Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Discuss all things 'aviation' that do not fit into a more appropriate forum
FlyingMachinesTV
Posts: 495
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 1:23 pm

Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by FlyingMachinesTV »

I've been making airshow DVDs for 14 years now and I've noticed that sales numbers are getting less every year. I'm trying to find out why this might be, so if any of you used to buy more airshow DVDs but don't now, what's the reason - price, quality, availability of good "home video" footage on YouTube?

Comments would be very helpful thanks.

itfcscott
UKAR Staff
Posts: 3280
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 8:47 am
Location: Chelmsford

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by itfcscott »

I'm only 14 and I have just starting buying DVDs over the last two years :smile:

jetwash
Posts: 483
Joined: Thu 19 Mar 2009, 3:43 pm
Location: Watlington Oxon

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by jetwash »

itfcscott wrote:I'm only 14 and I have just starting buying DVDs over the last two years :smile:

Same, but since 2004, and if anything, I have bought more DVD's this year!
Over enthusiastic aviation enthusiast!

patrouille2001
Posts: 703
Joined: Thu 11 Dec 2008, 9:14 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by patrouille2001 »

Hi There
I stilll buy most air show dvds that come out and purchase alll of the Planes TV dvds, I willl also be buying the official dvd of RIAT, in fact I am running out of room. With the recession at the minute, maybe everyone buys says the main compilation such as the Planes TV ones also I like to look at the DVDs on sale at airshows and for yourself you could set up a stand and promote any dvd you make with special offers.

Paul :smile:

User avatar
AdamN
Posts: 844
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 10:06 pm
Location: Leicester

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by AdamN »

FlyingMachinesTV wrote:availability of good "home video" footage on YouTube?


Probably that. If I was going to buy any DVDs, it'd probably be of old shows where easily accessible footage is a lot scarcer or simply not available anywhere else.

frank
Posts: 1244
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 5:16 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by frank »

I too buy airshow DVDs but limit myself to annual UK airshow and RIAT. The reason I dont buy individual airshows like Waddo and Biggin is because they arent interesting enough and are very samey in terms of participation. I would only consider buying more if there was a different slant between the DVDs.

User avatar
Chris H
Posts: 380
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 9:03 am

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by Chris H »

AdamN wrote:
FlyingMachinesTV wrote:availability of good "home video" footage on YouTube?


Probably that. If I was going to buy any DVDs, it'd probably be of old shows where easily accessible footage is a lot scarcer or simply not available anywhere else.


I'd certainly be far more interested in some decent nostalgic DVD's and looks over spectacular shows in the past rather than up to date, modern ones. Generally I only purchase modern ones as souvenirs of the day.
Swa se ðeodkyning þeawum lyfde

User avatar
phreakf4
Posts: 2821
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 9:42 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by phreakf4 »

Perhaps the fact that a large proportion of people now own camcorders also has an influence?
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

ursa_major
Posts: 651
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 7:11 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by ursa_major »

I bought half a lifetime's worth from you a few years back when you were still digitising the old airshow stuff - t'other half says I'm not allowed any more until I've watched these ;)

User avatar
danspuggti
Posts: 709
Joined: Tue 21 Apr 2009, 12:03 pm
Location: Stourbridge, West Midlands

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by danspuggti »

phreakf4 wrote:Perhaps the fact that a large proportion of people now own camcorders also has an influence?


Agree with that mate. I know I take the camcorder with me to airshows and record what I want to.
Although I do buy a few airshow DVD's, I find that with the older show DVD's (not even old, old ones, just 3-4, even 2 years ago) seem to disappear of the face of the Earth, and you can't get them nowhere (other than maybe Ebay etc) unless you buy them within 6 months of the show taking place.
Same old sh*t.............just happening on a different day!!!

User avatar
motormouser
Posts: 456
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 2:48 pm
Location: Grantham,Lincolnshire.

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by motormouser »

I used to buy three or four dvd's/videos a year, but to be honest,airshows just aren't interesting enough to want to watch them again on the T.V.anymore!

