If you bought Vegas Pro directly from Sony, your purchase included DVD Architect Pro. You didn't need to buy it separately (in fact, DVD Architect Pro isn't sold separately). When you received your serial number for Vegas Pro, you also received one for DVD Architect Pro -- which version depends on when you bought Vegas Pro. Either way, that serial number is good for both DVD Architect Pro 4.5 and 5.0.

Check your Software page to see what programs you have registered and the serial numbers associated with it. If you don't see a number for DVD Architect Pro, check the e-mail you received after you bought Vegas Pro 8 (the one with your serial numbers).

Rob

OK, thanks... I did not buy it directly from Sony, but from a retailer. I did of course get the disk (one disk), but don't remember seeing it on there. Obviously Sony's way of rewarding direct purchases. I believe I bought Cinescore right from them (it was quite some time ago), and I bought DVDA Studio from Sony just this past week.

Is the feature set for the Pro version of DVDA much more significant that that of the Studio version?

Thanks again for the answer. I will check the materials I got from the retailer--I may have simply missed it, and purchased DVDA Studio unnecessarily.

TB

Well, that's the problem. I checked my documentation, and I did not receive any DVDA Pro materials. I received the Sony Vegas Pro v8 disk in a sealed sleeve, and a manual. And in the manual, sure enough, it says it should include DVDA Pro--but when I explored the Vegas Pro disk, I didn't see anything referencing that application. And the little slip of paper that is inside the disk sleeve only has the printed serial number for Vegas Pro on it--nothing about DVDA Pro. So maybe I am still missing it on the disk somehow, but I doubt it.

When I check my download section, it does NOT include any serial number for DVDA Pro, only Vegas Pro, Cinescore and DVDA Studio. But I guess that makes sense though, because if I bought the software from a retailer on ebay but never installed a component (DVDA Pro, for example), how would Sony ever have a serial number on file for that application in my name?

I must say...what a helpful feature though--the "My Software" section. I never even knew that was on the site until recently. Very helpful site, Sony. But I guess it's DVDA Studio only for me, apparently. It seems to be a very powerful application though, and I obviously have a lot to learn about using it.

Thanks for the help.

TB

How much did you pay for Vegas Pro and where from?

When you buy directly from Sony, you get a Vegas Pro + DVD Architect Pro package. (They used to call it Vegas+DVD to differentiate it from just buying Vegas by itself. They no longer sell Vegas by itself, so now they just call the package Vegas Pro. They have never sold DVD Architect by itself, though they do now sell DVD Architect Studio by itself. Confused yet? ;)

At any rate, apparently they have made it possible for third party retailers to sell Vegas Pro by itself. This usually goes for around $130, though that can vary. Those same retailers generally sell Vegas Pro with DVD Architect for around $500. Even if you bought the "cheaper" package, the manual will probably still mention DVD Architect because i doubt Sony went to the trouble of creating different manuals.

When you installed Vegas Pro, where did you get the serial number that you entered? Was it in an e-mail or on a card or manual? If it was an e-mail, then that same e-mail would indicate whether your purchase included DVD Architect.

You can also check the listing for the item where you bought it. If your purchase includes DVD Architect, the listing should say so. (Though even that, some retailers have gotten wrong.)

Rob

I bought Vegas Pro from a retailer on ebay, and paid about $200 (or so) for it... I cannot recall for sure as it was about 6-8 months ago. But the guy's ebay store said something to the effect of "authorized retailer of Sony software" or something like like. I emailed him and questioned him, as the Sony price was quite a bit higher at the time. I also wanted to verify that this wasn't an academic copy, and it wasn't. I also wanted to verify that the software had never been registered. He emailed back and verified that it wasn't academic, nor had it been registered--in other words, it was new. At the time I didn't know enough about Sony Vegas Pro to know what came with it, and what you had to buy in addition. I knew I would have to buy Cinescore, as the website indicated that. And I saw that DVDA was listed on the Sony site, so I probably never asked about that application either. Satisfied that the seller was on the up & up (his feedback was excellent, as I recall), I bought the software.

So when I got the disk, it came with a small manual and was in a sealed sleeve. Inside the sleeve was a small sheet with the Vegas serial number, and an alternate registration number that was much longer. The sleeve looked intact, and looked to have never been opened. I opened it and installed VP v8a, and it gave me the option to upgrade to v8b, which I did right after registering. I have used it a few times since, as I had some surgery this summer and haven't been well enough to start learning the software. It wasn't until last week when I got a new PC with a Quad core CPU that I reinstalled it on the new machine (other machine is dead) and started to use it.

If I missed out on DVDA Pro because I bought a stand-alone Vegas product, then so be it. I apparently saved quite a bit of money on the application, so I think it's only right that I should now have to buy DVDA. The only thing was that I was confused between the Studio and Pro versions; especially given the fact that the Pro version isn't even referenced on the Sony site...lol. If given the option, I would have bought the Pro version, but since I didn't have the option, I will settle for the Studio version I guess. But at this level of my ability with the software, I don't feel it's a big problem.

Are there significant differences between the two versions?

Thanks.

TB

I've never used DVD Architect Studio, so I'm not really sure of the differences. You can look at the description of DVD Architect Pro and compare it to what your DVD Architect Studio has. I think that most of the things listed there are not part of Studio, but I'm not sure.

Rob

Thanks for the post.

I read that description but to be honest I am not sure what the Studio version offers, so I don't think I would know how much I am missing out on! Does anyone from Sony read any of these threads? Maybe someone could chime in and comment on the differences in the two version.

Having said that I will freely admit that it's unlikely that I would ever use the DVDA software to it's full potential anyway--I just don't that much with DVD authoring. I have the full versions of Vegas Pro and Cinescore, and I will be lucky to get up to speed on those. And my focus is primarily on audio with SONAR and Pro Tools...so there's those to learn. Oh boy...lots to do.

Anyway, thanks for the help guys. Maybe someday the Pro version of DVDA will become available--like maybe when a version 9 of Vegad Pro is released, and there's an upgrade fee. Then I would likely just buy right from Sony, and ask them about getting the Pro version of DVDA at that time.

Tom

You could contact them and inquire how much it would cost to add DVDA Pro to your Vegas Pro. Sony's pretty reasonable in accommodating customers. They might give you a deal.

Rob

That might be worthwhile I suppose, thanks for the idea.

TB

Well, I took the advice given here and submitted a request to Customer Service asking to possibly purchase DVDA Pro and the AC-3 encoding software. I am not sure they'll oblige me, but it's certainly worth a try.

When I purchased the software I didn't really understand what it was that I *should* be getting...I didn't know what I didn't know, for the most part. I made a mistake by not buying the other two apps I mentioned above, but I am not sure how big of a deal it will be now. I still don't know by how much the Studio and Pro versions of DVDA differ. And quite frankly, I am not even sure of the value of the AC-3 encoding application, but as long as I am asking for one I may as well ask for the other, lol.

Thanks again for all the help folks.

Tom