What is you favorite video format (DVD, VHS, CD-ROM or clips)?

[The Last Laugh]

Hello everyone!

I'm curious to know more about people's preferences when it comes to buying tickling video material. I realize that DVD is becoming more and more the standard, with VHS slowly but surely losing ground. It's also quite obvious that pay sites offering downloadable clips have become very popular indeed, probably even more so than physical videos. But it would be interesting to get more specific feedback about this.

In addition to answering the poll itself, feel free to explain the reasons for your choice, what advantages make you prefer that particular format. For instance, I personally prefer DVDs. In fact, I prefer physical videos to clips, period. I know pay sites are going strong nowadays, but if I were to buy tickling material I would prefer to own something tangible, something that can be watched on a TV, something with a higher level of quality (though I admit many clips look great despite their small frame size). Of course, when you buy a clip you get it immediately, but I'd still prefer to wait for a DVD. But that's just me. I'm sure other people have plenty of excellent reasons for preferring clips, or even videotapes or CD-ROMs.

By the way, by clips I specifically mean commercial ones that you have to pay for on a pay site, not free previews.

Thank you for your vote!

 

[shylittleme]

Downloadable Clip for me since i have NO credit card so i'm stuck in no mans land until i get one

 

[The Last Laugh]

Downloadable Clip for me since i have NO credit card so i'm stuck in no mans land until i get one

But you do need a credit card to get a downloadable clip. I think some vendors do accept other forms of payment but it's mostly done by credit card, since the delay involved in sending a physical form of payment more or less defeats the main advantage of the downloadable clip, which si that you get it immediately after paying for it.

As I said in my original post, by downloadable clip I mean a clip that you pay for on a pay site so that you can download it. It's a commercial product, not a free preview clip. For instance, while I offer free preview clips on my website so that people can get an idea what my videos are like, I don't have proper downloadable clips for sale.

 

[EvlJester]

i guess for now i would have to say downlaodable clips, untill i get the money to maybe by a DVD.

 

[TicklishSinner]

free downloaded clips since i guess we are all in the same boat...no money to purchase a dvd or a full length clip

 

[Limeoutsider]

Ill buy DVDs when I start my collection

 

[TickledToDeath]

Nothing beats DVD. Quality and durability.

VHS is becoming if not already obsolete!

TTD

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

Excellent question, Francois A.! I'll have to agree with the majority on this, DVDs are my favorite. I feel the same as you, I want something tangible when I make a purchase. Part of the reason is, I prefer to watch stuff reclining on my futon, rather than propped-up at my far smaller computer screen.

Sadly, my first purchase of a DVD from one of the major tickling producers didn't work out so well. I won't say who it was, and their service was excellent, but I couldn't get their disc to play in my system.

 

[The Last Laugh]

Excellent question, Francois A.! I'll have to agree with the majority on this, DVDs are my favorite. I feel the same as you, I want something tangible when I make a purchase. Part of the reason is, I prefer to watch stuff reclining on my futon, rather than propped-up at my far smaller computer screen.

Sadly, my first purchase of a DVD from one of the major tickling producers didn't work out so well. I won't say who it was, and their service was excellent, but I couldn't get their disc to play in my system.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience. At first I was very much worried about something like that happening. DVD-R technology isn't quite mature yet, and burning a DVD-R isn't as reliable as burning a CD-ROM. But I did a lot of research to figure out what hardware, software and media brand I should use to get the best results, and I'm happy and relieved to say that, so far, it seems that everything works just fine. I was also very pleased to learn that the DVD-NTSC format works fine in nearly all DVD-PAL players (though not the other way around). So I can sell DVDs to European customers as well. Now, I'm not saying that none of my customers had any problems with my DVDs, but if they did they didn't tell me. I'm not aware of any problems.

I find it very surprising that, according the the poll's results, more people seem to prefer DVDs to downloadable clips. I was quite sure that clips were the preferred format. Then again, very few people answered the poll, so it may not be representative of the community as a whole. Frankly, even though I don't like the idea, I still get the feeling that downloadable clips are more popular nowadays.

