AMV Best of DVD Collection - possible sales and fundraiser?

[trythil]

What I do is crop the video somewhat from 4:3 to 16:9, and if that doesn't look good on a TV (when I have burnt it to DVD-RW), I re-encode the video differently. A friend who I gave a test disc to said that the videos looked fine but that I had killed one of the videos, so I went and re-did that one and it looks good now.

Ewwwww. eww eww eww eww.

Legal issues aside, don't do that.

I get the feeling that you don't really know what you're saying. To convert from 4:3 to 16:9, you either have to crop off a whole assload of image data, destroying the video, or zoom the image, which also destroys the video.

Keeping everything in 4:3 is by far a better idea.

Now, the more important problem:

But look at it from this perspective: the Org is making money based on donations, and none of that goes to the anime studios or musical artists involved because, well, that'd put the site out of business. But we're paying to get the videos on our membership accounts so...

The donations go to fund the servers and Internet connection, not line Phade's pockets.

[VegettoEX]

For the record, I have absolutely no interest in any person other than myself prepping any of my own videos for any kind of DVD encoding (OK, so maybe I'd trust Ian... :P).

I have a feeling quite a number of other people will feel the same way.

You plan on re-inserting the audio from our videos? Umm... no? There's no way you're going to synch them up to the exact frame. And how the bloody Hell do you find it appropriate to CROP peoples' videos down to 16:9 if they're 4:3 for a reason... ?

Sorry I seem to negative, but MAN...

[dark_myuutwo]

You plan on re-inserting the audio from our videos? Umm... no? There's no way you're going to synch them up to the exact frame.

Synching is no problem. I've only had one video out of so many that I actually had to try and guess where the audio was supposed to be re-inserted once I had remastered it (based on the fact that it was a MOV video file and I cannot synch to MOV files that easily)

How I do it is my secret, but I'm sure you can guess what I do

[dark_myuutwo]

And for anyone who is wondering why in the hell I'm doing this in widescreen: I want to catch up to current trends in the DVD and consumer market, based on the fact that most DVD's are widescreen (even though they are that for a reason) for that reason

[dark_myuutwo]

The donations go to fund the servers and Internet connection, not line Phade's pockets.

I never said I wanted to make money for myself. I wanted to sell this to raise money for the same thing as what the donations are made and used for.

[Zarxrax]

but if the Org started making money out of AMVs then the lawyers would be all over it.

But look at it from this perspective: the Org is making money based on donations, and none of that goes to the anime studios or musical artists involved because, well, that'd put the site out of business. But we're paying to get the videos on our membership accounts so...

Selling DVD's to raise money towards the site would be slightly no different, other than the fact that songs are also being sold without paying royalties to the artists, but I feel that this is no different.

The site doesn't "make money". All income goes directly back into the site. Also there is a difference between selling a product, and people giving you donations. You aren't paying the site for anything. Videos can be hosted or download for anyone for free. Donations are done for people out of the kindness of their hearts to help support the cause. Donators get a few extra niceties, like additional search options, which could be likened to those things where you get a free mint or something if you donate some money to them.

[VegettoEX]

I don't care if you collected all seven Draogn Balls and had Shenlon synch up the audio. There's no way you're going to do it correctly on 100% of the videos.

It's great that you want to "catch up" with trends... but... most videos aren't 16:9. Taking a 4:3 video and making it 16:9 is the same damn problem as taking a 16:9 theatrical film and doing pan-and-scan on it... you're gonna lose a crapload of video. What if there's something important in that space, as there is certainly to be?

For the love of all things holy, don't put any of my videos on any DVDs you make...

[angelx03]

The donations go to fund the servers and Internet connection, not line Phade's pockets.

I never said I wanted to make money for myself. I wanted to sell this to raise money for the same thing as what the donations are made and used for.

Actually, the donations most of the people are completely voluntary, and that money indirectly helps keep the servers and database options intact. Exactly, what are you going to do with the money?

[Zarxrax]

And for anyone who is wondering why in the hell I'm doing this in widescreen: I want to catch up to current trends in the DVD and consumer market, based on the fact that most DVD's are widescreen (even though they are that for a reason) for that reason

If people's videos should be in widescreen, then they would have made them widescreen themselves. If you alter their video you are doing nothing but fucking it up.

[trythil]

And for anyone who is wondering why in the hell I'm doing this in widescreen: I want to catch up to current trends in the DVD and consumer market, based on the fact that most DVD's are widescreen (even though they are that for a reason) for that reason

You're ignoring the fact that it's best to present material in its original aspect ratio, not follow trends. If you want an example of how things can go wrong, go buy Manga Video's DVD release of Wings of Honneamise.

Most AMVs here are in 4:3. If you attempt to convert those AMVs to 16:9 I guarantee you that they will look like crap, unless you have some super-secret conversion method (and if you do, I demand visual evidence).

Nobody can stop you if you're that fixated on keeping up with trends, but you can certainly piss a lot of people off.