Vegas Family Comparison: Why Pay Extra for Pro 8?

[George Tyndall]

Steve, I found the following chart which compares the various Vegas programs.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/mov ... pp/compare

Question: Given all that VMS Platinum Pro Pack offers, is Vegas Pro 8 worth all the extra money?

For example, does the ability to burn Blu-ray DVDs wth DVD Architect 5 instead of from the Vegas Timeline more than offset the 1,001 Sound Effects, the Pro Pack Cinescore Themes, the New Blue 3D Transitions and Effects and the "Show Me" Tutorials that are available in Platinum Pro Pack?

For the money saved with Platinum Pro Pack, one would have a substantial down payment toward the entire New Blu line at $499.

[Paul LS]

I have Vegas Pro 8 and I must agree the free add ons with the Studio 9 version make it very attractive. The free add ons were introduced with Studio version 9, as Vegas Pro 9 should be out in the next month or so I am hoping it will also have some free extras.

Regarding Vegas Pro compared to Vegas Studio... it is similar to the comparision between Premiere Pro and Elements. The Pro version has a much larger range of professional tools, it also has unlimited tracks... whereas the Stduio version is limited.

[George Tyndall]

Regarding Vegas Pro compared to Vegas Studio... it is similar to the comparision between Premiere Pro and Elements. The Pro version has a much larger range of professional tools, it also has unlimited tracks... whereas the Stduio version is limited.

Paul, is there any downside to being limited to burning a Blu-ray directly from the Timeline as opposed to from DVD Architect 5, which is available only with Pro 8? RJ states that with Vegas Platinum Pro I can output a Blu-ray ISO file, and I already have the CyberLink Suite which I believe can burn a Blu-ray from an ISO file (correct me if I am wrong).

Also, if I purchased Platinum Pro and later wished to upgrade to Pro 8, would the latter replace the former so that I would lose all those "goodies," or is it like PRE and PSE in that upgrades do not overwrite/replace older versions?

[Paul LS]

If you burn Blu-ray from the timeline you do not have any menus... so it would just be the video on the blu-ray disc. If you dont want menus then this is not an issue. The iso file option... again I doubt if this has a menu... but Cyberlink could probably be able to burn it to a blu-ray disc... I do not use Cyberlink for burning so I can not be sure. I just use the Cyberlink PowerDVD for playing back burnt discs.

Sorry, not sure about your last question. I would imagine the Pro version could be installed along side the Studio version but it would not have access to the plugins.

[George Tyndall]

If you burn Blu-ray from the timeline you do not have any menus... so it would just be the video on the blu-ray disc.

Now I understand even better why Chuck states that you get more features for your money with PRE than with any other simiarly-priced program!

Sorry, not sure about your last question. I would imagine the Pro version could be installed along side the Studio version but it would not have access to the plugins.

Paul, I'm very happy with the PSE/PRE7 Suite as it does everything--actually more--than I am currently intersted in doing, however, for a total of $94.92 US, including shipping, I could purchase Vegas Movie Studio Pro Pack (Packaged) and get, among other "goodies," 1,001 sound effects. Given that my usual vendor charges rougly 50 cents to a dollar for sound effects purchased by the package, 1,001 sound effects for $95, that's less than 10 cents each, is a terrific bargain--and that's without counting the other "goodies" that come with the package.

But do you know whether I would in fact be able to access those "goodies" from the PRE7 Timeline?

[RJ Johnston]

George,

I didn't buy the packaged version of VMSPP so I didn't get the 1001 Sound Effects this time. But I already got it with an earlier version of VMS. It is a collection of WAV files that can be used in any program.

The Cinescore 1.0 that is included with the Vegas Studio Platinum Pro version has only two themes, but each theme has a large number of variations. Individual themes are $9.95 each and downloadable. There are packages of themes for various amounts. The music is saved as a wav file that you can use in any program, but you need to have VMSP open to access Cinescore and generate music. Cinescore is a plug-in and not a standalone program.

[George Tyndall]

It is a collection of WAV files that can be used in any program.

Thanks for that valuable information, RJ.