events /weddings : new media to distribute USB sticks: is the future?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Mike

The best place to go would probably Global Sources 4.3 Inches LCD Brochure with Video Print/Card and Mailer, Customized Designs are Accepted on Global Sources they list all the bulk manufacturers and then you can negotiate with each supplier. There is actually a myriad of combinations you can get. The first sample I bought was just the module itself (preassembled) and a template for various sizes. I then printed my own case but you do need a printer that handles bigger widths. They will also supply you on request a plain white pre-assembled book and then you can print a sleeve for it. Just be careful with minimum order quantities .. some will only sell you 100 units but nowdays most will drop to 10 at a time. They are happy to send you a sample too but it's not free.

[Mike Watson]

Looks like ~$30/ea?

Too rich for me, but I will keep them in mind.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Mike

Yep $30.00 each ..bear in mind that it's preprinted and has all the electronics/hall effect sensor/LCD screen preassembled and li-ion battery .... Every bride who has seen it says it's awesome so it adds a lot of value to my package for a small cost ... Sheesh, an el cheapo photo album from the supermarket costs more than that

[Tim Polster]

Originally Posted by Taky Cheung

I'm gonna called it, the TakyDong :)

With a name like that, how can it fail!

You have a good idea Taky. I have been looking at USB but it only works for some situations. Higher volume sales get kind of pricey. Data DVD discs with mp4 files on them work as well.

I think DVD will always be there. I also think that "normal" people really know less about tech that we think they do. Everybody knows DVD. It is a shame that the powers that be have decided to do away with optical media. At least it is a standard.

Publishing on YouTube only is going to lead us to lower and lower pay as internet = free to most people. Without a physical delivery the value to the client just seems less imho.

I know we supposed to be advancing but I find it harder and harder to deliver stuff to people these days. HD files are so large that it freaks a lot of people out. It often leads right back to good ol' DVD. :(

[Anthony Lelli]

Originally Posted by Tim Polster

With a name like that, how can it fail!

You have a good idea Taky. I have been looking at USB but it only works for some situations. Higher volume sales get kind of pricey. Data DVD discs with mp4 files on them work as well.

I think DVD will always be there. I also think that "normal" people really know less about tech that we think they do. Everybody knows DVD. It is a shame that the powers that be have decided to do away with optical media. At least it is a standard.

Publishing on YouTube only is going to lead us to lower and lower pay as internet = free to most people. Without a physical delivery the value to the client just seems less imho.

I know we supposed to be advancing but I find it harder and harder to deliver stuff to people these days. HD files are so large that it freaks a lot of people out. It often leads right back to good ol' DVD. :(

yes I agree , you took a pretty accurate picture of how it is right now. But the future? Like I said in my tests @bestbuy it came out clear that as of today the most played format via USB is WMV , in 4K. But that depends on the built-in player they put in the TVset. Tomorrow everything can change. In my particular case the Client didn't have a DVD, didn't have a BD player , just a "recent" TVset and again that didn't help: we can't go to each house to check the TV that they have. A standard is needed! like it was VHS and DVDs before.
At the same time I believe that this is something important for us... How are we going to distribute in 1-2-3-5 years?

I also agree about youtube , but that's a reality, everybody knows about it and it became the most important place to watch videos, either we like it or not. I'm afraid that we're going to have to come to terms with it, sooner or later. I don't like it, as much as you don't like it but...

[Mike Watson]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hi Mike

Yep $30.00 each ..bear in mind that it's preprinted and has all the electronics/hall effect sensor/LCD screen preassembled and li-ion battery .... Every bride who has seen it says it's awesome so it adds a lot of value to my package for a small cost ... Sheesh, an el cheapo photo album from the supermarket costs more than that

I mis-spoke. From a value perspective, it's amazing what you get for thirty bucks. From a "how much can I make for it" perspective, I don't think it'll increase the income stream at all. But it is downright amazing that you can get a full-on portable TV for thirty bucks!

[Roger Gunkel]

I've had USB as a delivery format available for a while, but haven't really pushed it at all, but recently was asked about formats for HD delivery and gave the couple a USB along with their DVDs . They loved it and have now ordered 14 copies of video and stills on USB.

This has decided me to push USB delivery harder, so now take a sample to all my potential clients when I visit them, and display USB video at wedding shows. Most of the new clients that I visit seem to have HD TVs with USB facilities and I also take a simple Sumvision Cyclone media player with me. This connects to any HDMI input and enables me to show HD video and stills directly to their TV via USB stick or SD card. If they can't play the USB straight to their TV, then the Cyclones are only about £20 which they seem to feel is worthwhile to get full HD playback.

I am now offering all packages with DVD and USB, with presentation cases for the USB in various styles. The drives are supplied with our logo and 'Our Wedding' engraved on opposite sides. Depending on the case, a 16gb drive with case costs me about £7, so I include one with the package, plus 2 DVDs. I have attached a pic of one of the cases which comes with a white tissue lined box.

Roger

[Ian Atkins]

Roger, that's great!

What format are you using for the videos?

