Even thought I don't know you, I'm certain you don't know all the stuff on all the DVD's you bought. I'm not saying you need to learn ALL the things, but at least the one's you want to learn.
Card Sharp. No way can you do everything on this DVD in just a year aswell as as the Trilogy and all the rest. No way. If you can do it as good as the teacher, you can do it. Otherwise, you can't. And you can't learn all that stuff in a year. Absolutely impossible.
RRTCM should have been your first investment. Be it the DVD or book.
And kaiarz. ARE YOU INSANE???? Of course that stuff is used today. If it worked 30 years ago, why wouldn't it work now? It's not as if the spec is born with knowledge of magic. Sure, SOME of the handling MIGHT be a little outdated, but with the sleights of today you could make the effects into something amazing. Take Designed for Laughter. Instead of using the glide do a DL on the last card, then shoot straight over to Danny Garcia's C.A.A.N and you have an effect that Ellusionist will probably market in a few years for 20 dollars.
Most of Ellusionist stuff can be found in books dated back hunderds of years. Instead of spending 30 bucks on 1 DVD teaching 1 trick, buy the book that will teach you dozens of tricks for 10 dollars. Something like Mark Wilsons Complete Course In Magic. Right there, that's all the magic you will ever need. You can be a working professional magician with just that book.
But, even after this, people will still buy these DVD's. Buy books. Dont buy DVD's. DVD's let you see someone else perform, which you go and copy. Books will let you develop your own personality and techniques that will make you individual and better than the rest. Unless of course you want to be Mr Average who gets over-charged for effects that are re-packaged and re-hyped.
Doesn't matter to me at all. Carry on wasting your money. I'm quite happy sitting here knowing that you will realise in a few years time (if you last that long) that books are the way forward and some (not all) DVD's, especially from E, are just ripping you off.
But hell, you're not going to take my advice, I'm just some bloke on the Internet, right??