Tutorial DVD or Blu-Ray?

[John McDonald]

When will something be ready to buy???!!!! ;-) ;-)

I'm off around Africa in 2 months with my HM100 so keen to get up and running from a standing start.....

Any vague estimates?

[Tim Dashwood]

We will have some exciting announcements coming soon with the first product available sometime in July. Keep checking in.

[Alex Humphrey]

interesting that the biggest group is for downloadable sections.. (IN HD PLEASE!... 720 is is just fine)

I personally think by the time Blu-Ray becomes as cheap as DVD's are, broadband will be so much faster in the suburbs that everyone will download from itunes, cable, wireless or Dish/DirecTV anyway. iTunes should have a 1080p codec by then anayway...

But for DVD's I would really like to see at least some footage in HD quicktime/avi xdcam or what ever makes sense for PC/Mac users. But otherwise DVD would be fine.

[James McBoyle]

Having received my HM700 this week, I'm looking forward to getting the tutorial, in whatever format it ends up being. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. :-)

Have Fun,
Jim

[Tim Dashwood]

The official announcement is just around the corner!
We've put a lot of thought into distribution but are still exploring an online model. This thread has been very helpful in that respect. The first disc for the HM100 has over 2.5 hours of content and the HM700 disc will have close to 4 hours, so that is a lot to stream online. The two products are unique in almost every way (they really only share the format and "ProHD" moniker) so we had to split them up into separate DVDs, but there will be HM100/700 bundles offered.

Either way free downloadable content will be available very soon.


Now let me add another question: HOW MUCH WOULD YOU IDEALLY PAY FOR A HM100 TUTORIAL DVD TARGETED TOWARDS BEGINNERS, DOCUMENTARIANS, AND WEDDING/EVENT VIDEOGRAPHERS?

[Paul Shapiro]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

Now let me add another question: HOW MUCH WOULD YOU IDEALLY PAY FOR A HM100 TUTORIAL DVD TARGETED TOWARDS BEGINNERS, DOCUMENTARIANS, AND WEDDING/EVENT VIDEOGRAPHERS?

Depends on your perceived market. Despite your $59.95 poll suggestion, pros/semi-pros might consider $99 a justifiable business expense, although that higher price might scare off beginners/hobbyists. The HM100 at its price point has a bigger potential market of newbies than, say, the EX-3. That said, I'd stick with the pros/semi-pros, who will always pay for good information.

Re camera functions only, I'd also be interested in a printed crib sheet for the bag, along the lines of the Vortex EX-1/3 field guides. But I guess you already have your hands full!

[Robert Rogoz]

Tim, as far a s the price, I would suggest this approach: HM100 is a potential gold mine for JVC, particularly if they fix a few annoying control issues. I would suggest contacting B&H and larger outfits and bundle the tutorial DVD with the cameras.

[John McDonald]

"HOW MUCH WOULD YOU IDEALLY PAY FOR A HM100 TUTORIAL DVD TARGETED TOWARDS BEGINNERS, DOCUMENTARIANS, AND WEDDING/EVENT VIDEOGRAPHERS? "

It depends on how good it is, and how confident I am that it will address my areas of interest beyond turning it on and loading a card!!! ;-)

But I am in desperate need of something like this. A complete beginners guide and then an advanced dvd if that is justified would be good.

I'd +like+ to pay 30 bucks(!!! ;) but would pay up to 80 bucks or so depending on my confidence levels based on the previews. Please try to keep the postage costs down as much as possible for international customers (using the post office rather than courier companies would be a good start).

Like many HM100 owners (present and future) I suspect, the camera will be used for various types of outdoor shooting (I will use it for travel related films and documentaries in places like Africa) so I'd like some focus on the issues surrounding that (like your desert tests etc ;).

Another thought - I think many people using the HM100 will not be pro's - I stumble along trying to make socially aware travel films 100% with my own money, and there are many artists and human rights activists (etc etc) who will use the Hm100 - so we won't all be able to write off the cost as an expense from the hundreds we charge every day etc ;-)

Can't wait!

[Tim Dashwood]

Originally Posted by John McDonald

I'd +like+ to pay 30 bucks(!!! ;)

That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear! Would you doubt the quality of the tutorials if the DVD was $30 USD (or less) or would the DV Info Net branding suggest a quality product/good value?

