MEP 2016 Plus asks to (re)enter Activation Codes for MainCocept codecs

pmikep wrote on 6/4/2018, 1:59 AM

I doubt that anyone in the forum can help me. This is really a matter for Customer Service.

But I started filling out a request on the Customer Service webpage only to be told on the following page that my product was "too old" and that it would cost me to get service. (It would be better if the website started by telling you that your product is too old before you type a message.) No thank you.

So I've had MEP 2016 Plus installed on this computer for a couple years now. (Since late 2015?) I haven't been using it much lately but needed to use it today.

Up until now, my MainConcept codecs have been activated and worked fine.

But to my surprise today, I got a message that I needed to activate the codec, and to enter my Activation Codes.

Except that I don't have any Activation Codes. IIRC, activation of the MainConcept codecs was part of the Plus package. That is, I went to Help > Install add ons > downloaded the codecs, and they automatically activated. (Contrast this to when I purchased the HEVC encoder and got an email with a Code.)

Or - if it wasn't automatic when I installed MEP 2016 Plus, it might have been that the MainConcept codecs were grandfathered in from my previous activation of MX or 2015. (I really don't remember.)

In any event, when I retried going to Help > Install add ons today, I get a message that the download failed. And then it takes me to the Activation page. (Same thing when I try it in MEP 2015.)

So I don't have any Activation Codes to enter. And, as I said, Magix says I can't get Customer Support without paying.

Has anyone else had this problem? Did MainConcepts change it's contract with Magix in mid-stream? (Which sounds like a breach of contract.) Or did Magix goof up, converting all older software to the new one year license agreement?

Comments

pmikep wrote on 6/4/2018, 2:25 AM

Update: I tried clicking on the "reactivate" block. That opened up a page that looked promising. It had my "Computer Code" pre-entered (which matched the computer code in the Magix activate by fax box) and I entered the Order Number I received when I upgraded to MEP 2016. (Ends in MXC.)

But no joy. The website says "Invalid Order number."

I entered it with spaces (and all caps) and no spaces. Still no joy.

Scenestealer wrote on 6/5/2018, 7:41 PM

As far as I know you have needed to pay for the MC codec ever since the Intel codec was adopted by Magix ie since and including MEP2015. The work around was to install an earlier version ie MEP2014 where the MC codec was free and this would become available for the later versions.

Have you maybe de-installed MEPMX recently which has made it's codecs unavailable?

It is also possible that Magix have been fiddling with the licensing as they may have developed Hardware acceleration via Nvidia hardware in latest VPX, and this may have required a review of licensing with Main concept to enable use of their encoder for NVENC GPU encoding.

Peter

pmikep wrote on 6/5/2018, 8:17 PM

I haven't uninstalled any MEP's - but I did refresh Windows 7. Although if that affected licensing, then I would expect MEP to complain too and want me to re-register the software.

I still have my old MX DVD - I can try reinstalling that and activating the MC codecs from that and see if the activations make MEP 2016 Plus happy.

If it doesn't work, then maybe your hypothesis about re-jiggering the license agreement is correct. Although, again, if it was free with MX then it ought to stay free with MX forever.

(But it wouldn't be the first time that a software company said it's not longer supported for life, even tho that's what we told you when you bought it from us.)