Which media gets more sales ? DVDs or Video on Demand ( iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, etc ). I heard many times that digital distribution is going to replace DVD distribution and that DVDs don't sell well anymore, but I'm a person who still buys in DVD format. Also currently being in the time of free youtube media, are trailers for one's movie still effective in terms of getting people interested to pay to see your movie ? I'm just curious since I've heard about industry changes.
Most of the notable and/or reasonably marketed Independent film and documentary projects that I've seen usually offer both, often including a Blu-ray as well. Though I don't think the price for making all three available is necessarily expensive. At least not as much as it used to be. The main issue will be burning the film onto DVD or Blu-ray, and whether or not you have a system that can burn more than one at a time. Otherwise, if you plan to make 100-250, you'll be sitting there swapping discs for a while. Or you can likely get the files sent off to a DVD authoring service and simply have them burn all 250 for you. But that will definitely cost you extra cash.
As an example,
I Know That Voice was released on I-Tunes and Amazon Instant first, and then about a month or two later, the DVD was launched for those looking for all of the extra bonus features included on it. That's one of the big aspects of doing both: bonus features are not yet a regular inclusion when it comes to I-Tunes releases of films, TV shows, or documentaries. Often bonus features and other extra materials are only included on the physical copies of the media. But eventually this will shift as well.
Another film that came out recently,
The Death of Superman Lives, was simultaneously authored on DVD, Blu-ray, and as a Digital Download straight from the official website rather than a common VOD service. This then allows them to provide the digital download version in three iterations, each with slightly more features included. However, the highest tier of the Digital download includes all the same material as the Blu-ray copy does, and the prices are the same. So one simply takes their pick of whatever suits them.
If you're tight on distribution funds for getting a digital download version released on I-Tunes, or authoring and printing DVDs and Blu-rays, then I think it's wise to just go with the Digital Download version. That will get out to far more people these days than a DVD version will. But if your film is heading out to the festival circuit, and you plan to be at a few festivals in person if your film makes it in, then I would consider making a few limited-edition DVD or Blu-ray copies to pass out while you're there if anyone is interested. It really can't hurt to do that. And you can even sign them in that instance.