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TMTV Blog entry - TMTV vs MRVP TMTV general discussion
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Regular poster 131 posts TMTV Regular poster 131 posts
TMTV

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Joe Fugate deals with the question we often get asked - how does TrainMasters TV compare to Model Railroader Video Plus? We generally don't waste a lot of time comparing the two, but we do get asked, so here's our answer if you've ever wondered.

Read the blog post here ... and post your comments below!
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Dave K skiloff Prolific poster 4,048 posts
Dave K skiloff

Mostly irrelevant

The comparison to me is mostly irrelevant.  I was a charter subscriber to TMTV and continue to be because the videos are varied, informative and very well produced.  The few videos I watched on MRVP were OK, but light on detail (they seemed to be rushing through to make the video as short as possible).  This might be just my small sample size, but I certainly haven't regretted subscribing to TMTV and don't feel I'm missing anything with MRVP.  

Dave
Playing around in HO and N scale since 1976
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joef MRH Founder 18,688 posts
joef

But if anyone ever asks ...

But if any of your modeling buddies ever ask which is better, at least you have one point of reference. Most importantly are the cost comparisons, which are pretty cut-and-dried. Based on some forum posts we've seen where some folks do a seat-of-the-pants comparison of costs, they have generally been way off (we just chalk it up to poor math skills). As we said in the blog post, our focus is on making good videos, not on trying to one-up the competition. But people kept asking, so we did a price comparison and we gave you our opinion on the philosophy differences in how we both do our videos.

Joe Fugate​
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

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Dave K skiloff Prolific poster 4,048 posts
Dave K skiloff

For sure

If anyone I know asks, I will be sure to tell them what I think.  I'm surprised, though, that people are suggesting that TMTV is much more expensive.  They obviously haven't really looked closely.  If you don't subscribe to MR (which I don't), MRVP is more costly.

Dave
Playing around in HO and N scale since 1976
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rrfaniowa Super User 1,039 posts
rrfaniowa

I think Joe’s explanation is spot on

I subscribed to both to see how each compared and I believe Joe’s explanation of the differences is accurate. 

I’m no video expert, but both seem to provide high quality video production. But in terms of diversity of modeling subjects and authors, length, and depth of content, I would give the edge strongly to TMTV. 

I can’t really qualify this very well, but I also think TMTV has a more approachable, comfortable feel – as if we are actually there partaking in the discussion. I much prefer this approach because it helps me stay more engaged and excited about what’s being presented. In contrast, MRVP seems more scripted which (for whatever reason) makes me feel impatient to get to the meaty tips and techniques. But, like Joe outlined, MRVP is geared more towards beginners so oftentimes the "meat" just isn’t there for me. 

I believe TMTV is doing a great job and I’m excited to see where they take it in the future. I subscribe on a monthly autopay basis and for what they provide each month it’s a super value. 

Scott Thornton
dioRAILma Studio – building micro and small layouts
www.flickr.com/photos/rrfaniowa

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joef MRH Founder 18,688 posts
joef

MRVP ratings

I made a correction to this blog because someone pointed out MRVP does allow ratings in individual comments, they just don't do an aggregate rating. I've corrected the blog post to talk about MRVP not doing an aggregate rating. I also added a comment to the blog that ratings are not the end-all-be-all kind of data, but they do help. We have rating on articles in MRH, for instance. Do we drive everything we do as to content by ratings? No. Do the ratings give us some idea (over time) what tends to be more popular? You bet. It's the over time value of ratings and how they give you some idea of what tends to be popular that help, and aggregate ratings allow you to see that at a glance. To coin a phrase, yes, ratings can be over-rated - especially aggregate ratings. But they can also be helpful as long as you use them as "some insight" and not a straight-jacket.

Joe Fugate​
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

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joef MRH Founder 18,688 posts
joef

Speaking of ratings ...

Speaking of ratings and living or dying by them (which we never do, BTW, because we KNOW they're not perfect) ... look at the Dec issue Staff Notes. In the Dec issue Staff Notes, the headliner topic was the Track Plan Database thread. Turns out, Staff Notes got rated next-to-last this issue. Do we then regret making the Track Plan Database thread the main topic in December's Staff Notes? Not on your life! Meanwhile, this mention has injected some new life into the Track Plan Database thread - look at all the new posts. On the other hand, the Steam & Snow Derailments video got Derailments second place in the December issue ratings. Interesting. Now we know there's a fondness for steam and snow, which we may use in the future while planning issue content. And so it goes. Ratings are not a perfect bellwether of value. But then what one data point ever is?

Joe Fugate​
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

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