Need lots of help...maybe a sanity check?

[Rob Katz]

i apologize in advance if i ask an obvious question:

do the flashdrives containing mp4 files play cross platform-apple & windows-on all machines?

thanks in advance for any info you can share.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc

[Bob Ohlemann]

So far, I've not found a device that will not play them. I've tested on a MacBook, PC, two Samsung TV's, a Sharp TV, a Sony A/V receiver, and a Samsung Bluray player. There is a USB port on my DirecTV receiver that I have not tried. Might be worth checking into.

Bob

[John DuMontelle]

Most USB flashdrives are formatted EXFat or FAT32 which can be read by both PC and Mac.

As long as the final project is less than 4 gigs in size, FAT32 is fine.

If it's bigger than 4gigs, EXFat is the one to use.

You can reformat a USB flashdrive just like any other drive. Changing a FAT32 to EXFat if needed
.
More and more computers do not have DVD drives in them and many modern flatscreen TVs have USB ports to play videos or see still photos.

The business world is getting away from disks. Many more are either linking to videos, saving delivery time and shipping costs. Much like the difference in news coverage where immediacy is what counts. No one wants to wait if they don't have to.

In fact, many business's are simply sending links to a secure file sharing site for clients to download a finished product to their own hard drive/computer..or view directly from the site with no downloading needed.

This advance in technology and customer desires is no different than everyone having a VHS player at home and shooting every birthday or wedding in VHS. Now...who still does that? This is the same path DVD's are on...and their end is coming very soon.

It's why I choose not to worry about keeping my DVD burn programs current. Nor do I worry about all those extra time and expense wasters like making labels and buying plastic boxes for the DVD disks.

Unnecessary work and expense which does nothing more than add cost to the final product.

Money I can save my clients, keeping my cost to them lower than those who still want to focus on DVD's and a dying format.

Please be clear...my comments are not meant to be insulting to any individual in any way. ;)

[Tim Polster]

I have no issue with Flash drive delivery outside of the raw cost of the units. DVDs are under 50 cents and Flash drives are at least $2.50 For small delivery jobs this is fine but for larger sales jobs it is just too expensive along with little to no cover graphics.

We are in a jam right now with no clear winner. Some like computers for playback, some like their living rooms. Some like the web. Some like it all. But as a micro business I can not offer all as it will be a lot of work explaining, educating and executing all of the options. So it will DVDs for a long time until the Flash drives come down in price.

[Steven Digges]

There is another thread someplace here on DVI where a whole bunch of us beat delivery formats and options to death, a good thread to hear the opinions.

For me, I believe it is not my job to dictate to clients how they should be viewing the video I create for them. I see my customer service model as one that provides whatever it is the customer wants.

DVDs will not be going away quickly, they are still ubiquitous. VHS tape took many years to fade away. Occasionally, I still have clients ask me to convert VHS tapes to a digital file for them. That is not a service I offer, but I do it for them when asked, for the sake of customer service. These are commercial clients, I do not want them going elsewhere over a tape conversion.

I never cease to be amazed by how many guys seem to "dictate to a client the way it should be".

Steve

[Chris Harding]

Hi Steve

I agree totally. Clients will soon become dis-satisfied if we start telling them what they are going to get rather than what they want. You simply cannot tell your client what they have to accept. I have found a few wedding videographers who end up with irate clients simply cos they have decided what footage to film.

Yep, if my clients want DVD's then they get DVD's ..they of course have an option to have whatever suits them but I think some operators seem to forget that the client is paying for your service (and providing your income) so the last thing you need to do is dictate what and what they will or will not have.

Chris

[John DuMontelle]

To be clear...I do not "dictate" to my clients how I will deliver a product they've hired me to create for them.

However...I will show them how to save money and time...then they make their decision.

I still burn a few DVDs, but from where I sit, I see DVD's going away sooner rather than later.

All I have to do is count the number of Blockbuster video stores in my neighborhood to see that transition is well under way.

[Steven Digges]

The square footage of a Blockbuster retail store has been reduced to a red box about 5' x 5' that can be found at every corner store here in my city. And SD DVDs are still a more common rental than BR.

Steve

[Tim Polster]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

I never cease to be amazed by how many guys seem to "dictate to a client the way it should be".

Steve

Steven, was this directed towards me? No worries, just wondering as it is tough to know sometimes in a multi-post environment.

