SpeedEDIT Update from NewTek

[Jim Plant]

Dear SpeedEDIT customer,

Earlier this year, we held an upgrade promotion for VT[4] and VT[5]. This promotion included a free standalone copy of SpeedEDIT, as well as some special content disks. At the time, we expected to ship SpeedEDIT by the end of summer and the VT[5] upgrade shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, as you are now aware, the shipping schedule slipped and both products were delayed. The main reason for the delay was our decision to extend the feature set of SpeedEDIT, as recommended by our beta testers and other key advisors. We think they were right, and we also believe you will appreciate these additions to SpeedEDIT. Nevertheless, these choices did have an impact on our delivery schedule for both SpeedEDIT and VT[5].

We're now very close to shipping the standalone version of SpeedEDIT. In fact, we expect to have all testing completed by early next week. We are still working on completing the final packaging, docs and other shipping deliverables, but we expect to be able to deliver the final package to you in early January*. For those of you who are eligible for a free copy of SpeedEDIT, we will make SpeedEDIT 1.0 available for download. This option will be available only to those who purchased VT[4] between April 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006 or pre-purchased the VT[5] software upgrade. In order to keep the download size manageable (less than 150 megabytes) it will not include all the DVE's; just a small subset to get you started. This download will be available late next week, and we'll send another notice to eligible customers with the specific download details.**

We expect to deliver VT[5] sometime in Q1. We know the VT[5] schedule slip is a disappointment for many of you, and you have our sincerest apology for the delay. We would also like to make a more tangible gesture of our appreciation for your patience by offering you a special surprise gift. We've contracted Emmy®-award winning motion graphic artist, Tim Johnson, to design a special set of professional motion graphic templates for use in SpeedEDIT. They are very cool, and really show off the power and capability of SpeedEDIT's built-in character generator. We'll be including this set of templates with your copy of SpeedEDIT as our way of saying "sorry" for the delay and "thank you" for your patience and understanding. You'll also be able to download these motion graphic templates at the same time that you download SpeedEDIT.

We'll be back in touch in January to give you more specific details on the VT[5] shipping schedule.


Sincerely,


Jim Plant
President & CEO
NewTek, Inc.


*This estimate for shipping the final package is for North America only. Our international distributors set their own schedules for shipping. Please contact your local reseller for more information.

** We've sent an e-mail directly to all customers who are eligible for the free copy of SpeedEDIT. If you believe you are eligible and you have not received an e-mail message from us by next Monday morning, please contact us by e-mail at sales@newtek.com and include your VT[4] serial number in the message.

[Dennis Sladek]

Thanks for the update Jim.

Have a Happy Holiday season.

[Scott Bates]

What Dennis Said. As many others have said, I'd rather have SpeedEDIT and VT[5] "right" rather than "now, but buggy".

[badllarma]

Thanks very much for the info Jim. And for all of you on the VT team have a great Christmas and Happy (profitable) New Year with the release of your new product. :thumbsup:

[pnelson]

As you wait for the SpeedEDIT release, check out the first review of SpeedEDIT by Timothy Albee at

http://www.cgfocus.com/article/story/356&page=1

[ChrisFar]

Are the liscening issues for the Demo worked out. I would love to spend 30 days playing with the software over my winter break.
Chris

[Verlon]

Is there anything on the price for existing Lightwave owners? The only toaster I have is for use with bread, not video, but I am interested in SE. :)

[badllarma]

Is there anything on the price for existing Lightwave owners? The only toaster I have is for use with bread, not video, but I am interested in SE. :)

I don't usually go for this stance on things but to be honest it's a ****ing Good Deal at the price it's at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a Toaster user and apart from a couple of things your getting the complete current tool set of the VT of course without the live switching. Don't get me wrong I don't know whats on it's was for the VT 5.0 release but to get that complete tools set when you consider the VT is between 2.4K and just under 5 K depending on what hardware you want with it you cannot really go wrong. :D

Put it like this all that time you currently spend waiting for Prem Pro or FCP rendering so you can edit your clips in an near real time as they can on your system will be gone! All the rendering that section to see how that transition will look and to check is timing is gone!

If this product is the same speed as the current VT Edit (and I'm not on the Beta Testing team so this is only speculation) but I'm sure it is if not more so then this will pay for itself in the first couple of months alone in the time it will give you back from the edit alone. :thumbsup:

[Verlon]

We were told LW owners would get a discounted price.

That's all I am asking about. Since toaster owners are getting it FREE, they don't have a lot of room to talk :P

Seriously, just seeing how much it will cost me. I will certainly take every discount available to me.

[ScorpioProd]

Just to clarify, "toaster owners" do NOT get SpeedEDIT for free.

It is only people who purchased VT[4] or the VT[5] pre-order upgrade during a specific time period this year, as Jim noted.

That's all.