DeanW
Posts: 3319
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 10:18 am

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by DeanW »

I only usually get the RIAT DVDs, there aren't many other current airshows with interesting enough participation in the UK to interest me at the moment. However, I am a fan of your DVDs covering retro shows! Athough I do think some of the retro DVDs are a bit steep at £19! I wouldn't mind seeing a DVD covering several recent years of shows such as Biggin and Waddo.

User avatar
G-CVIX
Posts: 2393
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 7:39 pm
Location: Falmouth
Contact:

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by G-CVIX »

I'd love to buy dvds...but i'm struggling to have the money to do anything at the moment so unfortunately i just dont get the opportunity to buy dvds etc very often. :sad:

User avatar
ChrisG
Posts: 412
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 10:13 am
Location: Whitehaven, Cumbria
Contact:

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by ChrisG »

Deffinately agree with the above, 90% of the stuff you see at UK shows is the same so whats the point. However if there was DVD's available from the older shows or say a "best of waddington" 2000-2009, 3hrs long say plenty of minicam action then that would be great, or maybe even older shows, personally i'd love to see action from the old Cranfield air races / airshow from the mid 80's.

User avatar
st24
Posts: 8170
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 9:31 am
Location: Sexville

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by st24 »

ChrisG wrote:Deffinately agree with the above, 90% of the stuff you see at UK shows is the same so whats the point. .


Get this guy a nail and a hammer (and a dictionary to spell definitely! :wink: :grin: )
Modern airshow dvds (and most of the shows themselves to be honest :roll: ) just don't appeal to me for that reason.
You caaan't trust the system... Maaan!

User avatar
DaveGriff
Posts: 370
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 7:25 pm
Location: Chelsfield, Orpington, Kent
Contact:

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by DaveGriff »

Airshows are great to be at, but watching it all again on the TV? Forget it! Vintage shows and historical aviation titles are brilliant but I just wouldn't sit down to watch a DVD of last year's Waddington or this year's RIAT - I was there, I remember it!

duxfordhawk
Posts: 968
Joined: Sat 04 Oct 2008, 11:32 am
Location: South London/Croydon
Contact:

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by duxfordhawk »

For me I have not bought a Airshow video since 1990s so never bought one on DVD format, This was mainly because I was not really watching them.
I am sure you tube and the invent of much better video cameras have dented this market a lot too, I personally would love to have a DVD covering the history of certain shows, For example one covering Biggin Hill shows through history with archive footage from the 60s 70s 80s until today that would be a fine thing to own and gives a good history background too. So many airshows have a rich history behind them so if footage is available it would be great.

Maybe one DVD covering shows in general like there used to be too like a review of the year, This would avoid having so many performances by the same acts on different show DVDs.
Martin
To see my Photos go to
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dxhawk/

jaguar_lemans88
Posts: 109
Joined: Wed 29 Apr 2009, 9:17 am
Location: West Berkshire

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by jaguar_lemans88 »

I am more into vintage/historic airshow videos and DVDs, although I would buy a good compilation for the year if it was value for money. My next purchase will be the Greenham 1974/79 DVD.
Lumix FZ50
Uniden XLT3500
Yaesu FT817
TVR Tasmin 280i

24left

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by 24left »

For me it's simple. They (airshows) are not worth recording these days, and if I really wanted to I'd use my camcorder which didn't exist in the 80s. So I record for free using my own kit or I just accept that I'm happy with stills.

In years gone by I had scanner, camcorder and SLR with 2 lenses. After the show could I say I relaxed and enjoyed it - no! Cos of all the messing aorund with the kit. Nowadays I have one £100 digital camera that does me, and I spend much less time obsessed with photography and actually watch the show live and not through a view finder!!

As for buying DVDs I would only buy old stuff since
a) its more interesting
b) despite being personally at shows since 1984 I never had a camera to record (and if I did it would have been the size of a house!)
c) Lakenheath/Mildenhall/Finningley 1991 etc is 10X more interesting than Waddington/Fairford 2007
d) why would I want to see the Red Arrows for the 20th time!