[Jack Walker]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear! Would you doubt the quality of the tutorials if the DVD was $30 USD (or less) or would the DV Info Net branding suggest a quality product/good value?

The "Tim Dashwood" branding will signify a quality product. The DvInfo.Net branding adds industry legitimacy.

A $30 price does not seem suspicious considering the HM100 camera has a fixed lens and fewer options than the HM700 and there is likely less to cover in the DVD. (Also, it would seem for the HM100 there is less to cover than than there was for the HD series.)

And odd as it may sound, the fact that the HM100 is a small camera will create the idea in many people's minds that the cost of the DVD should be relatively small.

People have learned that price does not denote quality in instructional DVDs.

For this camera, I think $30 is about the break point between buying and not buying for many users of the HM100.

[Paul Shapiro]

Originally Posted by Jack Walker

For this camera, I think $30 is about the break point between buying and not buying for many users of the HM100.

Well, heck, Tim, since I'll be buying whatever you put on the market, I'm all for saving money, but please don't sell yourself and the value of your considerable experience short. Your original question was regarding not just beginners, but also documentarians and wedding/event shooters, most of whom one would imagine are making money from their gigs. A small price such as US$30 may suggest limited content. And please consider that the casual HM-100 buyer may also be a fickle prospect for an instructional DVD — much less so than an info-hungry pro/semi-pro: you cannot guarantee hordes of buyers simply because the price is reduced. My experience has been that serious people will always pay for worthwhile content. Your call, of course!

[John McDonald]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

That's exactly the answer I wanted to hear! Would you doubt the quality of the tutorials if the DVD was $30 USD (or less) or would the DV Info Net branding suggest a quality product/good value?

Sorry, you may have misunderestimated why I put the plus signs around the word 'like' ;-)

I meant it in the same way that I'd like to pay $1,000 for a new Ferrari, or $2,000 for my own island country, but these are perhaps not realistic prices considering the costs of producing a Ferarri or the supply and demand issues about island countries ;-)

Don't sell yourself short - you can always lower a price if it's not selling etc etc

I find offering a set price including shipping world wide helps in generating international orders - those people with weaker currencies really appreciate the gesture and the extra shipping costs that you absorb are minimal compared to the extra sales (postage of a dvd from the UK is about $2 to Australia or the USA, compared with $1 within the UK).

Either way I will be the first to order so get it out!!!! ;-)

[Andrew Maclaurin]

tim-
i'm interested in the HM100 as my first HD camera. I'm also very interested in others such as the panasonic hpx171, the hm700, sony ex1 etc but due to the state the economy is over here in Spain, the cheaper the better as long as the quality is good enough.
i've owned a sony pd170 for years and i've used it for all types of work, documentaries, institutional videos, national tv reports, weddings, concerts etc....pretty much a bit of everything. i have not needed HD or hdv for that matter as my clients have been happy to pay less and live with DVpal. i see that now is the time to change.
i'm hoping the hm100 is a camera that i can use in all the situations i've mentioned above, i maybe wrong. right now i need to keep costs down so the hm100 appeals but i realise it has limitations. my problem is whether there are ways around those limitations. whether this camera will do for 2-3 years until the super cameras of the near future become available!
so what's this got to do with your DVD?
well, if the video was only aimed at beginners, documentarians and wedding /event videographers i probably wouldn't be interested. if it was to include those areas and look into how the camera could be used in more advanced or controlled settings, think music videos, videos prepared for after effects post, indie cine(how it performs with 35mm adaptors), then i might well be interested. of course that would really depend on samples, reviews and price.
as far as i'm concerned, 30€ (whatever that is in dollars) would seem reasonable to me. but once again, i'm not a beginner (although with HD i am) and i'd need to know that i was spending my money on something that i could get a lot out of , not just stuff i could figure out after a few days with the camera.
as far as brands go, i wouldn't pay anymore just because something is branded.

anyway, these are just my thoughts. i hope they are of some use to you.

ps- am i right to think this camera could fulfil my needs?

[John Markert]

No more than $39.95 for 100/700 DVD.

[Steve J. Nordahl]

Hey Tim,

Any news yet? I just got my HM700/with the 14x and I'm dying to get my hands on your new tutorial for the 700....!!!!

From everything I've read about your past work, I know I can expect this DVD (/series?) to be gold!!

Please keep up the fantastic work.

Steve (Just Starting out Junior Class Videographer) Nordahl
Bethlehem, Pa.