It seems like DJI is having a little fire sale on its purchases of Raw Licenses for its Ronin 4D cinema camera but now apparently also for its Inspire 3 drone.
You can now get either for just $1.
But why? And why do you even need to purchase this license, and should you?Noticed by a Reddit poster, its unknown exactly how long the Inspire 3s Raw License has been discounted, as DJI made no formal announcement of the change.
However, it could well have been discounted around the same time the Ronin 4Ds license was discounted in April.This license is a perpetual license for one user on one device, so for $1, down from the original $979, and if you just so happen to have an Inspire 3, then you can use both CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes Raw codecs for video recording.Although, honestly, if you have the budget to own an Inspire 3 drone, then you probably already have the budget to purchase the license at full cost.Advertisement - scroll for more contentWhile it might seem spending over $16,000 for a drone would include everything needed to capture using whatever codecs are supported by the 8K camera, that price tag is just for the hardware and some software; to truly unlock what this massive drone can do, it takes this license.What are CinemaDNG and Apple ProRes Raw, you ask? Well, these are video codecs that retain a boatload more data than your standard codecs that we use on a regular basis.
If youre not someone preparing video for the big screen, a large media company, or just a data nerd, you do not need to use these codecs.
Honestly, youd likely get worse-looking footage if you dont know how to edit them or use the right tools to process the files compared to the preset DJI formats.Being industry professional tools, they come with industry professional price tags.
CinemaDNG is owned by Adobe, and Apple ProRes is owned by, you guessed it, Apple, and both charge license fees to use their codecs.
Are they worth it? If you dont know the answer to that question, then it probably isnt for you.The big question is why DJI has reduced the price of its license.
I mean that is a lot of money they are likely losing if Adobe and Apple havent lowered their costs too.
The only explanation I have heard regarding a potential reason for the change has something to do with Nikons acquisition of RED, which owns a competitor codec, REDCODE RAW.However, I havent been able to find any reason why that would cause the sudden change in DJIs license price, as REDCODE RAW doesnt seem to be at $1 either.
So, its still a mystery.So, should you buy a license? I mean its only $1, and in the chance the license goes back up to $979, you may have a valuable product there.
However, I have a feeling this price will not go back up.DJI discounts have historically meant a new version of the drone is coming.
While usually the discounts are on the drones, maybe they have a bunch of license keys from Adobe and Apple they are trying to get rid of before an Inspire 4?Did I buy one? Yes.
Although I do actually have an Inspire 3, sitting in its case, collecting dust.
While its hard to find a real use case to fly the Inspire 3 over something like a Mavic 3 Pro or Air 3S, finding a use case for raw video formats will be even harder; I at least now have the option.FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.