Sony Vegas Pro 9

Vegas Pro 9
Vegas Pro 9 features a new customizable interface as well as direct browsing and import of Sony XDCAM EX footage, native file support for the RED ONE camera, compress to MXF file format during capture from SD/HDSDI sources, a scalable 4K workflow, and new effects and editing enhancements. The software includes both native 32-bit and 64-bit versions at no additional cost.

New Vegas Pro 9 Feature Highlights:

Enhanced Native XDCAM and AVCHD Support
The new Device Explorer feature is designed to enable users to quickly browse the contents of both XDCAM EX devices and AVCHD cameras, allowing users to selectively import files and use them natively, without conversion to an intermediate format. Vegas Pro 9 also allows users to directly capture XDCAM-compatible MXF files from supported SD/HDSDI sources. The new capture-compress function allows broadcast editors to convert their legacy SD or HD tape-based material, including Digital Betacam, HDCAM, and DVCPRO 100, into high-quality, IT-friendly MXF clips conforming to the Sony XDCAM MPEG2 standard.

4K Workflow Enhancements
In addition to supporting frame sizes up to 4096×4096 (4K), Vegas Pro 9 software is said to offer improved performance working with high-resolution still formats as well as added support for gigapixel-resolution images.

New Video Effects
Six new effects plug-ins allow editors to create effects for video and still images. These provide solutions for titles and special effects. The new Gradient Wipe Transition offers interesting new organic and artistic transitions.

New Editing Enhancements
New workflow enhancements in Vegas Pro 9 software are said to help speed up production in a number of ways. Customizable layouts are designed to allow each user to arrange their workflow for maximum creativity.

Native Support for RED ONE Cameras
Vegas Pro 9 software now offers native support for opening and editing RED ONE (.r3d) files on the timeline to support 4K HD workflows using footage from RED video cameras.

Improved Image Support
Vegas Pro 9 software provides native import and export support for industry standard still image formats. DPX and OpenEXR are described as “highly flexible image formats that give editors more latitude for effects and color correction.” Vegas Pro 9 software also now supports gigapixel-size images directly on the timeline. This feature allows editors to use these large pictures for creating a movie sequence by using pan/scan and crop techniques while maintaining HD resolution.

Audio Editing Enhancements
Vegas Pro 9 software is said to now offer improved audio-waveform drawing during recording, which greatly increases workflow speed. Audio-only edits, such as event moves, trims and ASR envelopes, are no longer quantized to frame boundaries by default, helping editors match audio and video to an exact event on the timeline. A “Use all Streams and Channels” command has been added to the Trimmer window shortcut menu enabling users to choose how streams and channels are handled when adding media to the timeline, according to Sony.

Price and Availability
The Vegas Pro 9 software and is scheduled to be available on May 11th, 2009 at retailers worldwide and for purchase online at www.sonycreativesoftware.com (pre-orders started April 20th, 2009).
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for Vegas Pro 9 software is $699.95.
Localized French, German, Spanish, and Japanese versions will also be shipping on May 11th, 2009.