Sony Catalyst available by Subscription only

wwjd wrote on 4/18/2016, 10:24 AM

no, just no. might as well jump to the leader in this class instead

monoparadox wrote on 4/18/2016, 10:48 AM

Ownership is becoming a thing of the past. Technology is making it irrelevant both from the position of the person consuming and those who are producing. Whether it's housing, many services or soon to be cars and transportation, the idea of owning and possessing is on the way out.

It will be a very hard adjustment for those of us formed by the 20th century but quickly embraced by those of the 21st century. The most valuable commodity is versatility with the ability to focus on the immediate need -- all done at the behest and direction of an elite leadership.

It remains to be seen whether it will work or more importantly if the human condition will accept it.

-- tom

bigrock wrote on 4/18/2016, 11:06 AM

I'm sorry I just don't get why anyone would waste their time with Catalyst. If I was going to start all over I would jump to Adobe, way too much missing with Catalyst and I haven't got years to wait around. I'd prefer Vegas continue but if not, I will jump ship but continue to use Vegas where appropriate as that is where my investment is.

Tim L wrote on 4/18/2016, 11:51 AM

Catalyst is intended for a different audience than Vegas.

[I]"Since their initial launch last year, Catalyst Prepare and Catalyst Edit have become valuable tools for Digital Imaging Technicians (DITs) and editors in the field."[/I]

I get the feeling it is for people on film sets, who want to review footage, maybe with a rough edit, to assure coverage. Perhaps also intended for traveling journalists or "quick to broadcast" types, who shoot and edit and send a quick-cut news story (or local sports highlights) back to the office. These organizations wouldn't bat an eye at a subscription cost that amounts to less than $1 a day. Their needs are very different (and generally reduced) from the typical Vegas editor.

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/news/pressreleases/2016/catalyst-prepare-and-catalyst-edit-2016.1-now-available

monoparadox wrote on 4/18/2016, 12:02 PM

If true, why would people like Boris and Hitfilm be developing suites to work with Catalyst? It appears to me Catalyst is ultimately meant to be much more than a simple quick field edit solution.

-- tom

Grazie wrote on 4/18/2016, 12:07 PM

Well, so long as the revenue from the Annual subscriptions go towards our Vegas improves, I should worry.

G

videoITguy wrote on 4/18/2016, 12:07 PM

Working with Catalyst line is NOT something for the average user of VegasPro. Has been stated many times over the course of the releases.

Whether any other software lines are developed to companion with Catalyst - will be an issue of the determination of the targeted Catalyst marketplace - nothing to do with the traditional past of VegasPro.

OldSmoke wrote on 4/18/2016, 12:46 PM

So what happens to those that already purchased it? I own Catalyst Prepare, will I still get upgrades? I guess until Prepare 3.0 comes out.

rs170a wrote on 4/18/2016, 12:47 PM

A user on Creative Cow asked the folks at Videoguys about this and, for what it's worth, here's their response.

"Sony just announced the Subscription over the Perpetual license. If you give me a call today there is a good chance I can still get the order filled at $399 for the perpetual license. I can of course also offer 5% off that price with the NAB2016 coupon we are currently offering. Once they change their system I can't promise anything."

Mike

monoparadox wrote on 4/18/2016, 12:51 PM

The question is, does the perpetual license entitle one to perpetual upgrades? I doubt it.

-- tom

PixelStuff wrote on 4/18/2016, 1:11 PM

My thoughts are:

A: They couldn't set the pricing to even amounts like $15/mo and $20/mo?

B: I guess this make it easier to fully demo the software for a couple of months without breaking the bank.

C: Although I don't think the Catalyst suite is ready for prime time yet, I'm disappointing in the "exclusive" subscription choice and not making it just an alternative option.

monoparadox wrote on 4/18/2016, 1:28 PM

We're living in an increasingly risk averse world. Businesses won't or can't take risk. They want us locked in and knowing they're receiving income. I guess we're reaching the point of diminished returns. It's showing up everywhere and in everything. The real problem falls on those who can't generate or leverage whatever value they have to offer. Maybe we can form a coop and share subscriptions for when we have a project. (okay, just kidding)

-- tom

astar wrote on 4/18/2016, 2:25 PM

I was complaining about this to someone today, and they said "whats the problem? You are going to write it off anyways."

I still think the Catalyst subscription is going to be a hard sell, since the product looks half baked in its current release. Ci looks more compelling than Catalyst and you never hear anything about whats going on there.

monoparadox wrote on 4/18/2016, 2:51 PM

I am a registered user of Catalyst Prepare 2015 and just downloaded the "new", "subscription" version 2016. I am unhappy to report there is evidently no upgrade path for the few of us that stuck our neck out on any version of Catalyst. It looks like there isn't even a trial.