Do you have a single file for the entire wedding or do you somehow break it up into "chapters" and/or clips of different events?

I will be making this transition myself by 2016.

[Roger Gunkel]

Hi Ian,

I render to MP4, taking care that the file extension is .MP4 as extensions such as .mts aren't always recognised. I edit the video ready for rendering to DVD first, with the usual chapter points, then split the files at the chapter points putting a fade in and out of black at each split. I then save each 'chapter' as a separate MP4 file. I number them sequentially and put them onto the USB drive in sequence. Most systems will then play them in sequence automatically, and few wedding clients bother with using menus on DVDs anyway, so feel that the advantage of HD delivery outweighs the USB disadvantages.

Roger

[Chris Harding]

It also depends on the couples "tech savy" ... I have had very little if any questions from brides on delivery format so either they don't care as long as they can watch it or they are happy with DVD's ... Despite being a small screen device our LCD video albums certainly go down well with brides but that's probably because of the "instant gratification" they get ...(open album and watch the wedding versus get a UDB?DVD plug it in turn everything on sit down and watch)

I really wonder if brides would complain bitterly if we only supplied USB ?? The only reason I still supply DVD is that it looks more value for money than a USB ... 3 x double DVD cases with printed disks and covers look "more" than a little jewellery box with a USB inside .... then again her diamond ring also came in a tiny box didn't it??

Chris

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

It also depends on the couples "tech savy" ... I have had very little if any questions from brides on delivery format so either they don't care as long as they can watch it or they are happy with DVD's ... Despite being a small screen device our LCD video albums certainly go down well with brides but that's probably because of the "instant gratification" they get ...(open album and watch the wedding versus get a UDB?DVD plug it in turn everything on sit down and watch)

I really wonder if brides would complain bitterly if we only supplied USB ?? The only reason I still supply DVD is that it looks more value for money than a USB ... 3 x double DVD cases with printed disks and covers look "more" than a little jewellery box with a USB inside .... then again her diamond ring also came in a tiny box didn't it??

Chris

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[Mark Whittle]

Regarding formats and chapters, if you export your mp4 as a Quicktime your chapters points from your sequence timeline are kept intact (at least from Premiere Pro).

I just did a test by exporting Quicktime, then choosing an h.264 720p preset and in both Quicktime Players 7 & 10 the chapters were there.

Then I changed the file extension to .mp4 and opened the file in VLC and the chapters were still there.

I'm going to fire up a windows 7 & XP PC and see if they work.

Mark

[Roger Gunkel]

Originally Posted by Mark Whittle

Regarding formats and chapters, if you export your mp4 as a Quicktime your chapters points from your sequence timeline are kept intact (at least from Premiere Pro).

I just did a test by exporting Quicktime, then choosing an h.264 720p preset and in both Quicktime Players 7 & 10 the chapters were there.

Then I changed the file extension to .mp4 and opened the file in VLC and the chapters were still there.

I'm going to fire up a windows 7 & XP PC and see if they work.

Mark

Will they still play on a TV with a USB input, otherwise they will be limited to watching on a computer.

Roger

[Mark Whittle]

Originally Posted by Roger Gunkel

Will they still play on a TV with a USB input, otherwise they will be limited to watching on a computer.

Roger

Not all TVs with USB inputs can play video at all. My two don't so can't test it.

The Windows 7 test: files play in VLC, Quicktime & Media Player. QT plays chapters correctly. VLC can see them but jumps to the wrong point so that's a fail.
Windows Media Player doesn't see the chapters at all but plays the files fine.

Maybe Taky's on the right track with an HDMI device or Chromecast type thingy.

[Chris Harding]

The big problem here is we never know what the bride has at her home and even if her latest TV does in fact play MP4 video when she takes the USB drive to even a friend's house imagine the issues when she discovers the friend's TV doesn't even have a USB input ! My TV doesn't!!

I know I go on a bit about the bride sharing her day with friends but I want referrals and the best way to get those is for the bride to share her day with people her age that are potential brides in the next year or too. OK it's cute that Nana can watch the video but her friend's are highly unlikely to be future clients so my target is always the bride's friends and the best way to expose your work to them is with a device that is very easily playable at a moments notice and without any tech knowledge ... I have a media player here which plays HD files off a drive perfectly and it's cheap as chips too BUT I cannot see a bride packing up a media box, HDMI cable, AC adapter into a bag and then having to assemble and connect somewhere else just so her friends can see her wedding. Media needs to be ultra simple and idiot proof too. We tend to forget that brides are usually not technically people ..sure they can operate a Smart Phone with magic fingers but I cannot see many figuring out cables and settings.

The LCD albums we use still give the best solution for me and they STILL are tech proof too! I booked a bride last week and the Mother picked up the album, vanished into the living room and watched the complete wedding highlights ... OK it's not a 50" screen with home theatre speakers but it does give immense satisfaction .. the bride not only booked immediately but paid everything up front the same day! My sorta customer!!

If there is something that can do the same thing with absolutely no hassles then tell me about it as it needs to be on my "must buy" list