes file; and it scales up very well indeed to larger sizes if your viewing distance is greater than a metre/3 feet
Chris S
-
The DVD image file for download is a very good idea and one we will pursue. There will be some minor extra cost to purchasers due to extra bandwidth.
BTW samples of the LLVJ-15 Download Video have been available for months. Just click on the LLVJ Downloads (http://luminous-landscape.com/video_journal/downloads.shtml) link in the navigation bar of the website. You will need to scroll down to see stills of the HiRes and iPod versions; clicking on those images will bring you to an appropriate QuickTime file.
If you are rightly sceptical about the quality and size of our Download video, I believe you will be very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the sample HiRes file; and it scales up very well indeed to larger sizes if your viewing distance is greater than a metre/3 feet
Chris S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109407\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Ahhh...a DVD ISO file....music to my ears. Thanks, Chris!!!
I've always looked forward to the days when my LLVJ DVD arrives and I put it into my uprezzing DVD player and watch it on my HDTV. The quality is excellent. While I have a good computer and monitor its no match for the HDTV. I'm sure Chris is looking forward to the days when LLVJ is in HD natively.
-
The DVD image file for download is a very good idea and one we will pursue. There will be some minor extra cost to purchasers due to extra bandwidth.
Thank-you! That is very good news, and enough to keep me as a subscriber for a long time. I have no problem paying a little extra for the download to receive the same high quality we receive today. With that news, I will convert the remainder of my subscription to download.
-
Steve, I would venture to suggest that you will not be on dial up for as long as you think given how cheap it is getting the future availability of dial up will be sure to be in question...
-
Add me to the list of those who will be very willing to pay extra for an ISO DVD image version.
-
Unfortunately, until the ISPs (in my area at least) get realistic about the cost of high-speed internet, I'm sure a number of us are stuck with dial-up. In my case, if DVDs were eliminated, my only option would be to D/L at work (not an ideal situation).
-
Unfortunately, until the ISPs (in my area at least) get realistic about the cost of high-speed internet, I'm sure a number of us are stuck with dial-up. In my case, if DVDs were eliminated, my only option would be to D/L at work (not an ideal situation).
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109424\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Gosh, here in the UK there is a price war for broadband with it almost being given away with your packet of chips....
-
Gosh, here in the UK there is a price war for broadband with it almost being given away with your packet of chips....
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109431\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
DSL goes for around $32/month (cheapest I've seen w/o buying a bunch of expensive service packages that you don't need), but if you want true high speed, Comcast cable is the big heavy-weight here and they still demand around $50/month. Since there doesn't appear to be any true competition yet, the providers don't feel real inclined to drop their prices. Dial-up by contrast, can be had for $12/month, and there are still cheaper options...
-
DSL goes for around $32/month (cheapest I've seen w/o buying a bunch of expensive service packages that you don't need), but if you want true high speed, Comcast cable is the big heavy-weight here and they still demand around $50/month. Since there doesn't appear to be any true competition yet, the providers don't feel real inclined to drop their prices. Dial-up by contrast, can be had for $12/month, and there are still cheaper options...
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109435\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Here in America we don't have much choice. Most areas are either monopolies or duopolies and the FCC has gone to quite some effort of making sure that happens. Most high-speed connections are 320kb/s up and 5mb down placing America in the bottom twenty in terms of countries with high-speed connections. If we had some competition we would probably be like Japan with their 100mb/s up/downn for $30 a month.
Hell, we invented the blasted internet. It only makes sense we should have the best options for connection.
-
I too am unhappy with the decision to send the LLVJ via download. I spend over 8 hours a day in front of a computer screen and the last thing I care to do when I come home is spend more time in front of one watching a 2 hour + video.
While I have broadband, Comcast is the local monopoly, it will still take time to download those large files. The proplem is that cable is like the old "party line" telephone connections and is subject to the number of subscripers on line at one time. This affects the download speed, the more people online the slower the speed. You don't always get the top speed and numerous trips by the service personal don't seem to cure the problem.
And no, I will not stay up to 2 in the morning to download the file.
Like others, I enjoy watching the LLVJ on my TV in the living room while reclining on the sofa. Looking at a video on my computer is just not the same no matter the subject.
It is like articles on the screen, I always print them out before trying to read, maybe it is an age thing or that I am more analog than digital but I spend too much time in front of the computer now.
