Anyone doing a "no disks" delivery yet?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Guys

I know this has been a previous topic on "what the brides gets from you" but I'm curious to know if anyone yet has completely dropped supplying any sort of disk set to the bride and has stuck with either a USB drive, media player, total cloud based or similar.

If you have, how do you get over the fact that the grandparents are probably still low-tech and at best have an LCD TV and a cheap DVD player and often no computer at all.

It would be nice to know if anyone has permanently forsaken any type of disk in favour of other media and how it's working out with brides?

Chris

[Robert Benda]

I just started. Black River Imaging offers a DVD style printed case but with USB holder inside. I like the idea of future proof.

So now my main offering(s) are one nice case with USB, highlight video online.

DVD-USB Storage | Black River Imaging

[Steve Burkett]

On my Preference Form, the couple have an option for their initial copy as either DVD, Bluray or USB. I would say more took up the USB over the Bluray this year, though DVD is still the most popular. Most of my packages have 2nd, 3rd or 4th copies depending on size of package, and they are all DVD, so each couple will usually have a DVD too. One couple who had my basic package selected USB and didn't ask for copies. Their choice. A physical copy will still be with us, but I wonder how long with TV's turning into computers will we see a move towards digital copies being standard.

[Clive McLaughlin]

I've prepared a survey to go out to my 2015 clients. One of the questions is 'Would you choose a USB option if it were available?'.

Will let you know the feedback!

[Noa Put]

I think usb stick with HD files is something you can deliver at any time but not delivering dvd's is a risk, I have had one client last year who wasn't interested in the dvd's, they had lots of Apple stuff at home and where streaming their content to several devices but not everyone is so technological "advanced". Every other client want's dvd, every household has a dvd player and in lesser extent a blu-ray player. I see dvd's still being asked for for many years to come.

[Danny O'Neill]

We give our couples 3 copies. They can choose DVD, Blu-Ray or USB. Whatever combination they like.

All our couples take at least one copy on USB, some have even selected all USB which means no disk at all.

We did a survey and most still wanted a DVD copy so they can take it to nans house. Our more affluent customers simply buy Nan a whole new TV :)

[Aindreas Lynch]

I've tried to eliminate DVD completely and only either do USB or Digital Download but unfortunately it hasn't worked and 80% are still coming back to me looking for a DVD as they or their parents can't play the MP4 files I give them.

From now on I am going to give them One USB and One DVD and see how that goes.

[Daniel Latimer]

Mediazilla (https://mediazilla.com) is coming out with a web based solution. Will be interesting to see how that plays out and if brides enjoy it enough to replace DVDs.

[Max Palmer]

For those of you doing "digital download" are you using that to have your clients download their full day footage? Or just short films?

[Dave Partington]

Originally Posted by Aindreas Lynch

I've tried to eliminate DVD completely and only either do USB or Digital Download but unfortunately it hasn't worked and 80% are still coming back to me looking for a DVD as they or their parents can't play the MP4 files I give them.

From now on I am going to give them One USB and One DVD and see how that goes.

The delivery of one DVD is as bad as three in my book, you still have to go through the work of creating the menus, transcoding to MPEG2, checking it all works etc. That's not a 10 minute job and time is money.

For the ones I delivered as download only (and one was USB only) they were made aware that anyone with a Windows computer can use Movie Maker to take the HD file and make their own DVDs.

Sure the downscaling is crap compared to what we can achieve using better software, but it means they could make their own DVDs for parents etc, and it saved me effectively half a day of creating the DVD. There were plenty happy with that solution since it meant they could play their own wedding on their TV via USB stick in full HD.

I shot my last wedding a couple of weeks ago and I'm glad I'm not going to have to deal with all this anymore!

[Clive McLaughlin]

No way I would offer both USB and DVD. It would be one or the other. Last thing I want to do is render every file in two formats and resolutions!

I want to go down the USB route, but I'm still trying to find the right product for me.

A few of my competitors do the wooden USB and wooden boxes so I'm trying to avoid that and be different.

[Danny O'Neill]

Problem with wooden boxes is they cost as fortune to posts in the UK :)

Multiple formats isnt an issue for us. We use Vegasaur for Sony Vegas. When I finshed a project we just use the Transcoder component to say "Render this project using this template". The template produces DVD, Blu-ray and USB/online formats at the click of a button. At the end of each day I kick off the render and its all done by the time I get back in the office. We then only produce the disk formats based on what they choose. If they go all USB then the cost of media is higher but there are no menus to prepare.

It's the dream but right now people still want a choice.

[Clive McLaughlin]

Must check out Vegasaur...

[Roger Gunkel]

All my finished product rendering is done at the end of the day and overnight, so I have no problem preparing a disc and a usb without taking time out of my day. I have only ever had one request for bluray and see it as a limited format, always delivering hd if requested, on USB.

I think it will be many years before dvd is no longer required as it is a virtually universal format.

Roger

[Chris Harding]

One of my contacts on Linked-in said he was using a "video book" made in the UK too and they are essentially a battery powered between 7" and 10.5" LCD screen bound into a hard cover book ...you have no menu as such but there are buttons on the page to allow you have all the usual video controls. It is supposed to be full HD and of course fully portable which would solve any issues with taking it with you when you visit friends. He said it was a big hit with Grannies too.

The concept is to give the bride much the same as the photog supllies. A custom album/coffee table book but instead when the open the cover the video starts playing. One would probably get away with a 10" screen but I would suspect audio might be the downfall here. I must admit I like the idea! It's a high "perceived value" item compared to a little USB and I would suspect that one could surely plug an HDMI cable into one's TV system for the bigger picture but it still works if the grandparents still have a VHS player and CRT TV !!

I really do like the idea of giving the bride something different and something that looks "worth the money" ..My issue with say, a cloud based system is that the bride pays anything between $2000 and $10,000 and all she gets is a link??? I'm sure a big tissue lined box with a full HD player inside that works when you open the cover is still clever ... sort of like opening the biggest Christmas pressie first cos it has to be the most exciting !!

Chris