Vegas, Vegas Movie Studio, Final Cut Express

[bobogs]

I've been using Vegas 6 for a while, and I really like it. I do hobbyist-type stuff, not professional, and I haven't even tapped into the power of Vegas. I considered VMS to save some money, but I hate being limited to just a few tracks, plus I found Vegas+DVD for a great academic price.

Since I'm going to be in the market for a new pc in the next few months, I've been considering a mac. Of course, the new intel macs can run Windows (and thus Vegas), but I'd like to get some input on Final Cut Express and how it compares to Vegas. Is it more comparable to VMS than Vegas? Is there a DVDArchitect equivalent somewhere between iDVD and DVD Studio Pro? DVDArchitect seems to be more capable than iDVD for customizations and menu and such (although I will admit I haven't really used iDVD at all).

I'll tell you, it's a difficult decision to go to The Dark Side, especially because I'd be giving up some of my favorite software as well (Vegas, DVD Decrypter, DVD Shrink). Maybe I just need to bite the bullet and dual-boot into Windows to do my editing.

Thanks for any comments.

Gary

[edDV]

If you go the MAC direction you are locked into their way of doing it so study the iDVD and Final Cut Express applications carefully. If they don't do what you want the next steps get very expensive.

Dual boot also gets expensive. Do your homework first.

If you are used to Vegas +DVD Architect and operate at that level, you would need upper end apps on the MAC.

[BJ_M]

vegas doesnt run well on a mac i understand .... not sure why , but it has to do with vegas using the NET framework i think

[terjeber]

vegas doesnt run well on a mac i understand .... not sure why , but it has to do with vegas using the NET framework i think

I can't imagine Vegas having any problems on a Mac dual-booted into WindowsXP, running Vegas on a Mac under OSX would not work. Running video editing under something like VMWare would not be reccommended.

The .NET framework would matter at all.

[bobogs]

Yeah, being locked in doesn't sit very well with me, hardware or software-wise. I'm considering a Mac Pro (once they announce them (this week?), and if they come out with a reasonably priced Core 2 Duo model) instead of an iMac, due to the complete lack of upgradeability on the iMacs, but I would still be locked into the OS X software offerings, which are few and far between. I realize that stepping up to FCP and DVD Studio Pro would be a big financial leap, not only over the FCExpress item, but also over the Vegas (Sony) products. Those high-end Apple apps are pretty much out of the question for me. I'd love to do some homework on FCE and iDVD, but the local CompUSA doesn't have FCE installed on any of their demo macs, and what would i do for footage (maybe grab some with the iSight)? I'll see what the local Apple store has available demo-wise.

I'm not too worried about dual-booting, although I hate to sacrifice part of the hd for the other, part-time OS.

edDV, your last comment is what I was looking for. I guess oranges-to-oranges, Vegas+DVD compares more to FCP and DVD Studio Pro than it does to FCExpress and iDVD. It's amazing how they are priced so differently (Amazon: Vegas+DVD=500, FCStudio=1000 (I realize FCStudio has Motion and Soundtrack, but I don't think you can buy just FCP and DVDSP).

Thanks!
Gary

[edDV]

...

edDV, your last comment is what I was looking for. I guess oranges-to-oranges, Vegas+DVD compares more to FCP and DVD Studio Pro than it does to FCExpress and iDVD. It's amazing how they are priced so differently (Amazon: Vegas+DVD=500, FCStudio=1000 (I realize FCStudio has Motion and Soundtrack, but I don't think you can buy just FCP and DVDSP).

Thanks!
Gary

It really comes down to the features you use, or will use. There are some nice advanced features in FCP and DVD Studio but you may not need them. The Apple website describes the differences between Express and full FCP and between iDVD and DVD Studio and there are many online reviews + user comments.