If download is my only option, then I will have to reconsider renewing my subscription. The delay in getting the DVD, it generally takes about 2 weeks to arrive after shipping only increases the pleasure once the DVD arrives.
-
We have to look to the future, not the past.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109318\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
If this is the case, then you need to seriously consider BluRay or HD-DVD. This is the future. As a customer, I'm willing to pay for you to create the discs for me. I really don't have the desire to spend the time downloading and creating discs. Plain and simple.
So what I don't get is this: why can't you offer both?
-
Hell, we invented the blasted internet. It only makes sense we should have the best options for connection
TCP and IP were invented by North Americans, but the World Wide Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee, a Brit working at CERN in Geneva.
Off topic, but just keeping the record straight...
Mike.
-
If this is the case, then you need to seriously consider BluRay or HD-DVD. This is the future.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=109706\")
Neither HD DVD or Blu-Ray are the future--yet. We are still in a format war and fewer people have a player for these formats then they have internet connection and a DVD burner.
Then there is the cost. HD DVD is around 15-20% more expensive then a standard DVD to master (around $2K) since it is based off the same tech. [a href=\"http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060316-6400.html]Image Entertainment stated[/url] Blu-Ray mastering costs at around $40K. Then there is the cost of stamping each disc. Standard DVDs are $1 a pop with Blu-Ray at $2 per. If prices have reduced significantly since then, I have yet to hear about it.
Michael would--for cost reasons--have to bet on HD DVD and hope that is the prevailing format. If not, and Blu-Ray does not come down in cost considerably the LLVJ would have to either go to internet distribution or back to DVDs leaving him at square one.
Until the format war is done, neither format is even on the radar for anyone but the movie studios.
-
TCP and IP were invented by North Americans, but the World Wide Web was developed by Tim Berners-Lee, a Brit working at CERN in Geneva.
Off topic, but just keeping the record straight...
Mike.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109724\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Well, if you really want to go to the beginning, it was J.C.R. Licklide. At MIT in 1962 he described the concept for a "Galactic Network." He was later hired by DARPA where the first actual network was developed for the Military called the ARPANET.
-
I for one am not interested in downloadable videos. I prefer the physical DVD. If this is the direction that LLVJ is going, then I'll have to reconsider my subscription.
Respectfully,
Mike Boden
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109293\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Add my voice and vote to not do away with the DVD's.
Have you considered how many of your subscribers do not have broad band service? Do you know how long it will take to download a DVD at 24k download speed over a modem? You are not offering an alternative for those who do not live in the big cities and are suffering with arrogant monopoly communications companies that will not extend their services past the big city limits.
I will not take the penalty for your not wanting to honor your obligation as stated when you offered and I subscribed to your Video Journals. You stated they would be mailed on DVD and in a format to be played in a common DVD player. No mention was made of any change and no escape clause for you to back out of what you stated as the means of delivery.
I expect to receive my entire previously paid subscription in the form that I had paid for. Times are tough for all. Suck it up and deliver what you promised when you offered the subscriptions.
A very disappointed and it appears to be former subscriber
Timothy True
-
Rainman,
You will either get all of your DVDs as promised or a full refund for any unused portion, if this is warrented. No need to get snooty. No one here is going to rip you off.
But, we have to be realistic about our business case, and with the huge increase in mailing costs and extraordinary delays which mail is now encounterrring, postal distribution is ceasing to be a viable alternative.
So, as the saying goes – we're sucking it up, and finding it wanting.
Michael
-
I don't think this impacts existing subscriptions. You just won't be able to renew one in the DVD format.
-
Michael,
It’s clear that there are significant challenges to the existing LLVJ model.
Questions and thoughts:
1. Is it feasible to offer LLVJ via download and DVD at prices that make the model work? i.e. raise the price of the DVD. As technology improves the price/value relationship of the delivery vehicle will eventually drive consumers to the download.
2. Will subscribers have access to the older LLVJ segments (segments that are subscribed to during a given subscription period)?
3. Would you consider offering DVD’s to geographies where postal service is acceptable?
4. Can you expand DVD production to additional countries to minimize shipping, security issues, etc?
Is any of this helpful or are all of these points just a pain in the ... and the issue is closed?
Marc Schoenholz
-
Michael,
I have been a very satisfied subscriber to LLVJ, my wife who is not really into photography enjoys them as much as I do especially the scenes from foreign parts.
