The offer’s already been taken down once and re-posted, so you may want to hurry in case they get overwhelmed again.

Some observations based on Ed’s newletter:

• Welcome addition: Match Event Length button for Generated Media.
• Destined to be a Frequently Asked Question: “How come my events only have three thumbnails?”
• Destined to be a Frequently Made Complaint: “I hate the new color scheme (even though I can change it but didn’t bother to ask how)!”
• Great addition but most won’t notice or remember: Temporary enable snapping using the Shift key.

At any rate, it looks like there are some interesting changes and editing tricks here that Sony didn’t mention on their official list. Whenever I get Vegas Pro 9, I may need to look through the manual / online help just to be sure I’m using all the time savers available since there seem to be several new ones.

The new features mentioned in the specifications for Vegas Pro 9 are:

• 4K support for frame sizes up to 4096×4096
• Support for capturing directly to XDCAM-compatible MXF files from supported SDK sources
• Automatic source media adjustment for working with mismatched media
• Enhanced 32-bit floating point video levels mode designed to work like 8-bit mode but with the precision needed for 10-bit and higher sources and render formats
• Gradient wipe transition
• Glint, Rays, Defocus, Starburst, Soft Contrast, and Fill Light video effects
• Place and edit audio without quantizing to frame boundaries, while still quantizing video edits
• Multichannel audio adds from Trimmer Window
• Includes native 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vegas Pro software
• Enhanced user interface with layout presets
• Impressive lighting effects including Glint, Rays, and Fill Light
• Darker color palette UI for optimized viewing
• Audio Mixing and Color Correction default layouts
• Browse XDCAM EX and AVCHD contents in Device Explorer
• Native XDCAM EX reading and import
• Support for gigapixel size pictures
• Read and save DPX, OpenEXR, and Microsoft HD Photo formats
• Open and edit RED ONE™ files on the timeline
• Device Explorer for AVCHD and XDCAM EX devices

For a limited (and unspecified until June 30th) time, Sony is offering an additional bonus. First-time buyers of Sony Vegas Pro 9 will also get the Sony Seminar Series training DVDs. If you are upgrading from a previous version of Vegas Pro or upgrading from Vegas Movie Studio, you will have a choice between Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio, the Sony Sound Effects Series sampler, or the Sampler Pack from third-party effects maker NewBlue.

I’ve seen mention of the pre-order coming with $50 off the standard price, but I’m not ready to buy yet, so I can’t confirm this. I don’t see any mention of it on the order page. Also, Sony generally offers about $100 off during the first month of any Vegas release, though that early bird discount is usually not mentioned on Sony’s website (other than in the knowledge base). Rather, in the past, it has been advertised to registered users via an e-mail anywhere from a day to a few weeks after release. If Sony will offer that discount this time around and how it fits into the pre-order arrangement, I don’t know.

One more “first,” it appears that there will not be a new version of DVD Architect with this new version of Vegas. I suppose we got that early when the free DVD Architect 5.0 upgrade was released in order to incorporate Blu-ray disc authoring.

Then there are the mega scripts — scripts that are essentially programs in themselves, complete with tabbed interfaces, that perform dozens of tasks to shorten your workload. Because of the amount of work that goes into them (and the amount of work they save you, though), these large scale scripts are not free. And they may even be out of reach for many Vegas beginners. The two biggest kids on the block are VASST’s Ultimate S for $170 and Ed Troxel’s Excalibur for $120.

But for a limited time (I don’t know how limited — their site doesn’t say), media developer and retailer Digital Juice is selling Excalibur for 50% off. You can see Digital Juice’s website or the Excalibur site for a full list of its features. Pay close attention to the version you request — Excalibur 6 works with Sony Vegas Pro 8. For Vegas 6 and 7, you’ll want Excalibur 5.5.

Also note that if you are using Vegas Movie Studio, whether standard, Platinum, or Platinum Pro Pack, your edition of Vegas does not have scripting; therefore, Excalibur will not work for you.

Vegas Pro 8.c

The Vegas Pro 8.0c software now features extensive support for the new PDW-1500 XDCAM deck and the newest Sony video camera formats including XDCAM HD 4:2:2. The Vegas Pro software scales intuitively on the user’s system, ensuring that it takes full advantage of all hardware capabilities. The new Smart Render feature supports most news acquisition formats, providing the ability for news corporations to get content to air rapidly. Newly enhanced trimmer tools support broadcast editing workflows, while the new Fit-to-Fill function enables broadcasters to automate cuts to match content to the exact seconds allotted for their story. Vegas Pro 8.0c also now includes 24p support for those working with film framerate style content.

Vegas Pro 8.1

Vegas Pro 8.1 has been engineered to take full advantage of the 64-bit operating system to enable users to work with multifaceted, memory-intensive projects. The Vegas Pro 8.1 64-bit program is a standalone application that does not require users to have Vegas Pro 8.0 preinstalled on their system. However, Vegas Pro 8.1 has been designed with backwards compatibility with the 32-bit Vegas Pro application so users can create a project in one platform and open it in the other. This provides users with the ability to work with a 64-bit version for the performance gains, but also work in the 32-bit system for continued broad hardware and codec support.

Both updates are free for registered users of Sony Vegas Pro 8.0. Read the full press release and download the updates from the Sony Creative Software website.