RE: WCW and AKA tapes?

["Stu Hancock" <hancocks at fred_net>]

Weighing in on the technology...

   I have (and they are not very expensive) a really nice device for
converting VHS tapes (or any other composite video or S-VHS signal and
the audio) into a digital format, which can be:  VCD-ready (lower
quality, but about par for what VHS tape can do anyhow) or SVCD (not
terribly attractive, since one can only fit about 1/2 hour onto a CDR),
or DVD.  

  VCDs hold roughly an hour of video, and are the lowest quality (as
mentioned above).  Advantages are that they can play on many DVD
players, altho' the more modern, the more likely they are to be
compatible.  Blank CDRs run about $0.13 in quantities of perhaps 100 or
more.  Compatibility will be an issue for some, but probably not the
majority.  

  SVCDs are also written to CDRs and are of higher quality, but only
hold about 1/2 hour.  I think this is the worst of the digitized
options, since fewer DVD players will be compatible than with
VCD-formatted CDRs and the "higher quality" will still be subject to the
vagaries of  the input signal, i.e., VHS tapes (in this case).  

  DVD-Rs are an interesting way to go.  DVD-R blanks run under $1.00 at
present, and I believe can be mailed for one first-class stamp if a thin
cardboard mailer is used.  I've seen blanks available for as low as
$0.67.  Additionally, one needs a DVD writer (now running in the
$200-$250 range), and the willingness to spend the time to do the
conversions and the duplication.  Once the master DVD-R is finished,
copying is fire and forget.  DVD-Rs (the cheap ones) hold 4.7GB of data,
or roughly two hours of very high quality video.  At lower bitrates,
however (approaching the quality of the VHS signal from the tape), one
can pack roughly 4 hours on one DVD, if that level of cost is a factor.
I have a Pioneer A03 writer which I'm very pleased with (since
superseded, naturally, by the faster A04).

  Total materials cost for mailing out a finished DVD-R with two hours
of video on it, including:  DVD-R blank, mailer, stamp, and perhaps a
decent label:  around $1.50-$2.00, each.

   One caveat:  compatibility with DVD-Rs will always pose a bit of a
problem for some older set-top DVD players.  Most modern machines work
fine with DVD-Rs, but inevitably there will be a few misses.  Those
folks could receive copies of the VHS tapes, I suppose.  Copying those
is also a fire-and-forget process for anyone with two VHS machines.  

 'Nuff said,

- Stu

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-killietalk at aka_org [mailto:owner-killietalk at aka_org] On
Behalf Of Lowell Patrick
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2002 10:51 AM
To: killietalk at aka_org
Subject: Re: WCW and AKA tapes?


Thanks Tom for clearing that up for me.  I am talking about putting the 
presentations all on 1 eight hour tape and doing that instead of 
individual tapes per presentation.  I do have a volunteer to help with 
this if I can't do it all myself.

Thanks,
Lowell

> Dave Koran and Tom Grady did not make the decision by themselves to
give the
> judges videotapes of the speakers at the AKA convention.  Here is the 
> history of it.
> 
> At the 2002 convention, I believe it was Liz Hutchins who approached
the BOT
> through myself or Dave - I do not remember which of us - and
suggested it
> would be a very nice gesture to 'give' tapes of the speakers to the
judges
> since they generally miss most of the speakers by volunteering their
time to
> judge the show.
> 
> The topic was brought up at the BOT meeting Friday or Saturday night
(some
> of my memory is hazy as to the days since I worked the convention from

> Wednesday thruogh the weekend, but it was midnight) and the board
agreed the
> idea was a good one and a valid one since judges do miss several
speakers
> and yet pay for the entire convention - their rooms, the banquet
etc.  The
> board voted I believe unanimously at that time to do this.
> 
> This was announced to a very positive response at the awards ceremony.
> 
> The subject came up a second time over the summer in a BOT letter and
was
> reaffirmed unanimously.
> 
> I agree Lowell should have been consulted, but at the time - the BOT
wanted
> to offer something of value to the judges.
> 
> Okay that is the history of the offer.
> 
> Now - as to the actual creation of the tapes.  I am not an expert and
make
> no allusions to being one - but it seems to me that all or most of the

> morning presentations should fit on one VCR tape and also tke same
for the
> afternoon ones.  That would be two tapes per person maximum.  if
there were
> 20 judges - then that is 40 tapes - at a cost of about 5$ a tape or
about
> $200 in expenses.
> 
> To be honest, this may be asking alot of Lowell and that is not my
intent -
> instead I am simply stating how the issue occurred and maybe an idea
to deal
> with it.
> 
> However, I do not like the idea that Dave or I were the only people
involved
> in the decisions made.  This was brought to the BOT and acted upon.
> 
> Tom Grady
> 
> ---------------
> See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe Join the 
> AKA at http://www.aka.org/AKA/Applic.htm
> 
> 

-- --4Fam Web Mail a Service of Midwest Internet--
---------------
See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe Join the
AKA at http://www.aka.org/AKA/Applic.htm

---------------
See http://www.aka.org/AKA/subkillietalk.html to unsubscribe
Join the AKA at http://www.aka.org/AKA/Applic.htm