It is a shame that we will not be able to watch them on the TV together in future, I don't think sitting on a couple of chairs around a computer monitor gives the same pleasure.
I will not be converting my upcoming subsciption to download unless forced to, but when this subscription runs out I will still subscibe to the download if the quality of content remains as high as it has been so far.
If you and Chris could come up with a downloadable image I could transfer to Dvd that would be the best option for me (and my wife). After all people are downloading movies all the time. Anyway you and your team have given us both a lot of enjoyment so far and I'm sure with your teams talent you will come up with something worthy of the content.
Thank You
Frank
-
Just to throw the idea out there (if it hasn't already been):
I wonder if there would be an option to have a duplicator receive the DVD ISO via download (crossing international boarders), burn it and mail it out to all subscribers in it's own country. I'll guess this would likely only be feasible in countries where there is a large enough subscriber base (like the US). But this would avoid the mailing delay as the shipment would take place entirely within the same country and not cross any international boarders.
-
Just to throw the idea out there (if it hasn't already been):
I wonder if there would be an option to have a duplicator receive the DVD ISO via download (crossing international boarders), burn it and mail it out to all subscribers in it's own country. I'll guess this would likely only be feasible in countries where there is a large enough subscriber base (like the US). But this would avoid the mailing delay as the shipment would take place entirely within the same country and not cross any international boarders.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109862\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Excellent idea. Count me in.
Jake
-
Are Mpeg4 files completely out of the question? Advantages are seamless playback on your chosen platform's "native" viewer, in addition - streaming the videos across my home network to my livingroom becomes easily possible, regardless of my "current" media server and/or client.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109261\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
The next HiRes files will be .mp4 not .mov. Same codec (H.264) same resolution but a marginally different container. Some viewers suffer due to a Mac-centric producer
Chris S
-
I ordered an Apple TV device - I will install it Saturday. That will stream the hi-rez files to my HDTV.
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=109263\")
Well - almost Bob but not quite. I installed mine yesterday and discovered that the audio codec I used was incompatible with AppleTV. You will need to convert the file to AAC audio format.
If you don't mind fiddling a little ...
There is a very interesting free converter that will make that sound
adjustment .
It is called:
MPEG Streamclip
and is available for Mac or Windows at [a href=\"http://www.squared5.com/]squared5.com[/url]
Make a 100% Quality MP4 file with AAC sound - no interlacing.
You can also make and preview brightness/contrast adjustments that may
be necessary for your TV set. My old CRT needs brightness +10. You can preview the settings before starting the encode
Have fun!
Chris S
-
For the record, I want to thank those of you who have expressed strong reservations about the conversion to Download Video. There have been a significant number of subscribers who have also emailed me with the same thought. Your feedback will make a difference.
That being said...
Ending _subscriptions_ simply means that we don't have a fixed DVD mortgage on future distribution.
While I might understand the irritation expressed above if you were going to get 'cut-off' or if it were going to be the case that you couldn't sit in front of the TV and watch the VJ, that simply is not the case. The only thing that will eventually change significantly is the delivery method. The screen quality may or may not be exactly the same, it rather depends on your viewing environment. Newer video codecs such as H.264 are amazingly more efficient than DVD's MPEG2: smaller files of equivalent quality.
But DVDs will continue for a while. How many? I don't know. My editing & production speed is not getting faster. Delivery costs keep getting higher. (What did you pay to fill up your car this week?) But if the demand is there and a large majority of present subscribers stay away from Download video, and are prepared to keep buying expensive delivery - then the DVDs will keep coming - albeit slowly and considerably behind the release of download video. My guess is that eventually most viewers will choose the cheaper, easier, more timely method of delivery.
LLVJ has a tiny market of dedicated DVD viewers for which Michael & I thank you. The reality is that there is a far larger goup of viewers who are already starting to download their information and entertainment - yes, quite a lot of them from L-L!
No, the video files we provide are not for everyone. Yes, we are asking you to bear a different cost of delivery. FWIW - I am on a satellite ISP and resent paying three to four times what my city cousins pay for half the service - but I feel that is part of the cost of living away from the Big Smoke. And that service too will eventually come down in price. I also resent and will soon cut off the satellite TV service that I also pay for - since I now get most of my viewing over the ISP.
