Ok Vegas 5 is out- what about the upgrade for existing Vegas users?!
 

I see Vegas and Vegas Production Suite (Vegas+DVD) listed on the Sony site.....but where's the "Upgrade"?!

Despite my reservations about DVDA v2, it does appear very economical to upgrade from Vegas 4 to Vegas+DVD Production Suite.

Just to be absolutely clear, I don't own Vegas+DVD, I just own Vegas 4.

As I read it, V4 to V5 is $200. V4 to V+D5 is $300. $100 seems a bargain for for DVDA even if it can't do one of the things I need.

Am I right about the upgrade cost or did I read something wrong?

My personal read on this item:
Upgrade Vegas to Vegas+DVD – from $299.95
Upgrade Vegas Pro, Vegas Audio, Vegas Video, or Vegas 4.0 to Vegas+DVD.

Is that it is an upgrade to the Vegas 4 version of Vegas+DVD. All the V5 upgrades are pretty specific about the version.

I'm thinking to go from V4 to V5+DVDA you spend about $500:
V4->V5 => $200
V5->V5+DVD => $300

Have fun.

Nope - only $300



Upgrade Vegas to Vegas+DVD – from $299.95
Upgrade Vegas Pro, Vegas Audio, Vegas Video, or Vegas 4.0 to Vegas+DVD.

Nick, I think that is a valid reading of the upgrade options and it is one of the reasons I am confused. (I've been trying to call the 800 sales number but it's been busy all morning -- good news for Sony, I'd guess.)

However, on this Sony page you will find the following (emphasis is mine):That would seem to mean that any mention of Vegas+DVD refers to version 5.

This brings up a gripe I've always had with this site, even when it was Sonic Foundry. I think the upgrade options should be listed with the product. If you're on the Vegas+DVD Production Suite page, you should see the price of the product and all possible upgrade paths to that product. No ambiguity in that.

Look at the thread I just started. They DO have upgrade information from many different starting points to many different ending points. You're just looking in the wrong place.

Easy, Edward, your assumption that I was looking in the wrong place is incorrect. I know where the upgrades page is and I read all the options before I posted a word here.

Nick's point is well taken, that these statements seem specific. For example, the V5 to V+D upgrade language says "Upgrade Vegas 5 to Vegas+DVD Production Suite." But the Vegas to Vegas+DVD language says "Upgrade Vegas Pro, Vegas Audio, Vegas Video, or Vegas 4.0 to Vegas+DVD." There is no mention of "Production Suite."

Nonetheless, I'm going to assume that you are correct and that the Web site knows what it's doing when it accepts a previous serial number - I'll order the upgrade.

Thanks for your clarification.

Vegas 5 + DVDA 2 IS the "Production Suite"

(Perhaps poor wording was used on their site)

Total cost of upgrade: $300

<<<-- Originally posted by Edward Troxel : (Perhaps poor wording was used on their site) -->>>

My point. Sony should get rid of that upgrades page and put the links on its product pages.

Thanks for the clarification.
Very cool deal, really.

So ... if you can get Vegas Video 3 off ebay for $50, then upgrade that to V5+DVDA and you've got the whole studio for $350!

Have fun.

Well.... it says "From $299.95" so... from 3 to 5 may cost more than 4 to 5.

Well, the name of the upgrade says "Vegas," not "Vegas 4" and its description says "Vegas Pro, Vegas Audio, Vegas Video, or Vegas 4.0 to Vegas+DVD," which seems to imply a difference between "Vegas Video" and "Vegas 4.0" yet lumps them into the same upgrade category.

If I was Sony, I'd be anxious to rid myself of any sort of support burden for versions prior to 4. This sure would do it. Besides, the more who upgrade to the Vegas big-time, the fewer who are likely to answer the siren call of Adobe and its new .5 release, coincidentally available just today.

I got a mail from Sony today and they offer an upgrade to Vegas 5 for $149. The upgrade to Vegas 5 + DVD Production Suite costs $249. This offer is good until May 31st.

Why are the prices different from your quotes?

Cheers, Peter

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is a registered owner of Vegas Video 3.0. He got an email with the same $149/$249 offer.

When I upgraded and checked out this morning, the invoice showed a cost of $249 and a discount of $50.95.

Will,

is it okay to switch to Vegas 5 in the middle of a Vegas 4 project or could it be trouble loading the thing in V5?

I am a little superstitous (hell, how do you spell that word??)about that.. :))

Cheers, Peter

You need one more i - superstitious.

I did quickly load two v4 projects. They appeared to be okay, but my work in Vegas is not terribly complicated yet. Others with more experience may be better equipped to answer the question.

One thing I did notice is that Vegas 5 does not read Vegas 4 preferences, so it appears I have to set everything up again.

