any one else getting the mr dvd sent out??? i enjoy the info and like seeing what others are doing. also like the “real” railroading but am wondering if its worth the cost. maybe mr should make them available on line and burnable, to cut costs. also why are they so dry… one issue with this hobby is that we are so excited about it but it doesnt flow or show when its discussed. i learn more when im entertained. its great to see the modelers, but if public speaking isnt their thing then its time to bring in some professionals to get these people to show some life. and yes im suffering “modelus interuptess” so maybe im biased, but arent we all???
maybe im modeling taggart transcomtinental in the declining years after dagny walked away
I wish that MR would allow you to opt in to recieving the DVD instead of sending it to you and then demanding payment for it. I have received a couple of them over the years that I did not order. I truely resent the attitude of MR in this matter. I have not ordered them and I will not pay for what I did not order. The agrivation with the DVD is almost enough for me to cancel my subscriptions to both MR and Trains.
I believe you are referring to the Dream Plan Build video series that MR started a couple of years ago. Yes, I find them dry, yet informative. I have everyone of them they have sent me. Some of them aren’t my favorites yet others are good learning tools. I wish they would get more technical information into their out takes for the more experienced modeler, but then again they are not only trying to cater to the experienced modeler but also to the borderline novice that just may be right on the verge of diving into the hobby head first for the long haul. (You can’t please all the people, all the time.)
I do think that they are a bit pricey but i’m going to try and collect as many as they will send me in hopes that one day the entire set may be a collector’s item, especially the “Big Power” video which after many threads concerning this video series seems to be the one most people have sent back to MR. I thought Big Power was awesome, especially that old broke down SP unit that had fire belching from the exhaust everytime they powered up the Diesel. One day, it will be a rare video if it’s true that so many people sent it back to MR.
The video series Dream Plan Build is relatively new and they can only get better as time marches on and the editors take heed to what others on this forum have suggested they do to improve the quality of the video series… chuck
thats extreme, but i understand. my wife hates the dvd too much money. collectors items??? with the changing technology only the dvd will be worth something in a time capsule maybe lol.
i still would lioke to see it as a download/burnable series. i dont need the case /make the lable printable
John - MR is likely issuing these DVDs in hopes of generating new income, especially in light of the hit the magazine subscriptions have taken in recent years (recently MR has probably lost $2.0-$2.5 million annually in copy sales relative to the 1990’s). The DPB series is obviously put together at a relatively low cost to give the maximum return. Just the fact that you are cut off if you return just one or two installments demonstrates that they are attempting to minimize their losses in every way. So, the cost of a professional actor, especially one with perhaps some background in the hobby, would likely be prohibitive. I’m pretty sure that their Tracks Ahead PBS series’ big name hosts commanded a significant fee, one hardly justified for a limited audience product like DPB.
And, to be honest, most of the more recent DPB series DVDs are simply instructional and hardly require an “entertaining” narrator to get their point across. Watching what is being done, along with some simple narration, is generally more than sufficient to convey the concepts and ideas being presented.
so why not make it downloadable and cut out shipping??? every one is in “it” to make money so thats a must . but we hear complaints about the downturn in the hobby and the solutions are there if only those in control would use them… henry ford proved theres always a better way. maybe mr bought a bunch of burnable dvd’s cheap and need to sell em??? lol
The law may recently have been changed, but it did say that anything you’re sent unsolicited by the US Mail is legally a gift to you and you cannot be charged for it.
The logic to their present sales method (which I can certainly understand) is that once the DVD is in your hands and you have viewed it, you’re much more likely to retain it for some bit of info or entertainment value it might provide. Offering it simply as a download would undoubtedly result in far fewer actual sales as you’d have the option to pick and choose, or simply procrastinate whether you need the particular DVD’s content or not. Definitely, you’ll get a far better return on the investment, at least for a while, following the current method.
While your math may be correct, you cannot just assume all those magazine circulation numbers from the 1990s were from profitable magazine sales. I know publishers at time to time will distribute magazines at a loss to bloat the circulation numbers, which could be what Kalmbach was doing in the 90s.
It very well could be today’s numbers are smaller but more profitable per issue printed. Bigger circulation numbers don’t automatically mean more profit.
That’s why the book “How to Lie with Statistics” has that famous quote:
“There’s lies, damned lies, and there’s statistics”.
It’s very easy to make the numbers say a lot of things, but without the rest of the context, your conclusions could be off base. Not saying they ARE off-base mind you, just pointing out there are other facts you may not be aware of, and without insider knowledge, your conclusions could be very misleading.
While the 1993 sharp peak and subsequent drop in MR’s circulation figures could certainly be in part due to distributing a portion of the magazine’s run at a loss to boost readership and then halting the practice, this cannot begin to negate the overall loss of some 64,000 readers (29% of the total 1993 readership) in the years since. MR’s circulation is currently back to the level we saw prior to 1970, in the heart of the supposed depression of the hobby from the slot car craze and the numbers are still falling.
No matter how one spins it, such a drastic decline has to be reflected in a considerable financial loss for the magazine. It is only logical, then, to see them attempting to find new, relatively low expense, product outlets such as the DPB dvd’s, that might augment their finances.
Im saying make it a subscription based deal. then you already pay for it. if you take off the 4.90 shipping and then eliminate dvd case and printing costs it should make it less expensive. id pay a flat rate of $50 a year for 5 to 8 videos a year. and MR has a duty and a need to improve interest in this hoby just as nmra has a duty to this hobby. It would serve no purpose to allow this hobby and industry to fail due to the “bottom Line” being the driving force. is it better to make a $100,000 in a year or have 10 years at $10,000??? which is better for the hobby?? which i think should be the driving factor in this equation.
on the publisher issue
figures dont lie, but liars figure…unknown quote
mr has these coupons in some athern models which i use every time my subscription is up. i have quite a few left. when a publisher prints “X” in quantity the rest are cheaper so it works out. also mr"s decision to put more content on line is a double edged sword. but more to the good im thinking.
side note
i still think layout info should contain quantity of engines and rolling stock to give a better idea of how layout size relates. especially for new modelers, it serves a purpose to show a layout and give a scope to what is realistic for operation. i requested this from mr but it hasnt happened. we know the rooster of specific roads but somehow that facet doesnt seem relevant to modelers. bigger is always better and all information is useful
I have been getting the DPB DVDs since the program started 2 or 3 years ago. I have bought 1/3 to 1/2 of them and returned the rest. There is a prepaid return form on the back of the description/invoice sheet, so just cut it off and tape it to the original package with the DVD inside. Drop it in any mailbox or post office - no big deal.
This is the same format that book clubs and record clubs have been using for years and years. They send things you may want to buy “on approval”; if you don’t like it, return it. I generally do not buy DVDs, but when I previewed them, I saw some things on DPB I was interested in. If you do not want to receive any more call Kalmbach Customer Service and ask them to remove you from the DPB mailing list.
MR does have a downloads section on their website, but mp3 and pdf files can be large which is a problem for those with dial-up: how many hours to download 10 megs of file on a slow connection??? Even with DSL, I probably would not be that interested in downloading that much. Not everyone can afford high-speed and many rural areas do not have it available at all. Check the total file size on a typical DPB disk, would you download it?
finally . but alas the motor of the world can be stopped but only in specific places. it runs in galts gulch. and 2 simple words can shut it own “i wont”