 

[Dr. Bill Kobb]

I find it very surprising that, according the the poll's results, more people seem to prefer DVDs to downloadable clips. I was quite sure that clips were the preferred format. Then again, very few people answered the poll, so it may not be representative of the community as a whole. Frankly, even though I don't like the idea, I still get the feeling that downloadable clips are more popular nowadays.

That is a shame about the poll, as I thought it was an excellent question. Perhaps the moderators might make an exception and let you post a similar poll at one of the more viewed sections of the TMF(?).

 

[ticklee_boy]

Well, as one of the computer freaks I voted for DVD.
But only because I had to pick one of them. Actually both DVD and downloadable clips are fine, but:

The clips have to be in DVD format, so that I can burn my own DVD. I really don't like it when I first need to convert the clip to DVD format first, as there is also quality-loss involved.

So basically the clips on the DVD and the downloadable clips should be one and the same. So that I can either order a DVD or download clips to burn my own DVD.
Actually I do prefer downloadable clips over a finished DVD, but I voted DVD because it's important that the clips are in DVD format.

I was also very pleased to learn that the DVD-NTSC format works fine in nearly all DVD-PAL players (though not the other way around). So I can sell DVDs to European customers as well.

This has to do with the region code. A DVD player has to play back a certain region code, regardless of PAL or NTSC.
Since Code 1 is USA and Canada, and both countries use NTSC, hardly a Code 1 player will play back PAL.
Code 2, on the other hand, is used by Europe and Japan. Europe uses PAL, Japan NTSC. Therefore every Code 2 player has to be able to play back both PAL and NTSC, it is a requirement.

 

[The Last Laugh]

The clips have to be in DVD format, so that I can burn my own DVD. I really don't like it when I first need to convert the clip to DVD format first, as there is also quality-loss involved.

You mean the frame size and proportions or actual 720x480 AVI (DVD) files? I'm sure you know how monstrously huge such clips would be, right? The thing is that while I agree with you that it would be great to offer clips of that quality, it simply wouldn't be convenient for most people. Imagine the disc space such clips would require. And the downloading times and bandwidth involved. Of course, maybe I just misunderstand what you mean by DVD format. To me it's always been like I said, 720x480 AVI files. When I produce a full 60-min AVI clip before transforming in into an MPEG2 for DVD or transferring it to MiniDV, it's about 15GB.

 

[ticklee_boy]

You mean the frame size and proportions or actual 720x480 AVI (DVD) files?

No, I don't mean that the files should be AVI files (yeah, they'd be of enormous size). The clips should already be encoded, ready to be authored, but they should match the DVD video requirements in terms of frame rate and resolution.
[email protected] would be the highest resolution possible. Sure, it would be inconvenient for people on dialup, but for people with broadband (and many have broadband) it should be fine. Usually a single clip won't be 4,3 GB big to fill up an entire single layer DVD.
But still, even half that resolution, [email protected], is DVD video compliant. It still looks pretty good, and doesn't require as much bitrate as the 720x480 video does, so the resulting MPEG file can be smaller.
Even VCD resolution (MPEG-1, [email protected]) is DVD video compliant, but then the quality wouldn't be too good. IMHO [email protected], with a decent bitrate, will look very good and still be appropriate for downloading. [email protected] can still be offered additionally for those on broadband who can and like to download in highest quality possible.

 

[The Last Laugh]

No, I don't mean that the files should be AVI files (yeah, they'd be of enormous size). The clips should already be encoded, ready to be authored, but they should match the DVD video requirements in terms of frame rate and resolution.
[email protected] would be the highest resolution possible. Sure, it would be inconvenient for people on dialup, but for people with broadband (and many have broadband) it should be fine. Usually a single clip won't be 4,3 GB big to fill up an entire single layer DVD.
But still, even half that resolution, [email protected], is DVD video compliant. It still looks pretty good, and doesn't require as much bitrate as the 720x480 video does, so the resulting MPEG file can be smaller.
Even VCD resolution (MPEG-1, [email protected]) is DVD video compliant, but then the quality wouldn't be too good. IMHO [email protected], with a decent bitrate, will look very good and still be appropriate for downloading. [email protected] can still be offered additionally for those on broadband who can and like to download in highest quality possible.

