Hi

John CB

This sounds rather wacky and I probably have the wrong end of the stick, but I got the impression from the other forums that installing MEP2018 automatically uninstalled previous versions or at least 2017......! Surely not.

I generally don't have a problem such as you are having with VPX but there have been occasions when the preview monitor has gone black on 1 clip and clicking another and then back has made it come back. Sometimes I have restarted VPX ( v.171) to see it again.

Another playback problem that randomly occurs is a severe judder in the PV monitor - like 3 frames forward and 2 back. Oddly enough I first saw it whilst testing multicam with those 2 clips you posted of your friends playing the guitar, however I have seen it on my own footage as well.

Peter

Hi Peter,

About MEP2018+, I don't have 2017, so there was no danger of it being uninstalled, and 2016 Premium is still there.

@Scenestealer

Hi Peter.

This sounds rather wacky and I probably have the wrong end of the stick, but I got the impression from the other forums that installing MEP2018 automatically uninstalled previous versions or at least 2017......! 

No, you've not got the wrong end of the stick. Installing MEP 2018 certainly does uninstall MEP 2017! I can't speak for any other version since I don't have any other on my system.

Jeff

Hi Jeff

No, you've not got the wrong end of the stick. Installing MEP 2018 certainly does uninstall MEP 2017.

Yes it appears so from reading some more posts in the other language forums. It's really hard to understand what is happening here but is this because there truly is only one MEP version and a major update makes it a new version in essence but not by name?? I guess VPX will go the same way if it has not done so already?

There is a lot of concern about the additional programs / plugins having a limited life - maybe until the next major update - however that is defined(?) - and certainly not when reinstalling after 1 year!

Apparently VdG 9HD does not (or did not) work in the new MEP version but that is (was) pending a patch....

Confused Peter

Hi John CB

Any feedback from Magix to your questions about the VPX patch?

Were you able to download it via the program update online system on your Desktop PC installation, or did you use the download from the link Magix sent you?

Hi Peter

. . . . Were you able to download it via the program update online system on your Desktop PC installation . . . .

The update .176 is still not available here (UK) using the online system.

John EB

Hi John and Peter

The update .176 is still not available here (UK) using the online system

Perhaps foolishly, I downloaded and installed it when it was available via update online. So far, without needing to make much use of it, it appears OK.

All the add-ons that MEP 2018 included seem to be usable in VPX, although some of the NB effects show, in VPX, as unregistered. Hopefully, I will have time to check which ones over the next few days.

Jeff

"No, you've not got the wrong end of the stick. Installing MEP 2018 certainly does uninstall MEP 2017! I can't speak for any other version since I don't have any other on my system.

Jeff"

@emmrecs - Hi Jeff,

Sorry, what I should have said was that there was no danger to me. As you point out, 2018 does uninstall 2017. One user in the French forum reinstalled VdG from the downloads that he kept, I believe, but this is not a good solution. 2018 should not uninstall third party programs, especially stand-alones.

Hi John EB and Peter,

The update request to patch 176 popped up automatically when I opened VPX on my desktop on Saturday, as it did on my Surface Pro. Strange that all of you did not get it.

I have not received a reply back from Magix about my problems. They now have 3 emails on the ticket from me, one last Monday, the second last Tuesday with more problems, and the third one yesterday with the video showing my desktop problems. I also asked about additional bugs that I raised just before the patch came out and the reply was that the patch had already been issued. My query was whether or not the message was passed to the developers, or ignored and I have to raise a new ticket. One of my complaints in the survey was about the speed of replies, especially about bugs. Must have fallen on deaf ears.