The fact is that Download video is what most people watch on their TVs right now - via cable or satellite: MPEG4 streams coming in as bits. On the screen, it makes no difference whether the bits come off a plastic disk or a hard drive or over a wire. I just set up an AppleTV and the pictures look great on my old CRT! Maybe I will go out and buy an HD set next year _maybe_!
Any advance in technology that makes people change, will meet resistance - that's natural. But over time (my guess is about two years) the penetration of devices such as TiVo, PVRs, AppleTV and others will bunny hop the silly HD-DVD vs. BluRay argument. Who needs extra bits of plastic sitting around on shelves when a cheaper better quality product can be had through the pipe that already comes into your house? Yes, dial-up ISPs are going to be left behind - just like my 8 track stereo and VHS player. Yes, it does mean dragging off to the local big-box store to buy another damned electronic box but that is the world we have fashioned for ourselves.
There has long been a 'disconnect' between the two screens we gaze at. A disconnect fashioned by the separate development of computer 'viewing' and television viewing - IMO now a strangely phony one: "Computer=Work" "Television=Play" Hmmmm - maybe.
Please note - in case you had not: those separate technologies so loved by the purveyors of the various electronic boxes required to support that disconnect, are rapidly and inexorably connecting - oh and yes, spawning the demand for a few extra electronic boxes along the way
Chris S
-
I can buy a lot of DVDs for the cost of all those extra black boxes. If I can renew my subscription to LLVJ for DVD distribution I will. if not, I won't.
The savings of downloading will be offset by the cost of the additional hardware to move it from my computer to my TV. And, I still have the damn learning curve to figure out how to do it.
Life is too short. Technology is wonderful, when it works. And when it doesn't, it is a very big very expensive paperweight sitting on my desk. No thank you
-
Life is too short. Technology is wonderful, when it works. And when it doesn't, it is a very big very expensive paperweight sitting on my desk. No thank you
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109891\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
AppleTV actually is plug and play - so long as us content-providers do our homework!
Chris
-
No, the video files we provide are not for everyone. Yes, we are asking you to bear a different cost of delivery. FWIW - I am on a satellite ISP and resent paying three to four times what my city cousins pay for half the service - but I feel that is part of the cost of living away from the Big Smoke. And that service too will eventually come down in price. I also resent and will soon cut off the satellite TV service that I also pay for - since I now get most of my viewing over the ISP.
...
Any advance in technology that makes people change, will meet resistance - that's natural. But over time (my guess is about two years) the penetration of devices such as TiVo, PVRs, AppleTV and others will bunny hop the silly HD-DVD vs. BluRay argument. Who needs extra bits of plastic sitting around on shelves when a cheaper better quality product can be had through the pipe that already comes into your house? Yes, dial-up ISPs are going to be left behind - just like my 8 track stereo and VHS player. Yes, it does mean dragging off to the local big-box store to buy another damned electronic box but that is the world we have fashioned for ourselves.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109888\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Of course, I should point out that for what I would pay for high-speed access every two months here I could purchase another four-issue subscription to LLVJ, with change to spare (or to pay more toward delivery)...
I'm actually not opposed to downloading a DVD ISO of the LLVL, it just that I can't get high-speed access for what I consider a reasonable cost here yet. (The cost would come down if a lot more people would refuse to buy the service at the current price, but I guess too many others are willing to pay it...but that's another topic for another time. )
I'll also make the point that I'd rather have "extra bits of plastic sitting around on shelves" not only with the LLVL on them, but all my movies too. That's because that plastic is a better long-term storage medium than any hard drive, and more trustworthy/reliable than any online storage service which could be interrupted (or discontinued) at any time. (Although, if one only wants to watch something once and know they will never watch it again, then a on-line service probably would be better, assuming they have the "pipe" for it. )
-
Hi Chris
Can you make a small .mp4 file available for testing please? as I do not appear to have any files of that format.
Cheers,
Bob
The next HiRes files will be .mp4 not .mov. Same codec (H.264) same resolution but a marginally different container. Some viewers suffer due to a Mac-centric producer
Chris S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109881\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
-
There is a very interesting free converter that will make that sound
adjustment .
It is called:
MPEG Streamclip
and is available for Mac or Windows at squared5.com (http://www.squared5.com/)
Make a 100% Quality MP4 file with AAC sound - no interlacing.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109883\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Tried that, BUT my DVD authoring software (Nero on a PC) does not recognise mp4 as a valid format :=(
Bob
-
Hi Chris
Can you make a small .mp4 file available for testing please? as I do not appear to have any files of that format.
