That is what I said all the time. An external supplier like proDAD cannot gurantee something for the future of Vegas, since they do not have that in their hands.

@Wolfgang S., whilst an external supplier might not be able to guarantee future functionality with the host, they Do already know if their current plugin version is indeed locked to a specific host version or not, hence certainly will not work witch a future version. I'm no programmer, but since other plugins still work, I would assume, as long as you adhere to OFX API revision guidelines, you should be fairly safe to say that your plugin will work with a different (updated) host.

What happened with ProDAD with VP14, my guess is, they saw an opportunity for future revenue when a future Vegas version would be released, which was about a year's time. But I guess they asked Magix to fork out some extra $$ for licensing, and I assume Magix wasn't keen, hence the no-show inVP15, and customers hanging dry and taken randsome instead.

For my part, 2 things would need to happen for this 'annual trialware' business to disappear:

1. Transparency and full Disclosure for OFX products at Point-of-sale whether they are version locked or not, and

2. A better commitment from Magix, if they plug their programming deficiencies with 3rd party software, then they also should continue supporting this software until they have an inhouse solution for the problem (ie. better native titler, stabilization, etc..) only then should the3rd party be dropped.

I could even imagine a 'pledge-based option-model' for native plugins: pay Magix reduced $ for a particular plugin development in advance, and own/unlock it as a 'pay-extra-for' option for the rest of your life once it becomes a reality.

While the wishes for transparency are understandable from the users perspective, you should have learned by now that plugins in bundled products may have restrictions, maybe because they are cheaper compared to the isolated purchase of the single components of the bundle.

And with all your assumptions and beliefs about who was looking here for $$ - at the end of the day every companie has to make earnings to stay in business. And I am happy if they make their earnings - because I want to see ongoing updates for Vegas Pro 15 and later Vegas Pro 16.

The only point you can take is to think about what that means for your own purchasing decision.

Should have learned? Have learned, the hard way. By being burnt. What that means for Vegas? My hesitant willingness to spend those $ for those bundles. Even though I want to support the business. Can I trust the ethics of this business align with my way of thinking? Not sure. I guess future actions will tell.

To see that from an emotional or ethical point of view in this type of business will bring you nowhere, I am afraid.

For sure you can think about to churn to other suppliers like Adobe or Grass Valley, in some aspects they may be better measured on your values and beliefs, in other they may be worser. That is up to you only. I for example have also licenses for Edius and Resolve Studio, and are keen to see what the upcoming Edius 9 will add in terms of HDR capabilities (I think they publish that today). I had also the Catalyst, but since I do not like subscriptions I have ended that, even if the Catalyst works great with my Sony FS7 footage (reading the Sony XAVC metadata). And also Adobe has a no-go from my side - simply because I do not want to spend here month per month money, and if I end the subscription I would loose the capability to edit all my old projects? THAT cannot be - no way.

So my cental assessment is not so much about an simple plugin - that I have but tend not to use really, since my understanding is that I should shoot the footage that it does not require stabilisation at all, what I do not see as best practice. My assessment is more about how much value the core of the story - and that is Vegas - will add to my needs and requirements.

Beside all of that I love the Vegas editior, since that is still superior to all the other editors that I know and have tested. So it is important to me that the develop Vegas further, because I would like to use it in future also for HDR (and the prepartions steps like ACES 1.0 and the huge support for my v-log and s-log files is great for me).

So it is up to you, it is a "free" world.

Here's the current status with NewBlue bundles:

1. Vegas Pro 14 bundle - will currently get a watermark in Vegas Pro 15. I am asking to get this changed and, if I succeed, I will certainly announce on the forum with a link to the update versions.

2. Vegas Pro 15 bundle - will work in future versions as this bundle is actually the full retail products.

To see that from an emotional or ethical point of view in this type of business will bring you nowhere, I am afraid.

Maybe I'm an idealist; but like I won't double book a shoot and then choose the client which pays more and drop my good client who gets the discount...I honour the principle who books first gets the job, even if it means less money for me. But that's business integrity, and I do think my clients honour and like that about the way I conduct my business, this is why they keep coming back to me; I would hope Magix & ProDAD would think alike: sometimes forgoing short-term profit for long-term gain and building lasting customer relations will get you into the future more certain than the other way around. One thing I learned in the industry is: Bad news always travels 10 times faster than good news.

