I believe the fashionable response today is "Boom"

With the rollout of version 7 a familiar reminder of the bill of goods we've been sold in the past, this is a tough act to swallow.

kg

Nothing I mentioned was about subscription options.  I didn't see anything about subscription options in your earlier post, so I had no idea you were talking about that part.  You merely stated that users would no longer be able to move MC between systems and that is incorrect.

Software activation and dongle activation will not change according to my information.  If you don't purchase the support, you just won't get updates but your software will still run.

From the FAQ:

"Q: Is there a version of Media Composer that won’t “time out” if I don’t keep paying my monthly subscription fee? I don’t want to worry about the software no longer working if I’m without Internet access or I haven’t paid the monthly bill.

A: Yes, Avid offers you a choice between a low-cost monthly or annual subscription license, or a perpetual license that you can purchase and own outright. The main difference is that a monthly license offers a very low-cost way to add a Media Composer seat as needed, but will “time out” if you let your subscription lapse, while the perpetual license will function forever.  However, with a perpetual license, you will need to renew your annual support plan each year to ensure that you continue to receive the latest updates and access to world-class customer support if you need help"

 "Q: I use a dongle to license my software; will that continue to work?

A: Yes. Dongles are supported as part of Avid’s perpetual license offerings as they are today. In this case, the only difference is that you will need to purchase a yearly Avid Support plan, which will provide new features, patches, and enhancements as well as access to standard Avid Support."

If you have software activation or a dongle now and opt to not pay the yearly fee for support, your software continues to work at the version you have (or a previous version with a dongle and possibly with a previous version using software activation) on either of those perpetual options.

smyers63:

However, with a perpetual license, you will need to renew your annual support plan each year to ensure that you continue to receive the latest updates and access to world-class customer support if you need help"

What about bug fixes for the version that you own? Are those only available with a support plan?

smyers63:

Nothing I mentioned was about subscription options.

Yep realise that and I wasn't saying you were wrong .. I did preface that statement about not being able to move licences as "Under the new scheme.. " and I compared it directly to Adobe CC so I thought it was obvious, but perhaps I wasn't clear enough in saying which licences were "single computer only".

smyers63:

I didn't see anything about subscription options in your earlier post, so I had no idea you were talking about that part.

Really? The whole post referred to the mish-mash of licencing options available under the new scheme and how I thought Avid had botched it.  I think it kind of makes my point that you didn't realise what I was writing about because the whole scheme is so complicated and unnecessarily restrictive. I repeat I did directly compare it to AdobeCC in that paragraph so I assumed people would get that I was referring to the subscription model but it was remiss of me to leave it out.

And I maintain that this breaks the Avid long-time model for single users in that you can license their subscription model to a single computer only and is far more restrictive than Adobe's CC 

BobbyMurcerFan:

What about bug fixes for the version that you own? Are those only available with a support plan?

My understanding is that any updates require the support plan.  Until otherwise notified, I'd assume that bug fixes fall into "updates."  This point may need more clarification than some of the others.

BTW - I edited the original post for clarity so now no one should mistake what I meant..

thanks

Mondo,

I know nothing about Adobe's licensing so what you were talking about wasn't clear to me.  I think it may have also been unclear to others and that's why I replied with as much clarity as I could.  The whole thing is "new" as I see it (I'm not taking it piece by piece but as a whole because even the terminology has changed) so that reference wasn't clear to me.  No offense meant and none taken.

Threads like this get a lot of traffic and things that either aren't clear or that are inaccurate blow up quickly.  I was hoping to prevent people getting the wrong ideas.  I only wanted to clear up any misperception that MC could not be moved between systems.  I'm glad we're agreed that it can be moved between systems with the perpetual licenses.

What I've taken from the subscription options is that the pricing may reflect the fact that one of those licenses is only usable on one system.  I'm not putting that forward as anything except a possibility since I don't know what any other company charges for software subscriptions or know on how many computers other companies' subscription licenses will work.

