Matrox MXO2 ! Now with Output and INPUT!!!

Nicky said:
Theres also a new G-raid mini3 shipping in june, Ive already bought the G-raid mini2 - Oh well... theres not much difference but I can always upgrade later while we wait for the Matrox MXO2.
Click to expand...

Wonder If you manage to use it bus powered only, I bought two exactly this time last year and they wouldn´t work bus powered (On a MBP and a G4 PB...).
Took about 8 weeks to get our money back and I had to carry around our G-Raids on location (= always needed ac power...)
But generally I would still recomend G-Technology.
 
Nice report Gary. I too was very excited when I read the MXO2 announcement and stopped by the Matrox both @ NAB to check it out. The problem I have with it is the lack of DVI out to connect to my ACD. I'm looking for a reasonably priced HD monitoring solution and I'm considering picking up a MXO to use with one of my existing 23" ACD's OR picking up the recently reduced JVC DT-V24L1U and a BM Intensity Card. What's your advice? The MXO solution costs 50% less, it has stellar reviews and I know there are lots of folks whose opinions I respect using it. It's seems ther MXO is a better option for me than the MXO2; I can do color correction on my ACD and loop video out via component to a Plasma. Yes I'd love to have the extra inputs and up-rez. capabilities of the MXO2 but accurate monitoring is my primary goal. I could be wrong, but I don't see a lot of people doing color correction on Plasmas; they're usually mounted high on a wall so I see lots of potential issues, although for playback it will be great. Seems to me the MXO2 is more of an HD I/O solution than HD monitoring product. Now if Apple would update their ACD's to include HDMI imputs ala Dell, then this would be a no-brainer. Cheers!

ERIC
 
earthling said:
From all the info I've gathered, HD uncompressed is obviously not possible, (where would you save the files considering the Express card slot is being used), but wouldn't a MacBook Pro be capable of ProRes encoding ?
Click to expand...

First off, no, a MacBook Pro is not capable of ProRes encoding...this is why the more expensive AJA I/O HD has a hardware ProRes encoder.

A firewire raided drive like the G-Raid and FirewireVR are capable of capturing 8-bit uncompressed HD. BARELY.
 
Shane Ross said:
First off, no, a MacBook Pro is not capable of ProRes encoding...this is why the more expensive AJA I/O HD has a hardware ProRes encoder.

A firewire raided drive like the G-Raid and FirewireVR are capable of capturing 8-bit uncompressed HD. BARELY.
Click to expand...

Thanks Shane for making it clear ProRes is a no go on a laptop but could you clearify if 720p24 ProRes (not HQ) version will be able to be captured? I plan on doing this mostly for music video shoots that SD is the deliverable so no really long takes longer than 10 minutes or anything like that. Thanks would be sweet to buy this baby and a new tv and be set.
 
Shane

Given that the MXO2 is an excellent portbale I/O box, if I can't ingest at the least 8-bit uncompressed in real time using a MBP - then what use is it really going to be? I have Sata II Raid 0 on the Express card slot but as the MXO2 is going to use it, I will be forced to use the Firewire 800 interface which as you say "barely" manages to capture 8-bit uncompressed.

So what exactly will I be using this box for?

Satya
 
My brother had a crazy idea - what if we had a MBP+matrox MXO2, and then Gigabit Ethernet network to another PC laptop with blazing speeds using its own express slot/sata2 raid0?

Surely the networked/mounted drive will be able to receive the recordings? The problem i see is perhaps Gigabit Ethernet will bottleneck the speed... Anyone know what speed gigabit per second is in megabytes per second? Hopefully it will be around 150megs/second sustained.

Any thoughts, I hope I have explained properly.
 
You can capture Uncompressed 8-bit...barely, as I said. And you can capture footage as DVCPRO HD. With a laptop your options are limited. If you want ProRes then you need the AJA I/O HD.

But on a tower, your options are WIDE open. And at half the cost of the I/O HD.
 
Matrox MXO2 Shipping in Time for IBC 2008 – Portable, Affordable, Complete I/O for the Mac


MXO2 Matrox® Video Products Group today announced that the eagerly awaited Matrox MXO2 is set to ship coincident with the opening of the 2008 International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) taking place September 12-16 at the RAI Center in Amsterdam.

Designed to streamline editing workflow with Apple Final Cut Studio on MacBook Pros and Mac Pros, Matrox MXO2 provides broadcast-quality input/output, monitoring, and up/down/cross conversion. Users can benefit from file-based workflows with XDCAM HD, and P2HD. In addition, they are not limited to using a single codec as with some other I/O devices on the market. MXO2 supports a variety of codecs such as ProRes 422 HQ, 10-bit uncompressed HD, and many more.

