A 'Dream Plan Build' DVD from Kalmbach showed up unexpectedly in my mailbox today. Anyone else get one? First glance indicates that the DVD@ccess features are retreaded content from MR. Not sure of the video sources. Comments?
---john.
Received one a few days ago. Have not watched it yet.
These are being sent to all MR subscribers. The segments included are a combination of new material and stuff recycled from the old Tracks Ahead PBS series. If you subscribe to the DVD series, by paying $9.95 for the DVD you just received, you will get further issues at regular intervals for a price of $24.90 per.
CNJ999
JH> A 'Dream Plan Build' DVD from Kalmbach showed up unexpectedly in my JH> mailbox today. Anyone else get one? First glance indicates that JH> the DVD@ccess features are retreaded content from MR. Not sure of JH> the video sources. Comments?
I got one today. I've watched the videos and they look interesting. I haven't checked the DVD-ROM features, since I don't have a DVD-ROM drive on my computer. I also run Linux, so it is important to me that the DVD-ROM materials are in proper portable formats and it *appears* that that is in fact the case (the files are PDF files). The 'DVD-ROM Features' as shown via my DVD player, suggest some kind of navigation toy for MS-Windows and MacOS -- I'm assuming one can use more common navigation (ordinary file & folder access), but until I gain access to a Linux box with a DVD-ROM drive I don't know. (There are some Linux boxen at UMass where I work with DVD-ROM drives.)
JH> JH> ---john. JH> JH>
\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu
WK> Vince Guarna wrote: WK> [...] WK> > Like you, I love my issues of Model Railroader. But, I do hate the way WK> > Kalmbach tends to recycle so much of their stuff. I don't know if they WK> > still do it, but it used to be the case that many of their books were WK> > simply reprints of articles in past issues of MR. They didn't even WK> > flow...grouped together only by virtue of their common topic.[...] WK> WK> These books are useful for people who are _not_ long time subscribers, WK> and so have neither clipped articles nor complete magazines stashed WK> away. Kalmbach's habit of recycling serves that market segment very well WK> indeed. You'd be surprised at how many newbies don't even know MR WK> exists. And a surprising number of old timers don't subscribe either. WK> _You_ don't need these recycled articles, which is fair enough, but the WK> economics of book publishing for a niche market are such that it's WK> unlikely Kalmbach will commission a brand new book of freshly written WK> material.
Right. And it is more 'convenient' to buy (for example) their Bridge & Trestle book than to order 50 random back issues (or hunt for them on E-Bay or something). All of the bridge and trestle articles collected into a single volume -- very handy. It is not necessary for the articles in these 'collections' to flow or anything. It is not like they are a meant to be read as a continuing sequence. These books are meant as a *reference*. If you are looking to build a specific sort of bridge, you read the specific article(s) on that sort of bridge and skip the others. Then build your bridge. Somewhere else on your layout you might have a completely different sort of bridge and would refer to a different subset of articles (which might overlap or not).
In many ways, the DVD series is much the same. There really is no need to watch the videos in sequence. The root menu gives you the option of playing just the videos you are interested in for a specific reason.
WK> WK> HTH WK>
\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu
We got ours on Thursday and my boys was looking at it before I got to. Them I got interested after seeing the cover picture on the case. That is a mag cover picture from MR that features our scenery products.
-- Phil Anderson Up hill slow, down hill fast, tonnage first, safety last.
Sent it back today. Could not get it to open up and play.
Before you send back the DVD, open it up with the file manager of your choice and copy the PDF files to your PC or Mac for future reading. (My apologies, I don't recall which directory the files are in.)
Considering that the MR web site charges for such PDFs, you've at least acquired something of value.
Got one Friday, but didn't get watch it till tonight.
Not something on my personal must have list, but a great thing to pass on to my nephew to keep his interest in model railroading. He has out grown just watching the "I love Trains" and is asking about building his own layout.
So worst case a great Christmas gift for him.
I am open to checking out the other DVD's, again worst case something to pass on to the other railroader in the family.
Randy
I'm p@##$% off I haven't gotten one yet; been a subscriber for well over 20 years, too.
I haven't seen mine, either. According to information at ModelRailroader.com, it's being sent out to subscribers "in good standing" ... we must be in the Kalmbach dog house!!!
Speak for yourself! I renewed two months ago!
8^)
EWverybody appears to have lost the purpose of the first post: You receive an unsoliticed DVD in the mail, you are then given 3 choices: keep the DVD and send them $9 to be enrolled in their "DVD of the month club" for $24. per DVD, send back the DVD and owe them nothing, or keep the DVD and owe them nothing (as it is considered a gift to you as you never ordered it). I'll chose option 3 on principle. If they want to send me more, that's their foolishness.
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