[Steven Digges]

Tim,

Not at all. I have no idea how you do business. It is a generalization because there are some guys on this board that are hard core about it. I love a good debate and I am VERY opinionated. However, I do try not to be offensive about it most of the time. I am aware I use strong language and sometimes people have gotten bent. If I do take a shot at an individual they know it. But Chris H. reminds me we are not supposed to do that here so I play nice with most of the kids on the block ;)

In our business many people fail because they do not conduct the business side of videography properly. Their one shot clients move on. I just laugh at them and pick up the pieces they leave behind. And I probably charge more than most of them.

Here is another one of my generalized opinions. I have seen the pendulum swing to both extremes now. When I started as a still guy in the late eighties I saw a lot of photographers fail because of their ego. Once they started getting paid well for shooting pictures the ego kicked in and all of a sudden they became an uppity artist. Their ego was so big they would try to push their artistic vision on the client and become very difficult to deal with. The clients would move on. In the end they really did not have enough talent to save them from their ego.

Today, with some videographers it is a different issue. A good videographer MUST be part technician and part creative. Instead of being drawn into the business to shoot video they get here to feed their technological addiction. They are more into the tools and tech than the product. So I think some videographers need to pull their head out of a dark place and realize not everyone in the world is as fascinated as they are by cameras and technology. My clients are all corporate. Their tech skill set ranges from being able to check their e-mail and that is it all the way to some who are on the leading edge of tech.

I do my best to make all of them happy. Customer service is a big deal to me. It is far bigger than my ego. I find myself coaching many clients through the technology to get the result THEY want and that is OK!

Some guys here think clients are impressed by the model numbers on their camera. The way I see it my clients have taught me they don't give a crap what camera I shoot with (obviously I am not in broadcast or high end advertising). What they do LOOK at and care about is the video! As elementary as that sounds there is video guys who don't get it.

It is a business to me. It is how I feed my kids. I am successful because of HOW I do business not just because I shoot good video. I will deliver my product in any format that works for the client. It is that simple. That is why I have very loyal clients.

Steve

[Tim Polster]

Thanks for your reply Steven. What I think is tough today is that many folks think they are tech savvy because they use an I-phone but that is where their tech ends. If you happen to be selling to the general public, the idea of a digital download or Flash drive can be a bit complicated to many.

When I work with companies, it is easy to delivery in any format and medium. When I shoot live events, it is all optical discs. They are the common denominator. If you go too far towards new media I think you will alienate as many or more as you help out.

I am all for customer service and being on the forefront, but new and complicated just makes things worse imho.

[John DuMontelle]

I agree with the thoughts about "general public".

If you're producing a product for a wedding video or some other type of family event...DVD's are probably best...for now.

I rarely do weddings or events like that. Most of my clients are business people and they are the ones I was referring to, who prefer non-DVD end products...for the most part.

They are also repeat customers. Which is why I go after them.

Most wedding clients are a single hit...at best. They might refer you but bottom line the volume of work from that kind of client is going to be very low compared to business/corporate clients.

Nothing wrong with shooting weddings. It's a tough gig.

Even though I'm based in Miami, Florida, I have two regular medical device clients in California who have been steady customers over the last couple of years. They go overseas for trade shows and have booths which play the final edited product I produce. They also like being able to give away those videos showing their product to doctors and hospital executives on flash-drives with their company logo and contact info engraved on it.. Business clients like this will always lead the way to change. I have the same type of clients who deal in real estate. Deals move to fast to wait for DVD's sent by snail-mail. Whoever closes the deal first, wins. Again, they love the idea of a digital file they can put up on a secure server for a client to see or hand off a thumb drive which can play on any computer and there's no search for a handy DVD players to see what they want to see.

Best of success to all as we all try and stay ahead of the curve...and make a buck doing what we like to do for a living.

[Steven Digges]

John,

Agreed. Every word of what you just said is my work flow. Just because I defended DVDs does not mean it is currently a common format for my corporate clients. It is not. And yes, there is a big difference between what the business environment wants and an individual consumer client.

My point has always been about not understanding guys that say "i will only do it this way, take it or leave it". That sounds crazy to me.

Steve

[John DuMontelle]

Thanks Steve,

I always worry the tone of a post I make will sound arrogant or just plain stubborn...which is why I probably over-respond too much, to make sure people understand why I'm posting a certain point of view without, hopefully, coming off like a jerk! ;)