I'm a registered 4.0 user but didn't get any promotional e-mail discount for 5.0; is the $50-off promotion limited to those who bought 4.0 very recently? I don't want to upgrade yet unless I know for sure an e-mail coupon is on the way--or not.

I purchased Vegas 4 a little earlier than a year ago.

@Will

thanks, I guess I'll better wait a little before I mess with my project.

Cheers, Peter

Barry:

You can always call to get the discount. I bought version 4 in Jan 2003 and got the coupon.

Thanks!

Is there a quick summary of the new features? All I found on that link provided is a 63 page in depth look at them. . .just a simple list is all I want.

Yes, just click on on the video/audio etx. features links here:

http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.co...0&keycode=6373

Cheers, Peter

Thanks. . .it looks like they STILL didn't add my Avid/FCP -style scrub tool, and I didn't see anything about fixing that bin management bug from version 4, related to Windows XP, or anything about. . .um. . .I don't know the term for it. . .honest to God EDLs, so you can export and do offline and online edits and all that. . .

And why's it still called Vegas? Everyone who's an industry pro that I talk to laughs when I tell them the name of my NLE, before, of course, they say dismissively "hmm, never heard of it."

Josh, it's time to turn the tables. Perhaps the John McEnroe approach would be best. When they laugh, simply raise your voice and yell "You can't be serious!"

After all, it's their problem that they've never heard of Vegas, not yours for using it.

I think the name should stick. Keeping in mind that we're dealing with Sony, consider that the Sonic Foundry name "Video Factory" was changed to the Sony name "Screenblast Movie Studio." With this sort of naming brilliance, good products can be ruined.

<<<-- Originally posted by Josh Bass : Thanks. . .it looks like they STILL didn't add my Avid/FCP -style scrub tool, and I didn't see anything about fixing that bin management bug from version 4, related to Windows XP, or anything about. . .um. . .I don't know the term for it. . .honest to God EDLs, so you can export and do offline and online edits and all that. . . -->>>

You can now grab the cursor and scrub the timeline without creating a selection area. Not sure if that's exactly the "Avid/FCP - style scrub tool" but it IS a new option inVegas.

Not exactly sure what you mean about the "bin management bug" but there ARE new features such as the ability to create sub-clips.

EDL support is still limited. Hopefully more will be supported via scripting.

There's another thread, I believe I started it, where a bug is discussed, possibly unique to Win XP, where when you put stuff in bins, it doesn't stay there! You can carefully organize your bins by scene, or date, or whatever, and then, when you come back the next day, they're all screwed up, with the same stuff in every bin, or everything moved around.

Reply to Josh and Will:

Am I the only one who 1. Doesn't give a squat about what it's named....and 2. Could care less whether people in the "industry" haven't heard of Vegas.

The people who care more about what an NLE is called or it's recognition by the industry surely have missed the point. What the program can do- and how well the program can allow you to work creatively without bounds is what's important. Vegas has done a better job of this than any NLE...even IF it was called Sony Super Screen-Blast Mega Suite, means no difference to me.

Glen, you are right, the name means nothing to me or to anyone who is already using the product.

However, the name means a lot when it comes to marketing and expanding the user base of this or any product. My point about Video Factory was that it was a name with some brand recognition and it was changed to a rather bland, generic name - Movie Studio. Those are potential Vegas users because the UI is almost identical. Where is the marketing tie-in between the pro version that you and I use and the junior version that the mass market might use? If there was going to be a name change anyway, wouldn't a tie-in have helped?

The extent to which Vegas commands market share is the extent to which after-market products and support will be available. Anything that expands the after-market is good for all of us who use Vegas.

In that context, recognized names are important. Whether one happens to like the name or not, I for one would be very wary of changing it.

Well, I guess this is my take on it, then, and I'd appreciate non-aggressive responses--I'm simply stating facts here. I've been trying to get full-time work in "the industry" for a while now, and some of the positions I've applied for also want someone with editing experience. Now, I HAVE worked with FCP and Avid before, so I can say I'm "familiar" with them, and it's not totally a lie. But I've been with Vegas for about two years. However, no one to whom I apply for a position knows about Vegas or cares, they want to hear that I know Premiere, Media 100, Avid, FCP, something like that. . .that's where I'm coming from. When I mention this "Vegas" business, I think they take that to mean that I have no "real" non-linear editing experience. . .I guess they think it's like one of the consumer editors, like imovie or something. All I'm saying is, to me, the name doesn't really sell the product as hyper-pro; it sounds very consumer-y.

Anyway, that's all. Sorry to disrupt the thread. Continue onward.

I understand the point your trying to make- however even for me as a consumer my choice to move to Vegas had nothing to do with it's name. I tried out Vegas (and subsequently purchased it) on reputation alone.

