You also can't talk too technical

Here's a bit story about talk too technical can save your job but also ruin it at the same time.
I got a small gig, very small one (with the hope he will give me another job in the future), making a graphic presentation (animation) for his client.

 
He told me to output as h.264, without specifying the container, framesize, frame rates.
Basically i go blank. I asked him in the next email what container i should put in ? mov ? mp4 ? Is it for web ? Local playback (PC/Mac) to projector ?
His answer, mp4, but he didn't specify the framesize, frame rates, and everything else.
I asked him again, he didn't reply my question, i send msg on his phone, and even called him. He didn't reply/answer.

 
I don't want to sound pushy technical guy, so i immediately worked on the piece, set it to 1920x1080 25 fps, because i thought,..oh well..the comp can be scaled up/down later on.
 

Just right (1-2 days) nearing the deadline he's saying that the piece would be projected using projector.
And finally he's answering the frame is "HD", without specifying the size.
And i assuming the projector will be connected to computer/laptop.
 

Now here's i found myself at another dilemma. I know for a fact, back in the day, not every machine can playback HD smoothly, and also it's very-very rare to found an HD capable projector.
AFAIK, back then, all the projector in the market can only playback an SD resolution, there are HD capable projector, but it's ridiculously expensive, thus i never see one. But it's not actually a big deal, since the projector can downscale a HD res automatically.
 

So i sent him two flavors: 720p and 1080p, he's approved my work, and he said the 720p is playing smoothly and 1080p is stuttering on his machine. So he will use 720p. Done, my job is finished, only waiting to be paid.
I asked him lightly on the side, what devices will be used to send the data to projector ? (remember, i already asked him this in the very first place)
His answer...oh..he's gonna be on burn that on DVD Player to Projector.
I asked, as a file on USB flash drive, as a file on DVD disc or as DVD video ?
He's answer...as file in DVD disc.
 

Boom !
I worried that it will be a problematic. Because i know not every DVD can playback mp4 h.264. It varies between devices/manufacture/product.
Heck, not every DVD can read mp4 from the disc.
So without too technical, i said, the safest way to exhibit is to burn them as DVD-Video, just in case the devices cannot playback mp4 h.264.
I told him not every DVD can playback mp4, or even read mp4.
 

He said, naahh...it will be ok.
 

Oh well..i already warned him. But as precaution i render a master format to lossless. Just in case he changed his mind.
I could delivered him with another format as precaution/backup; namely with xvid, or even burn him a DVD Video.
But i don't do that, since it will make me look too technical and pushy. And he could done this before in the past, and no problem arose.
I'm not in capacity to push it further, if i send him a couple of flavor (xvid;DiVX).
He already told me that it will be no problem with the mp4 on the DVD player, he specify that. Why should i delivered a format that he didn't ask ?
It will make me look incompetent :(
 

So i got paid, and moves on.
Two or three weeks later he called me suddenly, he said the file cannot be playback on DVD !
And the presentation is about to start in 1 hours.
I asked him, what the brand of the DVD player ? I must google to find their spec.
Couple of minutes later he said some unknown brand (Chinese).
I google the brand name, there are hit, but the site was gibberish (There is english page, but the info just barebones, just a pic and type number), no manual, and time is running out.
 

Thankfully i keep that master lossless files, so i didn't have to render from After Effects again, it's a very heavy render, it took 1,5 hours to render 10 min comp)
I can't make him a DVD Video, since there are no time to deliver the physical copy (it took 1-2 hours flight to the presentation place, it's on tourist resort ). I could send him the image, but i don't know if he can burn image ,whether it's technical (he didn't know how to burn DVD?) or practical reason (No blank DVD on site).
 

So my last option would be deliver in xvid codec, AVI container. Because i do know almost all DVD in the market (on my country, AFAIK) can playback xvid.
But here's the thing, xvid is producing a larger file than highly compressed h.264, times is running out. And i only have 100kB/s upload speed :/ I calculate if i deliver them in X bitrate, it will took me X minutes.
So i made a small test file, 10 seconds long to see if the quality is suffering, because i push bitrate really low.
It looks good, and i render the lossless files using that bitrate. 15 min before the deadline, the upload is finished, i called him to download and test.
He reporting it can be playback perfectly, i don't know if he use a flashdrive or he's using a DVD-RW. All i know the playback went smoothly.
 

...Phew...
 

You thought the story finished there ? Sadly no..
Here's the really sad part...
About two months later, i hang out with two of my freelance colleagues.
He casually said, "That client complaining about you, he said you ask too much, too technical"
What !!!!!???
The sad thing is, that client is deliberately missing out the whole ordeal about that spec thing. Makes me look incompetent.
And he said that behind my back.
The thing is,..he's kind of a big Event Organizer, so word gets around, i didn't get a job.

I literally save his presentation, saving him from his technical ignorance, but he left out that part when retelling the story to my colleagues.

Well yeah,..life isn't fair.

Anyway OP, i hope it doesn't happen to you or any of you reading this.
It's just..happen..no matter how hard i try to be subtle, polite and keep low profile.

TLDR : Read your client, if he's not technical savvy, export with various spec, just in case.

Note : I don't hold grudge against him. What happen is happen, life goes on...