So my cental assessment is not so much about an simple plugin - that I have but tend not to use really, since my understanding is that I should shoot the footage that it does not require stabilisation at all

I opened this thread to discuss the viability and lifespan of plugins that come bundled with Vegas; Some functionality within Vegas is insufficient (as discussed: Titles, Stabilization, Colour Correction, ..) and hence Magix resorts to 'plugging' these holes with 3rd party software, that it then drops in newer Versions without plugging those existing holes, for unknown reasons Saying that not using a plugin solves all problems is like shooting everything with a 'baked-in' look. Whilst this is entirely possible (up to you), I for my part rather shoot in a Cine or LOG profile, and then colour correct to the ideal look. For that I either need a Colour Corrector that can fix Gamuts, manipulate Log Curves, Contrast,...Like DaVinci or Lumetri (to a certain degree) does. For my part, I really don't care about Mercalli, I have a gimbal. This is about conduct and how Magix continues development of Vegas without ripping their customers off.

Yes you seems to be quite idealistic, but why not?

If you really are interested in Shooting log footage as I do, then you should be enthusiastic (as I am) about the new possibilities with ACES 1.0.3 as you have them now in Vegas Pro 15. That is more important then Mercalli to me, since I shoot slog3 and vlog l.

(above) still needs a PLUGIN like LOGARIST https://www.logarist.com/ to work in a decent matter. And it doesn't resolve the Mercalli moneygrab- issue.

With the ACES workflow in Vegas Pro 15, you do not need the logarist any more because that is an Independent workflow offered by now. It is one of the major new functions in Vegas Pro 15, and will become important in the future if Vegas goes toward HDR and more and more users start to edit log footage.

The Mercailli issue is quite clear and therefore solved: if you come from the Vegas Pro 14 bundled Mercalli, either you purchase the upgrade as offered by proDAD for 99 Dollers/Euros. Or you stay with Vegas Pro 14. Or you purchase the Mercalli 4 plugin standalone, if you do not have a serial from the bundle. Yes it takes Money, but that are the options you have.

Any further discussion will not add here more more information and therefore no more value, I am afraid.

With the ACES workflow in Vegas Pro 15...

Vegas team should create a tutorial that demonstrates this feature and explains how to use it.

The Mercailli issue is quite clear and therefore solved: if you come from the Vegas Pro 14 bundled Mercalli, either you purchase the upgrade as offered by proDAD for 99 Dollers/Euros. Or you stay with Vegas Pro 14. Or you purchase the Mercalli 4 plugin standalone, if you do not have a serial from the bundle. Yes it takes Money, but that are the options you have.

Any further discussion will not add here more more information and therefore no more value, I am afraid.

I know what happened to Mercalli. Everone does. But that's not the issue here. Mercalli is only the tip of the iceberg. Problem is: Why couldn't anyone tell this was going to happen? Why didn't customers get told about these limitations? Did Magix know and deliberately not tell their customers? Why did Magix withdraw Mercalli an NBTitler from the Pro Bundle? Are currently offered VP15Suite bundles or Boris bits going to end in similar fashion same time next year? Will VP14 owners still be eligible for an Upgrade Special if they skip a version (VP14 -> VP16)? What about 3rd party?

Well there's plenty more questions that I would like answered, apart from when we can expect to save/edit luts and colour correct with log and cine curves.

News: Interestingly, upcoming new version of Edius 9 (eta Nov, us$500, eternal license) will not have any packeaged 3rd party software, and various upgrade offers for existing users. Edius 9 will also feature full HDR support, HFR, LOG and a big list of new camera formats . Just saying, it's a big world out there, and consumers do have a choice. I have worked with Edius before when i used to shoot/edit for a major broadcaster. The platform is stable, straight forward, yet flexible, and contains most of the commonly used tools. /end rant.

Question: Anyone know if the VP15-Suite bundled BORIS SAPPHIRE products do work on other Hosts (Edius, Resolve..?)

November Update for bundled Newblue Titler 5 now being an OldBlue version (current release=6).

Response from Magix Customer Service if they are considering bundelling a supported current release with VP15:

Thank you for your message.
The third party plug-ins bundled with Magix programs normally will stay the same until next version released. That is to say, we probably won't offer a current version of NBTitler in the current release cycle.
--
Best regards,

Question to the NewBlue zendesk:

"Hi Newblue team, 
I own Vegas Pro 14, which came with a Titler 3 version. I still have the option and considering to upgrade to a standalone Titler 5, but Titler 5 is no longer the current version, and thus perhaps no longer supported. 
Do you offer an upgrade to the Titler 6?"

reply: TBA