Vegas & Sony news
 

Sony has moved the sales and marketing of Vegas from the Sony Pictures Group to the Sony Electronics Div. In the long term this should be a fantastic move for the future of Vegas. Short term - it means that you are going to have to pay more in 2004 for Vegas. Sony Electronics is changing the distribution model and as a result, many discounts now offered to dealers will vanish.

We've got a limited supply of Vegas left. When it is sold through, we will have to raise our prices by as much as $200. If you've got friends thinking about going the Vegas way, tell them to hurry on over. Or they'll be spending much more.

http://www.videoguys.com/vegasvideo.html

Gary
Videoguys.com

This isn't actually raising the price by $200, it is eliminating the discount that was created when the product was released. But, Gary is right. Jump in now, the water is perfect. :)

Good point. As i said, long term I think this is going to be great for Vegas & Sony. The more profitable they can make it, the more they can and will pour back into marketing and engineering. Vegas is still the best kept secret in the industry.

I just hope that SONY isn't aiming too high on the new pricing model. As was pointed out, list prices stay the same, but the discounts are different as is the supply chain. The result will be higher street prices.

Gary
Videoguys.com

Gary, why do you say this will be good for the long-term future of Vegas?

Because I think the biggest thing that was holding Vegas back was a lack of marketing and sales. Not efforts, but $$$$. It ain't cheap to take on Adobe & Avid & Pinnacle & Apple.

Sony knows how to market, and they know how to tell a story. Sony also wants to try and move the app upstream for their higher end gear. So that means plenty of engineering.

I'm still not sure if the higher pricing model will hold. To me one of the biggest advantages of vegas is the value. At $499 Vegas4+DVD is simply an incredible offer. At $699 or higher you start going head to head with Xpress DV, Edition, the Adobe Collection and the RTX.100.

Time will tell. For now it looks like 2004 is going to be the test for Vegas.

Gary
Videoguys.com

I think if they offer some features most want with DVDA (multiple audio streams, linking, programatic in and out points) in version 2, then Vegas+DVD can ride very well at the $700-800 level.

<<<-- Originally posted by Joe Sacher : I think if they offer some features most want with DVDA (multiple audio streams, linking, programatic im and out points) in version 2, then Vegas+DVD can ride very well at the $700-800 level. -->>>

I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with. I'm sure they've taken the many forum comments to heart.

I'm not sure Sony knows how to market software at this price point, by which I mean $100 to $999. Come to think of it, I'm not sure Sony knows how to market software at all.

I am not impressed by Sony's efforts with Screenblast Movie Studio, nee Video Factory. That could be a hot property, but it doesn't stack up against the incredibly buggy Studio 8 from Pinnacle. Sony's big action to date has been to rebrand, rename, and throw in a 3rd-party, low-end DVD authoring program. So here's a great entry program with stable code and an excellent pedigree that Sony has controlled for over a year, and where is it? Who's got the market share in the under-$100 segment?

Listen, I'm glad for anything that boosts Vegas. And I'll believe it when I see it.

I agree, I have serious doubts about Sonys' willingness to heavily market a product that doesn't bring in multiple thousands of dollars at a pop.

Yeah, a fantastic move if you want to encourage more people to just get pirated versions.

There's been recent discussion regarding the reported Vegas price increase on the Vegas-Video forum at Sony's web site. The discussion has been interesting. "Spot" has posted some remarkable insight into this discussion which I think is well worth the read.


http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=236329


Ted

I don't think I'd expect anything but the sunny side from Douglas Spotted Eagle. He does have a significant vested interest.

His comments focused on the Sony people and how excited and committed they are. I don't doubt that for a second. That's not the issue.

My reaction is almost entirely based on what's happened to Video Factory so far, which is essentially nothing. Sony has enormous expertise selling to the broad consumer market, an expertise that isn't visible with Screenblast Movie Studio. It's so bad that Sony's competitive comparison chart just flat out lies, especially by making it appear that Pinnacle Studio does not have DVD authoring when in fact Studio's authoring is superior (albeit buggy).

I just wish we had a clear statement of intent from Sony regarding Vegas. Who knows? Maybe they're excited because they plan to integrate the software into their professional broadcast solution set. That would give them the profitable top of the market and the huge bottom of the market; the middle market is always the toughest, anyway.

Sounds like bah humbug. I promise not to make another disparaging remark about Sony until Friday. I did just buy a new Sony DVD player for my wife and I; it's great! 'Course, the old Sony DVD player died, which is why I needed a replacement...

Happy holidays!
Will

You also have to remember it's only been about 8-9 months since Vegas 4 was released. Requests such as "Vegas 5 : Tell us what you need" http://www.mediasoftware.sonypicture...ies=164&Page=1 indicate they are actively seeking user wants for Vegas 5.

I went to a Del McCoury concert last month. During the performance, he mentioned that he'd heard a few requests and then he listened as the audience called out tunes. Then he appeared to respond to those requests.

Turns out he actually plays a fixed set. The "requests" thing is just part of the show, pretty effective at that.

Don't get me wrong, I love McCoury. It's just that I'll believe it when I see it.

On the other hand, I should add my two cents to that thread...

I don't mind a price increase at all. As long as the features and value of the software increase too. We need to remember, Sony is a public corp and is required to make a profit or get rid of things that cause them to lose money. And it is underpriced for what you get.

So are they are doing the right things. I just hope they play well with the competition (I mean with supporting competitors cameras).

The only real fear I've heard from people is that Vegas will become a Sony only product. I don't think that will happen.