[badllarma]

Hey I'm with you no harm in trying Verlon :D

But Think of all those goodies we have had over the last couple of years for upgrading Lightwave, DFX+, UV Edit Pro and Vue 5 of course :) For me DFX+ was the deal of the Century!!!!!!

And it was not really free as already said you had to pay for the VT 5 upgrade between two certain dates. :I_Love_Ne

[KSTAR]

Nothing in life is free ;)

[Keith Nealy]

I don't usually go for this stance on things but to be honest it's a ****ing Good Deal at the price it's at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a Toaster user and apart from a couple of things your getting the complete current tool set of the VT of course without the live switching.

As a clarification I think you should realize - SpeedEDIT is just the VTEdit portion ofthe full VT system -unbundled.

There is no Aura, no Lightwave, no CG Designer (only CG Post), no Switcher, no batch capture (yet) - Just the Edit module. But it is fast and it works well.

aloha,

Keith :cool:

[steveg]

From what I understand you do get a cg designer with Speed Edit.

[paulfierlinger]

From what I understand you do get a cg designer with Speed Edit.Does he have to be fed every day?

[Jim_C]

There is no stand alone CG Designer such as in VT.

Titles are handled via CG Post directly on the timeline.

Just like the CG effects in VT4 now.

But no separate CG program.

[paulfierlinger]

Jim, does this mean that one should be prepared to own any good standalone CG application, such as "Power CG" or does it mean there is a built-in feature like in Vegas?

[tmon]

Originally Posted by steveg
From what I understand you do get a cg designer with Speed Edit.

Does he have to be fed every day?

LOL.

I don't know how CG Post compares to what comes with Vegas.....I use After Effects a lot for titling, meeself.

[Jim_C]

If it is the same as the CG Post in VT4, it is pretty powerful and offers some creativity CG Designer does not.

But, for me anyway, using CG Post is a bit clunky and awkward and has it's drawbacks.

It probably depends on one's titling needs as to whether the timeline CG will suffice.

[paulfierlinger]

t probably depends on one's titling needs as to whether the timeline CG will suffice.OK, this explains it to me and it seems to be the way Vegas has it: nothing particularly fancy but everything basic is covered. I've been using titles for years of course but I can't remember a time when I wanted or needed to go beyond anything basic. Going beyond basic in my eyes was always stepping into the realm of bad taste.

[Jim_C]

It's actually probably safe to say that the CG Post has powers beyond 'basic'. There is quite a bit of capability there, just kinda cumbesome to get to and work with.

At least compared to the CG Designer.

[Pete Draves]

I use photoshop cs2.
It has a spell checker, and I really need that.
for rolls I use a long png with .9 pixel aspect or for wide screen 1.2.
then move by keyframing. works better than any cg i have had.
works in VT and SE. just streatch for slow or fast and to fill time.
The backgrounds and such I usually grab from the library of things for the cg disigner and the timeline cg. the transparencies and everthing work well with
VT and SE in Photoshop, even better than AE!!
Pete

[paulfierlinger]

Um... is there a decent text scroll? That I would consider slightly beyond basic, or as Mirage calls it, simple text (which otherwise does everything I need). I've worked with "Power CG" when I had Leitch/DPS Velocity and that is considered by most beyond basic because it is also a standalone CG with 3D characters but nothing was ever all that simple in it either. I believe that software alone cost me more than SE costs now. By simple I mean as simple as Word is, as far as formatting and justifying goes.

Boris Graffiti I suppose would be considered the height of sophistication except I know of few people who have the patience to endure the learning curve of it, including myself.

[Keith Nealy]

It has the same functionality but it is a timeline crouton system like the CG post in VT. There is no separate module, just the page templates in the effects folder.

[pnelson]

I have been getting many requests from the LightWave community about a special SpeedEDIT price for LightWave users. I have some GREAT news for you guys.... As soon as SpeedEDIT ships, we are going to offers VERY aggressive pricing that will allow LightWave customers to get a NO-Brainer price on SpeedEDIT.

More info coming soon.

BTW: Paul.. The built in CG is VERY powerful and does Scrolls, Crawls and more!

[paulfierlinger]

Paul.. The built in CG is VERY powerful and does Scrolls, Crawls and more!Hi Phil!! I remember you and good to be in touch again! Thanks for the clarification. When someone says "the same as VT" it won't help me any because I never owned or used VT. As a matter of fact, the only time I saw VT close up was during your demo and that was ions ago! I don't think I will be alone in this deficiency once SE starts spreading around. A standalone is just that; an independent like myself.

[Lee U]

Since I can do everything I need to do and am happy with VT4.6, the value of the extra SE by investing in an early buy, is a good return on my money. I understand some of the plights, but for me it is a sweet deal. Thanks Newtek.
Happy Holidays, Lee

[woollard]

Does he have to be fed every day?

