Matrox Video Products Group today announced Matrox MXO2 LE, an HDMI, SDI, and analog I/O device for the Mac based on the award-winning Matrox MXO2 that streamlines editing with Apple Final Cut Studio on Mac Pros and MacBook Pros. Matrox MXO2 LE provides all the features of an I/O card in a sturdy, portable breakout box with professional audio and video connectivity. Matrox MXO2 LE is also available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 encoding using professional application such as Apple Compressor and Telestream Episode.
"Content creators are buying Matrox I/O devices not only to meet their input, output, and monitoring needs, but also to speed up delivery to today’s digital formats. Creating Blu-ray discs and video for the web and mobile devices is much faster than ever before with Matrox MAX H.264 encoding technology," said Alberto Cieri, Matrox senior sales and marketing director. "The new Matrox MXO2 LE provides all the features professionals need in a compact, affordable, end-to-end productivity tool."
Key features of Matrox MXO2 LE
- Works with Intel-based MacBook Pros, Mac Pros, and Apple Xserve systems
- Lightweight, fits easily into a laptop bag
- 4-pin XLR power connector for AC or field battery operation
- HD/SD SDI, HD/SD analog component, Y/C, and composite inputs and outputs
- Genlock – SD analog black burst (bi-level) or HD tri-level sync
- 10-bit HDMI input, output, and monitoring with calibration controls including blue-only
- 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion on capture and output
- Up to five user selectable simultaneous video outputs – HD and/or SD on HDMI, SDI, and analog
- Captures to a variety of codecs – Apple ProRes 422 HQ, 10-bit uncompressed HD, and many more
- Works with Final Cut Pro, Apple Color, Adobe After Effects and all QuickTime applications that support the V-out component
Key features of Matrox MAX technology
- Faster than realtime creation of H.264 files, for resolutions ranging from iPod to HD
- A specialized, dedicated hardware processor liberates system resources for other tasks
- Accelerated encoding for Blu-ray, Apple TV, YouTube, Flash, web formats, and mobile devices including iPhone and iPod from various video sources including 2K files
- Direct integration with Apple Compressor and Telestream Episode to simplify workflow
- Creation of Blu-ray H.264 files that can be authored in Apple Compressor 3.5, Adobe Encore CS4 or Roxio Toast 10 and burned without re-encoding
Price and availability
Matrox MXO2 LE is priced at $995 US and Matrox MXO2 LE with the MAX option is priced at $1,395 US (999 pounds Sterling, euro 1,099) not including local taxes. The units come with the customer’s choice of either an ExpressCard /34 laptop adapter or a PCIe desktop adapter. Additional adapters may be purchased separately at $99 each. MXO2 LE will be available in October through a worldwide network of authorized dealers.
Matrox MXO2 LE provides all the features of an I/O card in a sturdy, portable breakout box with professional audio and video connectivity. This device can easily be moved among the Mac Pros in your facility as the need arises and you can take it on the road with a MacBook Pro. It gives you highly-reliable, broadcast-quality input/output via HDMI, SDI, and analog; professional audio inputs and outputs; and HDMI video monitoring with calibration controls including blue-only. You also benefit from a wide variety of HD and SD workflows with Final Cut Studio thanks to Matrox MXO2 LE’s 10-bit hardware up/down/cross scaling engine and support for a wealth of file-based formats and industry-standard codecs. Enjoy maximum I/O flexibility with Matrox MXO2 LE – edit anything, anywhere!
Truly portable
Matrox MXO2 LE is a truly portable I/O device for the Mac. It fits easily into your laptop bag and connects directly to standard field batteries or the included AC power adapter. It connects to your MacBook Pro via Apple’s ExpressCard/34 slot or to your Mac Pro via a PCI Express adapter card.
