I'm considering buying the 70-year DVD to replace my hardcopies. Will the DVD include everything from cover-to-cover - including advertisements? Or is it just the articles. Not sure I can part with the hardcopies if this collection isn't "complete". And is there any official talk of a 75-year upgrade bridge or new updated collection coming?
It's everything, not just the articles and pictures. It's actual magazine scans up until the June 2004 issue. From there through 2010, the actual digital file like would've been sent to their printer is what is used as the source material rather than a scan of the printed issue.
They ignore all questions and requests about their DVD collections. So safe to assume that they have zero intentions of ever updating the product to address bugs, issues as they increasingly become out of date, or to update the collection to the present day.
That said, it's still worth the money as-is.
The Classic Trains DVD is being updated to contain 15 years of issues versus the original 10 years of issues. My wife was hoping that having the DVD would encourage me to dispose of my hard copies, however the hard copies will still be readable decades from now, where the DVD is now not readable on the latest version of MacOS 10 (that's -um- 4 years). I would be very likely to get an update on the Trains DVD if it included an upgrade of the MacOS software.
It really helps to have a large high resolution screen for the DVD.
Hate to be a prophet of doom, and Kalmbach may hate me for this, but...
No-one knows just how long a DVD will live. Ten years, twenty years, one hundred years, who knows? But the life of a hard copy is open-ended, provided it's stored correctly. I've got hundred year old books here at the Fortress Firelock that are as good as the day they were printed. I've even got one printed in 1847 that looks like it came right from the printer.
By all means purchase the DVD, it's a lot easier to use. But hold onto those hard copys. You never know.
erikem The Classic Trains DVD is being updated to contain 15 years of issues versus the original 10 years of issues.
The Classic Trains DVD is being updated to contain 15 years of issues versus the original 10 years of issues.
That's good news, have a link to share?
Edit: https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/products/dvds-videos/15112__Classic-Trains-The-First-15-Years-on-DVDROM
While I'm pleased with Kalmbach in general, the cynical half of me almost posted that this is probably the only way we'd ever get an updated edition. Looks like I sadly would've been correct.
I'd happily buy updates on DVD, but while I just might go for this one since I've missed many special issues, I don't envision doing the same with the Trains collection. Just too expensive to rebuy. Especially when I'm a print subscriber and have everything that would be added.
Glad I haven't bought Model Railroader, yet. I'll wait for the inevitable upgraded edition now. Same with Classic Toy Trains, which I'd of liked to have added.
Wish we'd get a Kalmbach "Rarities" collection on DVD, especially Ships and Sailing from the 1950's.
The Model Railroader magazine DVD 75-year collection is every issue from 1934 through 2009, and includes everything, even all the advertisements.
There has been no mention of what Kalmbach will do about updates covering issues from 2010 forward.
As with all computer technology, will DVDs exist 10-20 years from now, or will they go the way of the 5.25 inch floppy or 3.5 inch floppy disks? Remember Digital Video Disks?
At least this one goes up through 2014. The last one came out after the Trains collection did, yet only covered through 2009 where as the earlier collection went a year later with its coverage (Model Railroader was even worse, coming after these two as I recall, yet stopping at 2009).
All just to label it as "The First 10 Years" (75 in the case of Model Railroader).
I wonder if Trains Classic, the prototype for this publication, is counted as a special issue? If so, this includes 8 new special issues. If not (It's basically issue #1 for Classic Trains, after all), we'll be seeing 9 new additions here.
Firelock76 No-one knows just how long a DVD will live.
No-one knows just how long a DVD will live.
True. Based on my experience with CD's, a good number should last thirty years if properly stored, but not everyone will ast thirty years.
It's not the longevity of the the original physial media that has me worried, as I've been migrating a lot of my data (PICTURES, e-mails, letters, etc) from disk to disk as I up grade my compters. What does worry me is the obsolesscence of the platform that reads the data. Since specific proprietary software is needed to decrypt the files, the files are unreadable without a platform to run that software.
- Erik
erikem What does worry me is the obsolescence of the platform that reads the data. - Erik
What does worry me is the obsolescence of the platform that reads the data.
Every time I hear some one speak of the "paperless society" I think I should invest in a paper company.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Semper Vaporo Every time I hear some one speak of the "paperless society" I think I should invest in a paper company.
I'm a copier repair technician by trade, and let me assure you, the age of paper is FAR from over! Trust me on this one. There's quite a few businesses and agencies that make sure everything's on a hard paper copy "just in case" in addition to digital storage media.
Go ahead and invest in a paper company if you want to. They're not selling as much paper as they used to, but you better believe they're still selling it.
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