EVERYONE IS SPECULAT-ing over the future of archiving and presentation reels. Issues such as cost, complexity and corporate structures have been static impediments in the adaptation of DVD. That was the general consensus of our market research over the past two years while we built our system. In the last four months, however, impediments have begun to clear and professionals have started to look to this new medium as a solution.
Advertising agencies’ ancillary needs are making presentation reels and media archiving. For two-and-a-half years, I have been hearing how expensive and inflexible an authored DVD is—not a great presentation tool in an industry that wants to change the presentation in the meeting. But that is no longer the case. There have been breakthroughs at our company, such as Active DVD software, that offer flexibility and affordability (SHOOT, 10/8/99, p. 4). We have also created a hardware controller which, along with a bar code reader, provides a robust system for assembling and presenting up to 27 reels on a single DVD.
Production companies have different presentation requirements: The right reel of spots, in the right order, delivered at just the right moment and you get the job—maybe. Custom reels are a must unless you are one of the top talents in the industry. What about cost? The people who say DVD is too expensive have not done the math, or they haven’t spoken to the right people. Once encoded, a spot on DVD is your master. While fl-inch and VHS are still here, you can build a first-generation custom reel simply by clicking the order of spots. That reel is comparable to a D-1 dub, right in your office on a $200 set-top DVD player. That same DVD disc can have all the different variations of reels on it by menu, with your Web connection. You can even lock out some great stuff that the client can unlock and view only by signing onto your Web site, which keeps track of visitors.
For all the people in the industry waiting to give it a try, know that a surprisingly significant number of your peers are already working to capitalize on this new marketing tool and all it has to offer.