Mondo:

BTW - I edited the original post for clarity so now no one should mistake what I meant..

thanks

cuervo:

I missed this point. If this is what comes to pass, it's totally unworkable, for me. I'll move on. I require the ability to transfer between at least 2 machines. Without that, I'm gone.After paying the full retail price for first Media Composer, then Symphony, the very least they can do is allow legacy users a transferable license. To slap me in the face with this draconian treatment is beyond the pale.

The perpetual licenses (dongle and software activation) allow you to move between systems as always. Mondo was talking about the new subscription options.

I have to say that I, for one, am kind of excited about the beginning to end solution path they've created, along with cloud editing and automated distribution.  I got the booth tour at NAB, and as anyone who has attended knows, it's fairly difficult to hear yourself thinking.  I have signed up for a hands on demo Thursday morning, in a far quieter area.

As for the licensing, I used to pay 2-3K for one year of support and upgrades on one system.  Now, I can pay 3K per year for support and upgrades on 10 systems, and I can keep those 10 dongles.  It seems like a bargain to me, but I haven't discussed specifics with anyone yet - too loud.

I saw Marianna, and she is her wonderful self. Got a big hug and a kiss! She's scurrying around the Avid area helping everyone in her path, as only Marianna can do!

So I'm excited! I hope that holds when the dust settles . . . .

smyers63:

If you have software activation or a dongle now and opt to not pay the yearly fee for support, your software continues to work at the version you have (or a previous version with a dongle and possibly with a previous version using software activation) on either of those perpetual options.

Given that this is effectively a new purchase, does that mean that you have to buy a new dongle too to retain the same functionality?  Is there going to be a means of transferring the new licence to your existing dongle?  And if there is, do you lose the backwards compatibility that you previously had with your dongle since you're effectively starting afresh?

I'd like to feel that Avid have thought this through, but it really doesn't look like it to me.

Brickwad:

As for the licensing, I used to pay 2-3K for one year of support and upgrades on one system.  Now, I can pay 3K per year for support and upgrades on 10 systems, and I can keep those 10 dongles.  It seems like a bargain to me, but I haven't discussed specifics with anyone yet - too loud.

Well I don't think too many on this forum paid Avid's rather high support plan fees - they really only made sense for facilities. And I can see that if you are running 10 Avids that you wish to keep current this really is a good deal. For others not so much.. bottom line I'll probably only keep a single licence out of four.

Brickwad:

cloud editing and automated distribution

Give us a break - we live in Australia, what use is cloud editing etc here? Might have been good if Abbott hadn't sabotaged the NBN for short-term political gain - sorry nothing to do with those lucky enough to live in the US.

smyers63:

BobbyMurcerFan:

What about bug fixes for the version that you own? Are those only available with a support plan?

My understanding is that any updates require the support plan.  Until otherwise notified, I'd assume that bug fixes fall into "updates."  This point may need more clarification than some of the others.

That is, I think, the most important item for explanation.

V.

Vilem:

smyers63:

BobbyMurcerFan:

What about bug fixes for the version that you own? Are those only available with a support plan?

My understanding is that any updates require the support plan.  Until otherwise notified, I'd assume that bug fixes fall into "updates."  This point may need more clarification than some of the others.

That is, I think, the most important item for explanation.

V.

It is but I would like to broaden the question a bit. At this moment MC 5.5 ,6, 6.5 and 7 are still supported with MC 5.5 ending within days... (could also have ended a few days ago, don't remember the exact date). The question is how long Avid plans to keep supporting older versions in respect to the yearly support contract.

Example 1. I still use MC 5.5 but buy into the support plan. That's useless.

Example 2. Let's say I use MC6 and I buy into the support plan and during that same year Avid announces end of support for MC6. I will have to upgrade to receive support? Of course.

But now comes the interesting question.

Will Avid clarify what the planned support duration will be for the existing versions under support and to be released version MC8 so that a customer that buys the support plan knows in advance when he will have to update to receive support?

Why is this question now relevant and not not before. Because now not buying the support plan freezes your license so if you want to update at some point you have no choice. But you only know if it's usefull if the version that you are using will be supported for the rest of that coming year!

EDIT: So while I'm free to buy the support plan and able to update, a choice not to update to the supported version results in not being entitled to support. Fine... but what if the time span of support for a version is shortened??? I somehow sense here that this could be a next step with this support program.