“Matrox MXO2 was a hit at NAB 2008, winning four prestigious industry awards – a Pick Hit Award from Broadcast Engineering Magazine, a STAR Award from TV Technology Magazine, a Black Diamond Award from DV Magazine, and a Vidy Award from Videography Magazine,” said Alberto Cieri, Matrox sales and marketing director. “It’s clear from the volume of orders that have been pouring in for this innovative product that Matrox is leading the way in mobile editing on the Mac.”

Click here for full press release

Gary
 
Hi Gary. How about some feeback on the MX02 before I buy one? Does it work now that it's released?

Thanks

Bill
 
Ok big question here. Does this work with MPB and HD?
Anybody using it on a notebook with HD?

Thanks


Looks like they answered it below--my apologies
 
Last edited:
From the Marox user forums Re:MBP

From the Marox user forums Re:MBP

Thought it was all too good to be true, I'm now getting RT errors with the Mtrox plugged in could this have something to do with the Matrox?

I'm using a Macbook Pro dual 2.4 gig pentium with 2 gigs of ram and the external drive is connected via the 800 firewire. I'm working in DV. but will need to work in SD PAL as soon as possible. I thoought that the system was able to run HD?

Before connecting the MX02 I was able to run 4 layers of DV with no RT errors.

Now if I have one layer plus two audio tracks and mark an inpoint of the fly they RTerror comes up.

I've run the activity Monitor and it says that there is 1.1 gigs of ram free but how acurate is this?

The only time I had anything like this was when I left the camera connected to the 400 firewire .

Could it be that the MacBook Pro isn't really capable of running the Matrox Mx02?

Is the express card in ths side in the same internal bus as the fire wire?


not sure if this was reseolve------
 
So far we are getting excellent feedback from our customers who have purchased the MXO2. It does what it says it will and the video quality is outstanding.

We've put some cool bundle promotions together with Boris FX Continuum that I think you'll find worth checking out. http://www.videoguys.com/mxo2.html

Gary
 
I have two quick questions:
-Looking through the specs, I don't see anything the Blackmagic Intensity does that the MX02 doesn't also do. Am I right?
-I haven't used a capture card before. I'm assuming Matrox has a software program with which to control the flow of inputs / outputs. Am I right? Thanks...

ps While it's not on their web page last time I checked, Spec-Comm sells the MX02, and those interested may want to check their price (sorry if this is any kind of violation).
 
Blackmagic Intensity...HDMI only.
MXO 2 - HDMI, SDI, COMPONENT, COMPOSITE, SVIDEO

Intensity Pro has more connections, but not SDI. Both can downconvert HD to SD, but MXO2 can upconvert SD to HD.

Intensity Pro...Only works on a MacPro. MXO 2 connects to a laptop or a tower.
 
Can the the MX02 import HD SDI 1080p (otherwise known as SMPTE 372M Dual Link HD-SDI) into its single input? Can cameras export 1080p without using two cables?

What I'm seeing is that HD-SDI can't do 1080p without two cables.

Yet new cameras (Panasonic HPX170) can record/export 1080p, even if they only have the one HD-SDI output jack.

I'm curious about this.

-The standard subset of HD-SDI is a SMPTE standard, specifically: SMPTE 292M HD-SDI 1.485 Gbit/s, and 1.485/1.001 Gbit/s 720p, 1080i
-It's apparently only good for 1080i, or 720p.
-If you want to output 1080p, you need to go to different standard, which can need two cables and is called: SMPTE 372M Dual Link HD-SDI 2.970 Gbit/s, and 2.970/1.001 Gbit/s 1080p
Click to expand...
 
The MXO2 does everything it says it will do, but here's what they don't tell you:

1) It can't record 1080p23.98 PsF. BIG, BIG, BIG problem, guys! That means you can't use the MXO2 as on set video assist recorder with the Sony F900. It's really unbelievable.

2) You can't bring in HD-SDI video (from an F900 or VariCam, Red, etc) and expect to have a time code signal show up in Final Cut Pro. Apparently that is only available when you use the RS-422 serial port interface on the MXO2.

But, no camera has an RS-422 and although there are adapters to go from the LTC port on the camera to the RS-422 on the MXO2, this could be avoided if Matrox just were to implement the SMPTE RP-188 specification for embedded timecode over HD-SDI.

AJA's competing product, the I/O HD, comes with a special application called VTRXchange that does allow capturing HD-SDI video with time code over HD-SDI cable (SMPTE RP188) in the ProRes format. It's a great solution to ultimately, an Apple problem.


I have been testing the MXO2 for the past couple of weeks, looking for its weaknessess, and frankly, since my needs are unmet, with the MXO2, I am immediately switching to AJA products. I generally thought that AJA products were vastly overpriced for what they are, but after this whole ordeal with Matrox not living up to my expectations and then there's AJA going the complete opposite direction and writing custom software to workaround Final Cut's deficiences, I must say I am rather impressed. They are now, in my mind, a small company that puts a lot of love into their products. They obviously really, really care about what they're putting on the shelves and it shows.