I'm hoping he comes with designer genes that obviate the need for food.

[KSTAR]

Hi Paul its good to see you over hear in Newtekland. I remember a few months ago you were still trying decide about which NLE to go with. Looks like you made a wise decision :) I think SE will fit nicely with a lot of Mirage users, especially the power users. Mirage and SE are practically cousins

[paulfierlinger]

Hi Paul its good to see you over hear in Newtekland.Hey, you took your badge off; I didn't recognize you right away.

I remember a few months ago you were still trying decide about which NLE to go with.Looks like you made a wise decision :) I made two decisions; One to go to Vegas to wait for SE and the second to sit here at the gate to wait SE's arrival (arrivals are usually late in the winter).

Mirage and SE are practically cousins..Once removed..:)

[KSTAR]

Hey, you took your badge off; I didn't recognize you right away.

If you look real close its around my neck. Darn avatars are so tiny :)

I am looking foward to seeing what you do with Mirage and SE. You will have to keep us posted. It will be interesting to see how much faster you workflow becomes, and if it will change? I cant draw, I only render so its not an issue for me :o

[paulfierlinger]

I cant draw, I only render so its not an issue for me
__________________
Anybody can learn to draw. I never wanted to believe this until I was put into a position where I had to teach people how to draw -- in Mirage and with a tablet yet. Over and over again I become astonished when I discover repeatedly how true this is.

[lwaddict]

Agreesive pricing for Lightwave owners?
Sweet.

We can use a couple extra seats if this is as good as I think it will be.

[Verlon]

I have been getting many requests from the LightWave community about a special SpeedEDIT price for LightWave users. I have some GREAT news for you guys.... As soon as SpeedEDIT ships, we are going to offers VERY aggressive pricing that will allow LightWave customers to get a NO-Brainer price on SpeedEDIT.

More info coming soon.

BTW: Paul.. The built in CG is VERY powerful and does Scrolls, Crawls and more!


VERY agressive pricing? Me LIKES the sound of that. Mouse is armed and ready to click. I even have a birthday coming up.

[lwaddict]

VERY agressive pricing? Me LIKES the sound of that. Mouse is armed and ready to click. I even have a birthday coming up.

Gotcha beat...today's my birthday!

Wife already said to go ahead and get whatever I want.

Gotta love those who aren't sure about the stuff you want. :thumbsup:

[Verlon]

Got me beat? hah...

MY birthday is New Year's Day, and so is my wife's :P

[badllarma]

Got me beat? hah...

MY birthday is New Year's Day, and so is my wife's :P

Now thats sounds like a **** of a party :D

Happy Birthday to you both BTW.:)

[Red_Oddity]

Could be, it could also mean it's a very very quiet birthday, "shhhh....my head"

[badllarma]

It reminds me a little many years ago of a New Years Eve party at the local pub then the following morning getting up before 12 then going to a 24 Hour Rave in Wales 12 Noon New Years Day until 12 o'clock the following day! :)

Did not sobber up for 2 days :D

Have a good one Verlon if in doubt stay Drunk :santa:

[paulrus]

Aggressive pricing? What about those of us who went to a launch event and paid in advance for it and got the discount for being LW owners? I seriously hope this "aggressive pricing" won't be lower than that or I'll be a bit peeved at the whole pre-order situation.

Paul

[Verlon]

Aggressive pricing? What about those of us who went to a launch event and paid in advance for it and got the discount for being LW owners? I seriously hope this "aggressive pricing" won't be lower than that or I'll be a bit peeved at the whole pre-order situation.

Paul


Wouldn't it be nicer to hope for some kind of bonus for those in your situation?

[pnelson]

Paul,

What was the special you purchased?

BTW: Totoro Rocks!

[lwaddict]

Bummer...
just saw a Lightwave owner offer for SpeedEdit on www.sharbor.com
and it didn't look like anything that couldn't be passed up.

Oh well...
maybe after I get the other things on my Christmas/Birthday list I'll
start saving for a second seat.

[pnelson]

That Safe Harbor offer isn't an official NewTek special. It's just something they decided to do.

[lwaddict]

That Safe Harbor offer isn't an official NewTek special. It's just something they decided to do.

So yer saying there's still hope?

[Safe Harbor]

That Safe Harbor offer isn't an official NewTek special. It's just something they decided to do.

Incorrect, Phillip. This is a part listed on the NewTek price sheet.

However, it appears there will be something different coming for LW owners... stay tuned.

As for those of you who preordered at the launch events, I don't have an answer. That's something else to "stay tuned" for... :)

[Verlon]

Ok, there seems to be a LOT of people playing with speed edit-- people other than me :(

Did it somehow get released and miss my mailbox (I have had issues receiving Newtek email before)? Is that super cool special for Lightwave owners already going on?

