FCP X vs MC pricing

[Brett Sherman]

The list seems a little arbitrary. You need these things, I don’t.

My list would only contain:
FCP X – $300
Motion – $50
Compressor – $50
7toX – $10

Total – $410.

Event Manager X, don’t need sparse bundles work better for me. Nattress and Haiwiki – don’t like them. I do wish there were a plug-in that provided real curve adjustment in FCP X (Nattress is not it)

The other thing is licensing. I can legally install FCP X on any computer I use since the license is per user. With Avid I’d have to go through deactivation and activation. Because we have two users at work with two licenses, I’d have to continually be managing licenses, if my partner wants to work on the workstation and I want to work on my laptop. I’d have to deregister my license on the workstation, register it on my laptop. He’d have to deregister his license on his laptop or secondary workstation and license it on the main workstation. Bottom line, it just wouldn’t happen. So for expediency we’d end up having to buy 4 licenses compared to 2.

Not to mention I can ingest material, or render out files from one workstation while working on another with a single license. Happens all the time.

So my calculation – cost for FCP X for our shop – $810. Cost for Avid – $5000.

[Eric Santiago]

I would add NEAT Video 🙂

[Oliver Peters]

[Brett Sherman] “The list seems a little arbitrary. You need these things, I don’t. “

Need was never the point. It’s a list of equivalent items to equal the Media Composer built-in functions plus third-party add-ons that you get for the $1K price.

[Brett Sherman] “The other thing is licensing. I can legally install FCP X on any computer I use since the license is per user.”

This is only true for personal, non-commercial use. I realize everyone skirts that issue and Apple looks the other way. If you want to play that game, I can install MC on an unlimited number of machines – PC or Mac – and authorize/de-authorize according to which I want to work on at the moment. I do understand your need for concurrent use, but you are utilizing a loophole.

[Brett Sherman] “So for expediency we’d end up having to buy 4 licenses compared to 2.”

And from an Apple POV, violating the EULA.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Richard Herd]

[Mark Raudonis] “TC reference is the lifeblood of many workflows… especially in Reality TV”

I wonder what Tony West does? Hope he’s around to answer.

[Tony West]

I think their whole goal was a pay for what you want system. Bring you in at a low price and then
the user could add things that were relevant to them.

I have programs that I have paid for, like RX or Neatvideo. Everybody’s list is different.

I prefer that method myself.

I bet if you asked the question, “which method do you prefer, come in low and pay for what you use, or
pay higher for more that you may not use”

Folks would go for the come in low.

Just my guess.

[Brett Sherman]

[Oliver Peters] “This is only true for personal, non-commercial use. I realize everyone skirts that issue and Apple looks the other way. If you want to play that game, I can install MC on an unlimited number of machines – PC or Mac – and authorize/de-authorize according to which I want to work on at the moment. I do understand your need for concurrent use, but you are utilizing a loophole.”

Simply not true. See the section of the EULA from below that pertains. You can either operate as a user-based license OR a workstation-based licenses. For businesses that have multiple editors, they have to use workstation-based licensing. I don’t. Whether or not I can as a single-user have to workstations concurrently running FCP X is not defined and therefore is not against the EULA. I’m guessing it’s not a problem in that I can only work currently with one computer while utilizing another for unattended work.

“(ii) if you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, to download, install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software for use either: (a) by a single individual on each of the Mac
Computer(s) that you own or control, or (b) by multiple individuals on a single shared Mac Computer that you own or control. For example, a single employee may use the Apple Software on both the employee’s desktop Mac Computer and laptop Mac Computer, or multiple students may serially use the Apple Software on a single Mac Computer located at a resource center or library”

[Oliver Peters]

Correct. Falls into the “under your control” category. If you own 5 machines personally, but bring in 5 freelance editors to create spots, then that’s a violation. If you are concurrently operating the same 5 machines, but you are the only operator (rendering different projects, for example), then that’s not a violation, I suppose.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com