C'Mon, its killing me. I want to know what I am missing out on.
OT: So Whats the life changing announcement?
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TheHappyFriar
wrote on 4/28/2006, 10:46 AM
i think they bought SF's software division to have the consumer level stuff. It's been ~ 2 years already & I get more catalogs (I get 3 at a time!) but i don't notice it any more then before. Only thing we're still worried about if it they'll pull it out from under us, then we'd be SOL because of the required registeration.
Where's the love sony!
Where's the love sony!
randy-stewart
wrote on 4/28/2006, 11:11 AM
Guys,
A Sony VP announced the new Vegas certification program at the Vegas Users party. Vegas was demonstrated at the Sony booth right along with the other NLE's (no less, no more). I see many new full page adds in the major video magazines devoted exclusively to Vegas/DVDA. Lots of money being spent on promotion. With these actions and more that I haven't seen going on, it doesn't sound like Sony is getting ready to dump Vegas. It's my belief that this year (and every year in the future) will be a big one for Vegas. The future looks very bright. Hang in there, I'm confident Vegas will be around for a long time :-).
Randy
A Sony VP announced the new Vegas certification program at the Vegas Users party. Vegas was demonstrated at the Sony booth right along with the other NLE's (no less, no more). I see many new full page adds in the major video magazines devoted exclusively to Vegas/DVDA. Lots of money being spent on promotion. With these actions and more that I haven't seen going on, it doesn't sound like Sony is getting ready to dump Vegas. It's my belief that this year (and every year in the future) will be a big one for Vegas. The future looks very bright. Hang in there, I'm confident Vegas will be around for a long time :-).
Randy
Yoyodyne
wrote on 4/28/2006, 11:27 AM
Just wanted to chime in on the Sony support of Vegas at NAB. This was my first NAB (Holy crap - talk about information overload!) and I was also pretty disapointed with the lack of Vegas presence..well pretty much anywhere...
There were so many sexy NLE set ups, Premiere Pro running on an AJA box at the Apple booth - 2 big apple displays and playing back friggin' gorgeous HD on a big Plasma, my jaw was on the floor. I looked all over and could only find Vegas running on a laptop and also on a machine that was demoing Cinescore (which looks incredibly cool by the way) at the Sony booth.
It seems to me that Vegas is definetely a major player in the NLE community as far as online presence goes, it has a very active and vocal user base. It also seems to be one of the major players in the industry - so I was a bit shocked at how it was totally un-promoted at NAB. To be honest it kind of freaked me out a bit - I was hoping to see some sexy Vegas set ups and get some tips and ideas for hardware/raid/etc configs.
It's such an amazing program - seems a shame...
There were so many sexy NLE set ups, Premiere Pro running on an AJA box at the Apple booth - 2 big apple displays and playing back friggin' gorgeous HD on a big Plasma, my jaw was on the floor. I looked all over and could only find Vegas running on a laptop and also on a machine that was demoing Cinescore (which looks incredibly cool by the way) at the Sony booth.
It seems to me that Vegas is definetely a major player in the NLE community as far as online presence goes, it has a very active and vocal user base. It also seems to be one of the major players in the industry - so I was a bit shocked at how it was totally un-promoted at NAB. To be honest it kind of freaked me out a bit - I was hoping to see some sexy Vegas set ups and get some tips and ideas for hardware/raid/etc configs.
It's such an amazing program - seems a shame...
rextilleon
wrote on 4/28/2006, 2:32 PM
Are you guys telling me that Sony didn't have any showgirls (play on "Vegas) doing a sexy dance, seductively touching Vegas boxes?
deusx
wrote on 4/29/2006, 8:42 AM
Yoiu only need big ass displays and hype if you have no substance.
Therefore Apple and Adobe have to do it, Sony doesn't.
This is very similar to people moaning about Acid, then Version 6 came out. With Vegas though, it already is better than those other guys. Maybe some improvements with HD, but there really isn''t much you can do on any other NLE ( reasonably priced ) that you couldn't do almost twice as fast with Vegas ( confirmed by every other editor who spent time and actually learned Vegas, FCP and a few others ).
For every feature/advantage some of those NLE apps have, there are 2 or 3 disadvantages ( compared to Vegas ), and it seems that a lot of people just look at new features/announcements, but forget all of the baggage left over from previous versions of those apps.
Therefore Apple and Adobe have to do it, Sony doesn't.
This is very similar to people moaning about Acid, then Version 6 came out. With Vegas though, it already is better than those other guys. Maybe some improvements with HD, but there really isn''t much you can do on any other NLE ( reasonably priced ) that you couldn't do almost twice as fast with Vegas ( confirmed by every other editor who spent time and actually learned Vegas, FCP and a few others ).
For every feature/advantage some of those NLE apps have, there are 2 or 3 disadvantages ( compared to Vegas ), and it seems that a lot of people just look at new features/announcements, but forget all of the baggage left over from previous versions of those apps.
johnmeyer
wrote on 4/29/2006, 9:14 AM
You only need big ass displays and hype if you have no substance.
