HD Delivery Question

James Strange · October 5th, 2011, 04:04 PM

Here is where I get mine from

Presentation Flash Drive / Cases

a 16gb 'fancy wedding usb' is about twice the price of a generic usb drive, but it does look good.

Not sure if they ship those items outside the UK, but worth asking if that's what you're after.

Only a few couples per year buy their wedding film on 'HD USB', but for those that do, these little drives certainly look the part over a generic one.

Chris Harding · October 5th, 2011, 05:43 PM

Thanks James

A little extra on the cost is a small price to pay to make the drive look "authentic" ... Using a standard USB could quite easily result in someone accidentally overwriting the files if it looks like their normal USB sticks....the simple fact that it has "Our Wedding" on it would solve the problem!!

On my next "Special Offer" I might offer "free" HD files on a USB rather than a discount!!

Chris

James Strange · October 5th, 2011, 05:50 PM

That's exactly what I've been doing at the recent wedding shows here, trying to get the awareness of the 'HD digital copy on USB' increased.

Eliezer Rodriguez · October 10th, 2011, 08:34 AM

Well, here in PR there is a lack of interest in HD or Bluray. I have all my packages available in these formats but only one person interested (only interested) in the last three years. Some collegues nearby offer one blueray and two dvd's and has told me that many couples have problems because they try to see the bluray on a dvd player. Maybe the USB drive can work.

Peter Rush · October 10th, 2011, 09:47 AM

Well - I've had a lot of customers ask for HD but when I explain about blu-ray they change their mind - it seems most people (amazingly) think that HD Video is just a better quality DVD they can play on their existing player!

Greg Clark · October 10th, 2011, 04:42 PM

I have decided that Bluray only is going to be my only wedding format. I am tired of editing in High Definition and then down-converting to lousy DVD quality. With the price of Bluray players dropping I would sooner include the player in the price.

Chris Harding · October 10th, 2011, 05:31 PM

Hi Greg

My issue is that I supply the bride 3 x DVD sets ...essentially one for each set of parents and one for the bride and groom. You still have the issue that the parents will probably not have a BD player and then a lot of my brides request copies for grandparents..who will definately not have a BD player....dunno about you but I cannot afford to supply a player with each copy of the wedding...players here are still over the $100 mark and more. I have a far better chance of the recipients of disks having a computer/ipad or media player!!

Media Players here with a supplied USB stick are a lot cheaper option for me still if I have to "give away" a player with HD footage!

Chris

Ronan Quinn · July 17th, 2012, 04:16 AM

Guys,

Is it possible to have a menu and to have chapters or even chapter markers on a flash drive?
Or is it only possible to have each chapter as a seperate file or 1 big file, and maybe 1 file for highlights?

Ronan

Daniel Latimer · July 17th, 2012, 06:05 AM

I offer Blu-Ray in my bigger packages, but typically if some one orders the lower packages I will provide a Blu-ray on top of their DVDs. It's just an added bonus that helps them remember you in a positive light. It doesn't take much more time, mostly just encoding, as I'm already using Adobe Encore to create the DVDs.

Taky Cheung · July 17th, 2012, 12:46 PM

I still deliver DVDs. Then $300 add on for both DVD and Bluray. Recently, I added another option to deliver Online DVD and USB thumbdrive for $300. This could be free in order to lure potential clients to sign me up right away. :)

Someday it'll be all digital. But for now, it is still much easier for the B&G to hand their parents or granny a DVD.

Eric Olson · July 18th, 2012, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

Someday it'll be all digital. But for now, it is still much easier for the B&G to hand their parents or granny a DVD.

I think the first D in DVD stands for digital.

Taky Cheung · July 18th, 2012, 01:07 AM

I mean digital delivery

David Chien · July 23rd, 2012, 01:58 PM

1) Keep in mind: Flash drives are subject to ELECTRON MIGRATION!!!!!!!!!!! which will eventually lead to data loss even if kept in storage unused!!!!!!!!!!
SSD ( Solid State Drive) Endurance Test ?

Expect a maximum 10 year storage lifespan prior to your videos going bye-bye on flash drives!

Flash drives are EASILY ERASED by mistake, virus, trojan, kids, etc!!!

2) Bluray discs are the only format short of WORM/DVD-RAM that'll last long as a disc format in storage (Tapes can be stored decades).