Cheers,
Bob
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=110002\")
Not all h.264 files are .mp4. .mov can be encoded as h.264 as well.
The [a href=\"http://www.apple.com/trailers/]Apple Movie Trailers[/url] are encoded in h.264 as are the PixelCorps shows (http://pixelcorps.tv/macbreak). If you want .mp4 specifically, downloadable Google Videos use that format when you download ipod compatible version (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8865557425333925554&q=such+great+heights+video&hl=en).
-
Well - almost Bob but not quite. I installed mine yesterday and discovered that the audio codec I used was incompatible with AppleTV. You will need to convert the file to AAC audio format.
If you don't mind fiddling a little ...
There is a very interesting free converter that will make that sound
adjustment .
It is called:
MPEG Streamclip
and is available for Mac or Windows at squared5.com (http://www.squared5.com/)
Make a 100% Quality MP4 file with AAC sound - no interlacing.
You can also make and preview brightness/contrast adjustments that may
be necessary for your TV set. My old CRT needs brightness +10. You can preview the settings before starting the encode
Have fun!
Chris S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109883\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Chris,
Thanks for the info - I haven't installed the aTV yet, but I'll take your word for it - I'm running this now on the first file.
But - this is still a laborious way to get this on a TV. Since you are discontinuing DVDs, can't we at least download files that are natively compatible with aTV without all this processing. This is too much hassle.
-
The next HiRes files will be .mp4 not .mov. Same codec (H.264) same resolution but a marginally different container. Some viewers suffer due to a Mac-centric producer
Chris S
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=109881\")
Thanks Chris! Much appreciated.
I've noticed a few comments regarding h.264/mpg4 quality compared to mpg2 content on dvd:
[a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264[/url]
For the impatient - buzz down to the Applications heading
hth - John
-
It is called:
MPEG Streamclip
and is available for Mac or Windows at squared5.com (http://www.squared5.com/)
Make a 100% Quality MP4 file with AAC sound - no interlacing.
You can also make and preview brightness/contrast adjustments that may
be necessary for your TV set. My old CRT needs brightness +10. You can preview the settings before starting the encode
Have fun!
Chris S
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109883\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Chris, I cannot make a DVD Video from an .mp4 any more than I can from .mov. I'm using (as I suspect most people will be) a PC, not a MAC which may make a difference I suppose.
I have tried converting .mov to mpeg2 so that I can write these to DVD Video BUT the conversion is very time consuming and the quality is, at best, just about acceptable. I then have to load the file into a DVD Authoring program (NEROvision Express) and this takes a further 2 hours or so to add chapter marks, encode the file and write it to a DVD.
This is taking around 3 to 4 hours of proccessor intensive time to get a just acceptable result, with the DVD you send out I just have to pop it into a player and sit back and enjoy.
Also my ISP (here in the UK) caps my downloads to 2GB per month, although they have not enforced this to date!
The file format you use NEEDS to be one which can be written to DVD Video without having to spend hours converting it, PLEASE.
Cheers
Bob (in the UK)
-
a PC, not a MAC which may make a difference I suppose.
It does. DVD authoring and video converting is trivial on a mac as it comes with everything you need.
However, some Google searching will net you quite a few options for burning .mp4/.mov files to DVD on the windows platform. Free and paid for.
Start here (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=mp4+video+converter+dvd+windows&btnG=Search) and see what you find. Also search Version Tracker (http://www.versiontracker.com/windows/) and Download.com (http://www.download.com/).
-
AoA DVD Creator for Windows is as about as simple as it gets - just drag and drop content into the application and burn the DVD:
http://www.aoamedia.com/dvdcreator.htm (http://www.aoamedia.com/dvdcreator.htm)
Results are excellent - comparing Bill Atkinson's interview on Color Mangement between the shipped DVD and the downloaded .MOV file burned using the above show no appreciable difference
-
Giving that a try now.
-
Worked peachy. Haven't tried it in my dvd player yet but works fine on the PC.
Roxio choked completely.
-
Roxio has been bloat-ware for at least five years now. Nero was the light-wight contender but by the time I switched to Macs, it was nearly as bad.
