Vegas Pro 9 now or wait?

hbwerner wrote on 6/28/2009, 11:09 AM
I've decided to updat from MS Platinum to Vegas Pro, version 9 of which is "on sale" at a reduced price until the end of June. How much of a $ hit might I take if I wait until July or so when 10 comes out, assuming it's about the same regular price as 9 (basically, I don't know how much I'm saving on 9 with the current "sale").

Comments

Tim L wrote on 6/28/2009, 11:44 AM
If you're talking about a Vegas Pro 10 coming out soon -- it won't. Vegas Pro 9 just came out in the middle of May -- it's basically "brand new" at this point.

VMS 10 could be on the horizon -- it's always a guess. Basically, the "Pro" and "VMS" versions tend to come out at alternate times, and at some point the VMS version got ahead of the Pro version as far as version numbers go, but featurewise the Pro version typically leads the VMS version.

The current savings on upgrading to the Pro version are typical when they come out with a new version -- you get a discounted price for the first six weeks or so. Sometimes B&H has really good deals on upgrade packages, but typically just upgrading from Vegas Pro to Vegas Pro -- not from VMS.

The cost of upgrading from VMS to Vegas Pro looks pretty steep: almost $500. I got into Pro a few years ago by buying a special Vegas (Pro) 6 disc from B&H for $99, then using that to upgrade to Vegas Pro 7 for another $150. (Sweet deal.) I've since upgraded to Pro 8 for another $150, I think.

If you don't need to edit footage from RED or from XDCam, etc., you might find a good deal buying somebody's Vegas Pro 8 package after they've upgraded to 9. You wouldn't be able to use it to upgrade to 9 yourself, though, because a given license can only be used once for an upgrade. But Sony is very generous in allowing you to sell (or give away) your "old" version when you upgrade to a new version. They will issue a new serial number to the person you want to transfer it to. Not many companies allow that sort of thing.

Your decision also depends on what type of editing you do. Vegas Pro 8 is very solid on DV and HDV footage. I don't do any AVCHD, but I have the feeling that Pro 8 might have had some issues still. (But again, I don't know for sure -- if AVCHD is an issue for you, you might need to investigate further.)

Tim L
Ivan Lietaert wrote on 6/28/2009, 12:30 PM
I don't see the need to upgrade to Vegas Pro for any homemovie stuff I do. Also, don't expect the pro version to do any better with avchd files than the next version of VMS.
Only if you have very specific needs, like +4 video tracks, or if you use a camera which is not supported by VMS, or if you plan on building a business with it etc, then go for Vegas Pro.
If not, use your money to upgrade your hardware (external mike, light, tripod etc.)