In the end, I must have support for 23.98 PsF capture and SMPTE RP-188. Matrox just does not offer these things currently, and probably won't even bother attempting it anytime in the near future. Just a quick look at how frequently AJA updates software products (several times a year), even for 3 year old products, verses Matrox's once or twice a year updates. Well, it just shows how awesome AJA is and how dedicated they are to our industry. I guess I'd rather buy a product made by a company that only does one thing (AJA) instead of a company that does a lot of unrelated things (Matrox). Just me, but it definitely shows in the depth of each company's products for us video people.
 
Last edited:
I am getting tired of people trying to say that a capture card or capture device is utter crap because it won't do this and it won't do that. There isn't one capture card to fulfull EVERY need. What you need to do is assess what you need to do, then get the capture device that suits that need.

"1) It can't record 1080p23.98 PsF. BIG, BIG, BIG problem, guys! That means you can't use the MXO2 as on set video assist recorder with the Sony F900. It's really unbelievable."

I don't need that. Many people don't need that. YOu want that, then get the AJA I/O HD. That is one thing that the IOHD is good for. But I for one don't need that, so it isn't a feature I want nor look for.

"2) You can't bring in HD-SDI video (from an F900 or VariCam, Red, etc) and expect to have a time code signal show up in Final Cut Pro. Apparently that is only available when you use the RS-422 serial port interface on the MXO2."

Again..so what? I don't need this. If you do, then get the IOHD.

The IOHD doesn't do uncompressed video. WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK, RIGHT? No....it is fine if you don't need uncompressed. Not everyone needs to hook this up to a camera...but some people want portability so they can edit with their laptop, and inexpensive.

SO if we can stop the product bashing because it doesn't do one or two...or three very specific things, while another card does...that would be grand. Again...look at your workflow. Look at what you need to do and get the capture device that fulfills that need. Be glad that there are choices out there.

AJA is BMW, DECKLINK is VOLKSWAGEN and MATROX is TOYOTA....for example. Now would it not suck if the ONLY option for a car would be BMW? What if you couldn't afford that BMW? I know I can't. But I need a car to get me somewhere. So I get the less expensive, yet perfectly good Toyota. It does exactly what I need.



I am a fan of AJA and Matrox...and even Decklink. I have used all three and haven't had issues with any. They all offer tools that work.

The fact that
 
Shane Ross said:
I am getting tired of people trying to say that a capture card or capture device is utter crap because it won't do this and it won't do that. There isn't one capture card to fulfull EVERY need. What you need to do is assess what you need to do, then get the capture device that suits that need.
Click to expand...

I agree completely! That's all I was saying really, was that Matrox doesn't do two things that I really need. I will GREATLY MISS not having the ability to power it off an Anton Bauer battery and the fact that it runs on the Express Card, that's very handy, and because it's uncompressed, so there is practically no delay to the monitor.

Shane Ross said:
some people want portability so they can edit with their laptop, and inexpensive.
Click to expand...

Really, truthfully, that's all I want.

But, a device that can't capture frame accurate time code from my camera is of little value, IMHO. The fact is that the MXO-2 just does not offer this feature. Running 2 BNC's (one for video, another one for time code) is impractical on TV commercial shoots. It is unnecessarily complicated and more cables = a messy set. Plus, most prosumer cameras with HD-SDI (such as the EX1 and and HPX-170) don't even have a separate TC output. So, time code over HD-SDI (SMPTE RP188) is the only way to do this.

Ultimately, uncompressed HD (MXO-2) is really not a value added feature if the clips it captures do not have time code that corresponds to what's on the tape log. I don't see how that's going to be useful to anyone. And, since the cameras today (EX-1 and HPX-170) offer time code over HD-SDI, why not take advantage of it? That's all I'm saying. Make it functional.


Shane Ross said:
SO if we can stop the product bashing because it doesn't do one or two...or three very specific things, while another card does...that would be grand. Again...look at your workflow. Look at what you need to do and get the capture device that fulfills that need. Be glad that there are choices out there.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I was bashing them. I was really, really rooting for them in the beginning.

But, the point is that, for these features that the IO HD offers, it is by far the cheapest solution available. To do the same things with the MXO-2, you would be adding the following costs:

$400 to connect a 23.98 PsF camera (AJA HI-5 adapter)
$3500 to connect a time code over HD-SDI and capture it on the Mac (Evertz box)
$1100 to get a real time SD downconvert from the live HD-SDI input (AJA downconverter)
--
So, $5000, on top of the cost of the MXO-2. Buying a $2500 AJA IO HD is much, much cheaper, man!

Shane Ross said:
MATROX ... It does exactly what I need.
Click to expand...
Lucky you! I wish in was in your situation, seriously. : )
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top