-
AoA DVD Creator for Windows is as about as simple as it gets - just drag and drop content into the application and burn the DVD:
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=110483\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Just tried the upgrade to the latest version of Nero and it seem to cope quite well, at least on the computer screen, will try on the TV later.
As lond as I can create DVD's with as little hassle as this did, then I have no problem with the downloads. I am assuming that .mp4 files will work as well, but have no genuine ones to try.
Cheers
Bob
-
I must say that I am disappointed that we are never going to get an HD (1080)version of the Video Journal, but I suppose I can live with the download versions, provided it is easy and straightforward to view on a TV. I propose that we have a specific recommended software package that will work in Windows XP or Vista (or Apple, but I am no Apple user) with the steps spelt out to spew out a DVD that we can then play anywhere. I really hate wasting my time trying to figure out software. I was happy doing that 40 years ago, now it just leads me to curse incompetent programmers for non-intuitive interfaces. Eg I tried playing the HiRes sample offered. Plays OK on my PC monitor (little picture), but I have no clue where the downloaded file is located so that I can drag it and burn a DVD! Do I really have to purchase Quicktime Pro just to "save" it?!
So please Chris Sanderson: look around for software that costs little and that those using XP and Vista can use to burn a DVD with the least hassle. Most of the objections expressed on this lengthy thread should then be appeased... Eg do I just need to purchase Quicktime Pro and AoA DVD Creator and all will be bliss?
-
Sam - I'll just jump in here
To view the videos , either Quicktime or another app capable of viewing .mov files is needed. I personally use and recommend VLC:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/)
To transfer/convert/burn the videos to DVD there are a *ton* of options. I found AoA DVD for Windows environments to be *really* easy. It's not free ($29.00 US - download gives you a free 7 day trial) but it does a very good job at converting between the embedded .mp4 video to the mp2 format DVD content - not all converters do as well, probably there are some out there that are even better . . .
http://www.aoamedia.com/dvdcreator.htm (http://www.aoamedia.com/dvdcreator.htm)
One advantage of Michael/Chris' decision is that the .mp4 format is open ended - allowing for the possibility of HD content in the future
hope this helps - John
-
One advantage of Michael/Chris' decision is that the .mp4 format is open ended - allowing for the possibility of HD content in the future
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=110816\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
H.264 (also called MPEG-4 or AVC) is one of three standard formats used for HD content on Blu-Ray and HD DVD.
-
I must say that I am disappointed that we are never going to get an HD (1080)version of the Video Journal[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=110807\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Never say never ( I didn't). At this point, it is just highly unlikely to be on a HD-DVD or BluRay disk. But as suggested, that certainly does not preclude some other HD solution.
Do I really have to purchase Quicktime Pro just to "save" it?! //
... Eg do I just need to purchase Quicktime Pro and AoA DVD Creator and all will be bliss?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=110807\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Since you already have the files, they do not need 'saving'.
You do _not_ need QuickTime Pro to play the files - only to export them out to another format through QuickTime. Solution: use another free player that _can_ export them.
Chris S
-
Back Issue #14 is now online and available for download.
Michael
-
Back Issue #14 is now online and available for download.
Michael
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=110920\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Hi Michael
Is a package with several "old" issues for download a possibility? This depends off course on the payment transaction cost, I don't know wether there's an advantage in doing bigger transactions.
Alain
-
Yes, there will be bundles of issues once we have them ready for online distribution. Particularly the older ones.
Michael
-
For anyone using an AppleTV this article (http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2007/04/12/more-tips-on-encoding-video-for-apple-tv-and-ipod-from-us-to-you) has some good info for encoding files for it if necessary.
-
There has been a couple of posts concerning the loss of menu navigation with the download version and I think there is a simple solution that Chris/Michael could implement: produce a HTML file for each issue which can be downloaded. This could be a simple ZIP archive consisting of a "index.html" file and a directory for navigation images. Then you just need to extract the files to the same directory as your LLVJ video downloads and click on the links to play the video.
There does not need to be anything complicated in the HTML file. Only needs a screen grab as a thumbnail for each video file link and some text describing the content of the file.
This has the added advantage you could bookmark the LLVJ in your browser.
As more video files for a issue become available to download the HTML file can be updated by Chris/Michael. All we need to do then is download the HTML file again with the updates. Such a file/ZIP archive would not be very large and only take seconds to download.
Has something like this already been considered?
Any thoughts / suggestions ... ?
