Helpful Information about Michael’s New Download Website:

This will be a general information page about the new download store and it will grow with time.

After many weeks of tweaking we finally have the new download store up and running. You can find it at: www.canontrainingvideo.com. The URL name was picked mostly to help people find what they are looking for. There are many things we are still working on to make it work as smooth as possible, but for the most part 90%+ of our customers are purchasing the downloads without issue. There is the occasional hiccup and we are working to figure out what we can do to improve it and make it better.

I think in the near future we are going to see fewer DVDs, and more and more of downloadable video content, thanks to Netflix, Apple iTunes, Hulu and other download websites. This is a trend I have to embrace. I know there are many of you out there that prefer DVDs, and as long as I have customers buying them, I will continue to provide them. What is most important to me is that you guys feel all of my products are quality and you are getting more value than what you pay for and we are almost there with the downloads.

However, as the DVD product gets older and we sell out of a particular model, that video will become only available by download. Torrent, Illegal Download, Hotfile and Rapid Share sites exist all by downloads, and this also offers a way for me to compete with the pirates out there in terms of delivery system. I understand if someone over the pond wants a video right this second and I think that is a reasonable demand if others are doing it illegally. We have some tools in place to minimize illegal content sharing, but the best policy is to have honest, loyal customers. (Be warned though, If we catch anyone sharing or downloading videos – I definitely will pursue all legal action). In the end, its just not worth the $38 to try to steal them. I hate to even bring this up, but yes, people steal my videos.

There are several advantages to downloads:

1- Faster Delivery of Training (20-60 minutes)
2- No Shipping or Handling Fees
3- Faster Production Turn Around Time (Which means, the download is available the day of or the day after production finishes. This saves nearly 1 month of turn around time.)

There are also some negative sides of downloads for customers:

1. No DVD Menu to Navigate (Some are finding they do not like this).
2. Issues with Internet Connection may Slow downloads.
3. No Physical Product- Not Readily portable from computer to computer, nor transferrable.
4. Giving or Selling my downloads to another person is illegal, while used, open disks are ok to loan, share with or sell.

The videos are stored on a special separate server that allows for huge files to be downloaded very quickly. Most of the DVDs have 2 parts and most parts download in about 20 minutes or less depending on the customers internet connection. As of this writing, the old store at www.michaelthementor.com/store is alive and well, it just doesn’t offer downloads. What this also means is there are now 2 stores for my videos, and they are on different systems, which means, if one of the systems go down (which it has before) the other store will still be available. I am a big believer of backups, not an easy setup. It was quite expensive and took a lot of (tedious) work- but in the end it gives me a backup system if one should fail. When you go to the store, pay close attention to the categories:

1. Michaels Training DVD Downloads
2. Actions and Presets
3. Training DVDS

You will need to click on the downloads category to see the selection of download choices.

Here are the videos which are now available for download with direct links to those product pages:

Canon 7D Crash Course Training Video Lessons Download
Advanced Photography Techniques Video Lessons
Canon 580 / 430 EXii Speedlite Crash Course Training Video Lessons Download
Canon 60D Crash Course Video Lessons Training Download
Canon 50D Crash Course Training Video Lessons Download
Canon 40D Crash Course Training Video Lessons Download
Canon Rebel T2i Crash Course Training Video Lessons Download
Canon Rebel XSi Crash Course Training Video Lessons Download

The Photoshop, T1i and Basic Photography Crash Courses will be up soon. The Business Crash Course DVD Set will not be offered as a download.The store is also set up in such a way that if you lose the video, you can re-login and access the downloadsfor as long as the store is up. Please no sharing with others however as that would be piracy, I am trusting my customers not to do this.Many of our customers have made wonderful suggestions, including the “Chapters Feature” which we have figured out how to do. This is something the illegal torrents do not have; Navigation and Chapters! Makes it a while lot easier to navigate. The files are .m4v and the chapters are available to all customers using Quicktime for Mac or PC, iTunes and the VLC Media Player. All are downloadable for free.

I am sure there will be some more little kinks and bugs, but we (myself, and team of programmers) will do our best to iron them out and make this delivery system better and better.

One last note, I have gotten so many wonderful reviews on the Business Crash Course DVD Setand the Canon 60 D Crash Course DVD. As always if you see any of my videos and like to offer reviews and feedback I am always happy to hear. I may not respond right away, but I am carefully listening!

Thank you everyone for your support!