Upgraded to V6...not impressed so far.

goshep wrote on 8/5/2005, 8:57 PM
I admit I've not spent much time with it yet but:

1. It essentially came in a ziplock baggie as if I'd purchased it used from Ebay. (I understand it's not PC to demand additional packaging that will eventually end up in a landfill. However, I'm obsessive about keeping my software in it's box and in nice condition. It just looks better on the shelf and it's far more exciting to open a nicely packaged new application!)

2. DVDA merely flags the DVD for Macrovision to be encoded by a mastering facility? I'm certain there has been much discussion over this but I must've missed it all. What good does that do me when all I need is three or four copies? I'm merely a hobbyfessional looking for added copyright protection. I understand my best defense is professional packaging vs. homemade copy with Sharpie title (believe me, norhing drove that point home better than the ziplock bag from Sony) but it was an added benefit I thought would be available at my level.

3. Like most apps these days, the documentation is minimal and mind-numbingly boring. Looks like I'll be adding Spot's latest and greatest to my growing library. I just wish they'd add $10-$15 to the price and ship it with something both informative AND inspiring.

That's about it. I realize it's absurd that I've spent less than an hour with it but those three things just jumped out at me.

Don't get me wrong, I love Vegas but am I overlooking some glaringly obvious advantages to V6?

Comments

JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/5/2005, 9:14 PM
> 1. It essentially came in a ziplock baggie as if I'd purchased it used from Ebay.

This one takes me back. There was a TON of threads on this back in the Vegas 3 – 4 upgrade timeframe with people complaining about not getting a box. When anyone would tell us about new software after that, the running joke would be to ask, “Does it come with a box?”. It was pretty funny.

> 2. DVDA merely flags the DVD for Macrovision to be encoded by a mastering facility?

I’m not sure if it’s the cost of the licensing or the need for special hardware but I don’t think Macrovision is something you can do at home.

> 3. Like most apps these days, the documentation is minimal and mind-numbingly boring. Looks like I'll be adding Spot's latest and greatest to my growing library.

Hmmm... I guess I can’t complain about this one because I’m an author for VASST. ;-)

Vegas 6 has some awesome features like nested projects, visual readouts for overlay times and out of sync audio, and just lots of little things like that. My two favorites is real-time ripple edit, and being about to do full screen preview on your Windows Secondary Display. (but you need two displays to get excited about this one) Give it a chance and you’ll discover lots of improvements.

~jr
Spot|DSE wrote on 8/5/2005, 9:16 PM
Macrovision CAN'T be done on 4-5 disks, no DVD authoring tool can author the flags, it can only be done by a licensed replicator.
There is no professional copyright protection available on the desktop. (yet) It's coming though.

Heck, I wish Sony would just bundle one of my books. :-) Or two. (the book, or printed owners manual costs quite a bit more than 15.00 to print, and would add a lot more just because of shipping weight)

Why didn't you get a boxed version? I wasn't aware that they were shipping with and without box? (I've only had the download)
ScottW wrote on 8/5/2005, 9:18 PM
Re DVDA - there's no copy protection currently available that can't be easily circumvented by virtually anyone, but yes, you're right, just like the CSS support, it only flags things for Macrovision. If you want people to purchase extra copies from you then you need to keep your prices on the copies reasonable enough that they'll do just that - get whatever money you need for the initial "master."

--Scott
CKC wrote on 8/5/2005, 9:18 PM
I am at home with Vegas 5 and my Vegas 6 is at my office. Johnny, do you mind a quick reply on the full screen preview? I will check it out, first thing Monday, but now it is gonna bother me. I feel as if I have been missing out on the Vegas 6 benefits. I think I am slow on the uptake, but I am working on it. Anyway, this feature alone would be worth it to me. I was whining about the preview size not going any larger, just today.
THX
goshep wrote on 8/5/2005, 9:34 PM
I'm not sure why mine came the way it did. I passed on the DL version because I wanted the bells and whistles. Instead, they threw it in a clear plastic bag and mailed it in a bubble-wrap envelope with bells but no whistles. Not to mention I mistakenly upgraded from Vegas instead of Vegas+DVD. D you think they'll credit me the difference if I provide them with my DVDA serial? I sent them an email but I'm not certain it actually sent. I don't want to nag them so I'm waiting a few days to see if they respond.

Thanks for all the responses. It's good to be back and to see useful information flowing freely again.

Spot|DSE wrote on 8/5/2005, 9:44 PM
I'm not JR, but full screen... (this is mostly for HD, but you can certainly use it for DV)

Go to Prefs>Video Preview Device>Secondary Windows Monitor
This will look for your second monitor. If you've selected this, when you press the external monitor button in the Vegas preview, your second monitor becomes a full screen monitor, at the scale, or as close to it as your monitor will allow, that your video project is set to.
DV will not be full screen, and you don't want it to be. DV (720 x 480/720 x 576) would look terrible on a 1024 x 768 monitor, or even worse on a 1900 x 1200 monitor. So, it will show at the smaller size.
You can set/match color profiles in there too, and set it to deinterlace as well.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 8/6/2005, 6:35 AM
> I'm not sure why mine came the way it did.

Because Sony doesn’t ship boxes with upgrades. They only do that for new purchases. This has been going on since the Vegas 3 upgrade. (maybe earlier, I jumped in at Vegas 3)

> Not to mention I mistakenly upgraded from Vegas instead of Vegas+DVD. D you think they'll credit me the difference if I provide them with my DVDA serial?

Absolutely! Give Sony tech support a call on the phone. Don’t bother with email. They will credit your account, I’m sure.

~jr
TheHappyFriar wrote on 8/6/2005, 7:10 AM
does the # of disk copies work? Just wondering...

V6 has better in box documentation then V4 did, but the online help is missing some things (I hear it was the same way with V5).

But, if you know any previous Vegas you know Vegas 6. Not everythging has changed. :)
FrigidNDEditing wrote on 8/6/2005, 7:54 AM
If they had only made nested projects in V6 and nothing else - I would have upgraded just for that capability. Sometimes I have done multiple camera shoots, and there was something I needed to cover up in the BH on a wall or something later, just mask it for the length of the clip on the static cam, and save the .veg - then just drop the .veg in instead of the multiple tracks for that one cam. Saves me headache after headache. (no cracks about how moving the thing on the wall would have done that too ;-) )

Dave