Sorry I don't know if this is the right place to ask that question but please I really need to know so that I can invest my time properly.

Vegas7 - Avid Xpress has fewer features as its a stripped out version of Avid.

Vegas7 is the full caboodle!

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If you have to choose between those 2, definetely go for vegas 7

hmm... I really feel limited in terms of effects in Vegas...

Vegas' only apparrent short coming is its lack of many 3rd party plugins but they are available.

Check out: http://www.vasst.com/search.aspx?ent...tegory=Plugins

However there is alot to be said about becoming reliant on plugins. As a professional i have only used two 3rd party plugins for projects. Even before when i ised to use premier pro it was the same.

The effects achieved by plugins can be achieved using the effects that are native to the applications. it requiers some lateral thinking and really strong knowledge of the application and its native effects.

Today i dont feel the need to buy any plugins as i can achieve what i want with Vegas on its own. Anything that gets really diverese with special effects i bring into After Effects.

With that in mind I'd still say go with Vegas. Remembver the original point. AvidXpress is stripped out, so even if you manage to get plugins for it there is still limited capability.

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First off I am not a professional. I am a novice. I use video in education. I can only tell you about the ease of use.

I should have had more respect to the moderator. There is a better editor at AVID - "Media Composer" and I guess AVID xpress is a ripped out version of that. But I think that Media express is probably packed with things for making feature films. Even Avid Xpress seems to be geared that way and it does not seem at all ripped out. It seems to have a few more features and tools than Vegas.

I have both, but I always use Vegas since it is easier to use and seems to have no bugs at all, whereas AVID did things to annoy me (kept telling me my keyboard settings were incorrect, crashed more than once while attempting and failing to import, and post crash reboot without dongle caused annoying error messages). The need to use a dongle is a pain, since I sometimes forget to bring it home.

AVID supports more High Definition and otherwise high level video formats. If you have a Panasonic HVX200 then the latest Avid supports some of the P2 mxf files out of the box, whereas one needs to purchase the DVFilm Raylight plugin (195 USD) for Vegas.

On the other hand Avid does not support the low end video formats like mp4 or avi from my Hitachi woo handicam which is a pain.

It says it can do super things like image stabilisation and automatic white balance correction and even a rotoscope plugin (Boris Graffiti) but I never got it to import enough video to try them out.

That said I think that AVID may still be used by more broadcast media professionals. It has been around longer. It seems to have a lot of tools for workflow like somehow mergeing the video with the script. It is used by my local cable TV company and was recommended by a local pro production studio.

Hmm...Avid seems to come from the age of specialists. It brags about being used to produce "Lord of the Rings. It may well have more power but it strikes me as being a bit of a dinosaur.

Vegas gives the impression of being much more polished and slick. It seems to do everything, well, and is better presented.

So unless you need something that only Avid does, my recommendation is Vegas. It is also a lot cheaper.

That said, I am faced with paying 50 to upgrade Avid to get Panasonic HD import, or to pay $150 to buy the academic Raylight plugin and I am torn! I guess I will buy both.

By the way, if you are NOT a pro (other readers) the home movie editions (home movie and home movie platinum) of Vegas have the "show me how" which is super. It is the software only tutorial function I have ever been impressed with.

There is a discussion about this issue also at
http://www.videomaker.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3374

good thing you replied to this thread I thought it was dead. Thank you so much for explaining everything.. definitely I'll go for Sony becuase like I said I'm not a pro and I'm looking for Tutorials... you mentioned a "show me how" in Vegas 7 Pro... I thought it's more complete... can I get that option somewhere?

With a price of 3200 pound Mediacomposer is hardly an option for most of us, at most forums I visited I never encountered someone who was working with it. It makes Vegas or Premiere look like mspaint vs Photoshop in terms of usability and learning curves. Think this one is mainly used by production companies.

I did not mean to suggest that borgat would buy Media Composer. But I don't think that Avid Xpress Pro is particularly "ripped out" - maybe Avid Xpress DV is a bit limited.

Media Composer $3200 way out there in the blue of film companies
Xpress Pro $1700 TV production companies
Xpress DV $600 Probably what Avid means to pitch against Sony Vegas
Xpress Free $0 worth a try. I have the Pro academic so I have not tried it out. Also you need to have Windows XP which I do not have.
http://www.avid.com/freedv/features.asp

Sony
Vegas - for pros but it is not called "pro" - To be honest I don't understand the advantages of it yet. It does NOT have the "show me how"
Vegas Movie Studio Platinum - with HD capability and "show me how"
Vegas Movie Studio NO HD capability has "show me how"

So please bear in mind Borgat, that the top Vegas does not have "show me how" so I think I would recommend the platinum. I used the demo of the cheapest one for a monthand I can't honestly say I noticed any difference when I go the pro version, except the ABSENCE of the "show me how," because I was not using HD at the time. I think that I would probably buy the platinum if I had the choice again.

Perhaps someone else can tell us the advantages of Vegas over Vegas Movie Studio Platinum. I investigated at the time but I did not understand the differences.
Here is the comparison
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/pro...=408&PageID=17
The external monitor and the ulimited video tracks looks useful. I have never used more than 3 video tracks and I don't have an external monitor however.
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/pro...=408&PageID=17

I remember now another reason why I initially chose Avid, it can render to flash and that it what I will be using on the net.