I upgraded to VMS8 because it fixed some problems I had with HDV support. However, there is one new feature that I really like and it is not HDV-related: ability to have a full screen preview on a secondary Windows VGA/DVI monitor (not through S-Video). That option also allows you to change the gamma profile of the previewed video so it matches most TVs. You see, TVs have a different gamma than PC or Mac monitors, and so --as I learned the hard way a few weeks ago-- things that look right on the PC monitor, can look really dark on a TV. This is why such testing on either an external connected TV (support on Vegas Pro only) or on a second gamma-corrected Windows monitor (VMS) is always welcome.

Then of course there are other features that were added on VMS7 but I have no way of knowing the differences because I never used VMS6.

Does VMS6 run on Vista?
Does VMS8 run on XP?
These are no retorical questions, so please answer.

I think that VMS6 will have trouble keep itself stable under Vista. It was developed before Vista's time, and a video editor is a complex piece of app.

VMS8 runs on XP fine and I hear that it runs on Vista too.

> "I have VMS6 Platinum.... Are there any real compelling reasons to upgrade to VMS8 Platinum?"

Well, if you are editing DV on a Win XP machine probably not.

But-

-You will get the AC3 audio codec which is more efficient and enables you to put longer movies on a DVD without losing quality
- The colour coded snap across multiple tracks feature is good for lining up events over several tracks.
-I find being able to 'paint' envelopes easier than double clicking to add control points
-It doesn't seem well documented but in VMSP 8 you can customise your work area more e.g you can put the preview window at the top of the screen where most NLEs have it.
-You'll get the NewBlueFXMSP package which is the NewBlue ArtFX plus 3 transitions. It's personal preference whether you'll like these but I have used them in several projects so that made it worthwhile (they cost $89 to buy separately).

I'm sure there's more, but I agree, none absolutely compelling like more tracks or faster rendering.
I f you haven't already done so, DL the trial & see for yourself. You can also DL a trial of the NewBlue ArtFX from the NewBlue site.

BTW VMSP 8 is running perfectly on my Win XP computer

Ron