When it comes to finding sources for video-based training for ASP.NET, there are many organizations who don’t necessarily provide the best quality but are more than happy to make you part with your money. Having experienced these courses, both good and bad, I’ve narrowed this down to my three top choices. Any of these sites I would strongly recommend for watching videos on ASP.NET. Two have a moderate cost and one is free!
#1: LearnVisualStudio.NET
One of the most popular and highest quality series for ASP.NET is LearnVisualStudio.NET, founded and created by Bob Tabor. One of the reasons this is my first choice is due to cost. Lifetime membership to the site costs only $140.00. Now that may sound like a lot. However, consider the site has been around since 2002 and Bob keeps the content fresh. As a side note, Bob also runs TrainingSpot.com, which contains training for topics like Java, Ruby on Rails, SQL Server and PHP. You can also choose to start off with a one-year membership for only $52.50, and welcome to transfer to the lifetime membership later. Some cons are that the video formats are in MP4 and take considerable time to download.
#2: LearnDevNow
If you want to ratchet it up a notch to an exhaustive coverage for professionals, you should check out LearnDevNow. The ASP.NET source of video-based training series alone comprises more than 100 hours of videos and costs $99.99 a year. In addition, you can get full code downloads for the series at an additional $29.99, and online courseware + handouts for $69.99 a year. I’ve had a subscription to this series and can personally attest to the excellent training it provides. Cons include no ability to download the videos to your computer for watching offline, and Windows Media player has to be registered (limit 2 computers) from which you can watch them. However, they do provide fast and excellent support.
#3: ASP.NET
While the videos on the official Microsoft site for ASP.NET aren’t as extensive as those in the pay options, there is still quite a bit of excellent material and it doesn’t cost a dime. Additionally, the videos are of good quality and there are even some free add-ons served by both MSDN’s Channel9 and PluralSight.com. Moreover, there’s plenty of good supporting material like online tutorials and documents to reinforce the content. For those of you on a budget (or even those who have no budget, i.e. no money), this is certainly a great alternative.
God bless and happy coding!
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