StevenH
Posts: 1225
Joined: Mon 01 Dec 2008, 8:05 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by StevenH »

Whenever I leave a show I come back with my photographs, often numbering into three figures. They are my memory of the day so I simply don't feel a need to buy a DVD to remind myself of the day.

Also, as many people have said the birth of higher quality personal video cameras has increased accessibility. Hadlow senior recently got a Sony HD camcorder. Back in the 80s despite being a relatively competent (for an amateur) cameraman the equipment of the day would never allow for 'professional' quality work (much like the days of film to some extent). However videos taken now are of a quality that can be watched on a widescreen television and enjoyed.

I appreciate that professionals such as yourself still bring it all together and package with polish that an amateur could never hope to match but overall I guess the much higher standard of personal work means people have less desire to purchase them (much like aviation photography really, how many people with a DSLR feel the need to buy prints from UK events now?). Not to mention the aforementioned availability of high quality (or not for most aviation vids on YT) for free these days

yf23blackwidow
Posts: 115
Joined: Tue 24 Feb 2009, 12:43 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by yf23blackwidow »

I stopped buying dvd's when blu ray launched. Now i only buy blu rays.

User avatar
fg1
Posts: 265
Joined: Mon 01 Sep 2008, 5:20 pm
Location: Bury

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by fg1 »

Even though I still attend as many airshows as I can they just don't do it for me like they used to as all the 'real' aircraft seem to be disappearing fast.

User avatar
AMB
Posts: 1421
Joined: Sat 04 Oct 2008, 2:14 pm
Location: Midway between Bristol & London

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by AMB »

Chris H wrote:If I was going to buy any DVDs, it'd probably be of old shows where easily accessible footage is a lot scarcer or simply not available anywhere else.


I'd certainly be far more interested in some decent nostalgic DVD's and looks over spectacular shows in the past rather than up to date, modern ones. Generally I only purchase modern ones as souvenirs of the day..[/quote]

I would agree with that and other posts. DVDs of current UK air shows tend to show the same aircraft, and once you've covered Shuttleworth, Waddington and a couple of Duxfords, that's about it with the same aircraft doing the air show circuits. The only exception is RIAT, which is well covered by their own film team.

Now if you were to find some vintage 16mm (or even Super 8mm) footage of any air shows in the 1960s-70s, and convert it to DVDs, I'm sure you would get a lot of sales. "Avion Video" do just that with their airport series and I have helped them produce historic DVDs on London Heathrow Airport 1950s-60s and 1960s-70s as well as on Manchester Ringway. The Farnborough Air Shows DVDs covering the years 1950-68 have sold enormously well, simply because they show a long forgotten air show era in glorious colour with many types long gone.
The wonderful "Look At Life" DVDs on military and civil aviation are also favourites in my collection. Alas, filming yet another UK air show in this decade just doesn't 'cut the mustard' despite great efforts to install minicams in aircraft and make them interesting. Go out and find some footage on RAF "At Home" days in the 1960s, and I'll be beating a path to your door! It's the aircraft now out of service that I want to have on DVD, not yet more "Red Arrows" Hawks footage!
Adrian

Abingdonman
Posts: 3031
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 10:35 pm

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by Abingdonman »

Watching airshows at home just wasnt on the agenda in the 70s let alone before that,you had to have a cine camera and a projector and a screen to watch it(Ok a white painted wall could do the job :grin: )it only really became a possibility in the 80s with the advent of the affordable video camera & VCR....there must be thousands of little gems on cine film,most likely with no sound...........and thats a bit of a problem! :grin: ...

User avatar
AlexC
Posts: 6040
Joined: Sun 31 Aug 2008, 6:40 pm
Location: New Forest

Re: Is there a reason you don't buy Airshow DVD's anymore?

Post by AlexC »

I've never really been into buying aviation DVD's or videos for that matter. However I'd dearly love to get hold of the DVD of the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends that was held in Ohio in 2007. Anyone know if it's available over here, I haven't been able to find anybody that stocks it?
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP

Post Reply