Dongle?!

Get answers to your questions about color grading, editing and finishing with DaVinci Resolve.
  • Author
  • Message
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Dongle?!

PostWed Apr 18, 2018 4:37 pm

I am thinking of switching from FCPX to Resolve 15. Been loving the beta so far. I was going to purchase it and then realized that we're in 2003, even though for some reason I thought we were in 2018 - we have to buy a dongle to use it? I guess getting rid of CD drives and floppy disks to install and use an application was all for nothing because now I need to have a dongle sticking out of my mac as I'm on the job.

Anyways my question is, what if I want to buy one of those tiny usb keys and transfer the contents of the dongle I buy onto one that sits almost flush with my mac, is that possible? or is there no way to do that even with CCC or something.

Crazy.
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostWed Apr 18, 2018 4:47 pm

ok i'm really confused

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=64727

so i can request an activation key without the dongle?
Offline

Reynaud Venter

  • Posts: 4998
  • Joined: Sun May 28, 2017 9:34 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostWed Apr 18, 2018 5:11 pm

nicolaselhani wrote:so i can request an activation key without the dongle?
there are two options with different SKUs:
DV/RESSTUD/DONGLE
DV/RESSTUD (certificate / activation key)
⟦ Mac Pro 7,1 Rack ⊕ 16-core 3.2GHz ⊕ 32GB RAM ⊕ Radeon 580X • Resolve Studio 19.0 • macOS 14.4.1 ⟧
⟦ Fairlight Studio Console ⊕ Fairlight Audio Accelerator ⊕ Merging Hapi • Anubis • Ravenna CoreAudio VAD ⟧
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostWed Apr 18, 2018 10:47 pm

Reynaud Venter wrote:
nicolaselhani wrote:so i can request an activation key without the dongle?
there are two options with different SKUs:
DV/RESSTUD/DONGLE
DV/RESSTUD (certificate / activation key)


Thanks for your answer Reynaud.

It's strange, as I'm trying to check out it keeps directing me to physical retailers. Are they the ones that have the two versions or can't I purchase the RESSTUD (certificate / activation key) directly from BMD?
Offline

David Blood

  • Posts: 23
  • Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2017 3:17 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostThu Apr 19, 2018 12:46 am

Well, we are not in 2003, but we certainly are not in 2018. You have to buy a serial code from a vendor, like Amazon or B&H, and then they actually ship it to you, printed out on a physical card.

I know, WTF?

I mean, it works, I did it, but it feels so low-tech and old-fashioned. At least I have a card with the serial on it in a drawer somewhere now.

Blackmagic is not the only company stuck in the past like that, either. I had to do the same for the V-Log update for my Panasonic GH5.
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostThu Apr 19, 2018 2:27 pm

Ok got it. Thanks for your help.

I guess it got confusing because this practice is so uncommon nowadays. I think the only other company I know of that still does dongles (they were talking about activation certificates) was V-Ray.

That's crazy. Will have to do that then. Thanks for all your help guys.

Looking forward to owning DaFusion
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostSat Apr 21, 2018 12:41 pm

When I go to buy the version on B&H, it doesn't list what version it is, though I am assuming it's 14, which is the latest full version. But what if I want to pay for 15 beta, like this when 15 full is released I get that one?
Offline

Peter Chamberlain

Blackmagic Design

  • Posts: 13937
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:08 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostSat Apr 21, 2018 12:53 pm

The DaVinci Resolve Studio dongles from even many versions ago will support v15 so u are save with a v14 purchase now, which unless you specify will be an activation key rather than a USB dongle.
DaVinci Resolve Product Manager
Offline

vivoices

  • Posts: 469
  • Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2018 9:15 am
  • Real Name: Udo Jansen

Re: Dongle?!

PostSun Apr 22, 2018 11:23 am

I installed the v15 beta on my old dual 6 core XEON, 96GB RAM, 5.5TB SSDs machine and would like to buy the studio version.

Will B&H have to physically ship an activation code?
I would rather start working with NR, FaceRefinement right after the purchase.

What happens with re-activation if my system SSD dies?
Udo Jansen

Win 10 Pro 22H2, Resolve Studio 18.6.4, R9 5950X, 128 GB RAM, Quadro P4000 (8GB VRAM) 551.61 NSD, Intensity Pro 4K | Pocket6Ks FW7.9.1 | Speed Editor
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostSun Apr 22, 2018 2:35 pm

Thanks for your reply Peter.

I actually want to buy the activation key. Would that exclusively be for v. 14?

