The Ripple training system is great. You purchase the DVD and they send you a link to the iTunes downloadable version, but they also send a DVD in the post. Its a good system. Their DVD's are not standard playable ones though. They contain high def chaptered quicktime movies.

The one thing that might be a concern is that while demoing the camera could certainly be a compressed H.264 file, some video from the camera, to best exemplify what such shots might look like , might best be seen on a TV set. In those cases a DVD obviously works better.

You could have a separate file with ex-1 footage although I would have thought the whole download could be an mxf file. Huge downloads are now quite common. The money saved on materials and postage would be quite attractive.

This is certainly good food for thought for my own DVD productions - and I was begining to think I was a "pillock" for starting this thread.

I think if your intended audience is savvy enough to use iTunes then it is a winner.

Why can't people have a choice either a disc or download? Priced accordingly.

Hi! Personally, I favor the download-option, not just concerning Vortex's offerings, but all software, files, music, videos etc. I think this is a HUGE enviromental question, and given the choice I will always download instead of having plastic discs stuck in plastic cases packed in shrinkwrapped, cardboard boxes driven to the post-office later flewn by plane etc. etc. delivered to me.

There is of course the issue of servers & bandwidth, wich can be rather costly for a small company... You can mail a whole lot of DVD's for the price of a digital delivery system, gotta consider the money as well, (wait, that's how this whole thread started).

I will also say that I did get Doug's EX1 DVD's 2 weeks before I got my camera last March, saved me a LOT of time/money/bother, would buy again at twice the price, even if I had to swim over there and pick them up myself, great stuff Doug, Thanks!!

Magnus

I have bought a few items now on download recently about 4Gig. My connection isn't that fast.

The Vortex media for the EX-1 is only available as NTSC not everyone has an NTSC player I only have a region 2. Of course I could always play it on the computer which is what I guess most will do anyway negating any security concerns of it ending up being a potential illegal download. The only other consideration might be that the thing comes as a whole with the artwork and case that maybe helps justify a higher price tag.. If I was selling something like this I would want to sell as many as possible at a price the customer is happy with and one that means return business. In that regard I would want to make the whole process as easy and accessible as possible. What would a seller rather do? Sell a thousand at $50 Or a hundred at a $100.. All things have to be considered. I guess though for a business the best way is first send freebies to reviewers who will then write a good review.. Then sell at what a richer customer would pay and then to keep sales coming in at a certain rate by reducing the price as demand reduces.. Then finally upgrade the product with must have information where the customer has to buy the whole thing again.. In the case of the EX-1 a new version featuring different film looks and how to use the picture profiles effectively.

The Vortex DVD's are region free (the region of the player has nothing to do with PAL or NTSC). You will find that your DVD player will play such an NTSC disc with no problems at all. If you have a television that was bought any time after the late 80's or thereabouts it should handle NTSC signals no problem.

In fact if you bought your DVD player in the UK in the last three or four years the chances are that it is actually capable of playing all regions by default, if not by using a simple key combination that can be found easily on the internet by searching for your player model.

Most new DVD-players here in Europe play NTSC DVD's.

I have seen and tested several DVD-sets (F350, EX-1, EX-3, Z7U/S270, How to shoot great looking interviews) from Vortex Media on my PAL equipment with various DVD-players. I only can tell that it looks great on my 40" Bravia LCD, even if it is NTSC.

Tons of assumptions in that statement, the most significant one is market size. I wonder if Doug priced his DVDs at $2 if he'd really sell 1,000,000 units. Somehow I doubt it. Marketing 101.

Like others, I bought my Vortex EX3 DVD a few weeks before my EX3 arrived and yes, it's more expensive than my "Star Wars Holiday Special" bootleg DVD (the worst production *ever*) but it's all about value. The cost of Doug's DVDs are noise when compared with the time I have saved not re-inventing wheels, not beating my head against various walls, and most dangerous of all, not developing incorrect superstitions on how things work.

Going from 0 to 60 for $125 in training on a $10,000 camera. Bargain of the century.

Thanks to Doug and the crew at Vortex, I was comfortable enough with the EX3 and its workflow that I was shooting almost immediately and used it on its first real gig within a couple of weeks.

Time is money and so is knowledge.

^^^^Exactly^^^^^ Very well put.

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You will find that your DVD player will play such an NTSC disc with no problems at all.

Sorry Simon Not in my case.

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Tons of assumptions in that statement,

The only statement I made here was about marketing If you have read more into it Please explain?

The only point I was trying to make here was how a download could actually be more beneficial to all..

Well Mark, you must have a *very* old DVD player and television. Or you are still muddling up Regions with NTSC/PAL. If your player isn't region free (I'd be astounded if it couldn't have a code input but anyway) then it would not play a Region 1 USA disc. However it *will* play a region free NTSC one unless it really is an old and creaky player. What model is it?

The reason I know Simon is because I bought my DVD recorder when they were fairly new out I actually paid over a thousand pounds for it.

Now.. I have a region one Superman DVD that I tried and doesnt work I also know the player is a region two player only.. But this entire debate about my DVD player is pointless because I would maybe buy the Vortex DVD "download " it it was available because of the savings on postage and materials However the price for me as it stands is to high.. The reasoning is as has been said what is a thing worth to you? Well for me who knows how to operate the camera with the occassional need for the instruction book the price was to much for that luxury.. Also as a side note I could still buy the Vortex DVDs and play them on my computer which of course is where I'd watch them anyway.