My opinion is to research the added features in the products and watch the forums for questions on those you will use. Like any other software, seem's like lots you never use. I also use a secondary DVD Burn and author software and am interested to find out how VV4 compares. On the other hand, if you got the bucks and get the young man into it, he'll probably bypass you and show you how to really make it sing. No one can really answer your question until you have a handle on what VV4 really does that would make it easier for you. Generally, everything I see in VV is high quality and melds together nicely. I also still use VV3 trying to decide.

Well, I'm a hobbyist, so I don't make any money from Vegas 4.0 and DVD-A( I also have the Sony DRU500A). But I recommend the upgrade to V4 + DVD-A. The color correction tools alone are incredible and very simple now (I had a time figuring them out in VV3), the master video and audio bus, keyframable effects, I dunno, the list goes on and on. And with the addition of DVD-A in the package, I can basically do anything I want to for the next umpteen years with no more upgrades. (Although, I admit, I'm 99% sure I'll keep upgrading.) The upgrade pricing is excellent for current VV3 users, but you have to act soon to get that pricing.

Let's not forget there are upgrades to the audio end as well, namely ASIO support. What if your son or daughter want to record something in the future? Get V4 and you'll have excellent recording capability.

I have two young sons, just about ready to enter the computer usage age, and I have a fantasy of raising two talented video producers. I'm probably rationalizing, but when I upgraded, I figured, what the hey, with this software package they'll have everything they'll need to make QUALITY DVDs, and the software will be long bought and paid for. They can buy a High Def suite from the money they make from V4.:)

Just my thoughts,

Dan

I'm personally hoping that SoFo keeps the Vegas+DVD package together the way that Photoshop+ImageReady has remained together. I think it will keep the box feature list looking sweeter than most other NLE packages out there.

JBJones

I've got both and can recommend them. General opinion is that you get a lot for your money. DVDA actually works and is easy to use. If you are even a little tempted, go for it. There is nothing worse than sitting wishing you had gone the whole hog days after youve bought the budget version. With the academic price being so low as well it's a bargain.

Can 100% recommend www.rsvp.ca (see ad on the left) for the academic download.

When I was a young budding musician back in the early 70’s I had aspirations of writing and recording a rock opera (after hearing Tommy by the Who) using my new Arp Odyssey synthesizer, my 12-string guitar, and my tape recorder. I couldn’t afford a 4-track recorder so I borrowed a friend’s cassette recorder and along with my cassette recorder I started bouncing tracks and recording back and forth between the two, adding one live track with every bounce. I learned a lot about why you need simul-sync and about signal to noise ratio loss when bouncing tracks. It took so long to do one song with so many false starts and it came out so hissy that I stopped in frustration after the second song. I still have the lyric sheets to this day, but I have no way of knowing what the music sounded like because I didn’t know how to write the music down on paper. Recording it to tape was my only way of getting it out of my head and saved.

Buy your son the best tools you can. Don’t let his creativity be stifled by the technology available to him. VV3 is a great tool but Vegas4+DVD is awesome. VV4 has some additional compositing features like Bump Map, Displacement Map, and Height Map, which can generate some great effects. The noise generators will create some interesting backgrounds for titles and little things like having ripple edit work better and being able to copy and paste attributes between titles cleans up some of the frustrating things about VV3. DVDA will allow him to make Hollywood style DVD’s and being able to transfer your markers in VV4 to chapter points is DVDA is a timesaver worth the price alone (especially if you can get academic pricing).

If your son is interested and trying to get you to buy Vegas+DVD I would definitely buy it. Feed his interest. He will look for ways to exploit it and he will amaze you in return. So its not so much, is it necessary as a hobbyist? as much as inspiration to explore new avenues. Sometimes it takes a new piece of software or a new sound bank for your synthesizer to get the creative juices flowing in new directions. Sure the old car runs great, but there’s nothing like the smell of a new car. Go for it! ;-)

~jr

Being a hobbyist only means you don't earn a salary using VV3.0. It doesn't mean we have to settle for lesser tools because of it.
As great as VV3.0 is, I'd go for the upgrade if I could find the $$, and I'm also a hobbyist. I'd love to play around with the surround features.
More importantly, if my teenager showed interest in it, I'd get the best tools to allow her to develope her skills, which in turn might give her an edge in the future.
I'd recommend the +DVD option.

I'd rather see my daughter enjoying A/V editing instead of enjoying other stuff I might not approve of as much. :)


M

Best feature for me in V4 is the addition of real time scopes. That old Hitachi WF monitor has been relegated to the dubbing chain just to impress clients. It was a pain looping through the WF to the monitor for preview and level checking; preview was not always reliable level-wise.

Peter

Frank,

"Here is my question: Is it worth the extra expense to get Vegas + DVD as apposed to VV4?"

Yes, because DVD Architect is being sold at such a bargain price before the March 15 deadline. But be aware that DVD Architect is currently at version 1.0, so you will be violating the "conventional wisdom" to never buy version 1.0 of anything. But the reason you should buy DVD Architect now is to get on the upgrade path for a more perfected later version. By all means, use DVD Architect as it is now, and "squeeze all the juice out it" that you can.

But since kids are involved, I would advise you to also get Ulead's DVD Movie Factory 2.0 which sells for $49. It is a more mature entry level authoring and burning product, and actually has some capabilities that DVD Architect presently doesn't have. And, as you become more serious about DVD authoring, you might want to take a look at Ulead's DVD Workshop, which should be due for an upgrade in the near future. I see no harm in having more than one DVD authoring program.

-- Seeker --

I'm also just a hobbiest and don't make a dime on what I do, although several have told me I'm flat out crazy for not charging....

I also am on the academic path with Vegas and for me it was a no brainer to jump on V4+DVD since I just recently acquired my own Sony DRU500 burner. I ran the beta until it expired and was VERY impressed. Especially with the enhanced media management. Go for it! Exploit that creativity that your son is dying to produce.....

Pete Fanning

www.venturaes.com has V4+DVD MUCH cheaper than what's listed on your vendor. Right around $280.

Pete Fanning