-
There are a number of people who prefer to watch the LLVJ on a nice comfy couch, in front of the TV, instead of sitting in an office chair in front of a computer. Our intention is to burn the video files to DVD so we can continue to do that. It is the menu on the DVD that is the concern. I could care less about an HTML page to find the video files on my computer.
-
In response to mikealex there are according to these forums a number of people who:-
1) Can't download 4.3GB of data - due to bandwidth or ISP/cost restrictions
(In the future everyone will have a big pipe connection but that is X years away)
2) Do not have the equipment to burn a DVD
3) Do not want to spend the time / effort to create a DVD even if the above do not apply to them or
4) Normally watch the DVD on a computer and are happy with the quality of the video downloads and / or do not want to wait for a ISO several weeks after the initial release.
Personally I would have no problem if/when DVD ISO's become available, it gives you the best of both worlds - easy navigation and can be played on a TV or computer (once burnt to a DVD of course). But there will be a number of people who fall into one or more of the above categories and a HTML file is a simple method of providing them with some degree of navigation. Of course, it may never happen - it is only a suggestion I made :-)
I don't see a problem with the LLVJ being offered as both a series of files and a DVD ISO. You pick the version best suited to your needs ...
-
No argument, but I was one of the first to raise the point that having to burn our own DVD's, for those who don't want to watch on a computer screen, that we will have to build our own menus for those DVDs.
You seem to be offering a solution without understanding the problem that was raised. I'm just clarifying the problem, and why your solution won't work for that particular problem.
I'll be happy with DVD ISO's, but I don't see a commitment to it as of yet. Chris says he believes it's viable, but doesn't go so far as to say that it "will" happen. I also wonder, if it happens at all, if it will continue after DVD's are phased out, or if it will only happen for as long as the DVDs are available.
-
Just downloaded issue 16. I really do like this way of receiving the Journal and feel it's far superior to the snail mail hardcopy process. Great idea guys ! (and a very nice issue...)
-
No, it will not be the same product. It will be poorer video quality, and will not have the navigation menus of the current DVDs (you will have to build your own menu to navigate the DVD content).
Michael, a thought I had as I was walking the dogs. If the decision to go to exclusively downloadable video has been made and is final, have you considered offering a DVD ISO file option for download? I realize that the files are large (4.7GB), but burning an ISO file to DVD is trivial, only takes a few minutes, and will enable you to deliver the identical content at the same high quality as you deliver today on DVD. This is an option that I could live with.
I realize that DVD ISOs are too large for some to download, so the QT files would still be required.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109366\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Great suggestion! I'm in favor of this. Just post the DVD image file on an FTP server and allow user access with a password issued to VJ subscribers. That way we can continue to enjoy the DVD quality and take advantage of TV room comfort (In my case, 52" plasma and surround sound).
My 2 cents.
Bud James
North Wales, PA
-
I'm in favour of that too, and would immediatly change my subscription.
You have to remember alot of people nowadays watch via projection/50" plasma etc.
Although 640x320 videosize looks nice on a normal size TV, it looks dreadful on my projector.
Well it's watchable but you make such stunning images from nature which is full of fine detail if you loose that it's just a shame
I downloaded the highres sample to watch on the projector and although it's much much better than some youtube vids I can see alot of loss in detail in the hairs and in the background, also some shimmering is introduced which will be killer when filming in a forest.
Download of an ISO will cost more money and I would be willing to pay let's say 14.00 instead of the 9,95 just to keep the quality up.
And would be willing to pay up to 25,00 for the HD version, which by the way could be stored in WMVHD which is very effective for storage.
Greetings,
Frank
-
I'm in favour of that too, and would immediatly change my subscription.
You have to remember alot of people nowadays watch via projection/50" plasma etc.
