Re: "This Old Pinball" (TOP) Video Tapes (by Shaggy & Norm)

Date: 9 Jul 2003 16:39:31 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.games.pinball
Size: 2,414 bytes

"Mark Clayton" <email-address-deleted> wrote in message news:<BuYOa.8233$email-address-deleted>...
> Why fight against the tide? Putting the content on VHS doesn't
> prevent anyone from making streaming versions for the web, it just
> adds a step. I for one would like to have your programs on a higher-
> resolution DVD, and I don't think sticking to VHS is very effective
> "copy protection", anyway.
It adds a step, and the quality is MUCH lower than a "real"
TOP DVD disk. It's just not worth it. Easier/cheaper to pay the
$8 for a nice fresh VHS copy.
> Instead of wasting all that time manually duplicating and mailing video
> tapes, why don't you instead *encourage* people to copy the tapes,
> and ask them to send the contribution to your cause directly to you. Put
> your pitch at the beginning and end of the material, and a crawl across the
> bottom now and then wouldn't hurt either. Put your address, email and PayPal
> account there, along with a suggested contribution. $5 sounds reasonable, and
> it's probably close to what your net proceeds are right now. You could free up all
> that time spent duping tapes for making more programs. Yesss.
THIS HAS BEEN TRIED!
Tim Arnold originally distributed his TIM video tapes this way.
He would copy 100 of them, and just send them out. At the beginning
and end of the tape was a message asking people to send in the $6,
along with his address. Did it work? HELL NO!!! Basically no one
sent any money! (You can see the "old college try" at this on the
TIM#1 video).
It all comes back to just how cheap Pinheads are. If they don't
have to spend $6 and can get it for free, they will! (I should
know, I'm one of those cheap skates).
> Sure, you'll lose out from the cheapskates and cheaters, but there will be
> more sources for people to get the programs in the first place, and who knows
> how many of them have already made unauthorized VHS copies already.
Frankly, I haven't seen or heard of many people making VHS copies of
the TOP tapes. It's a losing proposal. You need two tape decks, a blank
tape, and the quality goes down. At $6 (ok $8), it's just not worth it.
And that's why the tapes are priced this way. It discourages copies.
Now if the music recording industry and Hollywood would just pay attention
to the TOP video producers (and price music and videos at $8), perhaps
they wouldn't be in the mess they are in...