Are the "Information Station" PDF articles too expensive?

[cacole]

You can get every issue of National Geographic as a CD set, so why not other publications? National Geographic's set was made by a contractor, but certainly takes up much less storage space than the paper copies. After the initial set, each year's issues are now being released on a separate disk, so you can keep your library current.

One fallacy to CDs or DVDs, however, is changes in technology. Will computers of the future be able to read today's CDs and DVDs? Sony, Phillips, and a couple of other companies are already experimenting with a new DVD drive and disk format that is expected to make current ones obsolete in a few years. The same holds true for PDF files -- there's no guarantee that Adobe will stay in business or that the PDF format won't become obsolete and those files completely unreadable some day.

[jfugate]

Cacole:

Sure technology will change ... you can bet on it. But PDFs, CDs and DVDs are pretty entrenched now, so it will take quite a while for the shift to occur. Witness VHS tapes to DVDs. DVD technology has been around for almost a decade and only now is the shift really gaining momentum.

And they're still selling VHS players in the stores .... although I'm seeing more and more dual players, with both VHS and DVD capability, for under $100. Next will be the combo VHS/DVD recorders, and you will be able to copy VHS to DVD for yourself.

In time it will all be DVD, but it's going to take another decade or so. But as to completely unreadable ... only when the material is available in other forms. Even though 8 tracks are obsolete now, you can get the material in other forms today. It would be time to replace the 8 track tapes by this time anyhow because they would have been worn out. There's not much in this old world that lasts forever, even good old paper.

And some things will never go out of style, like paper books and magazines. They're just too darn convenient, and too cheap to manufacture. The volume economics will change as the electronic medium matures, but paper will never disappear completely.

[jfugate]

Oh yes, and one thing that likely isn't going to be obsolete soon is the internet. As more broadband users appear, it's going to get to the point that you can get your electronic medium (movies, music, documents) all online in a few moments.

Then you can store it however you like, including paper for documents, if you prefer!

[Anonymous]

I saw the Information Station articles - and I began to get excited. But not for reprinted articles, and not at that price. Plus, there's no way (that I've found yet) to tell what articles are in which package. I might HAVE the articles.

Boy, THAT'D tick me off - spending $15 to download a 40-50 page PDF file and flip through it going : read that, read that... that one too...

Rob

[Anonymous]

what is the "Information Station"

[Anonymous]

While a CD of the entire run of MR would be facinating as well as helpful, compiling CD volumes often goes beyond the mechanics of scanning and duplicating CD's, especially in older publications. There is usually a copyright issue that must be addressed, especially since the Tisani vs. New York Times suit in which it was ruled that a publication may not reprint an author's previous work in an electronic format if that author has retained the copyright. and has not given consent to republish it.

Many publications didn't have a strict policy of signing contracts for every article in the past and are limited in their ability to republish. I don't know MR's policy of accepting articles for publication, but unless a contract was signed or it was a work for hire, an author has a legal claim to rights for the work and the magazine must ask for and receive permission prior to publication. Often this involves the arduous task of tracking down long-lost authors or their estates.

In fairness to the authors, it was generally understood that they were selling first North American serial rights to the article or work which allows a publication to print it one time, not to use it in any manner they wish forever.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

It is my understanding that we are permitted to use drawings for "Personal" use. This is a example of a feature that has not appeared recently in MR.

I also point to the number of "Beginner's Articles" that have appeared with photos and descriptions written by the author that most certainly will be replicated alot across the hobby as readers adopt the techniques for own layouts etc.

I am horrified by the prospect of having to track down estates and Authors for permission to "reprint" a previous work into a CD format which is basically a storage medium for PC's no different from a hard disk which holds the PDf's from the current information station articles.

Also previous MR Issues contain much information that probably will be lost to time. They also contain advertisements, pricing, coupons and photos from companies that no longer exist execpt in history and in the hearts of those that actually worked for them.

Issues that were published for profit in 1940 cannot possibly contain any great monetary value. The real value is in the works within such a old article on paper that will probably deteriote and never be seen by current modelers who are growing up.

Even the technology used back then will assist a novice modeler who may not yet be able to afford DCC systems. The costs of DCC Control already is almost the entire cost in the several hundereds of dollars of setting up and construcing a layout of any size.

Perhaps the sheer cost of securing permissions across several decades of work to be replicated onto CD's for the preservation of the hobby as well as the benefit of having access to the entire MR from day one makes the venture very difficult.

[Anonymous]

In my years of contributing to MR (around 20), they have always required a signed release form for material, giving them the rights to the material. I don't know if they did this before the early 1980's. So much of the more recent material published would be covered.

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

I'd be willing to pay a bit more in annual subscription charges to have a set number of downloads available. All that really needs to be done is to link my sub with my password. Might even generate more subs. I'd make sure there was a Trains-MR linkage for those who sub to both. The current fee is way too high. I could by the mag from a used dealer for a whole lot less.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I think we can help...we can scan these documents and provide them on CD/DVD as PDF's for under $0.10 per page. Please see http://www.DigitalDocumentsLLC.com for additional information about our company and capabilities, or you can email me directly at [e-mail].

Jim

[Anonymous]

Perhaps you might take your business proposal to company officials rather than using this forum to promote your commercial interests.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeglin

Hello,

I think we can help...we can scan these documents and provide them on CD/DVD as PDF's for under $0.10 per page. Please see http://www.DigitalDocumentsLLC.com for additional information about our company and capabilities, or you can email me directly at [e-mail].

Jim

You will have to contact Kalmbach, they are the owners of the material we are discussing here. I wish you best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Wayne,

Thank you for your suggestion. However, I believe that the topic of this thread was a discussion regarding the high cost of converting documents into a searchable electronic format. Some other members voiced their frustration over the current market prices of $1.00 plus per page. We were willing to help you and your members by offering our services for under $0.10 per page. This is below our cost....

It has been my experince that most people are grateful when somebody offers to help.....

Jim

[Anonymous]

Just a business suggestion here,

This forum is provided for use by forum members by our hosts, a corporation that publishes magazines. Other than the forum administrators that stop in occasionally, no one here decides if, when or by whom anything is published by the corporation that has generously offered this site for our non-commercial discussions.

But since you just joined this forum today, perhaps you weren't aware of its purpose.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeglin

Wayne,

Thank you for your suggestion. However, I believe that the topic of this thread was a discussion regarding the high cost of converting documents into a searchable electronic format. Some other members voiced their frustration over the current market prices of $1.00 plus per page. We were willing to help you and your members by offering our services for under $0.10 per page. This is below our cost....

It has been my experince that most people are grateful when somebody offers to help.....

Jim

Jim,

We members recognize your position and thus are being careful because as stated in the previous poster, this forum is for Model Railroaders to talk about issues and is moderated by a company that controls the very material we are discussing related to the "Information Station"

It is my hope that indeed someone like Bergie will give you a direct answer as to your information pertaining to creating electronic copies at your price of .10 a page.

We are not "Ungrateful" however I imagine some of us who own at our homes a rather large collection of MR magazines that possibly may benefit from your services.

Have a GREAT day.

Lee

[Anonymous]

Wayne,

Thank you for the clarification. You are correct, I wasn't aware of the arrangement(s) that had been made with the publisher.

Jim