It was interesting to see that in the trial version of MEP2018+, almost all of my plugins worked, with the notable exceptions of Pixelan transitions (Pixelan effects work) and Mercalli v4. For Mercalli v4, many users have complained in all languages. The Vegas Forum has several threads on this as they were hit as well. I have Mercalli v4 twice now as Premium and VPX add-ons for which money was paid. I do not intend to pay a third time for the same version. The difference between the price of Plus and Premium is the plugins, that are sold for money. They should continue to work in other versions and not expire. As one user pointed out, he bought MEPPr a few months ago, updated and some of the plugins and VdG went stale or disappeared. Not good! A weak case can be made, I guess, for plugins not continuing in future versions, but they should continue to work in the version that they came with, at the very least. So having an update that kills both the previous version and the plugins is definitely not good business practice.

Now, what will happen with VPX and its plugins?

One problem that I see is that some plugins are tailor-made for Magix products and cannot be purchased separately. In that case, they should continue almost indefinitely until system changes cause them to stop working - at least a couple of years down the road. If there are tailor-made plugins that expire, then they should also be made available for purchase separately with no expiry - usable in future versions, and the purchaser can decide whether or not to pay for the Premium version or get Plus and pay for the unlimited plugin separately. In the case of VPX, there is no choice, so the plugins should continue to work in future versions.

In any event, my desktop computer is still a brick as far as VPX is concerned.

I was just booted out and had to sign in again. Glad I did a copy all before trying to post.

John CB

@browj2

Hi John

It was interesting to see that in the trial version of MEP2018+, almost all of my plugins worked, with the notable exceptions of Pixelan transitions (Pixelan effects work) and Mercalli v4

Unfortunately, the loss of Pixelan transitions also applies to the full version, but Mercalli 4 is still present and useable in both MEP 2018 (17.0.1.130) and VPX (15.0.4.176) for me.

VdG 9 HD Essential still shows an icon on my desktop, but clicking it produces this error message:

Presumably "Videodeluxe23-Premium" was MEPP 2017?

I have to say that Magix seem to be scoring rather a number of "own goals" with these most recent updates to MEP and VPX!

Jeff

@emmrecs

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for posting the info about VdG. That is very disturbing. I don't know how Magix is going to undo this one, and I suspect that Motion Studios is not very impressed with Magix. VdG 9 is an old version, and stripped down at that, with the intention of enticing users to purchase version 10. Any users that like that sort of thing, like me, will see the benefit of upgrading. However, if you can't even try it or get cut off part way through, users will sour on it.

I'm surprised that Mercalli v4 works for you in MEP 2018. It needs to be unlocked in my version or I get a watermark. Did you put in an activation code?

...and they forgot to put the goaltender on the field.

John CB

@browj2

Hi John

I'm surprised that Mercalli v4 works for you in MEP 2018. It needs to be unlocked in my version or I get a watermark. Did you put in an activation code?

No, no code or activation needed for me.

Bizarre, isn't it, that different users are experiencing such a considerable number and variety of problems?

I'm pretty certain that VdG came with MEP 2017, simply because it is the only (now outdated and removed) other version this computer has ever had installed. I rarely, if ever, have used it so its loss is more annoying than catastrophic.

Jeff

Hi

@emmrecs

I too am surprised that Mercalli V4 works in MEP 2018 without an unlock code and no watermark.

Mercalli V4 which worked in MEP 2015 did not work in 2017 nor 2018 versions of MEP, and trying to unlock with the 2015 unlock code returns invalid unlock code.

VDG will not install for MEP 2018.

John EB

VDG will not install for MEP 2018.

As I said in my earlier comment - I believe from other members comments that this was not intended by Magix and they are working on a patch.

One member managed to install it by saving the missing .dll (mentioned in Jeff's error message) from MEP2017 and copying it to 2018.

Thanks all for the additional info. It would be great to get this new VPX patch installed when it finally shows up in the program.

Peter

@Scenestealer

Hi Peter

. . . . managed to install it by saving the missing .dll (mentioned in Jeff's error message) . . . .

AFAICS, Jeff's error message says VdG cannot find MEP 2017 which is similar to the error message I got 'MEP 2017 is not installed' and no mention of a missing dll.