Maybe the whole name game might play a part into consumer marketing where the purchaser doesn't know much about the NLE package he/she is purchasing, and the choice is based on visual appeal and perhaps name. However I don't think any consumer shooting "home videos" is even going to be shopping for an NLE in this price class. Vegas makes no quams about who it's marketing it to- and it's definitly not Uncle Joe with his first DV cam editing cousin Mikey's birthday. When someone is shopping for NLEs in Vegas's class they obviously are after professional features and are a bit more accomplished than an average consumer, thus things like the interface looking "cool" or the name of the product sounding sweeter to the ears is a non-issue.

Josh, changing the name isn't going to make it appear more professional. These employers in the "industry" have blinders on and only stick to Avid/FCP/PPro. The only thing that's going to get Vegas more recognition is time. You have to understand Vegas was an audio editing program only a few years ago- where FCP/Avid/PPro have been true NLEs since their inception. The longer Vegas is around and continues to innovate the more attention is going to draw and the more it's going to be a staple in the high end NLE market. Soon enough people like these employers you speak of will have to recognize Vegas. The momentum has already begun (at least I hope).
You and I both know the fact they don't acknowledge Vegas as a pro NLE doesn't dispute the fact it truely is. All I am saying is if your main worries are your employers recognizing your Vegas experience as true NLE experience then nothing is going to change that right now- not even a more "Pro" sounding name.

Good luck- have fun!

<<<-- Originally posted by Josh Bass : Well, I guess this is my take on it, then, and I'd appreciate non-aggressive responses--I'm simply stating facts here. I've been trying to get full-time work in "the industry" for a while now, and some of the positions I've applied for also want someone with editing experience. Now, I HAVE worked with FCP and Avid before, so I can say I'm "familiar" with them, and it's not totally a lie. But I've been with Vegas for about two years. However, no one to whom I apply for a position knows about Vegas or cares, they want to hear that I know Premiere, Media 100, Avid, FCP, something like that. . .that's where I'm coming from. When I mention this "Vegas" business, I think they take that to mean that I have no "real" non-linear editing experience. . .I guess they think it's like one of the consumer editors, like imovie or something. All I'm saying is, to me, the name doesn't really sell the product as hyper-pro; it sounds very consumer-y.

Anyway, that's all. Sorry to disrupt the thread. Continue onward. -->>>

Ah. That's a horse of a different color, Josh. Now I understand your predicament.

I'm not from the video world, I'm from the software world. Early in my career, I used programming languages that were developed by the group I eventually led. These were excellent programming languages, sophisticated tools that allowed our company to create products that kept us very far ahead of the competition. Those languages were not C, C++, Basic, VB, Java, or any other programming language you might have heard about. We were using these tools before C was even invented.

Imagine how this sounded later in my career, or how it must sound even now! I remember once when a manager at one of my clients reacted with hostility when he learned I'd never written a production piece of C++. Four hours later I found a significant bug in their C++ code. Shut him up pretty quick.

The trick is not to let the conversation devolve into a battle of checklists. A recruiter, or even a manager doing an interview, gets a good feeling when there are more checks on the list. But you and I know that it's not the checklist that counts, it's the results. The real point is not what programming language I used or what NLE you used, but what we did with those tools.

You have to find some techniques to switch the topic of conversation from checklists to results. Do you have samples of your work? Perhaps you can make a DVD of samples, then take it and one of those portable players with you on the interview. Show the result. Provide some commentary while it's playing. Get your target looking at what you can do, not how you did it.

I think if you can demonstrate sophistication in skills and some experience (no matter how small) with the desired editor, you'll do okay. Just don't let the checklist rule the day.

Good point Will, however many of these editing houses ONLY have AVID or ONLY have FCP etc....beings he's looking to work for them he'd have to work on their workstations. I doubt they'd let him bring a copy of Vegas to install...lol. It's a tough situation and as reluctant as I am to say it the best thing to do is learn one of these NLE's extensively. If it's Premiere Pro they need you to learn- learn Premiere Pro. When it comes down to it- your income is more important than the NLE you choose. Especially in your situation where it's expected you work on these types of NLEs.
My situation is different, I do event videography. My house is my studio so I work on whatever NLE I choose- thus the reason I happily chose Vegas. Thankfully I don't have to worry about couples asking about my "Avid" experience prior to booking their wedding. :)

Glen, right again. But Josh has experience with other NLEs. He's just not getting the chance to prove he can do the work. I'm not suggesting missionary work to show the unbelievers the true path or anything like that.

So Sony should tack "Pro" onto the end of the name? :D

Boys, boys. . .sorry to sidetrack the thread. I just wanted to know about the new features. . .and here we find ourselves over the river and through the woods in the lovely sunny town of Tangentville.

Josh, the scrubbing is pretty cool, you merely point to the blinking line on the timeline and go either way. Works well.