Greetings,
Frank
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=112803\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I have just been checking out LLVJ 16 on a 70" rear-projector. As it happens, I can easily vary the "screen size". I'd say that at normal viewing distances the video download looks "OK" (not great, but OK) at a screen size up to, say, 25" wide. Beyond that the paucity of detail starts getting annoying, but no more annoying than most broadcast news channels, especially the NTSC broadcast channels. In our part of the world we watch NTSC and PAL interchangeably without giving it a thought. Sort of makes it obvious why N.Americans are gobbling up HD with gusto. PAL channels with 625 lines always seem to be so much nicer to watch on a large screen than NTSC and some of the PAL movie channels we get by satellite are competitive with DVD movies. But DVDs also show their paucity in resolution, compared to HD. Rather than DVD-clone downloads perhaps the next generation downloads should be straight HD. Presumably the chosen codec would support 780 or 1080 lines. Since LLVJ is already shot in HD, it might be more bandwidth-efficient to video-download 780 or 1080 HD, rather than a still unsatisfactory NTSC-DVD clone, for your projector. By the way, how do you feed your projector? Burn a DVD first? Or do you use it as a PC monitor? For HD you may have to burn a Blu-Ray or an HD-DVD. I just use a memory stick in a Playstation 3. I hope the PS3 will also work for an HD download. No disc burning involved.
-
Our screen is 2.85mtrs in width, I still use a high-end CRT projector, fed with the signals by a Crystalio II videoscaler, all very high-end stuff and gives amazing pictures on the screen.
For HD and playback of TS and videofiles I use a network player MB200 from the makers of the Crystalio II.
The problem is that in my setup alot of artifacts are made better by the VXP chipset in the Crystalio II but when I watch over de MB200 alone the picture is really not something I would watch for 2.5 hours.
DVD quality is stunning, the videojournals especially the last 2 ones were very very good for normal produced material, I would hate too lose quality and as mentioned before I'm willing to pay 15,00 for a DVD download to cover the cost for bandwidth, we can download a DVD (4.3GB) in about 40 minutes over here (the Netherlands has a very good internet network with alot of people allready on 20mb lines and some even more).
I think a choice would be wonderful.
-
My personal experience has been...
1) I opted for the download swap for my subscription.
2) I am running an Apple TV device into a 46" 1080i LCD HD TV.
3) I used Quicktime Pro to convert the three available segments to Apple TV format. This step took over 8 hours on a decent system.
4) The viewing experience is acceptable, but not quite as crisp as a LLVJ DVD feed from my cheap up-converting DVD player.
5) I really want HD, but see the quandary we are in. No way would I be willing to download and trans-code HD content. I would want Blu-ray or HDDVD, then of course I would need to buy a player.
6) I guess I'm OK with the current situation, but the trans-coding step was a lot of waiting, and the viewing quality is reduced. This last point matters in the field shoot segments. I can only imagine the California segment will be compromised as a result.
7) Regardless, it beats waiting for a 1+ month delivery via mail/customs.
-
The more forum responses I read lead me to believe that the effort, cost to download, and lower quality of LLVJ do not equal the convenience of the "late" DVD.
I don't own or use Apple TV, nor do I anticipate doing so in the near term.
To me, the concept of the video journal is to to go to the next level of entertainment/education. In my definition the video journal should not require buying specialized equipment beyond what I currently own, or investing a great deal of effort/time. (I continue to be a purchaser of new technology in selected areas.)
I look forward to continuing to receive DVD's, at least in the near term. The cost/value equation of the downloaded LLVJ, for me, is out of sync.
Thanks for listening.
Marc Schoenholz
-
the download doing just fine in my 30" apple cinema, it's much better download them wait so long for shipping.
I'm happy.
BlasR
-
AoA DVD Creator for Windows is as about as simple as it gets - just drag and drop content into the application and burn the DVD:
http://www.aoamedia.com/dvdcreator.htm (http://www.aoamedia.com/dvdcreator.htm)
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=110483\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I tested the trial version of AoA DVD Creator today on the LLVJ #16 .mp4 files. It was very easy to use and worked great! Took about 1-1/2 hours to convert and burn the DVD from my laptop. The resulting DVD works fine in my TV and looks OK on screen. Apparently the menus are no longer usable but the DVD controls will skip to the next track. I immediately ordered the registered version of AoA DVD Creator.
So it appears that the time, cost and effort to get a TV based DVD LLVJ for PC users is something like 1/2 hour download time, $30 for software and 1-1/2 hours conversion time.
I have mixed feelings about all this. If this were an entirely new offer/service; I'd feel great about it and about "converting" the .mp4 files to a TV show. If I were Michael, I'd do exactly the same thing with the old system. It was great to get a high quality DVD in the mail and pop it into the DVD player. I like the 2-for-1 conversion and have already converted my subscription to download.
I don't know if I'll continue to convert to DVD and TV format but I'll continue my LLVJ subscription.