Videoguys NAB2008 Report: Matrox at DVinfo.net

Gary Bettan · April 24th, 2008, 11:14 AM

For me the star of the NAB2008 show was Matrox. At the dealer meeting on Sunday we felt that Matrox was introducing two new exciting products at NAB. Once I hit the show floor Monday morning and I saw the mob in their booth, it was clear that this was about more than just 2 new products. Matrox had arrived as a dual platform hardware vendor, delivering exciting new products for both PC and Mac users. With support for Apple and Adobe products, and who knows when, maybe even Avid!

Matrox MXO2

The MXO2 is a complete I/O solution for Apple and Adobe editors on the Mac platform for a fantastic price of just $1595!! You get SD and HD all in one sleek, sexy little package. MXO2 delivers all the I/O you need and want.

* You need SDI, you got it for both standard and HD with 8 tracks of embedded audio channels.
* If it’s analog I/O you need, MXO as it - component SD & HD plus all the standard SD I/O.
* What about HDMI you ask – MXO2 has it. Not just HDMI out, but HDMI input as well. Even cooler - the HDMI output includes surround sound!

How can they do it? Deliver all this I/O at such a great price? Only $1595!!Here’s the secret – they use the PCIe bus, which is 20x faster than FireWire400. It is also far more reliable and removes any bottlenecks that can occur from pushing HD footage in and out of your Mac via FireWire. The MXO2 ships with 2 PCIe adapters – one for towers and a card for your laptop. You can simply move the MXO2 between computers just by unplugging it in from one and plugging it into the other. Unlike other I/O devices on the market, MXO2 is truly portable. It’s sleek sexy form factor lets it fit in any laptop bag and it can run on AC or battery power.

MXO2 supports Apple applications like Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Color; as well as Adobe applications like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and the other apps included in the Adobe CS3 Production Premium. MXO2 supports multiple compressions and workflows including HDV, DVC Pro HD, uncompressed HD, XDCAM, and Apple Pro Res. With a quad core Mac you can capture into ProRes in real-time.

If your workflow demands input and output for multiple formats then MXO2 is the device for you. If you are working with tapeless workflows, or compressed HD formats that you can easily ingest via FireWire, then the original MXO is the device for you. Attach it to your Mac Tower or Laptop and you get pristine HD output - straight from Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, Color or Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop. Not all workflows require I/O. If you just need HD output, you can save some bucks by adding the MXO to you workflow. Rumor has it you may even be able to preview your Avid Media Composer timeline in the not so distant future with MXO!

The MXO2 is expected to ship in late June. We will begin taking pre-orders immediately. In fact we will be including a free gift with all pre-orders placed before June 15th.

Matrox RT.X2LE

A couple of years ago Matrox introduced the RT.X2. At the time it delivered an unprecedented level of real-time HD and SD editing performance for under $1700. Since then the product has just gotten better and better. With the latest 3.5 drivers you get support for even more HD formats as well as improved real-time performance. At $1295 for the RT.X2 hardware it is still a bit too expensive for some videographers. With the introduction of the RT.X2LE card for $995 Matrox has brought the price of their real-time technology down to a level everyone can afford.

What’s the difference between the original RT.X2 and the RT.X2LE hardware?

1. The RT.X2LE is a ¾ length PCIe 1x card. This is a big deal. The original RT.X2 is a full size PCIe 1x card with a handle on the end of it. It is simply too big to fit in some cases and motherboards. With the RT.X2LE install is a breeze. We popped it into our DIY6 machine and it is running GREAT!

2. The RT.X2 offers component and DVI output. This digital DVI HD output is a very cool feature for those doing color grading and other exacting work that requires a precise pixel-by-pixel rendition on the video. The RT.X2LE only has component HD output, which for most video editors is more than enough.

3. TheRT.X2 and RT.X2LE deliver the identical real-time editing features and performance. The only thing you give up is the DVI output.

The RT.X2LE hardware is in stock for $995.We are working with both Adobe and Matrox to create some exciting bundle offers with Production Premium CS3.

Gary
http://www.videoguys.com/matrox.htm

George Kroonder · April 24th, 2008, 12:54 PM

What would be even more "killer" is if they developed a driver for Windows for the MXO2.

For the original MXO I understand why that is a mac only solution. But the MXO2 is 'just' a capture and playback device on the PCIe/ExpressCard bus.

George/

Gary Bettan · April 24th, 2008, 12:58 PM

George - I agree completely. Hopefully we'll see Windows drivers for it down the road. MXO2 is just the first step - I think Matrox is on to something big.

