I'll chime in on this one since I'm in the Information Technology industry. I think you need both formats as was done with "Amateur Radio Today" (VHS video tapes as well as MPEG format on a CD). I offer the following points to consider: 1. MPEG video files can be downloaded from a web site. This was offered for "Amateur Radio Today" and we have no way of knowing how many copies were actually downloaded, so counting the number of tapes vs. CDs distributed may not yield accurate results. 2. MPEG is probably the safest digital video format since all Windows computers come with the Windows Media player, which is quite capable of playing the format. There are other formats (Quicktime, for example, which is a favorite on Apple systems), but usually you need a 3rd party player to play them. 3. There are still a lot of people who have VCRs but not computers with CD ROM drives. (DVD is a different format altogether and requires a more expensive drive. Many newer computers come with DVD drives that can also handle CD ROM formats, but those with older computers typically will not have DVD available to them. 4. When traveling to a club meeting, you are much more likely to find a VCR and TV available than the much more expensive Data Projector required to project images from a computer. I know one SM who went out and bought a Data Projector precisely because of this issue (he already had a laptop, but they are worthless in a meeting of any size without a projector). I went to one hamfest where they told me that had a data projector available, and when I got there, all they had was an overhead projector. The organizers didn't really know what a data projector was and what we had was "a failure to communicate" (1 bonus point for those who can name the movie that comes from). I ended up going to a copy center and printing out 30 copies of my powerpoint slides. 73, Andy Oppel, N6AJO Vice Director, Pacific Division, ARRL n6ajo@arrl.org home: (510) 864-2299 cell: (510) 910-1508 At 03:30 PM 1/5/2004, you wrote:

5 JAN, 2004 - 1715 CST

Hello Rod...

Was there any discussion about the format(s) to be used for the recruitment videos? I believe mailing, handling, duplication, and storage of video CDs is now cheaper (or at least no more expensive) than video tapes. Does anybody have an idea which format would reach more people? How many "Amateur Radio Today" CDs were produced and distributed vs video tapes?

In the public at large, there are probably still more video tape players/ recorders in use than video CD players/recorders. However, in our target audience of younger people who are more technically inclined (both licensed and un-licensed) I would bet the number of DVD and CD players/recorders now out outnumber the video tape players/recorders.

Perhaps the format to be used has not yet been decided and the motion has been kept generic for this reason?

73 - Dick, W9GIG