By the way, mtntvguy, Sony should give you a life time free license to their editor if they decide to use the name! It will definitely be worth it with a better name. Only fair.

MT

This topic does make me wonder though -- what does the name "Vegas" have to do with editing in the first place? What would have made some marketing people sitting around a table one day discussing this new editing software package say, "Eureka -- Vegas! The perfect name!"?

But, then again, they also named their loop audio editing program "Acid" ;-)

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose; by any other name would smell as sweet."
- William Shakespeare

Changing the name is lame. Why not "Uber-super-duper Video editor". That implies it's better then anything else out there! How about "Post Production Editor" or "Cutting Machine" or "Post Cut Pro" or "Sony Show" or something that's obviously a desperate attempt to SOUND important & worthy.

They already did change the name. Used to be "Vegas". They added "Pro" because (assuming here) that people (most likely stupid people) would think if you make it sound more "professional" by adding the word "pro" to it, things would magically improve & people would magically buy it.

Let's assume that's true. I should change my name to "Video Editor Pro" & then you guys would all be out of a job because, quite obviously, I'm BETTER then you because I have a user name that just SCREAMS I'm better.

%-|

EDIT: re JDW
~that time companies were doing all sorts of wierd names that didn't realy have anything to do with the product. IE Maya, SoftImage, etc. Vegas fits naturally.

If they do change the name it better be a 100% new product or they're just covering up the old issues with a new shiny paint job... but that seems to be important to some people!

How about "SONEX".
JJK

Why not revert to the name "Screenblast", or a variant of that?

Screenblast Pro, maybe.

I'm from the old school that says a product's name should give some indication of what you can use it for. "Sony Vegas Pro" is not descriptive. Besides, some of the "pros" working Vegas, NV are in a very different business.

My work is part hobby - part low-end professional. Nobody asks what editing S/W I'm using unless they are interested in doing their own editing. When I do tell them "Sony Vegas", I get a little pause. I can imagine what that pause feels like if you are trying to make your living as an editor.

Sony ProEdit sounds like a serious tool. "Sony Vegas Pro" does not.

My 2 cents FWIW. (Oh! - that is what it's worth)

RalphM

Actually Vegas had nothing to do at all with Video when the name was chosen. Vegas Pro 1.0 was a multitrack audio editing & production program.

Video wasn't added until version 2 came out some time later.

There were two early theories that both seemed somewhat plausible. One was that "Vegas" was chosen to evoke glitz and glamor, making the consumer think that this was a program that would let you go somewhere with style. The other is that "vegas" is a word from Latin origins meaning "fertile valleys" or "wide open spaces", indicating that this software was a limitless area in which to grow your best ideas.

Of course, it's entirely possible that neither of these crossed the minds of Sonic Foundry's marketing division at the time.

How about "SONEX".

Sonex Acoustical Foam Panels
Sonex - The Sport Aircraft Reality Check
Sonex - The Edgeworth Group of Companies
Sonex Construction Group Ltd.

And the list goes on and on and ...
:-)

Mike

"ProEdit" sounds like something from ULead.
Best names for NLEs already in use "Velocity DPS" and "Speed Razor". One could pay homage to one of the few films about being an editor, The Final Cut and rename Vegas "The Guillotine".

I doubt most people will get it although I've always fancied a steam punk PC like the one in that movie for editing. Seeing as how we already have "Acid" I would think "Crack" would sit well.

Bob.

I like Sony Pro Edit. It's true that "Vegas" conjures up different images than professional video editing. Blackjack, slot machines, etc...

All I really care about is that there exists a good PC alternative to FCP. I know Vegas, I love Vegas, I don't care so much what it's called... It would be much better to be able to point out to Apple fanboys that Vegas is better in specific ways.

A friend of mine who loves FCP is going to demonstrate to me what I'm missing in the coming weeks. I'll let you know what I learn.

Sony Pro Edit still doesn't describe fully what it is.

How about Sony CineEdit Pro...