For Business Users | BD-R/RE Discs | Blu-ray by Panasonic | Panasonic Global
These are the only 50+ year BluRay discs in existence.
50-100 year archival lifespan on these Panasonic BluRay discs. Don't bother using anything else.

This is due to their INORGANIC (THINK METAL) recording layer which is not subject to falling apart as quickly as the ORGANIC (THINK FAT) recording material in DVDs and BluRay LTH discs (Low to high discs only! Not the normal Bluray discs).

DVD-R/+R lifespans aren't much more than a decade (10 years) and far less if exposed to light & humidity over time.

3) IS THIS AN IMPORTANT VIDEO THAT MUST LAST?

Pioneer BDR-207JBK ŠeŽíBD-RƒGƒ‰[ƒ`ƒFƒbƒNi‚»‚Ì‘¼‚ÌBD-R/REj
Are you using a media that has low error rates?

If you're not using a MADE IN JAPAN disc like the Pansonics, you are a fool. Years later, Made in China/etc discs will degrade faster, thus leading to angry clients. Giving them a flash drive (which is eraseable) is also foolish without an optical backup.

It won't cost more than $10 to tell them you're giving them an archived copy on the world's most long-life BluRay disc, so if anything happens in the future, you really can't be held liable for not using the world's best.

4) A BLURAY player costs $50 at Walmart - doesn't take much to add that to the client's BluRay 'package' should they want true HD quality.

5) If you give them a flash drive, what are they watching the 1920x1080 video on??
If they have an external media player (eg. like the mediaplayerusa.com mp4 player box, WD WinTV, etc), you don't need to do anything except drop the DVD/BluRay folder directly onto the flash drive and give that to them. Most modern media players can playback 100% copied DVD/Bluray folders w/o a problem from the master disc.

If they're playing it on the computer, you can do the same. No need to convert at all since VLC, WinDVD, etc. can handle playback of DVD/Bluray folders fine.

---

What is the best?
1) Shoot and master to BluRay. This is their 1920x1080 copy and the 'best'.

On archival Panasonics, naturally.

You can easily copy this to flash drive for them to play back on an external media player or PC.
BUT you don't NEED TO! Simply tell them, they can copy the folder to any flash drive or PC should they want a copy there! They can use VLC, WinDVD, etc. to play it back anytime and make as many copies as they'd like.

2) Create a DVD master.
This is a 2nd copy you give them that can play everywhere by anyone - even grandma. Nothing else out there is as 'universal' and likely to be hooked up to a TV. This is the only format that'll play from PC to TV today without much hassle or setup. Really can't avoid.

--

Now, you've given them
a) an archival BluRay copy on one of the longest lasting medium available (so they can't come back later and sue you for not using the longest lasting/best; nor cry in a decade when the disc has died naturally - yes, DVDs do rot and fail much faster)
b) Something 1080 geeks and technically savvy types can use on their media player, PCs and convert to tablets/phones themselves; and something anyone from a 5 year old to grandma can playback on any TV with a DVD player.

---

Even if you don't master to BluRay with all the fancy titles, graphics, etc., you should be giving them the final edit on BluRay so they have a 1080 master somewhere (if not all raw videos if that's in their contract) FOR ARCHIVAL STORAGE!!

(Blurays last longer in storage than DVDs! Blurays last longer in storage than DVDs! Blurays last longer in storage than DVDs!)

Doesn't cost you more than $10 to burn a BluRay (even if it's on regular Panasonic BluRay Made in Japan, it's got a 20+ year lifespan rating) so the client has an archival copy.

Tim Bakland · July 23rd, 2012, 04:52 PM

More and more blu-ray requests my way. I always include one copy for the bride and groom even if they don't ask (just so they have incentive to find themselves a player and watch the best quality version).

But I've had more than one couple now ask for blu-ray only (including the family copies) which I love!

Greg Clark · July 23rd, 2012, 05:18 PM

Last October I stated on this group that I was making Bluray Only for Weddings. I do not do the volume that other videographers do and so it has worked for me. I would sooner give the Bride and Groom a Bluray Player, which are quite cheap, than make a low quality DVD of their wedding. Glad to hear your news Tim.

October 5th, 2011, 04:04 PM	#16
James Strange Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Posts: 309	Re: HD Delivery Question Here is where I get mine from Presentation Flash Drive / Cases a 16gb 'fancy wedding usb' is about twice the price of a generic usb drive, but it does look good. Not sure if they ship those items outside the UK, but worth asking if that's what you're after. Only a few couples per year buy their wedding film on 'HD USB', but for those that do, these little drives certainly look the part over a generic one.

