A bit crazy to only offer customers the option to download 265MB zipped file?

[Alan Petersen]

I just ordered a video product and once I paid my only option was to download the entire videos in one 265MB zipped file. I thought that was a bit crazy. It took almost 10 minutes to download and I'm on broadband with the fastest Internet speed offered by Comcast on a pretty fast MacBookPro. I'm going to right away burn these videos to a CD to keep them off my disk space.

I'm putting my own video based product here shortly so I'm wondering if it would bother you as well to just have the option of downloading them vs. watching them online in a members/customers only area?

I'm all for offering the customers the option of downloading the videos if they want but not make it the only option.

Please take a moment to vote on the poll. Thanks!

[DavidO]

I don't really have an objection to download a 256 mb file and I only have basic speed broadband. I think it's better than repeating the operation a dozen times.

But if it's a course of something I'd rather watch online so I think both options are good to offer.

[JayXtreme]

I opted for both Alan.. this is something I have given a lot of thought to recently...

It's one of those things where, if you do one thing, one group of people will require the other.. and vice versa... so if it's feasible, I'm gonna go with the option for both..

Peace

Jay

p.s. What did you buy?.. Jus Curious

[Alan Petersen]

Originally Posted by JayXtreme

I opted for both Alan.. this is something I have given a lot of thought to recently...

It's one of those things where, if you do one thing, one group of people will require the other.. and vice versa... so if it's feasible, I'm gonna go with the option for both..

Peace

Jay

p.s. What did you buy?.. Jus Curious

I'll PM you since the guy is a warrior I don't want to throw him under the bus.

[Tyler Ellison]

I also voted for doing both. Some people won't be able to handle large downloads.

[Martin Luxton]

As a customer I'd prefer to have the videos on my own computer and download them one by one (even though I have quite fast broadband).

I can also understand the product creator wanting to keep the videos in a secure area to avoid being ripped off.

The thing is Allen, maybe we are the wrong people to ask because we are not your customers. For example, maybe 75% of your list have dial up and watching online is not a viable option.

Martin

P.S. If you are going to put them online please don't use Amazon S3. Whenever I see a video is stored there I groan and half the time click away.

[R Hagel]

I vote for both.

Also, sometimes when I buy a package, I'm really just interested in one or two items. Hate to download a huge package just to get at a couple products. I prefer having the choice of either downloading one big file, or downloading them individually.

Hey Martin...

Originally Posted by Martin Luxton

P.S. If you are going to put them online please don't use Amazon S3. Whenever I see a video is stored there I groan and half the time click away.

Why is that? I haven't investigated Amazon S3, so I don't know the downsides.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Becky

[Conrad Blomberg]

I don't mind a long download if it is something I really really want.

[Martin Luxton]

Originally Posted by R Hagel

Hey Martin...

Why is that? I haven't investigated Amazon S3, so I don't know the downsides.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Becky

Becky,

Personally, I find it so slow to load and it stops and buffers quite frequently. When I have downloaded zip files it seems to be throttled back to less than 30 kbps.

For more detailed insights into the pros and cons check out Josh Anderson's comments here

Amazon AWS - am I an idiot?

Martin

[Paul Myers]

Alan,

I'll plead guilty to setting up products for delivery that way.

Yes, it takes a bit longer to download them and set them up. For most people, that time will be more than made up in viewing them at full speed, rather than dealing with buffering delays and other issues with streaming delivery.

As far as the time, I would much rather just click one link and go do something else than mess with a bunch of files. It's also faster, once you've finished the download, to only unzip one file.

Having them on a local machine allows folks to copy/convert them for viewing on other devices, burn them to CD or DVD, or whatever else they might want to do.

Am I spoiled? Are there that many people in this market who still use dial-up? If so, are videos a practical medium for them anyway?

On a separate note, the thing that chaps me about video is when it's used unnecessarily. I bought something a while back that included dozens of videos, and took up a ton of space. The contents of the videos could have been put into a 20-page or so PDF, with zero loss of meaning or context.


Paul

[Chris Kent]

Both should be offered. Split file downloads are better than massive single whopping file especially for people with slow internet. Big files will simply time out for some and be impossible to download.

[pavondunbar]

Alan:

I would offer both, but I prefer personally to download each video individually.

The reason being that I use Firefox and you can pause and resume downloads at a later time.

I am selling a video series but the customer can download each video individually. I do not have an option of downloading all videos in one file but I may add it today or tomorrow based on the responses here.

By the way, I bought one of your video series about embedding secret videos and and it is awesome to say the least. I am definitely awaiting your other video series.

Pavon

[KirstyJ]

I just think that the more options you give a customer the better - they'll definitely thank you for it.

[Alan Petersen]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone. I'll offer both options. And I don't use S3. I have also noticed the buffering and stopping and going of videos hosted by S3 including some big hitters in IM.

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Alan,

On a separate note, the thing that chaps me about video is when it's used unnecessarily. I bought something a while back that included dozens of videos, and took up a ton of space. The contents of the videos could have been put into a 20-page or so PDF, with zero loss of meaning or context.

Paul

Paul, that's very interesting. I had never thought of that. Was it more of a theoretical type product that was turned into a video? I can see that type of product would be best to produce it as a PDF file. What I'm working on is a "how-to" technical product so I believe customers would prefer to watch the videos of me doing the task. But I'll still have a manual with screenshots anyway for those who don't like video.

I have seen video products where it's just a guy going through a PowerPoint of something. It got pretty dull fast. A PDF would have been much better. I'm sure they can charge more since supposedly video has more perceived value and that is why they do it.

[Paul Myers]

Alan,

It was just what you described. A collection of PowerPoint presentations, with VERY basic info, and the speaker reading them and making generally useless additional comments.

The only info-product I've bought in years that I considered a complete waste of time and money.


Paul

[Martin Luxton]

Originally Posted by Alan Petersen

I have seen video products where it's just a guy going through a PowerPoint of something. It got pretty dull fast. A PDF would have been much better. I'm sure they can charge more since supposedly video has more perceived value and that is why they do it.

Alan,

That can backfire.

In 3 years I have asked for only two refunds from Clickbank and one of them was for a 'video' course from a well-known marketer. Basically, s/he just showed screenshots and rabbited over them. It was just a load of unscripted ramblings. Sometimes it became really exciting when s/he circled a word or drew an arrow.

Basically you had to watch 6 or 7 minutes of video to get what a paragraph in a pdf could have achieved.

I am also not a fan of this approach "Free Resources - watch my 20 minute video to find out what they are".

Martin

[Alan Petersen]

Originally Posted by Martin Luxton

Alan,

That can backfire.

In 3 years I have asked for only two refunds from Clickbank and one of them was for a 'video' course from a well-known marketer. Basically, s/he just showed screenshots and rabbited over them. It was just a load of unscripted ramblings. Sometimes it became really exciting when s/he circled a word or drew an arrow.

Basically you had to watch 6 or 7 minutes of video to get what a paragraph in a pdf could have achieved.

I am also not a fan of this approach "Free Resources - watch my 20 minute video to find out what they are".

Martin

I agree. I usually end up fast-forwarding to get to the point. Even worse are the marketers who don't give you the option of fast-forwarding. It's either watch the 40 minute video of a talking head or PowerPoint presentation or don't watch it. I always choose the latter.