Why CS4?
 

I have been curious about Windows 7 and that has lead me down the path of contemplating other upgrades as well.

The first consideration is the move to 64-bit. With a Core 2 Duo Extreme, I don't exactly have the ultimate hardware to take advantage, but it would be nice to have all of my 4gb of RAM utilized, with the option of adding more later.

I am currently running CS3 on a Win XP Pro 32-bit box. Stability is livable.

So the question becomes, what advantages will CS4 offer me over and above CS3? Keeping in mind, I would be taking an immediate step backwards given the lack of realtime Cineform support....and, given Adobe's approach, I have to wonder if that is going to devolve into a permanent situation. Is there any sign of that issue being resolved? At this point, why should anyone expect that is going to change?

I know there are others out there at the same crossroads that I find myself at.

I'm even taking a closer look at running Vegas under 64-bit. I have version 8, and the reviews are mixed on version 9. At best, it is still an NLE lacking the realtime support which I already have with CS3.

Windows 7 sounds like a winner, so I think that is a good move from XP, especially with its built in XP support.

Can't say the same for CS4, even if Cineform were fully supported, I have yet to find any compelling new features over and above CS3. All I hear is sluggish performance and other compatibility issues. After Effects in CS4/64-bit would probably be nice I suppose.

So I ask, why CS4?

I've been asking the same question. I'm still on CS3. I'm happily working with Win7 64bit as well as my XP installation, and I reckon I'll definitely take this opportunity to go 64bit, but since there seems to be so much trouble with third party support and CS4 (I'm using Cineform, Blackmagic, and Magic Bullet) I thinking maybe I can hang on until CS5 (I missed out CS2, as well) in the hope that there won't be the same problems next time around.
Ian

Ian... are you running a dual-boot configuration with Win 7 / XP Pro?

What of the XP mode within Windows 7? Any firsthand thoughts?

Yes, I'm running dual-boot. I don't quite see the need for the virtual xp mode in this context (though I use virtual machines for other things). I admit I haven't tried it.

In XP, the Blackmagic drivers can act as a second video card and I drag the program monitor in Premiere to my HDSDI screen to get nearly 1920x1080 playback, since we can't yet output Cineform through Blackmagic. Those drivers don't work on Vista and Win7, so it has to be real XP.
Ian

I'm running CS3 with ProspectHD on a dual-boot XP 32-bit / Windows 7RC.

But I no longer ever boot into XP.....the only problem I had with the Windows 7 install was needing to install my network card drivers in XP compatibility mode. Everything else works fine with Vista64 drivers.

(Admittedly I just use a GeForce card and LCDs to monitor - no Matrox or Blackmagic hardware.)

And like you guys, wondering what CS4 would offer (but only when Cineform and Colorista work fully with it).

Graham... are you running 64-bit with your Windows 7?

Truth is, for the day to day grunt work of editing, CS4 just doesn't seem to really be much advantage, but just lots of headaches. Like we need more of those...

We're actually still doing fine with two XP x64 machines and a XP 32bit, but the one x64 is suffering from having CS4 and I very much regret having gotten it for that ws. We'd have been better off just with CS3. It really just doesn't show enough cost/benefit yet in retrospect, to have qualified it as a "good deal".

If we had a LOT more ram, we'd maybe gain some benefit with AE and concurrency, but for the most part, it just feels somewhat like a ripoff. At least I feel ripped off. That might change if things ever get sorted out, but so far...it feels like Adobe ripped us off and continues to do so with their unwillingness to work with important software vendor/developers like CF.

The 500 lb gorilla may lose more of his bananas if he doesn't change his ways in today's tight markets!

Marty many of the apps I have running, including CS3, are 32-bit however the operating system itself and the drivers are 64-bit.

(I don't think there'll be a 32-bit version of Windows 7; certainly the Release Candidate is 64-bit).

Stephen- I just finished a 30 min project on CS4/ PHD 4 and I must say it was smooth sailing. However, the things that impressed me the most probably had more to do with Vista 64, 12 GB RAM, and Intel i7 than with CS4 per se. The system was rock stable- not a single crash, lock-up, or shut down. I never rendered any effects, pan n' scan stills, CC, etc., yet it would preview the red lines in RT. I'm still having some CF snags- AME would not render out to CFHD.avi movie, but AME easily rendered the timeline directly to Blu Ray h.264 in less than 1:4 realtime, driving all 8 cores at 80% & using a total of 6.5 GB RAM.
After all of the instability & work arounds I had with XP 32/ CS3, I'm a happy camper. Even with CF still not complete for CS4, it was still the easiest HD editing experience I've had so far.

I have to admit that moving across to Vista x64 has made my After Effects experience in particularly immeasurably superior. The additional RAM makes a big difference, even though I'm fairly certain the app itself is only 32-bit.

It's really insightful to hear from the brave souls who are blazing new trails with CS4, Win 7, 64-bit, etc.

I am leaning towards a CS3 setup under Win 7, 64-bit.

I have read some instances here where some have installed alternate OS on a separate (swappable) physical drive. I like that idea if it helps avoid driver conflicts, etc... but how does that work with licenses, either Adobe, Cineform, or others? Does it still read that it is installed on the same machine and activation is not an issue?

Should licenses be deactivated from one drive to the next if swapped for use, or can both installations remain active?