Gary

Damon Gaskin · April 25th, 2008, 03:51 PM

Yes, external with matrox would be extremely powerful to say the least! I have been hoping since they came out with the MXO that they would create something for laptop users but nothing so far.. I still have my fingers and toes crossed!!! :-)

April 24th, 2008, 11:14 AM	#1
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	Videoguys NAB2008 Report: Matrox For me the star of the NAB2008 show was Matrox. At the dealer meeting on Sunday we felt that Matrox was introducing two new exciting products at NAB. Once I hit the show floor Monday morning and I saw the mob in their booth, it was clear that this was about more than just 2 new products. Matrox had arrived as a dual platform hardware vendor, delivering exciting new products for both PC and Mac users. With support for Apple and Adobe products, and who knows when, maybe even Avid! Matrox MXO2 The MXO2 is a complete I/O solution for Apple and Adobe editors on the Mac platform for a fantastic price of just $1595!! You get SD and HD all in one sleek, sexy little package. MXO2 delivers all the I/O you need and want. * You need SDI, you got it for both standard and HD with 8 tracks of embedded audio channels. * If it’s analog I/O you need, MXO as it - component SD & HD plus all the standard SD I/O. * What about HDMI you ask – MXO2 has it. Not just HDMI out, but HDMI input as well. Even cooler - the HDMI output includes surround sound! How can they do it? Deliver all this I/O at such a great price? Only $1595!!Here’s the secret – they use the PCIe bus, which is 20x faster than FireWire400. It is also far more reliable and removes any bottlenecks that can occur from pushing HD footage in and out of your Mac via FireWire. The MXO2 ships with 2 PCIe adapters – one for towers and a card for your laptop. You can simply move the MXO2 between computers just by unplugging it in from one and plugging it into the other. Unlike other I/O devices on the market, MXO2 is truly portable. It’s sleek sexy form factor lets it fit in any laptop bag and it can run on AC or battery power. MXO2 supports Apple applications like Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Color; as well as Adobe applications like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and the other apps included in the Adobe CS3 Production Premium. MXO2 supports multiple compressions and workflows including HDV, DVC Pro HD, uncompressed HD, XDCAM, and Apple Pro Res. With a quad core Mac you can capture into ProRes in real-time. If your workflow demands input and output for multiple formats then MXO2 is the device for you. If you are working with tapeless workflows, or compressed HD formats that you can easily ingest via FireWire, then the original MXO is the device for you. Attach it to your Mac Tower or Laptop and you get pristine HD output - straight from Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, Color or Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop. Not all workflows require I/O. If you just need HD output, you can save some bucks by adding the MXO to you workflow. Rumor has it you may even be able to preview your Avid Media Composer timeline in the not so distant future with MXO! The MXO2 is expected to ship in late June. We will begin taking pre-orders immediately. In fact we will be including a free gift with all pre-orders placed before June 15th. Matrox RT.X2LE A couple of years ago Matrox introduced the RT.X2. At the time it delivered an unprecedented level of real-time HD and SD editing performance for under $1700. Since then the product has just gotten better and better. With the latest 3.5 drivers you get support for even more HD formats as well as improved real-time performance. At $1295 for the RT.X2 hardware it is still a bit too expensive for some videographers. With the introduction of the RT.X2LE card for $995 Matrox has brought the price of their real-time technology down to a level everyone can afford. What’s the difference between the original RT.X2 and the RT.X2LE hardware? 1. The RT.X2LE is a ¾ length PCIe 1x card. This is a big deal. The original RT.X2 is a full size PCIe 1x card with a handle on the end of it. It is simply too big to fit in some cases and motherboards. With the RT.X2LE install is a breeze. We popped it into our DIY6 machine and it is running GREAT! 2. The RT.X2 offers component and DVI output. This digital DVI HD output is a very cool feature for those doing color grading and other exacting work that requires a precise pixel-by-pixel rendition on the video. The RT.X2LE only has component HD output, which for most video editors is more than enough. 3. TheRT.X2 and RT.X2LE deliver the identical real-time editing features and performance. The only thing you give up is the DVI output. The RT.X2LE hardware is in stock for $995.We are working with both Adobe and Matrox to create some exciting bundle offers with Production Premium CS3. Gary http://www.videoguys.com/matrox.htm __________________ Check out http://www.videoguys.com 800 323-2325 We are the video editing and live video production experts! DV InfoNet members save 5%! Use Coupon Code DVINFO5OFF

April 24th, 2008, 12:58 PM	#3
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	George - I agree completely. Hopefully we'll see Windows drivers for it down the road. MXO2 is just the first step - I think Matrox is on to something big. Gary __________________ Check out http://www.videoguys.com 800 323-2325 We are the video editing and live video production experts! DV InfoNet members save 5%! Use Coupon Code DVINFO5OFF

April 24th, 2008, 12:54 PM	#2
George Kroonder Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Utrecht, NL \| Europe 3rd Rock from the Sun Posts: 612	What would be even more "killer" is if they developed a driver for Windows for the MXO2. For the original MXO I understand why that is a mac only solution. But the MXO2 is 'just' a capture and playback device on the PCIe/ExpressCard bus. George/

April 25th, 2008, 03:51 PM	#4
Damon Gaskin Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn Hills, USA Posts: 217	Yes, external with matrox would be extremely powerful to say the least! I have been hoping since they came out with the MXO that they would create something for laptop users but nothing so far.. I still have my fingers and toes crossed!!! :-)