I will have to wait for the full version of 15 to buy the activation key?

Thanks
Offline

Thomas Martin

  • Posts: 75
  • Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2017 5:11 pm

Re: Dongle?!

PostSun Apr 22, 2018 5:06 pm

The activation code I received for Resolve 14 also works with Resolve 15 beta. As far as I understand the policy, the same activation code will also work for the final release.
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostSun Apr 22, 2018 7:34 pm

Thomas Martin wrote:The activation code I received for Resolve 14 also works with Resolve 15 beta. As far as I understand the policy, the same activation code will also work for the final release.


That's what I thought but the comment by Peter Chamberlain just above got me worried. Do you think it's only the case for the beta and not the full 15? I've been trying to find their policy somewhere on their support site or online and haven't heard back. I emailed b&H with no response either.

Thanks Thomas
Offline

Peter Chamberlain

Blackmagic Design

  • Posts: 13937
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:08 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostTue Apr 24, 2018 6:04 am

The v15 beta has the same status as v15 release from the license perspective so if u get the activation now it will work on 14,15b And 15 release.
DaVinci Resolve Product Manager
Offline

Gabriele Gelfo

  • Posts: 165
  • Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 4:51 pm

Re: Dongle?!

PostTue Apr 24, 2018 6:32 am

super technological program but with obsolete license system.
I bought the dongle version but I would have preferred internet connection+login+password.
With Adobe, Microsoft or Autodesk programs is super simple.
iMac Retina 5K 27 Late 2014 - i7 4GHz - 32GB - R9 M295X 4GB
Mac Book Pro 15 Late 2018 - i9 2.9GHZ - 32GB - Vega 20 4GB
Mac Pro 7.1 - Xeon 12c - 96GB - Radeon Pro 580X - n°2 RTX2080Ti (bootcamp) - n°1 egpu GTX1080Ti
Da Vinci Resolve Studio
Offline

linuxfreak

  • Posts: 41
  • Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:08 pm
  • Real Name: Harald Klein

Re: Dongle?!

PostTue Apr 24, 2018 9:53 am

I do own a Studio dongle and wonder if I could return it to get an activation code instead?

Br Hari

Gesendet von meinem LG-H818 mit Tapatalk
Offline

Peter Chamberlain

Blackmagic Design

  • Posts: 13937
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:08 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostTue Apr 24, 2018 10:33 am

DaVinci Resolve Product Manager
Offline
User avatar

Noel Sterrett

  • Posts: 521
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:12 pm
  • Location: Atlanta

Re: Dongle?!

PostTue Apr 24, 2018 11:00 am

I'm told by support that I can't get an activation code without a serial number for my two dongles. However, the dongles do not appear to have serial numbers, and the Blackmagic authorized dealer who sold them to me, Showcase Video in Atlanta, is no longer in business.

I like the dongles, but a code would be better for a laptop on set.
Admit One Pictures
Resolve Studio 18 | Linux Lint 21 | Nvidia 515 | Xeon | iCore | Ryzen
Offline

nicolaselhani

  • Posts: 13
  • Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:28 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostTue Apr 24, 2018 10:48 pm

Peter Chamberlain wrote:The v15 beta has the same status as v15 release from the license perspective so if u get the activation now it will work on 14,15b And 15 release.


Fantastic thanks for clearing everything up Peter. Looking forward to becoming part of the family.

bye bye fcpx
Offline
User avatar

MrHotter

  • Posts: 153
  • Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:10 pm
  • Real Name: christian Hotter

Re: Dongle?!

PostWed Apr 25, 2018 3:17 pm

So if I get an activation key now it will work with version 14 and version 15? Does that also mean it will continue to work for version 16 and 17? If so, that sounds great.

I like to use the most recent version, so I would prefer to pay a subscription if I would need to buy a new activation key when new versions come out.
Mac mini
Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
16GB unified memory
512GB internal SSD storage
various external drives
Offline
User avatar

Jack Fairley

  • Posts: 1863
  • Joined: Mon Oct 03, 2016 7:58 pm
  • Location: Los Angeles

Re: Dongle?!

PostWed Apr 25, 2018 6:05 pm

MrHotter wrote:So if I get an activation key now it will work with version 14 and version 15? Does that also mean it will continue to work for version 16 and 17? If so, that sounds great.

I like to use the most recent version, so I would prefer to pay a subscription if I would need to buy a new activation key when new versions come out.

