What does this exactely mean, how this will affect us ?
Will Vegas become Sony Screenblast ?

Will it be more like Pinnacle buying Steinberg ?

I do hope nobody loses their jobs in this process. The SoFo people are a great lot and they deserve to be well treated.
Tor

I've been through a couple mergers. For example way back in the distant past I worked for a company few knew about: United Vintners. They were owned by a farm collective... in California. A WINE growers group who owned several labels for example Italian Swiss Colony and Iglenook wines. Several years after I started working there they were bought by Heubline, a fortune 500 company that owned brands like Smirnoff Vodka, Hamms beer and Kentucky Fried Chicken to name a few. What happened? Nothing much for the first couple years. After several they did close up Chicago operations. Sony, like Huebline has more money than it knows what to do with. That's good because SoFo won't be straved for cash anymore. Will SoFo's desktop division still be in Winconsin three, five or ten years from now? Who knows. My guess... no. Sony buying the division would seem to be good news, very good news for consumers and too for employees, at least for now.

BillyBoy...my only problem- I have dealt with the Sony Professional Group many times...they are so ARROGANT!... but they due have the abilty to infuse cash into SOFO. I am positive the product line will continue on its standard SOFO path for enhancement- now hopefully at a faster pace...

At least the stock is going up finally. ;)

Tom

IMHO, depending on who you are, this could be good or not so good news. Good news: Vegas will exist in some form in the future. Probably integrated closely with Sony's consumer desktop strategy (bad news for those wanting Vegas to take a direction more attuned to prosumer desktop video.) Support will probably diminish.

OTOH, desktop video is changing so rapidly that the gulf between consumer and pro is narrowing.

Maybe, Vegas will be so overwhelming that its concepts will jump into the Sony pro side. But alas, sadly, that could mean high prices for future Vegas features.

But, IMHO is simply that --- and often wrong. Let's hope for the best.

I think SONY wanted a foothold in this marketplace. Avid created DV Express. SONY has no competing product line. Come to think of it they really don't have a competing product line for Media Composer either. One thing is for sure. In a couple of months there won't be too many posts about compatability between DVDa and the SONY DVD writers.

Why is it that really good audio software companies keep on getting bought out by bigger companies?!?!?

Again, I'm going to take a "wait and see" attitude. Hopefully product support and upgrades will remain intact for the SOFO products.

This will be my third audio (video) software product who's company changed hands. I felt the painful sting when Apple purchased Emagic. (Can't upgrade anymore because I'm PC based and I don't have any plans to purchase an Apple computer in the near future. . . or any computer, for that matter.) I had just purchased Steinberg's SX program (also own other Steinberg products) when Pinnicle bought out that company. (So far, there's been no noticable changes, thank goodness!) And now SONY has purchased SOFO.

ARGGGHHHH!

I do hope that this will benefit us software owners of Sonic Foundry products. I own Vegas (3 & 4), Sound Forge, Noise Reduction and even purchased the effects package a couple of years ago. I like and use these products a lot. Especially Vegas 4.0.

I'm no business person by any stretch of the imagination. With this in mind, I ask. . . "Why are really good audio/video software companies being bought out???" Why can't SOFO just remain SOFO. . . and Emagic just remained Emagic and Steinberg. . . . . etc., etc. . . .

"Wait and See". . . it's all we can do, I guess.

Ted

Well here's my story:
many years ago I bought a soundcard called Turtle Beach Multisound (later called "Classic"). There is a mail list for it, and on that mail list sometimes appeared a person from Sonic Foundry (Peter Haller). His contributions, as well as some of the others', made me buy Sound Forge. (I am basically a songwriter and had nothing to do with video.) Then I was introduced to Vegas and bought it. At one point I was about to upgrade and realised that the price difference between upgrading to Vegas Audio or Vegas Video was not too big, so I got the Video version. And because I had it, I started borrowing a camera, to make use of it. I never looked back.
So, even though I had worked with film before - as a soundman and composer - and had been to London International Film School - I got into video because I had this splendid product (Vegas) available. Not the other way round.
The way I see it, Sony does not have to change much productwise, but they can change things in the marketplace. Both Premiere and Pinnacle should watch out for tougher competition. Which - I believe - is good.
But naturally - we will experience a greater distance between us the users and the people who make the decisions. And we won't like that, because we have gotten used to a better world.
Another big question is, what will happen to this forum. Even if it stays on, how can it accommodate the great numbers of new users Sony must be hoping to get?
Tor

Ok, now SoFo and Sony will say, "This is a good thing! More money! More advertising! Yeah!" But... BUT... Lets look at some other "mergers..."

