Digital Juice new lifetime sub is that a deal?

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by David Hillyer

Their current Juicer program is in perpetual Beta. It does what I need most of the time but often doesn't redraw the screen and other little annoyances. It works, but barely.

I've often (and still...) had problems with Juicer working correctly and the version I'm still running on the edit bay to access my 100+ legacy DJ products has a terrible memory leak that crashes the system if I don't restart the system after importing content.

I was once a VERY regular purchaser but a combination of my business needs changing and the ever-changing landscape at DJ made a move away for me inevitable.

[Paul Cascio]

Originally Posted by David Hillyer

I have to say I'm very concerned about the future of Digital Juice. These lifetime subscriptions and other 'deals' they have don't make a lot of sense to me - other companies that do this type of scheme tend to need the operating cash in the short term and worry about the long term implications later (if they survive that long).

...

Me too. This could prove to be a brilliant move on DJ's part, but it has a bad smell to it IMO. I remember when the health club industry was unregulated and a lot of people got burned by plans that seem similar to this.

Very few of us need DJ products on a regular basis. Instead needs are usually project-based. This business model seems contrary to the needs of the typical user.

[Chet Kenisell]

I know the last post in this thread was about 5 months ago, but I wanted to see if anyone's opinions have changed with the new lifetime subscription model.

I have been to their site and need some AE templates for a project. It seems that the ONLY way to get them is with the Pro lifetime package. So, $499 and I'm in. The web site is sooooo bad too. It won't even let you look at the entire library without signing up for a package. And the Juicer is nowhere to be found. I believe that it's all web site driven now.

After reading the Agreement Terms, all sentences sound great until you get to the second to last at the bottom:

I understand that if I go over the allotted 15 GB in downloads and re-downloads per month, I can purchase more download bandwidth for $1.99 per 5 GB. I understand that all content I download will be counted against this allotment.

Wait a minute. So, I am supposed to pay $499 for a lifetime package and then use the web site to create videos in my chosen format and then download the large video? Then, if it's over 15 GB I have to pay MORE? Video takes up a LOT of space and it seems like I would be going over 15 GB pretty quickly. I like to work with uncompressed assets and then compress for the final publish medium.

Then, finally, they add this statement:

I understand that there will be additional membership levels and access to Digital Juice creative applications and plugins that I can choose to add later to my membership at an additional cost but I’m under no obligation to do so.

So, even though the Pro Pilot Member may get everything that they offer now, once new products are added, other memberships may be required in order to access those new offerings.

This just doesn't feel right. I would LOVE to use their products, but they make it very difficult for me to commit.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Chet Kenisell

So, even though the Pro Pilot Member may get everything that they offer now, once new products are added, other memberships may be required in order to access those new offerings.

The fact that their Pro Pilot Member program has been going on for ever (and their main landing page still sports the "Introductory pricing ends today. Just a few hours left!" banner) makes me think it's to be avoided.