-- tom

Cliff Etzel wrote on 4/18/2016, 5:05 PM

My concern is that moving forward to VP 14 (if it truly happens) will SCS decide to move to a subscription model for future versions of Vegas? That's the real question IMO.

OldSmoke wrote on 4/18/2016, 5:18 PM

My concern is that moving forward to VP 14 (if it truly happens) will SCS decide to move to a subscription model for future versions of Vegas?

That would make VP13 the last version I will use.

monoparadox wrote on 4/18/2016, 5:25 PM

I can easily see a maintenance type fee for keeping Vegas up and there will be no long term assurance when it could all end. After all, we know how much Sony likes to coddle us with tech support ;-) Anyone who believes there will be a major rewrite of Vegas or a long term development path is dreaming, imho. Wish I'm wrong.

That said, I'm getting to the point where long term "maintenance" is as much a personal issue as a software one. ;-) It looks like the writing is increasingly on the wall.

-- tom

videoITguy wrote on 4/18/2016, 5:36 PM

Over the many years of software development - several marketing schemes have been tried and some have been proven.

1) Subscription as in entitlement to license use will only work with certain levels of software - usually pro level and usually business market. Catalyst may work well in that arena because of its intended marketplace, just as Adobe Premiere.

2) Subscription as in maintenance, and accounting for allowance toward revisions has not always worked very well - witness the life and death of VegasPro perhaps.

3) VegasPro would not survive 1 day under the subscription model posed in (1) above.

PixelStuff wrote on 4/19/2016, 10:51 PM

Considering how Sony has updated Sound Forge and ACID, I'm definitely glad I haven't been subscribing those applications. I don't plan on subscribing to any software if I can help it (from any company) for the same reason.

Jamon wrote on 4/19/2016, 11:59 PM

I paid for the 2015 suite, and it was so buggy I could not use it for any real projects. I spent a lot of time testing it and providing feedback with the hope that SCS could turn it into something useful.

But I am against a forced subscription model, and I will not be paying for Catalyst 2016, which means I lost both my investment of money, and time spent reporting bugs.

The company that created the Vegas Pro from years ago is dead from what I can see. Vegas has been a disappointment in recent years too, but I thought there was a chance they could turn it around.

From my perspective, this decision is the nail in the coffin. If Vegas 14 isn't subscription, I might purchase one last license just for the high-DPI update, which should not require a paid upgrade, but is necessary for my display.

But I expect that is the end of SCS for me.

ushere wrote on 4/20/2016, 2:00 AM

ok, i'll buy into the subscription model when they do the same for their camera range...

quite frankly i'm glad i'm in a position not to care anymore, if i was i'd be looking elsewhere; resolve (which i'm using at present), edius, in fact ANY nle i can own outright.

this is all some mba's idea of perpetual income... and from my experiences of mba's, their ideas usually outlast their careers by a few hours - till the next bright spark comes along with an even more unworkable stratagem...

monoparadox wrote on 4/20/2016, 6:26 AM

When one chooses to "own" a product the main determinate is based upon what exists at the moment and the factors that provide the value you're looking for.. When one undertakes a subscription, while the entry price is lower, you are being asked to "trust" the product's creator for future value that may or may not be there. Of course, you have the option to leave the subscription and move on to something else. But then, what is one left with to service the product you've created for your customer and the investment you've made in learning the product? IMHO, this is a paradigm shift that fits the temporal thinking of our society. In the case at hand Sony is asking for a lot of trust. Each person will have to ask themselves whether they've earned it.

-- tom

Kinvermark wrote on 4/20/2016, 8:24 AM

as an MBA I might take exception to that... except that it is completey true!
Young gun rearranges the "furniture" and calls it job done.

This whole rental idea is totally moronic and will eventually fail. May take a few years though. Just imagine a future renting EVERYTHING on your computer - OS, utilities, word, excel, plug-ins, all your apps, etc. Either the total rental would be ridiculously prohibitive or the rental rates would drop so low that the software companies would think perpetual licensing was a great new idea. Crazy.

Wolfgang S. wrote on 4/20/2016, 8:56 AM

Please prepare for another point of view: I have been with Sony Vegas since Vegas 4 - and I still love it.

If SCS would develop Vegas Pro 14 and allow us to rent the license - would you take it? Well, I think I would do so!

I see it from this side: if you rent a product and if it is developed further, then you are in a better situation compared to the actual situation of Veags Pro 13: while Vegas still works it seems to be not developed further. All the rumors that we had before the NAB that there will be a new Vegas - well, where are they?

So, if the Catalyst will develop further, I can imagine that we end up in a situation where much more people start to accept the change in the busines model that has been introduced by Adobe: and start to accept that the Catalyst can be rented too.

The other option will be to continue to use Vegas Pro 13 as long as possible - and then think about to move to Edius maybe. Up to everybody.