1) UPN bought by Viacom: UPN used to be owned by Paramount, then sold to Viacom, Paramount's parent company, and given to CBS to run. They said the network would have more money, better shows, and more manpower to back it up. What happened? UPN has changed in most markets in the US from being independently owned to being run by CBS affiliates. CBS fired UPN's CEO. UPN has had EVERY show fail since CBS started making the show decisions. UPN is on the verge of being shut down (maybe in another year).

2) Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts: Westwood Studios has been owned by many companies, and lastly (before they were shut down) by EA. Everyone said this would be a good thing. In March it was announced WS would be closed and the staff told to relocate to the EA offices or find another job. This in spite of the fact they have release hit games since their creation. Why? Saves money.

3) Sierra On-Line and Vendeti Universal (did I spell that right?): Several years ago, the couple that stared and owned Sierra On-Line (Ken and Roberta Williams) sold to the company that owns Universal Studios. The effect? VU stopped production of EVERY Sierra On-Line product except the one that brought in big $$$. Anyone remember Leisure Suit Larry, Kings Quest, or Space Quest? Know what happened to the people who worked on those products? Relocated a couple times then given the pink slip. Those products didn't bring in Big $$$, the company made them because a hardcore group of fans loved them. Now, so you know Sierra's fate? To be sold! Most Likely to Microsoft!

I GUARANTIE in no more then 5 years, SoFo will be no more. Oh, everyone will say they will be, but they won't. Sony will say the product and support won't diminish, but in about a year or two these boards will most likely be on the Sony site. Any post that says something bad about a Sony/SoFo product will be deleted, you will e-mail support and will get a response that is an automated response saying to check their FAQ that hasn't been updated since they made it. Prices will rise. The main competition for Vegas via price is Premiere, so why not match their price, raise it $100-200? People will pay it. They won't have a choice.

The countdown has begun. Our great video editor now has a set life span, and the funeral will be before people here even know there is one.

Ted, you asked, "Why are really good audio/video software companies being bought out???"

The answer is simple:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Jay

I'm afraid I have to agree with the Friar. This is Vegas' swan song.

Jay

oh God....RIP Vegas. I have been greviously hurt.

Very, very sad.

Remember that Sony is huge in the super pro equipment arena and the marriage
with SOFO could bring some very neat things in HD, SDI, Etc.

JJK

Tors - yours is the most important point, I feel that the people at SOFO have really set themselves apart in this market in terms of the product & support and the general ethos they have created. Thank You SOFO.

I am never sure if the constant merger and aquisitions really serve any benefit. I hope this does but I really can't see the synergy of this aquisition.

It does add weight to the argument to go for Adobe from a stability point of view thier products are good and well accepted, stable and you have the comfort of knowing it is what the company is all about.

I have just purchased Boris Red purely because of the Vegas integration. If the aquisition had been announced before I would have seriously thought about the Adobe DV collection. I did before buying Boris.

For now I will wait on any purchase related to SOFO products or peripherals to support the environment.

One thing that is certain is that the senior management and the direction of SOFO will change. It always happens in these type of aquisitions.

Whether the future direction will benefit the users of SOFO products today is like tossing a coin - head or tails - either why the primary consideration will not be the users of this forum.

Just my initial reaction - I hope it works out for the benefit of all parties.

"...Sony will make a HUGE cash infussion and MILLIONS will be spent to advertise"

With the cost passed on to whom? yes, that's right, vouz et moi.
And, oh, by the way, kiss good customer support bye bye.

Maybe there's a chance that the majority stock holders will nix the deal. Here's hoping for the "long shot."

Everybody chill---Dr. Dropout posted in another forum and this is what he said:

1. There will be an announcement coming in the near future and not to worry--
2. Perhaps by next week, there will be updates to both Vegas and DVD Arch---

Thats pretty much it--Dont worry guys---Sony--Hopefully no Baloney!

I'm stunned by the knee-jerk reactions here. Really, I am.

The truth is no one here knows what the long term plan is, but we seem eager to speculate on all sorts of doom and gloom. Sure, we can all find examples of acquisitions that don't work. Do you really think the successful ones make the headlines???

SoFo didn't have the resources to continue doing what they were doing. This is just reality unfolding. Don't sweat it until you KNOW something bad is going to happen.

Mark

If Sony's intent is to contine to run Sonic Foundry like Sonic Foundry (except with better funding and marketing), I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. For now, Sony seems content to do exactly that since it seems they have also bought the Sofo programmers along with the software products.

FWIW, I actually bought some Sony Screenblast stuff.

> Don't sweat it until you KNOW something bad is going to happen.

Something bad has happened. Things have been going wrong for a long time: Rimas Buinevicius has never cared one bit about the software and I can't see that control isn't going to pass still further away from the developers (for whom I have the utmost respect).

It's so sad that such a wonderfully well designed and engineered product should have been trifled with in this way.