Yes, it will work with 14 and 15. Upgrades have always been free, so I would expect it to keep working forever. I've seen people mention on this board that they're using their dongle from Resolve 8.
Ryzen 5800X3D
32GB DDR4-3600
RTX 3090
DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G
Resolve Studio 17.4.1
Windows 11 Pro 21H2
Offline
User avatar

Uli Plank

  • Posts: 21635
  • Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2013 2:48 am
  • Location: Germany and Indonesia

Re: Dongle?!

PostThu Apr 26, 2018 4:55 am

Well, while BM has been very generous regarding free upgrades in the past, I would not extrapolate infinitely.

At some point they may need to make business decisions suggesting some fee. But I would rely on their pricing policy for the foreseeable future, so where do you get that much for so little? Even if they'd charge at some point?
Now that the cat #19 is out of the bag, test it as much as you can and use the subforum.

Studio 18.6.6, MacOS 13.6.6, 2017 iMac, 32 GB, Radeon Pro 580
MacBook M1 Pro, 16 GPU cores, 32 GB RAM and iPhone 15 Pro
Speed Editor, UltraStudio Monitor 3G
Offline
User avatar

MrHotter

  • Posts: 153
  • Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:10 pm
  • Real Name: christian Hotter

Re: Dongle?!

PostFri May 25, 2018 2:02 pm

Uli Plank wrote:Well, while BM has been very generous regarding free upgrades in the past, I would not extrapolate infinitely.

At some point, they may need to make business decisions suggesting some fee. But I would rely on their pricing policy for the foreseeable future, so where do you get that much for so little? Even if they'd charge at some point?


I can definitely see that happening. They've pretty much got a full-featured edit solution with the addition of Fairlight and Fusion. With the updates to Resolve, I don't leave the program for my audio sweetening or titles anymore.


I can see them going to a subscription model. Hopefully, they give a free year (or two) sub to current Davinchi Studio owners.

For the dongle users with no internet connection, they would probably need to charge upgrade fees instead of subscription.
Mac mini
Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
16GB unified memory
512GB internal SSD storage
various external drives
Offline
User avatar

Peter Benson

  • Posts: 356
  • Joined: Thu Dec 21, 2017 5:12 pm
  • Location: Eastern Time Zone, USA

Re: Dongle?!

PostFri May 25, 2018 6:18 pm

Uli Plank wrote:Well I can see them going to a subscription model. Hopefully, they give a free year (or two) sub to current Davinchi Studio owners.

For the dongle users with no internet connection, they would probably need to charge upgrade fees instead of subscription.

Subscriotion model!?
Perish the *thought* Uli!

Subscription plans are what's driving people like me far, far away from the narcissistic and abusive likes of AVID and the presumptuous Adobe's pocket-picking Premiere!

Resolve Studio v14.3....014 | MiniMonitor via Kingston SD 5000T | DTV Setup 10.9.7 | Win10 x64 | HP Omen 17-an012dx w/Intel i7 7700HQ, 12GB, 1TB HDD, 500GB EVO 850, Radeon RX580 | Mackie MCU Pro | Softube Console 1 Mkii | Contour Designs Shuttle Pro 2 | Corsair K70
DTV 10.9.7 > Kingston SD5000T > MiniMonitor > Bravia | Samsung U28D590 | DRS 14.3.0.014 | Win8.1 x64 | ASUS G751JL, i7-4720HQ, 24GB | GTX965M | 1TB HDD, 500GB EVO 850 SSD | MCU Pro | Softube Console 1 Mkii | Shuttle Pro 2
Offline
User avatar

waltervolpatto

  • Posts: 10530
  • Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 5:07 pm
  • Location: 1146 North Las Palmas Ave. Hollywood, California 90038 USA

Re: Dongle?!

PostSat May 26, 2018 1:42 am

Note, if you buy fusion studio, you also get resolve studio for free.

299$.

(I got the dongle, i like the dongle....)
W10-19043.1645- Supermicro MB C9X299-PGF - RAM 128GB CPU i9-10980XE 16c 4.3GHz (Oc) Water cooled
Decklink Studio 4K (12.3)
Resolve 18.5.1 / fusion studio 18
GPU 3090ti drivers 512.59 studio
Offline

Peter Chamberlain

Blackmagic Design

  • Posts: 13937
  • Joined: Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:08 am

Re: Dongle?!

PostSun May 27, 2018 10:34 am

BMD have no plans to introduce subscription.
If you purchase an activation key today it will work for v14 and also v15 beta and v15 release.
DaVinci Resolve Product Manager

Return to DaVinci Resolve

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: ahinnyoo, panos_mts, Ron Simmons and 127 guests