I used Premiere 6 for three months before moving to VV3. On a new computer running Win2K and then WinXP Pro, Premiere would crash with some regularity. It would crash if I tried to load any clip over about 20 minutes. It would sometimes lose the ability to play the timeline (I could still scrub it), which could be fixed just by exiting and restarting the program. It reminds me of a Windows 3.1 application.

Vegas Video has never crashed. The real-time transitions and effects are a big time saver over Premiere. And the built-in transitions are, to my eye, much more professional looking than those that come with Premiere. It's a program that I can work with easily and without worrying that it might crash if I push it too hard.

Well, you are talking to a bunch of people who like VV3 so you may not get the answer you are looking for. Most of us tried and used Pre-mire and a number of other applications and made the choice that VV3 was the better hammer.

Every application and editor has a match. For us it is VV3. In my opinion it is the best "use on any generic hardware" software post production package in its price class. Ok even in Pre-mire's price class as well!

It may not have canned 3D transistions, ( a toy more than useful thing to have ) but its audio capabilities are superior to any packaged application I have seen. On WIN XP Pro it is stable as a rock. The new Main Concept MPEG plug in is very good for a plug in package. The DirectX audio plug in capability is great and SF includes a nice selection. NTSC Color and luminnce clapping is a great feature. Best of all, the interface is nicely matched for the way I work. I can slice and dice very quickly with it. All functions are available with keyboard strokes to make old CMX wizards happy even if they do have to use new strokes.

Try the demo and I think you will agree.
K

I have used Media 100, a range of Pinnacle software, Ulead, Canopus, Premier V5.1 & 6, SF Video Factory 1 & 2, and now very happily Vegas Video 3.

When I found Video Factory my life turned into a dream, I was able to produce impressive stuff fast. The limitation of VF lead me to upgrade to Vegas 3 (with a little introductory incentive from SF). I still have not read the manual and have just completed a 30min experience from a holiday in China. I did this in around 40 hours (a fraction of the time it would have taken in premier) and the results have blown my fellow die hard Premier friend out the water! I know SF will be receiving a few orders shortly.

Simple story….
The interface works like people think (Adobe is not hard to use however it is hard to learn and frustrating at times).
Instant visual feedback – has got to be the way to go.
Heaps of effects, transitions and other stuff I keep discovering everyday (I better read that manual).
Very stable (I run P4 1.4, 512meg XP pro).

Is VV3 perfect? No (not yet anyway, and what ever is)
Is P6 perfect? No

Will it take forever to produce really impressive & creative stuff with VV3? NO
Will it take forever to produce really impressive & creative stuff with P6? YES

Is VV3 fun to use? YES
Is P6 fun to use? NO

I am not a dedicated Sonic foundry Vegas Video fan, I just enjoy shooting and editing video and producing stuff that impresses the hell out of people. By nature I am creative and VV3 lets me get on with the job of being creative whereas every other package I have ever used is either a head #$@# or produces crappy results.

Peter

Well I'm a fan too. :-) I haven't even tried it yet, waiting for the boxed version. A user of Video Factory since version one came out was interested in what VV3 adds, so I started to read the 360 page manual... online. I normally wouldn't do that, but I couldn't stop. Some nice surprises.

One thing Premiere a few other editors have I like I wish VV3 would add is a preview window for the source file alongside the work in progress. Great when applying effects and filters for a kind of before and after. If anyone has used VirtualDub and got a little carried away adding, tweaking filters, you know what I mean.

I have used AvidXpress, Premiere 5.0, and Vegas Video 2. I really got into Vegas Video 2, and now VV3 is out and it is amazing. AS someone mentioned in the previous post, VV3 lets the creativity flow alot faster than any of the other programs I have used. I learned VV2 before I was taught AvidXpress in college.. I couldnt stand the tedious work I had to do on an avid editing system.. how can that be the industry leader in NLE's? (or is it not..i'm not sure)

Brian

I started with Ulead's Video Studio 4 and progressed to Media Studio 6. Was quite happy with the former but not with the latter pro version.
I heard about VV about three months ago and bought a copy of version 2 at $159.00. Used it to produce a video show for my daughter's wedding and was extremely satisfied with it and our guests were simply amazed with what a non-pro like me could do. I then upgraded to (bought on-line) version 3 about two weeks ago and was only able to work on it yesterday using the video I shot on my family's holidays in Australia recently. I did not even bother to read up the manual. Wow, am I surprised! The rendered video was remarkably sharp and the audio was just awesome!
Looking forward to more good stuff to come from Sonic Foundry.

Here's a testament to how good VV is:

It's no secret that if you look hard enough, you can find full-versions of almost any program online. I have "friends" who have tried pretty much every video editing package out there, from premiere to canopus, avid express, ulead's stuff etc, and they have agreed that Video Vegas takes the cake.

To pick 1 package, when price isn't a factor, is a total testament to the merits of that software.

Here's the real killer: VV2 was so good, my "friends" went the legit route and BOUGHT VV3 as soon as it came out. Getting a hacker to buy software with their own money is like trying to get an eskimo to buy ice.

I'm not an advocate of software piracy, I own VV3.

When guys who don't have to pay for something actually do, that speaks for itself.

VV IS REALLY GREAT EDITING TOOL,
PREMIERE IS SUCKS THAN VV,
BUT PREMIERE HAS MANY PLUG-IN FOR VEDIO
VV IS FEW.
BUT I REALLY LIKE VV,IT`S BEST.