Not true. Both Apple and Adobe have solid products with their good and bad points, just like Vegas. The reason they have a huge multiple of Vegas' market share is that they DO market and hype their products in a consistent and professional way. Sony's marketing of Vegas is virtually non-existent. Whether or not they have a big presence at NAB might not be such a big deal if they had a presence elsewhere. No company can have a huge marketing presence in all venues. The question is, where else does Sony's marketing of Vegas dominate? The answer, of course, is no where. Print media, Internet ads, joint marketing ventures, cross promotions, retail presence -- I could go on, but the point is, their product marketing is basically non-existent. I am not sure they even have a product manager. If they do, he or she is not earning their salary.
Now Dave Hill and the engineering team are a different story. I have never met him, but I have had a few brief email exchanges, and this guy is dead on. He's good, and he knows what he's doing. With a decent product marketing team to help prioritize features, garner third-party support to fill the inevitable gaps that any product has (especially for niche markets), and create a formidable marketing presence, Vegas could easily become the darling of the industry.
The way you do this is well-known, but in case Sony marketing hasn't figure it out, it goes like this:
1. You identify the "burning bush" (the oracle) of video editing. Who is the one person (usually an analyst) who people take the most seriously? Perhaps there are two or three such people.
2. You bring that person "into the fold" by soliciting their input on new features, and giving them an advance view of everything you are doing.
3. When you release a new product, you go on your press tour, and you have in your press kit quotes from this analyst. Since most of the press merely re-cast your press release and are too lazy to do anything more than call to get a few quotes from a few industry analysts that they can insert into the re-cast press release, the most likely person they will call is the person you have been dealing with.
4. You follow up each article with phone calls. Those calls are not made by the PR person, but instead by the Product Manager. The PM calls whether the article was favorable or not. If errors have been made, you make sure they are corrected. If the reviewer legitimately didn't like certain things about the product, you listen and take notes.
5. You assign a person full-time to manage third-party developer relations. You forge alliances with companies that make products that enhance what you are doing, even if other parts of their company compete with yours. No company -- even Apple or Adobe -- can make it all on their own. Certainly they didn't get big all by themselves.
This is basic stuff. Every product manager should not only know this, but should be practicing it. If they aren't doing it, they should get another job.
[Edit] If you happen to know the name of the Sony Product Manager, Google that name along with "Sony Vegas." You'll get 113 hits. Then Google "Charlie Russell" and Avid (Russell is their product manager). You'll get 751 hits. For Adobe, you have to include several names because there are so many that have talked to the press in the past few years whose titles include "product manager." I included several names and ended up with 922 hits. Thus, the product management presence is almost a full order of magnitude (factor of 10, for those not in engineering) larger at these two other companies.
Not true. Both Apple and Adobe have solid products with their good and bad points, just like Vegas. The reason they have a huge multiple of Vegas' market share is that they DO market and hype their products in a consistent and professional way. Sony's marketing of Vegas is virtually non-existent. Whether or not they have a big presence at NAB might not be such a big deal if they had a presence elsewhere. No company can have a huge marketing presence in all venues. The question is, where else does Sony's marketing of Vegas dominate? The answer, of course, is no where. Print media, Internet ads, joint marketing ventures, cross promotions, retail presence -- I could go on, but the point is, their product marketing is basically non-existent. I am not sure they even have a product manager. If they do, he or she is not earning their salary.
Now Dave Hill and the engineering team are a different story. I have never met him, but I have had a few brief email exchanges, and this guy is dead on. He's good, and he knows what he's doing. With a decent product marketing team to help prioritize features, garner third-party support to fill the inevitable gaps that any product has (especially for niche markets), and create a formidable marketing presence, Vegas could easily become the darling of the industry.
The way you do this is well-known, but in case Sony marketing hasn't figure it out, it goes like this:
1. You identify the "burning bush" (the oracle) of video editing. Who is the one person (usually an analyst) who people take the most seriously? Perhaps there are two or three such people.
2. You bring that person "into the fold" by soliciting their input on new features, and giving them an advance view of everything you are doing.
3. When you release a new product, you go on your press tour, and you have in your press kit quotes from this analyst. Since most of the press merely re-cast your press release and are too lazy to do anything more than call to get a few quotes from a few industry analysts that they can insert into the re-cast press release, the most likely person they will call is the person you have been dealing with.
4. You follow up each article with phone calls. Those calls are not made by the PR person, but instead by the Product Manager. The PM calls whether the article was favorable or not. If errors have been made, you make sure they are corrected. If the reviewer legitimately didn't like certain things about the product, you listen and take notes.
5. You assign a person full-time to manage third-party developer relations. You forge alliances with companies that make products that enhance what you are doing, even if other parts of their company compete with yours. No company -- even Apple or Adobe -- can make it all on their own. Certainly they didn't get big all by themselves.
This is basic stuff. Every product manager should not only know this, but should be practicing it. If they aren't doing it, they should get another job.
[Edit] If you happen to know the name of the Sony Product Manager, Google that name along with "Sony Vegas." You'll get 113 hits. Then Google "Charlie Russell" and Avid (Russell is their product manager). You'll get 751 hits. For Adobe, you have to include several names because there are so many that have talked to the press in the past few years whose titles include "product manager." I included several names and ended up with 922 hits. Thus, the product management presence is almost a full order of magnitude (factor of 10, for those not in engineering) larger at these two other companies.