First of all, this is a monumental waste of forum thread space.

Secondly, the name VEGAS is an acronym for something, but I can't remember what it is. I think Spot knows.

If you're embarassed to tell clients the name of the software that you use, that sounds like a personal problem to me. You need to seek professional help.

I know! Let's call it "Circus", now who doesn't like the circus?

A circus conjures up images of clowns and I really don't think we want that particular association :-)

Mike

Have you seen some of the people that hang out here? :)

How about "Video Editing Group Audio System"
JJK

sony serious professional editing system mk.9 version 154.03

heck, i lived with an edit station for years..... nobody 'serious' ever really cares about a name, just what it will do....

Your customers don't care what NLE you use (well mine don't, anyway) but they sometimes ask just to strike up conversation or to be polite. I generally tell them "we use a variety of tools, some Mac and some PC" (edit - I may still have a mac around here somewhere...) and if they keep going I'll say most of our day to day work is done in Sony Vegas. I never say just Vegas, and I usually don't say Pro.

Trust me, they don't care. At most they want to validate that they've heard of whatever it is you use because they read an article about it or know OF it, but don't really know anything ABOUT it (meaning FCP).

someone else said:
"A friend of mine who loves FCP is going to demonstrate to me what I'm missing in the coming weeks. I'll let you know what I learn."

I have yet to see one of these head to head "demos" be won by the FCP editor assuming an equal amount of knowledge by both editors. Generally those in attendance are dumbfounded when they see what Vegas is capable of. I've seen it happen or been involved in the demos literally half a dozen times. It's a fun demonstration.

I'm not saying FCP doesn't excel at some things, just saying it's really fun to open people's eyes when it comes to Vegas. If not a little sad.

Adobe suffixed their product that brought about the use of the term PPro.
Us folks could adopt V-Pro 9 etc.
Then Adobe pushed Creation Suite, or CS. Although I think 'broadcast bundles' may have had their day. They can afterall make a good excuse to reduce the number of updates or to always time them together.

Any name that brings shame should be changed or at the very least turned into a somewhat meaningless and yet still what would form an iconic acronym.

If NAB stops having its expo there, definitely I'd recommend Sony changes. I agree that pushing out a name for the sake of it (and causing plug-ins to fail and SDKs to need to be re-released) is painful and rather pointless.

I say it comes down to us to Sony Pro 9, Sony V. Pro9 our way out of this conundrum. The forums themselves are the voice and perhaps also the opinion poll!

How about: "Avid Alternative" or "Father of FinalCut" or " Premiere Pwnr"

I never considered the potential for plug-in issues. That's a very good point.

And it was presented professionally. I for one appreciate that. I never could understand why some people can't disagree with others without coming off like they've got the personality of an inflamed hemorrhoid.

I like your point about Maya. It's a good example of a name that has no relation to the product.

The difference between "Maya" and "Vegas" is that Maya is a pretty neutral name. What comes to mind when you think of the word Maya?

--jungle
--pyramids
--human sacrifice
--the Mayan calendar and the end of the world

But, really, these don't come up very strongly.

What do you think of when you hear the word Vegas?

--bright lights
--conspicuous consumption
--gluttony
--seven deadly sins
--hangovers
--losing your shirt
--winning jackpots (if you're lucky, but it's mostly luck)
--getting cheated
--constant casino surveillance
--the Mafia
--an artificial and unnatural oasis in the midlle of the desert
--a place where LA stagehands go to find work

The problem here is that the name Vegas (or any city name) has too much baggage to use as a product name. It was a huge mistake from day one. HOWEVER, companies spend a lot of effort on their branding and, hypothetically, the name Vegas has some branding value now.

Truthfully, I don't think the name really has very much branding value for the product. The Sony name has a lot more branding value and this is a very good time to try to rename Vegas and build the new brand. The Sony name gives it a big boost during a name change, the user base would accept the name change, and deciding on a new brand for the product would probably make it more salable if Sony ever wanted to get out of the software business.

Rob Mack