October 5th, 2011, 05:43 PM	#17
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: HD Delivery Question Thanks James A little extra on the cost is a small price to pay to make the drive look "authentic" ... Using a standard USB could quite easily result in someone accidentally overwriting the files if it looks like their normal USB sticks....the simple fact that it has "Our Wedding" on it would solve the problem!! On my next "Special Offer" I might offer "free" HD files on a USB rather than a discount!! Chris

October 5th, 2011, 05:50 PM	#18
James Strange Major Player Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Posts: 309	Re: HD Delivery Question That's exactly what I've been doing at the recent wedding shows here, trying to get the awareness of the 'HD digital copy on USB' increased.

October 10th, 2011, 08:34 AM	#19
Eliezer Rodriguez Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Posts: 28	Re: HD Delivery Question Well, here in PR there is a lack of interest in HD or Bluray. I have all my packages available in these formats but only one person interested (only interested) in the last three years. Some collegues nearby offer one blueray and two dvd's and has told me that many couples have problems because they try to see the bluray on a dvd player. Maybe the USB drive can work. __________________ Eliezer www.ERStudios.com

October 10th, 2011, 09:47 AM	#20
Peter Rush Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: UK/Yorkshire Posts: 2,069	Re: HD Delivery Question Well - I've had a lot of customers ask for HD but when I explain about blu-ray they change their mind - it seems most people (amazingly) think that HD Video is just a better quality DVD they can play on their existing player!

October 10th, 2011, 04:42 PM	#21
Greg Clark Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Surprise Arizona Posts: 297	Re: HD Delivery Question I have decided that Bluray only is going to be my only wedding format. I am tired of editing in High Definition and then down-converting to lousy DVD quality. With the price of Bluray players dropping I would sooner include the player in the price.

October 10th, 2011, 05:31 PM	#22
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: HD Delivery Question Hi Greg My issue is that I supply the bride 3 x DVD sets ...essentially one for each set of parents and one for the bride and groom. You still have the issue that the parents will probably not have a BD player and then a lot of my brides request copies for grandparents..who will definately not have a BD player....dunno about you but I cannot afford to supply a player with each copy of the wedding...players here are still over the $100 mark and more. I have a far better chance of the recipients of disks having a computer/ipad or media player!! Media Players here with a supplied USB stick are a lot cheaper option for me still if I have to "give away" a player with HD footage! Chris

July 17th, 2012, 04:16 AM	#23
Ronan Quinn New Boot Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 6	Re: HD Delivery Question Guys, Is it possible to have a menu and to have chapters or even chapter markers on a flash drive? Or is it only possible to have each chapter as a seperate file or 1 big file, and maybe 1 file for highlights? Ronan

July 17th, 2012, 06:05 AM	#24
Daniel Latimer Major Player Join Date: May 2012 Location: Nashua, NH Posts: 209	Re: HD Delivery Question I offer Blu-Ray in my bigger packages, but typically if some one orders the lower packages I will provide a Blu-ray on top of their DVDs. It's just an added bonus that helps them remember you in a positive light. It doesn't take much more time, mostly just encoding, as I'm already using Adobe Encore to create the DVDs.

July 17th, 2012, 12:46 PM	#25
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Re: HD Delivery Question I still deliver DVDs. Then $300 add on for both DVD and Bluray. Recently, I added another option to deliver Online DVD and USB thumbdrive for $300. This could be free in order to lure potential clients to sign me up right away. :) Someday it'll be all digital. But for now, it is still much easier for the B&G to hand their parents or granny a DVD. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

July 18th, 2012, 01:07 AM	#27
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	Re: HD Delivery Question I mean digital delivery __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

