FCP v FCE

Question

I have a mate asking me what the differences are between FCP and FCE....the price is dramatic but I couldn't tell him what exactly is different. He wants to begin editing small projects for use on the net, so nothing major. I said FCE would be fine for that, am I missing anything...?
Cheers

Answer 1

David Harbsmier wrote:
"When I first purchased Final Cut Pro 2 and DVD Studio Pro 1, FCP was $999.00 and DVD-SP was $699.00. So paying $1200.00 for both and getting all the other bundled apps for free is a pretty darned good deal."
When I purchased my first Seagate hard drive I paid $1500 for less than 2 Gig. That doesn't give them the right to force me to buy 4 TB disc array with a new ESATA PCI card.
In a free market prices and product are constantly changing based on competition and market forces. People should have the right to choose the best product for the best price.
And in all fairness, in my original post I did acknowledge what an astonishing value the FCS suite is for those who actually NEED it.
Right now I just want to install FCP on my MBP. Since my version of FCP is from FCS-1 that's not possible. And if I want to simply upgrade FCP from 5.x to 6.x it's going to cost me $500. I need ProRes and other features in FCP so FCE is not an option.
Kennedy Maxell wrote:
"My wife and I have a Prius (and a Buick). We bought the Prius for its mileage...
...I really resented their socialistic & draconian attitude in forcing me to take their suppliers work. I bought it anyway and guess I'll change the horn and wheels someday. In the meantime I'll just grudgingly pile cameras and lights in the back seat. I can't believe that they forced me to buy the whole thing.
Ken - Your analogy is way off target. FCS is not one product. A better analogy would have been the purchase of a living room set and being forced to by lamps, paintings and chairs that you don't need.
David S. wrote:
...then buy Adobe Premiere and Encore for $799.00...
...Tell all those Apple stockholders that it's wrong for a company to make money according to your "socialism" theory...
I don't want Premiere and Encore. I've been a FCP user since it was first offered by Apple. I just want to be able to install the software that I paid for onto my laptop without being forced to pay another $500.
And I have nothing against capitalism as long as it's done under the context of a FREE market with fair competition. Frankly I'm astonished that Adobe even bothers to write code for macs at all any more.
Jerry Hoffman wrote:
"Whether or not you "think" you don't need Color, STP, Motion, and LiveType is pretty short sighted..."
Hi Jerry - I agree with you 100%. And I am looking forward to exploring and upgrading each of the applications when and if I need them. Right now I just want to install FCP onto my MBP.
...Then of course there's STP... you must be kidding me that you don't need it...
That's a perfect example of my situation. I am an audio / music professional first. My investment in audio applications and hardware completely eclipses my investment in FCS. And I will run circles around anyone using STP with my applications of choice.
...When Apple did sell the apps separately, everyone just bought the bundle because it was a bargain. It still is...
As I said i my original post, I agree that the bundle price is astonishing. But I will have to respectfully disagree with you on that topic. If everyone was purchasing the bundle then Apple would not have made it a mandatory purchase for FCP users and eliminated the option for customers to choose the applications which applied to their individual needs.
Thanks for your civilized and thoughtful reply to my post.
Nick Holmes wrote:
"...You obviously don't really know anything about either political philosophy.
I don't think that my comments make my knowledge of political philosophy or lack there of "obvious".
My reference was purely polemic, not specific and I think I made my point.
"...At least the OP got an answer to their question..."
Actually no. The OP was trying understand why FCP was so much more expensive than FCE. He asked: "...the price is dramatic but I couldn't tell him what exactly is different..."
He got a link to a long thread on another user forum which eventually had a post that explained the other apps and how they were bundled. Apple does not provide a side by side comparison and the OP is not the only person struggling with finding this information.
I answered his question directly on this forum. My advice was relevant.
Randy Holder wrote:
"...So, they give you more than you need and they are ripping you off..."
No, I NEVER said that FCS was a Rip-Off.
What I was suggesting was that they are giving me more than I need and making me pay more than I would like. And, using the difference to subsidize the cost of other expensive applications.
As I've said over & over. I think FCS is an AMAZING value for 1200 bucks. But I own FCS-1, bought and paid for, and all I want is a UB version of FCP 5.x to install on my laptop or a reasonable upgrade path to FCP6.
If I could pay the equivalent of what they are charging for FCE and get an upgrade to FC6 there would be no need for this discussion. But Apple has not provided a path for such an upgrade at a reasonable price.
Offer the FCS suit for $1200 GREAT. But still offer the other products a-la-carte at prices which when combined would exceed the price of the Suite. And more importantly let people who purchase FCS at least UPGRADE apps individually!
Let the market forces take over and see what happens.