Studio - General Forum

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

Jon RT — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:01:28 GMT

We do not need two threads on this.

Please see this thread.

http://forums.pinnaclesys.com/forums/thread/220782.aspx

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

markk655 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:17:31 GMT

I have $0 invested in Smartsound and yet I am still very disappointed. With my purchase of S12, I had contemplated buying some Smartsound. Then I read Ian's first post regarding the possible loss of support for Smartsound and held off. I am currently sitting with a copy of S12 that I can't use (mostly because the software developers forgot to include proper support for my HDC-SD1 that was perfectly supported in S11). So, I am rather disappointed with S12 for other reasons at this time.

It seems very strange to me to remove something that works. Surely that takes up more effort (that Pinnacle has to pay for developers) than just leaving the software (Quitracks in this case) alone?

an example, if Studio was Tylenol (acetominophen/paracetomol for the Euro folks), and Pinnacle stopped selling it, what would happen? All of the people who have come to rely on Tylenol would no longer find it on the shelves of their favourite pharmacist/chemist where they have found it for years. They would be left with one big headache - until;an alternative pain reliever was found.It makes me sad to say this, but it really does make you lose faith in a company.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

JOHNBAG — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:00:57 GMT

I am not saying this to score points against forum users but to show Avid how much SS is used. I have 19 SS on the shelf. Value now Avid is killing SS £0. Commitment to Avid and any updates if SS is not kept zero.

A line from a famous movie " Big mistake - huge!"

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

plemmens — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:51:04 GMT

17 SS CD's is what I have on the shelf here.

I DL'd a trial of v7 ultra from one of those other NLE producing companies.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

andre — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:38:31 GMT

This is indeed very bad news (i own about 15 smartsound CD's).

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

Timeless Moments — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:35:49 GMT

Interesting point Jeff

I wonder how many users of Studio have indeed purchased additional Smartsound cds? Mind you, at £50 each they only need to have purchase 2 or more to have invested more in Smartsound than Studio. In addition I would suggest that it is the hobbyist/pro/enthusiast who are most likely to tell everyone they know how good Studio is resulting in many extra sales of the product. Likewise if these same people feel cheated by Pinnacle they are perhaps less likely to sing it's virtues and more likely to try something different.

Ian

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

jjn — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:00:39 GMT

If it a just a question of money , Pinnacle should at least make Smartsound support an add-on that can be purchased at a reasonable price for the users that need it.

as a result of inability to reach a contractual arrangement satisfactory to both parties,

Jon RT clearly cannot say anything more than that, but there is an implication to this statement.

Smartsounds are actively emailing people trying to sell them Sonicfire. Smartsounds may have less to lose. Pinnacle come out as looking like the bad guys, and Smartsounds get to a captive market of disc owners that have no choice but to buy Sonicfire or move over to a video editing program that does allow Quicktracks support.

So, this may not be about money. Smartsounds may be wanting a guarantee (for themselves and their disc purchasers) that smartsounds support will contine in later versions of studio. The more developed Scorefitter becomes, the more tempted Avid will be to drop Smartsounds. Smartsounds have some leverage at the moment.

As someone who doesn't regularly use either feature, nor have any investment in Smartsounds, this shouldn't really affect me. The people that are most likely to be affected are at the professional and serious hobbist end of the user base. I would not be surprised if 90% of Studio users have no reason to care, and that may well have come out in a marketing survey. What I do care about though, is a percieved disregard for Studio users just because they are in a minority.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

VE7AXO — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:18:23 GMT

With Sonicfire Pro, all our SmartSound investments should be available for use and import into Studio as .wav files, in spite of lack of support directly from within Studio in future updates. All other functions such as matching music length to video should be available.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

mcperry — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:52:21 GMT

colour:
we will be disabling in future releases of Studio current known work-arounds that enabled the use of SmartSound.

I've mentioned this before in this Thread. Pinnacle now need to define exactly what they mean by "future releases". IMO, an "Update" to S12 would be to fix any bugs found in a previous Version of S12. & "future releases of Studio" would be succeeding Versions of Studio (Next Gen?) & not Updates to S12. If that's the case, then Pinnacle's decision would be considered to be within the bounds of good business practice. If it isn't, then it wouldn't. No doubt Pinnacle have already considered that?

