New Licensing

[Ghost In The Attic]

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

There is no benefit to Avid by offering discounts on the "service contracts".

It's the same benefit they are getting from offering Pro Tools 11 at a discount right now, bringing everyone up to the same level.

At the end of 2015 Avid will want to bring everyone up to the same level then too. Logic says they will do as they have done before, and offer an incentive to Pro Tools 11 users that are not signed up. The more people that have held off, the more incentive Avid will have to discount.

[Ghost In The Attic]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

If this results in more reliable tools, it will make many of us very happy.

So true.

If Avid could get a fully functioning and bug free version by the end of 2015, I would sign up for the "support plan" for that reason alone.

[Bill Denton]

Originally Posted by K Roche

While I don't know and won't guess about future discounts it is this part of you post I find interesting



So I'm guessing you mean high end post houses and what few high end recording studios still going ?

Yes, that's what I was referring to.

Do you think this is really enough business ? Because for example it seems as per Righty27 post that the latest poll over on PT Expert forum has 65 % of 1500 polled are saying they will not upgrade past PT 11. Which I am assuming means 65 % are also not going to buy into the service contract. If this is indicative of the larger Entire PT customer base, that would seem to be a huge amount of revenue you are saying Avid doesn't care about, which does not seem like a good business strategy albeit perhaps a 65% reduction in accounting work ?????? Just thinking out loud here.

Unfortunately, in a self-selecting poll, people say all kinds of things.

Sometimes they haven't thought things through, sometimes they aren't really sure what they might do, sometimes they're just PO'd at a company, sometimes they just lie. Unfortunately, some folks think that a multi-million dollar company is going to turn on a dime based on the results of a poll such as this.

While the folks who read/subscribe to Pro Tools Expert are a cut above what you might find on the DUC or elsewhere, they too are humans, with the same foibles all humans suffer from. So, what people actually do may differ greatly from what they say they will do.

So, while a self-selecting poll can sometimes be very useful, you can't treat the results as absolutes.

And for this type of poll, 1,500 responses is probably not a representative sample.

So, a useful poll, but one that must be looked at very carefully...

[Bill Denton]

Originally Posted by ghostwriter

It's the same benefit they are getting from offering Pro Tools 11 at a discount right now, bringing everyone up to the same level.

At the end of 2015 Avid will want to bring everyone up to the same level then too. Logic says they will offer an incentive to Pro Tools 11 users that are not signed up. The more people that have held off, the more incentive Avid will have to discount.

The more people that have held off, the more incentive Avid will have to discount.

Except, there won't be "more incentive" for Avid, it will still be zero.

If you want to go past PT 11, you will buy a service contract.

If you won't buy a service contract, you're not really a valuable customer to Avid.

It's that simple...

[Cowboy Bob]

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

I'm not as sure about this as I am other things, but...

I don't think you're going to see any discounts on the "service contracts" in the near future....

In retrospect, I guess I am inclined to agree. Avid did say that we (current version users) didn't need to do anything just yet if we didn't want to.

SOOOOO, perhaps when the next feature release upgrade is available, we will have the opportunity to buy into the maintenance contract at that time (probably for a limited amount of time) and get the latest new feature release upgrade super fantastic stuff, triggering our yearly "dues" to Avid at that time. Likely as not there won't be another feature release upgrade for some time after that, putting us all back on the same level again.

Not so sure that the enthusiast part is completely dead though. But am pretty certain that casual users will fall by the wayside. Serious or obsessional enthusiasts can turn out to be pro users, even if only a part time business, like mine is at the moment, but growing.

As a one man shop in the middle of the cornfields, I can see some of the advantages in the online collaboration. Most of my work is collaboration, and integrating that could be nice, but not a show stopper. But that is based solely on MY opinion, experience with other collaborators, and end use.

As I said earlier, I reckon the proof to be in the pudding.

[Zarabozo]

I really wish they had included a $50 monthly plan for HD. It would still be $600/year, but much easier to pay by people on very tight budgets like myself.

If that was the case, I'd be surrendering my PT10+CPTK already. But right now I'm waiting (and saving) in the hope that I'll still see the CPTK to HD offer by the end of 2015.

[propower]

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

If you won't buy a service contract, you're not really a valuable customer to Avid.

this one rings true for me. At $600 a year - even serious enthusiasts (+ part time money makers) can probably swing it and are likely too far invested to back out.

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by ghostwriter

It's the same benefit they are getting from offering Pro Tools 11 at a discount right now, bringing everyone up to the same level...

I suspect they benefit a great deal more from no longer having many people on 10 and earlier because it's not the same program as 11.

[spenner]

Originally Posted by froyo

Most facilities that work in movies, commercials, TV shows, industrial videos, etc in the US work with Pro Tools. A very strong majority do so as well in the rest of the world. The great majority will not mind the new model one bit.

There may also be a great number of Vanilla users, myself included, who would not mind the annual subscription. However, clarity on the subscription details are needed, mainly this:

Originally Posted by froyo

My only concern is what everyone has pointed out, namely how will they handle lapsed subscriptions. They do need to clarify that.

I will add that 200 USD is about $17 a month. Even the most novice Vanilla enthusiast spends that on junk food in a week.

This subscription is potentially great for the entire PT customer base.

[Zarabozo]

I'm seeing this at the bottom in the Avid Store for the PT10+CPTK to PT11HD upgrade:

* Pro Tools | HD 11 works with Pro Tools | HDX and Pro Tools | HD Native systems only. An iLok 2 USB key (not included) is required to use the software.

Can anyone that has bought PT11HD from CPTK please confirm it works with non HD hardware? (e.g. with an MBox Pro).

Thanks in advance!