Videoguys Year End Wrap-up

I'd like to take this opportunity to once again thank you for your patronage and support and to make you another special coupon offer. I have re-activated Coupon Code INSIDER5 for a limited time.

*** Use Coupon Code INSIDER5 and Save 5% on your next order!***
(Coupon expires at 11:59PM Dec 31st, 2011)

2011 has been quite a year for Videoguys, and our industry. In April, things changed dramatically when Apple gave a first look of their new FCPX editing software at the FCPUG SuperMeet during the NAB show in Vegas. I was at the event, and the room was filled with excitement, energy and anticipation - that is until after the Apple presentation. The professional editors and broadcasters in the room left feeling nervous and uneasy about Apple's commitment to them, their workflows and the needs of professional post-production. When Apple actually released FCPX this summer the internets were lit up with frustrated FCP editors, wondering why Apple would abandon them and leave them drifting in the wind.

Avid and Adobe seized this opportunity to aggressively go after frustrated and disgruntled FCP editors with new crossgrade campaigns. This was the first time ever that editors have been given the chance to buy Avid Media Composer or the full Adobe Production Premium at such low prices. Before long, even Sony Vegas and Grass Valley Edius had crossgrade offers of their own. As I start to right our Top 10 Products of 2011 article, it is clear that 2011 was the year of X - FCPX and "X" grades (Crossgrades).

Last chance to buy Adobe Production Premium CS5.5. for under $1,000!

This past summer Adobe was running a Switcher Promotion to get both Mac and PC users to Switch from FCP or Avid to Adobe Premiere Pro and Production Premium. The program was a tremendous success and it was our most successful Adobe promotion in years. Like all good things, the Switcher promotion had to come to an end, and it did back in October.

While doing our year-end inventory in the warehouse we discovered that we have some excess inventory left over from promotion so we cost averaged it with our existing inventory and we are now able to offer the full Adobe Production premium CS5.5. for just $999 (for an extremely limited time and quantity)!! You do not have to provide proof of ownership of any previous version of Adobe or Avid or Apple software, all you need to do is hurry up and buy one before they run out!

Adobe is also offering a 20% discount on Production Premium CS5.5 upgrades (now through 12/31)! Videoguys is sweetening the pot by including Red Giant Magic Bullet Quicklooks ($89.95 value) Free with your upgrades

G-Tech G-RAID4 4TB in stock $429! Check out our NLE bundles!!

Flooding in Thailand created massive disruptions in hard drive production. As soon as we heard the news we put in a very large order with G-Tech for GRAID4- 4TBs. The G-Tech G-RAIDs have been our go to external drive solution for years and especially now, with the move to 64-bit computing, everyone you can now take full advantage of the 4TB model.

We stocked up on G-RAIDs and took in everything we could at the old price, before the price went up. We thought we had sold out of units over Black Friday weekend but learned that there was another batch in transit to us later that week - we were psyched!

That is why Videoguys is able to sell the G-RAID4 4TB model for $429! We have also built it into bundles with all our most popular NLEs!!

Avid Media Composer 6 - The world's best NLE is better then ever!

We posted this article on our website before Avid officially released Media Composer 6. Since they launched it in November the reviews and reports are declaring that Media Composer 6 is a hit! Here are some of my highlights in the new release:

• 64 bit architecture unleashes the power of todays CPUs
• A tidal wave of 3rd party hardware support
• New AMA Support is SWEET!
• New GUI - Same old Avid, just better looking and updated
• Artist Color knocks Color Correction out of the park!

At the end of this article I've included links to a bunch of blog posts for even further reading but, for now, I'm going to give you what the Videoguys' see as the most important new features for our customers and why we think Avid Media Composer 6 is better than ever, and is the best choice for professional video editors at every level.

Videoguys' 2011 Holiday Gift Guide
Recommendations for Videographers & Editors at Every Price!

In these difficult economic times the one thing that is on everyone's mind is savings and value. We've kept that in mind with this year's Videoguys' Holiday Gift Guide.

We realize that many of you are shopping for yourselves, but that doesn't mean you can't "guide" your family and friends to find the perfect gift for you that meets their budget and will bring you an extra little bit of holiday cheer! We've broken the guide into several categories that I think will help make your holiday shopping easier:

Training | Gizmos & Gadgets | Software Gifts for Students & Beginners | Software Upgrades and Crossgrades! | Hardware | Plug-Ins | Audio for Video |

Videoguys' DIY9 Sneak Peek: It's Time for Sandy Bridge-E

Over the past year Videoguys.com have taken some heat in some online tech forums and communities. We were very late to embrace the original Sandy Bridge processors and even when we did recommend one, it was with some caveats.

We have always been big fans of Sandy Bridge CPUs and the performance value they deliver. The issue for us was the motherboards and chipsets. The initial Sandy Bridge X67 motherboard had some very serious PCIe bandwidth issues. These were addressed, but even when the improved X68 based motherboards shipped, we still had concerns. Sure they were okay for running NLE software, but add-in an I/O device like the Matrox MXO2 Mini and some RAID storage and you could very well run into bottlenecks.

When I shared these concerns with my contacts at Avid, Adobe, Matrox and other vendors, they confirmed my suspicions and said they too would not be certifying X67 or X68 motherboards. We all agreed - we had to wait for an enthusiast level chipset from Intel, one that was a worthy successor to the X58 we used for years in our DIY8 builds. Videoguys now recommends the Sandy Bridge-E processor with X79 chipset!

Videoguys' Tips for Shooting Family/Home/Holiday Video

Each year around Thanksgiving we update and publish this guide. We've been doing it for over a decade. Today you can shoot video on not just a camcorder, but your iPhone or cell phone, still camera, webcam, or pocket size solid-state digital video cameras. No matter what you shoot with, you'll find the tips in this guide helpful. After reading it you will be able to make more interesting and enjoyable videos for your friends and family to watch. So have a great holiday, enjoy your Holiday meals and be thankful for all the things you have. Shoot some great video, do a little editing (or a lot ;-), then post your video on YouTube, Facebook or your favorite video sharing website for all to see!

If you're like me, you shoot tons of video of your family. I've got hours and hours of videotape of my kids. Over the past 16 years I've learned a thing or two about getting the best possible footage. No matter how cool your NLE system is and how many awesome special effects you can add, the bottom line is - The video is only as good as the video you shoot.

Videoguys Holiday Bundles!
Special Holiday Bundles Including Editing Software & Your Choice of Storage at Our Lowest Prices Ever!

1. Choose your NLE: Avid Media Composer 6, Adobe Production Premium CS5.5, Sony Vegas Pro 11 or Grass Valley Edius 6.
2. Then Choose your Storage: G-Tech G-RAID 4-TB, Stardom SOHORAID SR4, Pioneer BDR-206 Mega External Kit
3. Add Class On Demand Training for even more value

*** Save 5% with Videoguys Coupon INSIDER5 ***

Have a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and a Healthy New Year! Don't forget to use coupon code INSIDER5 to save 5% on your next order. Hurry, when the clock strikes midnight to bring in the New Year, this coupon code expires!

Gary Bettan
President
Videoguys.com