From Pinnacle:

"In terms of Studio 12, we have decided, based on market research and looking ahead to future opportunities, to remove support for SmartSound. This decision was not made lightly but based on a wide range of factors."

I read that as removing SS support in an S12 update. I hope I am wrong!

"At SmartSound’s request, and as a result of inability to reach a contractual arrangement satisfactory to both parties, we will be disabling in future releases of Studio current known work-arounds that enabled the use of SmartSound."

If it a just a question of money , Pinnacle should at least make Smartsound support an add-on that can be purchased at a reasonable price for the users that need it.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

colour — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:27:49 GMT

we will be disabling in future releases of Studio current known work-arounds that enabled the use of SmartSound.

I've mentioned this before in this Thread. Pinnacle now need to define exactly what they mean by "future releases". IMO, an "Update" to S12 would be to fix any bugs found in a previous Version of S12. & "future releases of Studio" would be succeeding Versions of Studio (Next Gen?) & not Updates to S12. If that's the case, then Pinnacle's decision would be considered to be within the bounds of good business practice. If it isn't, then it wouldn't. No doubt Pinnacle have already considered that?

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

gorebels — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:22:24 GMT

Probably wouldn't purchase, but the problem isn't with future versions, but with losing the smartsound with the next interim release (12.1). I've already purchased version 12 and have smartsound functionality. I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

mcperry — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 01:04:43 GMT

I request that the Moderator of this forum set up a POLL with a very simple question:

"If future versions of Pinnacle Studio do not allow you to use Smartsound, will you purchase that future version?"

Forum members could then voice their opinion with a simple yes/no answer and the results would be available for all to see - especially Pinnacle's Marketing Department "experts".

As It seems that many serious users of Studio are members of this forum, they are the users that Pinnacle should be surveying.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

mcperry — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:43:33 GMT

Is Pinnacle game to publish on this forum the full details and results of the "market research" which told them to remove a valuable feature of Studio?

If Pinnacle's decision to remove Smartsound support is not reversed very quickly, I for one will NOT be buying any further Pinnacle/Avid products. I will continue to use S12 while I evaluate offerrings from other suppliers.

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

Timeless Moments — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:36:20 GMT

Jon RT:

In terms of Studio 12, we have decided, based on market research and looking ahead to future opportunities, to remove support for SmartSound. This decision was not made lightly but based on a wide range of factors. At SmartSound’s request, and as a result of inability to reach a contractual arrangement satisfactory to both parties, we will be disabling in future releases of Studio current known work-arounds that enabled the use of SmartSound.

This is just not acceptable. You are forcing people with large libraries of Smartsound music to go elsewhere. Do you honestly think that we would just throw out our old Smartsound music that in my case has cost several thousand pounds (that's GB pounds) just so that I can enjoy a $100 piece of software no matter how easy it is to use? Of course not. I have been waiting for clarification so that I can decide whether to upgrade our 4 systems to S12 or look elsewhere. I am glad I didn't upgrade, tomorrow the search begins for something as comfortable to use as Studio but with the ability to continue to use Smartsound.

I implore you to reconsider this decision. You are going to lose vast numbers of customers who will feel betrayed by your future actions, heck there may even be a legal case here as the original manual I believe for S12 states that Smartsound is supported, if you then remove that support with a patch would that not be similar to buying a car only for you to come along later and remove the engine during a service?

I can understand why you would wish to develop your own music software, but at the moment it just does not hold a candle to Smartsound.

If Avid were to develop their own codec for compression of film, lets call it the .avid format, would you then remove support for all other file formats?

I am bitterly disappointed by this decision, my company will not be purchasing S12 and neither will our customers unless this decision is reversed.

Yours Sincerely

Ian Litchfield
Sales & Marketing Director
Timeless Moments Limited (UK)

Re: Will the next update for Studio 12 disable Smartsound?

jwvaughn — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:19:15 GMT

Jon RT:
In terms of Studio 12, we have decided, based on market research and looking ahead to future opportunities, to remove support for SmartSound.

Damn!

Jon RT:
At SmartSound’s request, and as a result of inability to reach a contractual arrangement satisfactory to both parties, we will be disabling in future releases of Studio current known work-arounds that enabled the use of SmartSound.

Double Damn!

Looks like a case of the little fish trapped between two whales

Jerry