Flexible workflows
Capture to a variety of codecs
Matrox MXO2 LE lets you capture to HD and SD codecs supported by Final Cut Pro. On a Quad-Core MacPro, you can capture HD to ProRes 422 HQ, DVCPRO HD, DV, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50. On a MacBook Pro Core2 Duo 2.4 GHz or faster, you can capture HD to ProRes 422 HQ (720p at 24, 25, and 30 fps), ProRes 422 (LT), and DVCPRO HD. On systems equipped with proper storage you can capture uncompressed 8- and 10-bit HD.
Use your favorite file-based formats
Matrox MXO2 LE lets you work with file-based formats such as XDCAM, XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, P2, and P2HD. You can play out these formats directly from Final Cut Pro – no intermediate codec is needed. Matrox MXO2 LE lets you play out these formats from a MacBook Pro without dropping frames.
RED workflow support
RED users can benefit from Matrox MXO2 LE to capture, monitor, and playback on set. Back in the post suite, they can use Matrox MXO2 LE to work with 1K and 2K RED timelines and output to SD, 720, or 1080 via MXO2 LE’s realtime 10-bit hardware scaling feature.
HD-SDI closed captioning support
You will no longer need to spend time and money recreating HD captioning data that is typically lost when editing projects in Final Cut Pro. Matrox MXO2 LE offers a unique workflow to capture, playback, and preserve closed captioning data while editing. Nothing is destroyed even when trimming or color correcting video clips. In addition, Matrox has worked with CPC, the closed captioning software leader, to develop an innovative solution that allows the MacCaption software to encode, decode, edit, and create HD and SD closed captioning for use with Matrox MXO2 LE. Matrox MXO2 LE also provides a cost effective way to monitor HD timelines containing closed captioning data on SDI and component SD monitors, while also inserting closed captioning information into line 21 of active video for SD deliverables. You can deliver HD and SD masters containing closed captions simultaneously.
HD and SD video monitoring
Matrox MXO2 LE turns your HDMI monitor into a true-color video display you can trust, even for color grading. It’s packed with features that make it the ideal monitoring solution for Final Cut Pro, Apple Color, Adobe After Effects, and other QuickTime-based applications. You won’t need to buy expensive HD monitoring equipment. In addition, MXO2 LE’s realtime downscaling feature lets you view your HD projects on an SD monitor.
HDMI monitoring with 10-bit 4:2:2 color precision
Matrox MXO2 LE lets you adjust and control your HDMI monitor exactly like you would a broadcast HD/SD monitor. Controls for hue, chroma, contrast, brightness, and blue-only are provided. This unique control gives you accurate color representation so that you can use your HDMI monitor even for color grading.
Pixel-to-pixel mapping on the HDMI display
Matrox MXO2 LE provides 1:1 pixel mapping on HDMI monitors that support this feature.
Realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion on capture and output
Matrox MXO2 LE lets you deliver in any format your clients demand. The 10-bit hardware scaling provides high-quality mastering.
HD to SD downscaling
Matrox MXO2 LE provides realtime HD to SD downscaling with proper conversion of the HD color space to the SD color space and proper aspect ratio conversion to anamorphic, letterbox, and center cut. You can monitor or record an SD master of your HD project in real time.
SD to HD upscaling
Matrox MXO2 LE provides realtime SD to HD upscaling with proper conversion of the SD color space to the HD color space. MXO2 LE will "pillarbox" 4:3 footage and scale 16:9 SD footage to full screen.
Cross conversion
Matrox MXO2 LE offers realtime cross conversions from 720 to 1080 and 1080 to 720. Realtime frame rate conversion is also supported with 2:3:2:3 and 2:3:3:2 cadences. This feature is useful if, for example, your source material is recorded at a different frame rate or resolution than the delivery format your client requires. It also facilitates monitoring when, for example, you need to work with 23.98 fps footage but your monitor does not support that frame rate. You can use MXO2 LE’s realtime frame rate conversion to view your project at 29.97 fps. Conversion from 23.98 fps to 25 fps is handled by Final Cut Pro and the host.
