RE: New Posting... My Aerials
Rj,
Hate to burst yer bubble, but DVD is NOT just DVD.... there are several versions of that as well and you can run into the same compatibility problems that you do with MPEG files. Just depends on how old your DVD player is as to it's compatability. However, any DVD you burn is more likely to run on a given DVD player than transfering video between OS on computers. (e.g. Video burned on a Win2K box will not run on most versions of Win XP, go figure!). So while the DVD burner outlay is more expensive and there are several newly emerging authoring tools out there, I believe it is still worth it to go that route. Obviously you need a multi-gig SCSI ultra-wide HD or even a fast IDE RAID to be really effective.
I am attempting to make a commercial go of this fun stuff of AP. I have already been paid for several "missions" for park land acquisitions and things have gone well so far. The big thing for just about everyone looking into it is that there is NO ONE who will sell you general liability business insurance. Even if you hide behind the corporate shield, you can still be sued for negligence (remember that surprised sno mo rider? Cause him to crash into a tree looking at your plane landing and he's GOTCHA!) I have determined that I will take the risk and forge ahead, riding on the coat tails of whoever is hiring me for coverage, which is dicey at best, but it's something.
There are lots of ways to make money in this game tho. I used to digitize video's using 15K codecs and got $145 per finished minute! Even though making home movies on a PC has become lots easier, it still takes a lot of technical savvy to produce a professional quality video and produce a finished product. But I digress back to my geek days......
My advice is, if you plan on making a commercial go of it. Then be a professional about it. Incorporate. Use the best equipment you can get. Make sure you are intimately familiar with the flight characteristics of each aircraft you fly and are capable of flying it under about any condition. Keep logs of repairs and maintenance. Use preflight checklists. Keep flight logs of even test flights. Don't throw up some raggedy P.O.S. that could rain down parts on an unsuspecting public and find yourself setting some new legal precedent. Always have a big ol' Plan B!
Scare ya?
It should...... scares the hell outta me!
CTF