@emmrecs

Hi Jeff

Videodeluxe 23 is indeed MEP 2017, and VdG did come with this version.

John EB

Hi John

I have not been able to find the post again where the member - French or German - named the .dll but it was very similar to the name in the message but with .dll on the end. Sorry but that's all I can tell you at the moment.

Hi Peter

I would suspect the OP of the post referring to a dll, did a custom install and got 2018 to install alongside 2017

If 2018 is allowed ti uninstall 2017 then it removes all the registry entries as shown below, the error message Jeff posted is showing that the Videodeluxe23_premium registry keys cannot be found.

The only references to Videodeluxe23_premium left in the registry are in entries for VPX or other versions of MEP, and AFAICS are from a project created in MEP 2017 that has been opened in VPX or another version of MEP.

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John

I would suspect the OP of the post referring to a dll, did a custom install and got 2018 to install alongside 2017

I'm not sure how this could be possible? I did a Custom Install (following my first attempt at it, detailed in this thread, and my reversion to MEP 2017) and saw no mention of "allowing" (or otherwise) MEP 2018 to not uninstall MEP 2017.

Jeff

Hi Jeff

. . . . saw no mention of "allowing" (or otherwise) MEP 2018 to not uninstall MEP 2017 . . . .

Thinking about it later I could not remember whether there was that option, however the other option would be to try and reinstall 2017 to see what happens.

I am going to pass on this one, just in case is messes up my PC and I have had enough issues with the Windows 1703 Creators update breaking things and slowing down my PC.

It was a successful upgrade, initially, with better performance, however over time issues starting popping up - mainly to do with an account the upgrade did not clean up after, the PC is now back running better than before, just the laptop to do now.

Thanks

John EB

@johnebaker

Hi John.

In an earlier post you wrote (my highlighting):

Mercalli V4 which worked in MEP 2015 did not work in 2017 nor 2018 versions of MEP, and trying to unlock with the 2015 unlock code returns invalid unlock code.

I received Mercalli v 4 as a freebie with VPX 8. I never had MEP 2015. Could it be that I, therefore, have a "later" version, albeit with the same number?

For the sake of my own sanity (i.e. just to check I've not completely lost the plot) I've just opened a very short video clip in MEP 2018 (one taken from a moving car so quite a lot of "wobble") and allowed Mercalli 4 to analyse it. Result: no request to input activation key or similar, but "wobbles" considerably reduced, no watermark on resulting file.

Jeff

Hi Jeff

Just a note that the license for the version of V4 that came with VPX8 (or9 or whatever it is called...) is only valid for 2 years according to the fine print that was in that offer, but you probably saw that.

@johnebaker

Mercalli V4 came with MEP2016, not 2015. I just checked the purchase email (2015.10.05) and with VPX7 (2015.04.03). I don't recall any fine print with either.

@emmrecs

Jeff, you are blessed.

All

I received a reply from Support and they asked for a screen shot showing the About screen on my Surface Pro showing "0 days still remaining." Done. And they apologized and said that they were working on solutions.

Given the problems on my desktop, maybe I should get a new computer. How about the Z8 G4?

https://www.videomaker.com/videonews/2017/09/hp-updates-vr-ready-z-line-with-3-new-desktop-workstations

Is that really 3 TB of RAM?

And my video camera, Canon Vixia HFR21, started having problems with the screen a week ago. The monitor image breaks up and sometimes I can get it working for a while by pivoting it. The videos are ok, just not the monitor. So maybe I should hope that the price of a newer model, like the Canon VIXIA HF GX10, drops to a few hundred dollars.

John CB

@browj2

I don't recall any fine print with either.

This was a recent offer of VPX in the last few months that included Merc V4. It was one of those news item offers that comes up when you close VPX. Anyway, the opinion in the community seems to be that Magix is limiting the portability and perpetual licenses of their additional programs.......... along with their own programs.

Peter