Frequently Asked Questions - DVD Related
Q: How much do the DVDs cost?
A: Normally, a single-disc DVD will cost $16.05, a two-disc set will cost $22.50, and a three-disc set will cost $25. There are exceptions to those prices, and DVDs that fall under the exceptions will have explanations why they will cost more or less, which usually entails the amount of video on the discs.
Q: How often will you sell DVDs at airshows?
A: Not often. I will carry them around with me if I plan on selling them at an airshow and I will not have them at a booth.
Q: How much is shipping and handling?
A: The minimum is $5.95. The shipping and handling total will go up as the total of the purchase goes past a certain threshold. Keep in mind that shipping costs go up as the package becomes heavier and heavier - even by the ounce/gram. The shipping and handling costs take into account the cost to ship the order, the packaging, and transit time to the post office.
Q: What do you use to ship?
A: I ship USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation within the United States and USPS Air Mail for international customers. You will receive an e-mail (through the account I use PayPal with) stating that the order has been shipped (almost always after I return from the post office) and a Delivery Confirmation number included. This is usually sent after I get home from the post office. I cannot provide a Delivery Confirmation number for international customers because Delivery Confirmation is for within the United States, but rest assured I will send you an e-mail stating it's on it's way.
Q: Why not UPS or FedEx?
A: It is very inconvenient for me to stop by a FedEx or UPS shipping location, not to mention the cost to ship out any order goes up, as well as the time it takes to actually ship it out. As far as I know, there is a lot more legwork with FedEx and UPS (in terms of how they can handle the parcel) than there is for USPS.
Q: How long will it take for you to ship an order once you receive it?
A: It boils down to timing. I could perhaps have it out the same day I received it, but there are also times where I can have it out the next day or two just because of my schedule. Any orders that are placed during times I am away for an extended period will be shipped out within three days of my return home.
Q: Where can you ship to? How long will it take to reach me?
A: Right now the only areas I cannot ship to (due to political reasons and the current world situation) are Cuba, Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.
Please keep in mind that if you are an international customer, you must add the additional shipping charges to your order, as international shipping costs considerably more than domestic shipping.
Domestically, your order, once I send it out, should take about 3-5 days. Canadian orders should take about 5-7 days. All other locations should take a minimum of five days to reach you - basically the further away you are from New Jersey, the longer it will take for the order to reach you.
Q: What format are the DVDs in?
A: The DVDs are formatted to play in DVD players formatted to Region 1, which covers North America. However, if you happen to own a multi-region DVD player, I cannot guarantee that they will play in multi-region DVD players.
As an update, I have had several orders shipped out to customers in Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and all have reported no problems with playing the DVDs in their respective players.
Q: How much video is on each DVD?
A: The single-disc DVDs have a minimum of ninety minutes of video while the two-disc sets have a minimum of three hours of video.
Q: Is there any video on the DVDs that is not seen on Steve's Airshow World?
A: Yes. In fact, there is video on the DVDs that was once seen on Steve's Airshow World in the past, but is no longer available to watch online. Plans for several DVDs include special segments that will be seen only on the DVDs and not on Steve's Airshow World.
Q: For certain aircraft-only DVDs, do you have all footage of that particular aircraft on the DVD?
A: Nope. Had I done that, some of the DVDs might have gone onto a second or third DVD, which would have raised the cost of the actual product. For a few of the DVDs, I had selected what I thought would be the best video to use, mainly to get as much jet noise as possible! Keep in mind there will be other aircraft in those DVDs, but the majority of the video on the DVD (at least 90%) will be that specific aircraft.
Q: Can I get the Flag Jump video from the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends on a DVD?
A: Because of legal reasons, I am forbidden from putting that on a DVD and receiving something for it.
Q: Are they in high definition? Blu-Ray?
A: No. HD DVDs are a new breed of technology and if I had the ability to make the DVDs in high definition, I can reassure that the costs would be so significant in the short run that I would not be able to sell any. Also, I do not own an HD video camera (yet!) and do not intend on purchasing one for a while.
As far as Blu-Ray is concerned, I don't even own a player and probably won't for a while.
Q: How valuable are they?
A: I have not been able to determine that just yet. Keep in mind that several DVDs will feature aircraft or units that no longer exist, which gives them some sort of value.
Q: How about any sale prices?
A: Every once in a while I will run a sale price on at least one title to get rid of excess stock, which was created for an event but not all copies were sold at that time. Once that excess stock is sold, the sale will be over. There will also be sales in 2008 that will relate to a specific aircraft's first flight, initial operational capability, etc.
Q: How is the video on the DVD compared to what's on Steve's Airshow World?
A: MUCH HIGHER quality. Videos encoded for my YouTube account have been drastically reduced in audio/video quality as they are encoded to reduce download time as much as possible. There is no pixilation on videos when they are recorded onto DVD.
Q: Is there a limit as to how many of one DVD or print I can purchase?
A: Not at all! The PayPal shopping cart system I use has been designed so that you are allowed to update the quantity of each of the items in your cart.
Q: How do you make the DVDs?
A: I record what video I want to include using my DVD recorder (the one I can record television shows with), and when I finish that, I will rip that video that I just recorded onto my computer and use a program to create a root menu with background music (Hornet's Nest has the root menu but no background music, while Demos From 2006 has both, and they were the first two DVDs to feature the new root menu) and insert the ripped videos into the project and burn the new DVD as an ISO file, which takes about two hours to burn. I use a separate program to actually burn the ISO file onto a DVD, and use that same program to copy DVDs. The whole process can take as little as 90 minutes to as long as six hours.