July 23rd, 2012, 01:58 PM	#28
David Chien Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: LA, CA Posts: 43	Re: HD Delivery Question 1) Keep in mind: Flash drives are subject to ELECTRON MIGRATION!!!!!!!!!!! which will eventually lead to data loss even if kept in storage unused!!!!!!!!!! SSD ( Solid State Drive) Endurance Test ? Expect a maximum 10 year storage lifespan prior to your videos going bye-bye on flash drives! Flash drives are EASILY ERASED by mistake, virus, trojan, kids, etc!!! 2) Bluray discs are the only format short of WORM/DVD-RAM that'll last long as a disc format in storage (Tapes can be stored decades). For Business Users \| BD-R/RE Discs \| Blu-ray by Panasonic \| Panasonic Global These are the only 50+ year BluRay discs in existence. 50-100 year archival lifespan on these Panasonic BluRay discs. Don't bother using anything else. This is due to their INORGANIC (THINK METAL) recording layer which is not subject to falling apart as quickly as the ORGANIC (THINK FAT) recording material in DVDs and BluRay LTH discs (Low to high discs only! Not the normal Bluray discs). DVD-R/+R lifespans aren't much more than a decade (10 years) and far less if exposed to light & humidity over time. 3) IS THIS AN IMPORTANT VIDEO THAT MUST LAST? Pioneer BDR-207JBK ŠeŽíBD-RƒGƒ‰[ƒ`ƒFƒbƒNi‚»‚Ì‘¼‚ÌBD-R/REj Are you using a media that has low error rates? If you're not using a MADE IN JAPAN disc like the Pansonics, you are a fool. Years later, Made in China/etc discs will degrade faster, thus leading to angry clients. Giving them a flash drive (which is eraseable) is also foolish without an optical backup. It won't cost more than $10 to tell them you're giving them an archived copy on the world's most long-life BluRay disc, so if anything happens in the future, you really can't be held liable for not using the world's best. 4) A BLURAY player costs $50 at Walmart - doesn't take much to add that to the client's BluRay 'package' should they want true HD quality. 5) If you give them a flash drive, what are they watching the 1920x1080 video on?? If they have an external media player (eg. like the mediaplayerusa.com mp4 player box, WD WinTV, etc), you don't need to do anything except drop the DVD/BluRay folder directly onto the flash drive and give that to them. Most modern media players can playback 100% copied DVD/Bluray folders w/o a problem from the master disc. If they're playing it on the computer, you can do the same. No need to convert at all since VLC, WinDVD, etc. can handle playback of DVD/Bluray folders fine. --- What is the best? 1) Shoot and master to BluRay. This is their 1920x1080 copy and the 'best'. On archival Panasonics, naturally. You can easily copy this to flash drive for them to play back on an external media player or PC. BUT you don't NEED TO! Simply tell them, they can copy the folder to any flash drive or PC should they want a copy there! They can use VLC, WinDVD, etc. to play it back anytime and make as many copies as they'd like. 2) Create a DVD master. This is a 2nd copy you give them that can play everywhere by anyone - even grandma. Nothing else out there is as 'universal' and likely to be hooked up to a TV. This is the only format that'll play from PC to TV today without much hassle or setup. Really can't avoid. -- Now, you've given them a) an archival BluRay copy on one of the longest lasting medium available (so they can't come back later and sue you for not using the longest lasting/best; nor cry in a decade when the disc has died naturally - yes, DVDs do rot and fail much faster) b) Something 1080 geeks and technically savvy types can use on their media player, PCs and convert to tablets/phones themselves; and something anyone from a 5 year old to grandma can playback on any TV with a DVD player. --- Even if you don't master to BluRay with all the fancy titles, graphics, etc., you should be giving them the final edit on BluRay so they have a 1080 master somewhere (if not all raw videos if that's in their contract) FOR ARCHIVAL STORAGE!! (Blurays last longer in storage than DVDs! Blurays last longer in storage than DVDs! Blurays last longer in storage than DVDs!) Doesn't cost you more than $10 to burn a BluRay (even if it's on regular Panasonic BluRay Made in Japan, it's got a 20+ year lifespan rating) so the client has an archival copy.

July 23rd, 2012, 04:52 PM	#29
Tim Bakland Major Player Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Beverly, MA Posts: 512	Re: HD Delivery Question More and more blu-ray requests my way. I always include one copy for the bride and groom even if they don't ask (just so they have incentive to find themselves a player and watch the best quality version). But I've had more than one couple now ask for blu-ray only (including the family copies) which I love! __________________ Event Videography, New England www.timothybakland.com

July 23rd, 2012, 05:18 PM	#30
Greg Clark Major Player Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Surprise Arizona Posts: 297	Re: HD Delivery Question Last October I stated on this group that I was making Bluray Only for Weddings. I do not do the volume that other videographers do and so it has worked for me. I would sooner give the Bride and Groom a Bluray Player, which are quite cheap, than make a low quality DVD of their wedding. Glad to hear your news Tim.