I am trying to stay tuned....but the reception is a bit spotty. Must be AM or something.

[pnelson]

Verlon,
NewTek has released SpeedEDIT as a download to the people who pre-purchased the VT[5] upgrade. After the 1st of the year we will be announing the SECRET Lightwave/SpeedEDIT info.. ;)

Only a few more days...

[Verlon]

Grrrr ARRRRRR!!

Ok...guess I can wait a few days, but don't make me go down there! You won't like that (I'll drink all the Dr. Pepper!)

[lwaddict]

After the first?

Dude, that's so unfair...
you realize how difficult it's been keeping a stash of cash for this long already?

LOL.

Everyone...
have an awesome New Year and stay safe, k?

[lwaddict]

It's officially Jan 2, 2007...
which is officially after the New Year.

Any word?

Yep...an official nag. LOL.

[pnelson]

Almost... Almost there.. :)

We should let everyone know the juicy details tomorrow.

[lwaddict]

Ah yes...a fine New Year it'll be!

[Verlon]

Ok its tomorrow (1/3). Are you guys up yet? We're waiting! :devil:

[Twrch]

wait for it... wait for it 8/

[ednachman]

My reseller informs me that he will have SpeedEdit in two weeks.

[lwaddict]

Ok...<yawn...stretch>...

coffee...
Check.

PC's up and running...
Check.

Log onto Newtek board to harass Phillip and the team about SpeedEdit deal...
uh...
Phillip?

Check.

Back to work...
Check.

[lwaddict]

LOL...but that didn't stop the emailed updates to the thread. LOL.

Side note: I love Safe Harbor and Newtek both. I've been ordering directly from Safe Harbor since LW5...plugins, books, add ons, videos, hardware...you name it.
And recently I tried a local dealer, who shall remain nameless...forever...it wasn't pretty.
A Newtek rep fixed everything though and so now I'm gladly back to simply ordering either from Safe Harbor or Newtek directly.

Now...back to the topic at hand.

Phillip?

LOL

[Twrch]

lwaddict
You are missing an "in" in your tag line.

Yes, I am obsessing about small things, trying to take my mind off the impending announcement. :stop:

[Safe Harbor]

I love Safe Harbor and Newtek both. I've been ordering directly from Safe Harbor since LW5...plugins, books, add ons, videos, hardware...you name it.
And recently I tried a local dealer, who shall remain nameless...forever...it wasn't pretty.
A Newtek rep fixed everything though and so now I'm gladly back to simply ordering either from Safe Harbor or Newtek directly.

Well thanks!

[Verlon]

Awake again.....checking email before hitting the Dr. Pepper.

Hmmm...what's missing from this thread?

[Tim Johnson]

Yes. Hats off to Mary, Tiffani, and the rest of the gang at Safe Harbor. I've done business with them for about ten years, and never had an issue. Always gone above and beyond for me. Great company.

[Verlon]

I THINK my first order from SH was 512K (that's K as in KILO and not a typo) of page mode zips for my Amiga 500 back in the day (many moons and a couple of tax brackets ago).

[JReble]

So when do the discs ship then?? That was part of the announcement due to be released any second now right? The announcement everyone has been waiting for....the announcement you are about to hear right this very minute...the announcement that follows this very post...this announcement riggghhhhtt here.....

[Dennis Sladek]

I'd rather see a link to the download.
That would be more immediate for those of us who have already paid.

[ScorpioProd]

Realizing that everyone at Newtek has basically been away for two weeks...

And being that they released the initial download before going away...

Wouldn't you guys prefer any bugs that slipped through to be taken care of before they commit to burned discs?

Having hit some of the bugs in the initial download...

I would have to say I would.

[lwaddict]

Not really...LOL.

Especially since I've got my downloaded version due to my VT5 upgrade purchase...

waiting on the LW deal though so I can have more seats available...
and hopefully dongle mobile.

[Verlon]

Yes, but Phillip Nelson said there would be an announcement today....so we are all a bit anxious.

This is not the same as "the end is nigh" or "mark my words, Newtek is going down in flames if they do not hand deliver my copy of Speed Edit today AND a large pizza and buffalo wings for all the agony of making me wait past noon for the delivery..."

We're just all excited about the impending proclamation that will hook up all of us Lightwave users with Speed Edit Licenses....

[lwaddict]

Uh oh...
them sound like Freudian slips. LOL.

Phillip?

[pnelson]

You guys should be happy to know that Paul Lara will be spilling the beans in about 10 minutes. :)

[pnelson]

Here it is!
http://www.newtek.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61357

[bbeanan]

I got one for you Philip.... how about a deal for those of us whom would like more than 1 copy??? I figure the one that is on one of my laptops is good and the one that will be on my soon to be upgraded VT4 system is good... but I still have one more laptop that needs SpeedEdit and maybe another desktop....