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Author Topic: The never ending collection of USB flash drives Gavin Lewarne Master Film Handler Posts: 278 From: Plymouth, UK Registered: Aug 2009 posted 05-17-2013 05:28 PM                     We seem to be getting a never ending stream of content on flash drives lately. I have over 15 in my box! So far, none of them have come with a returns label, and no distributors have asked for any of them back. Most of them are pretty large at 4gb+ What do I do with them all? how long shall I keep hold of them before "reallocating" them ? I think its pretty wasteful that nobody wants them back.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 05-17-2013 05:33 PM                        I suspect that they'll want them back, return label or not. We apparently have a slightly different system for shipping stuff around here in Canada than the rest of you do, but I put flash drives into one of the hard drive cases that I'm sending back (along with the hard drive, of course) so it doesn't actually require its own return label. I have received inquiries several months after-the-fact asking where and when I sent this or that hard drive or flash drive and I always provide them with the shipping date and waybill numbers for whatever they're asking about. I would be really hesitant to receive a flash drive and "forget" to return it in a reasonably timely manner in the absence of very specific instructions to the contrary.  |  IP: Logged Gavin Lewarne Master Film Handler Posts: 278 From: Plymouth, UK Registered: Aug 2009 posted 05-17-2013 05:38 PM                     Most of them have come in unmarked white "jiffy bags" with nothing but the flash drive inside. I did start to make enquiries about some of them that contained trailers with the UK distributors but in many cases the distributors only had records of is being sent on a DVD and gave no indication of interest in having them back. A few have even been delivered without anything on them so I have no idea where they came from! The only ones that I know for certain of their origins are the ones from Dolby (who ship the P&D adverts) but our contact there didn't seem to know where or how they should be sent back. Some of them are from 5+ months ago! I am keeping them all organised and separate as best I can so if they do ask I have them. One more thing, Im not sure of the distribution of drives anywhere else but over here most of the CRU drives we get the features on come direct from another cinema, and the go direct to another cinema after the run is finished. I did put a flash drive in one once when I thought it was going back to the depot, but no, the next cinema in line sent the bloomin things back to me!  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 05-17-2013 05:47 PM                        That's the difference between here and there. I rarely ship or receive hard drives or flash drives to or from anywhere but the CCDI film warehouse, so I can take the "nuke 'em 'til they glow" approach, ship the whole works back to them, and let god sort them out.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 05-17-2013 05:48 PM                     4GB in mass quantities are usually worth much less than any trackable shipping option. Keep them in a box, use them, give them away. I don't think they will ever be requested back. They are still cheaper than 35mm trailers with their associated boxes and shipping cost. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Gavin Lewarne Master Film Handler Posts: 278 From: Plymouth, UK Registered: Aug 2009 posted 05-17-2013 05:49 PM                     Carsten - Do you have a similar situation with them in Germany?  |  IP: Logged Joe Elliott Master Film Handler Posts: 497 From: Port Orange, Fl USA Registered: Oct 2006 posted 05-17-2013 07:37 PM                     These are in US dollars, but it gives you an idea how cheap they get these. And realize the prices here are for smaller wholesale lots of 30-100. The film companies most likely by these in the thousands. Bulk USB sticks This one doesn't have as good of prices, but I like the first one. Cooler Bulk USB sticks  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 05-17-2013 11:09 PM                     I always send the ones from TECH and DeLuxe back in their respective cases, if they do come in bubble mailers.  |  IP: Logged Jim Henk Master Film Handler Posts: 364 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 05-18-2013 12:23 AM                     One word - "Legos!"  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2013 12:29 AM                        I don't know about other countries, but in the US the paperwork that comes with the hard drives specifically says to pack up the equipment "and any USB drives you may have on hand" in the hard drive shipping boxes and return them. Let's face it, you don't own those things and if you don't send them back you're just increasing expenses for the distributor, who will pass it on in fees eventually. Send 'em back.  |  IP: Logged Duc Nguyen Film Handler Posts: 18 From: Viet Nam Registered: Jun 2012 posted 05-18-2013 10:08 AM                     wow.. i have to download trailer via file zillar from distributor. So, Do studio get USB, hard drive and DCP back ???  |  IP: Logged Jim Cassedy Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1661 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Dec 2006 posted 05-18-2013 10:13 AM                     Ironic timing on this topic! Just yesterday I was at a theater to deal with a minor problem, which of course turned out to be operator error since 90% of the minimum wage monkeys running digital equipment these days have no business being anywhere near a projecton room. ....but that's a topic for antother forum...sorry!.... While I was there the "operator" (note the quotes) opened a desk drawer to look for a pen, and there were dozens of those little USB drives in there. "Want some?"; she asked. Not being one to turn down "free stuff", I walked outta there with one of my jacket pockets stuffed wih a wholebuncha of 'em. quote: Mike Blakesley the paperwork that comes with the hard drives specifically says to pack up the equipment "and any USB drives you may have on hand" I'm not doubting you, Mike. I'm surprised I've never seen this since I'm the kind of person who usually reads all the 'fine print' on documents and enlosures but I guess I somehow missed this. I've just always assumed, as others have said, that the handling cost of re-using the USB drives would exceed the cost of just shipping out new ones, since they probably buy them dirt cheap in bulk.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-18-2013 10:21 AM                     Cost and ownership aside, I think most people see USB sticks as chattel. Yes, send them back if distributors want them but, soon, if not already, most theaters will have boxes full of USB sticks just the same way they used to have boxes full of film trailers.  |  IP: Logged Gavin Lewarne Master Film Handler Posts: 278 From: Plymouth, UK Registered: Aug 2009 posted 05-18-2013 10:25 AM                     Randy - yep, I still have several boxes of old 35mm trailers, adverts and shorts. Some of them dating back longer than the 5 years I have worked here. Offers of returning them to the relevant distributors proved fruitless as well.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Garman Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: Toledo, OH USA Registered: Mar 2003 posted 05-18-2013 11:17 AM                     Save those 35mm trailers because one may never see that content again. I treasure my 35mm trailer of the GCC Candy Band. AJG  |  IP: Logged

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