Since I am using Windows Vista now, there will be a new format for all of the subsequent releases, as I will be eliminating using the DVD recorder and just encoding the video directly onto the computer.
Q: What is the music in the root menu on the DVD and where can I download it?
A: To avoid copyright issues with major recording labels and artists, I asked my brother if he could record an original mix that could be played in the background of the root menu. He came up with three different pieces, with the third being the final product and what he thinks should go on the DVDs. I have plans on using each of the pieces on the different DVDs since they all sound the same, except for different instruments being used at different parts. He was able to do this very easily and in such little time because of a small recording studio he had constructed in his home. It doesn't have a title, other than "MenuMix".
Q: Will there be any airshow-specific DVDs?
A: Yes. Right now, DVD sets for the 2007 Langley AFB, McGuire AFB, and NAS Oceana airshows have been released. There will be DVDs of 2008 shows, and those shows will be Quebec, Langley AFB, and Rhode Island.
Q: What about a DVD for the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends?
A: I was all set to put together a DVD for the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends and even announced on AirShowBuzz.com that I would do so, but was kindly asked by one of the founders of ASB that I should not go forward with selling such a DVD. The person, who I will not mention by name, has stated that the Stallion 51 Corporation has taken steps to make sure that they own the media rights and have the exclusive footage rights for any income that can be made off such a product. I am, however, allowed to freely upload video from the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends onto sites like YouTube, MetaCafe, ASB, etc. Stallion 51 Corporation's rights have the backing of several high profile lawyers who will issue "cease and desist" letters if I decided to go against the ASB founder's wishes.
I have also taken steps to make sure any performances and demonstrations from the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends does not appear on any other DVD.
Q: What format are the airshow-specific DVDs in?
A: The airshow DVDs are formatted so that you don't have to fast forward through certain parts of the show to get to a part you want to see more than any of the other acts. The root menu is designed so that you can view the show act by act, with up to eighteen acts on one DVD (space and time permitting). When one act finishes, the DVD should go to the next act in the list, ordered by how it was added to the DVD. Basically if you are looking for a specific act, the easiest way of finding it is on the root menu. If there is an act - let's say a warbird takes off, stages behind the crowd to let someone else fly, then does its act, its portion on the DVD is formatted so that you see it take off, then its performance (without the other act in between).
Do keep in mind that NOT ALL footage from that airshow is on the DVD, as I can only select at best one (maybe two) of each act to include in the set. Each airshow-specific DVD will contain at least four hours of video and sometimes even more. Any links that do not appear to be active in the airshow video pages could signify that the video you're trying to look for is on that DVD, or any other DVD that I offer.
Q: Now that you mentioned airshow-specific DVDs, what about past airshows?
A: There are NO PLANS for DVDs of past airshows that I have covered. You will see footage from past shows on many of the DVDs, especially in the aircraft-specific DVDs.
Q: Why are there so few performers on Pulling Some Gs?
A: There are several reasons:
1. I wanted to include a couple more performers on that DVD but did not have footage of them that I thought was acceptable for the DVD.
2. I was unable to get permission for a specific performer or two to appear on the DVD. This was possibly due to the performer's sponsor's contract, which states that commercial usage of photographs and video for purposes of revenue is strictly forbidden.
3. There was no more room on the DVD for the performer's routine on the DVD.
Keep in mind that I had to get permission from each of the performers that are featured on Pulling Some Gs to make sure he/she is and would be completely aware that such a DVD is in existence. This was done to protect myself as well as the featured performer, as well as to make sure I would not be violating any copyrights and any such legal matter. Each performer gave me their personal approval for their appearance, whether it be in e-mail or by word of mouth. As a return for their kind gesture, each performer will receive a copy of Pulling Some Gs for free as a thank you.
There are plans for a sequel of Pulling Some Gs to be titled Pulling More Gs and will feature a handful of other performers not featured on Pulling Some Gs, in addition to more footage of performers featured on Pulling Some Gs.
Q: Are you planning any documentaries or "specials"?
A: I have thought about it, and it is possible, however, I do not have the proper equipment to do so. I would require either a boom microphone or a small wireless microphone (watch the Weather Channel, the news, or a game show and you'll see what I'm talking about).
Q: Why does the 2006 and 2007 video look "cleaner" than anything before 2006?
A: I bought a new video camera in January of 2006, which produces video in digital quality versus the analog video from 2000-2005. The video is still in excellent condition regardless of when it was taken.
Q: I have an idea for a new DVD you could produce...
A: I want to hear about it! E-mail me with your idea and I will seriously consider it. Be specific with it, not just "oh you should do a DVD on loud airplanes". Keep in mind that I cannot use video from the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends due to legal reasons. Also, keep your idea within any video from 2006 and 2007, as it will be much easier to encode those years' videos.
Q: How much do the prints cost?
A: 4x6 prints cost $3.00 each and 8x10s cost $8.00 each. The same shipping and handling costs that apply to the DVDs also apply to the prints. The prints are professionally made, which is amortized into the shipping and handling costs.
Keep in mind that the 8x10 prints are printed on 8.5"x12" photo paper that is not trimmed, allowing you to trim the pictures down to 8x10 or use the entire sheet as a template for the "filler space" in a larger frame.
Q: What do you suggest is a good idea for the prints?
A: Honestly, I couldn't tell you. If you've got time on your hands and like to make artsy and crafty things, I would suggest making a collage of some sort.
Q: Can you go out, take a picture of something for me, and let me buy it?
A: I do not have the time to do that. Besides, such requests will cost much more than buying a couple prints (we're talking about triple digits prices, you know?).
Q: What if my question isn't on here?
A: E-mail me!
© 2002-2008 Steven Holzinger