Poll: How much would you pay for Resolve panels?

[Jake Blackstone]

Anyone using Resolve alongside BL, FM or Lustre will tell you, that Resolve is a capable system. A simple fact, that we’re comparing a $1k software to something more like multi $100k is pretty insane. But we’re not discussing best ROE system or the best bang for your buck. Once we take the cost out of equation, Resolve panels don’t look as such a great investment. Spending $50k on a panel to go with $150K system doesn’t sound out of ordinary. Spending $30k for a $10K system does. But that just my opinion. Building fastest system doesn’t make it the best system. It is not a video game. I’ll take elegance over brute force any time and I’ll take creative freedom over rigid compliance any time as well.

[Robert Houllahan]

The $1k price of Resolve is irrelevant in my opinion. Resolve has thirty years of development behind it with the Reniassance, DUI, 2K and all in there plus all of the development of the Linux version. Having looked at Scratch, Speed Grade, Film Master, etc. I think Resolve is a deeper and more reliable toolset that I would take any day over scratch, etc. Remember that Resolve on Linux was price competitive with Baselight and Lustre at the high end just a year or so ago. At the rate BMD is adding features and responding to user requests for bug fixes and added functions I think Resolve is still far more competitive than most of the “low end” grading apps and still pretty competitive with machines many times it’s fully kitted out price.

-Rob-

Robert Houllahan
Director / Colorist
Cinelab Inc.
http://www.cinelab.com

MAHC-PRO 6-Core 3X GTX285 20Tb SAS Wave Panel Panny 11UK SDI Plasma.

[Jake Blackstone]

And that is why DaVinci went out of business, a few times I might add, until it was purchased at fire-sale price by BM. Yeah, we all know that DVision was sniffing around, but they weren’t interested in DV’s IP. They got what they wanted, when they got DV’s client list.
$1K price is very relevant to this conversation. If the price was irrelevant, Resolve, in my opinion, would be relegated to the level of Scratch and Speedgrade. And that is why I’m speaking from personal experience using all above-mentioned systems-BL, FM and Lustre. You can use example of Company 3 ’till cow’s come home, the fact remains, at $1K Resolve is very competitive, but at even $15k… well not really. That is why all of BM systems are exactly the same-$1K. Do you think, that if BM was selling tons of Linux systems at full price, they would reduce it to $1K? Just ask Assimilate how they are doing at high end of grading market… Or for this matter at any market:-)
Back to the subject at hand, $30K panel for a $10k system is not a decision I might make. On the other hand, something like $5K for device, like Tangent Element and not neutered operationally, count me in. Heck, I’ll even take MC Color, that is not crippled…