Oh, I see. I admit that my knowledge in that department is rather limited. Personally, when I encode AVI files for authoring I make them into MPEG2 files, which I understand is pretty much the standard. But even then I end up with over 3GB per full video. Even cut into clips it would be way too big. Granted, more and more people have fast connections. But there would still be the problem of storage on the vendor's side, as well as the huge bandwidth use. Bandwidth means money, and with clips that big it would be murder.

But I guess some of the examples you gave are significantly smaller than DVD MPEG2 files. Say, could you give some examples of typical formats that are *not* DVD compliant?

 

[ticklee_boy]

But even then I end up with over 3GB per full video. Even cut into clips it would be way too big. Granted, more and more people have fast connections. But there would still be the problem of storage on the vendor's side, as well as the huge bandwidth use. Bandwidth means money, and with clips that big it would be murder.

Ah, I see. So the real problem is actually the cost for the bandwidth. Ok, now I understand that the downloadable clips can't be the same as they are on the DVD.

But I guess some of the examples you gave are significantly smaller than DVD MPEG2 files. Say, could you give some examples of typical formats that are *not* DVD compliant?

Well, most of the files I have purchased are in real media format. The rest is wmv.
Still, they all use strange resolutions, which makes it a bit difficult to convert them to DVD video files to burn to the DVD.
Examples: 336x240 (352x240 would already be DVD standard), 452x300, 444x296, 444x304, 640x480 (DVD would be 720x480).
So, even when using high-compression formats like real media, divx, or whatever, if the clips would have DVD compliant resolutions, like 352x240, 352x480, 704x480, or 720x480, and frame rates, like 29.97fps, they would be easy to convert to DVD because all that is needed would be encoding to MPEG-2, without altering any of the parameters.

 

[The Last Laugh]

Still, they all use strange resolutions, which makes it a bit difficult to convert them to DVD video files to burn to the DVD.
Examples: 336x240 (352x240 would already be DVD standard), 452x300, 444x296, 444x304, 640x480 (DVD would be 720x480.

Those are some unusual resolutions. I guess there are reasons for using those, but it has never occurred to me to use them, except maybe 640x480.

So, even when using high-compression formats like real media, divx, or whatever, if the clips would have DVD compliant resolutions, like 352x240, 352x480, 704x480, or 720x480, and frame rates, like 29.97fps, they would be easy to convert to DVD because all that is needed would be encoding to MPEG-2, without altering any of the parameters.

I've had to create a number of small-framed files in the MPEG-1 and WMV formats, and I never tried anything besides 320x240 or 352x240, the latter being what I typically use now. I tend to favor WMV, as MPEG-1 files tend to be rather big, and you can get a decent quality with WMV for a reasonable size. There's the compatibility issue, but nowadays there are less and less people who can't play WMV. For some reason I can't seem to manage to create decent RM clips. I guess I don't have the software, codecs or knowledge to do them right. In any case, it's not an option for me at the moment. I haven't experimented with MOV files yet. For some reason I don't like how it's played, but I hear MOV is a very good format.

 

[ticklee_boy]

Actually, MOV isn't a video format at all, it's just a container like AVI. It's actually Apple's competing container format to AVI. And like AVI, the video inside can be encoded with every codec out there, like DivX, for example.
WMV, DivX, etc. they all derive from the MPEG-4 codec, hence they give good quality at low file sizes. Any of the MPEG-4 codecs will be fine.
As long as the resolution and frame rate matches the DVD video standard, so that conversion will be easy, I'll be happy

 

[ticklishscribe]

At the moment.

I like VHS, as I don't have a DVD player. But I am planning on getting one as TTD is right about the quality and durability. Clips are too expensive, what with the 30% average exchange with the US dollar.