MXO2 Rivals
 

I'm editing on a Mac Pro and a Macbook Pro.

I need to be able to edit all sorts of footage from DVCAM/Digibeta to XDCAM HD and HDCAM using tape and tapeless workflows. My inputs are normally via firewire or file based so HDSDI input isn't so critical for me.

Output is critical as I need to be able to output and monitor any format and even to 35mm filmouts.

The MXO2 looks like the perfect solution, especially at the price.

1) Are there any rivals to consider? (The AJA I/O seems the only one but what is the advantage apart from hardware Prores)

2) Is the quality of the MXO2 outputs etc as good as other solutions from AJA etc? The price seems too good to be true!

HD-SDI input is critical if you want to be able to capture any flavour of BETACAM (HDCAM, HDCAM SR, DigiBeta, BetaSP, etc) from a deck. Of course, outsourcing that task is always an option if your schedule allows it. Just something to keep in mind.

Well, if you are serious about the ability to "monitor any format" (other than 35mm which I will get to in a sec) then you have to go with something like the AJA Kona3 or BlackMagic DeckLink HD Extreme, both of which are PCI cards, in order to be able to monitor 2k.

None of the cards or external I/O boxes will do anything for you in regards to outputing 35mm. For that you would take your master copy (either on tape or external drive) to a post house which does the print.

Thanks Mike,

Yes, I can have footage captured to hard drive elsewhere if I need to, but as the MXO2 is so cheap anyway it's a nice option to have.

Not too fussed about 2K actually, so maybe not "any format" but the main SD and HD standards. Obviously filmouts would be out-sourced. I need to be able to monitor critical colour correction etc.

I only recently realized that the MXO2 has features that allow you to calibrate an LCD TV (via HDMI) as you would a broadcast monitor, including a blue gun... very nice. As long as you don't care/need 2k monitoring or 4:4:4 colour space then either I/O should do you well; and if you don't care/need for ProRes in hardware, then I think the MXO2 will be fine.

Shane Ross has had many good things to say about the MXO2 on his blog Little Frog in High Def.

Thanks again for the link.

Get the new Blackmagic SDI and an HDLink. It gives you HD SDI in and out which is all you need unless you need to grab some archival footage on something older than Betacam. At any rate most places could just make a Beta dub for you.

The whole set up is 800 bucks or so plus whatever monitor you want (remember DVI and HDMI are the same so HDTV's count) The HDLink has Blue Gun as well. Also if you plan on doing film outs the HDLink can do 1d LUTs and the Pro version can do 3D and gives you more channels of audio.

Superior choice in my opinion.

Thanks James.

Great value option! Wouldn't give me as much flexibility though or work with a laptop as far as I can see..? I think I may rather spend the extra for the MXO2.

Did you already see the new Matrox MXO2 Rack? Yummie!

Matrox MXO2 Rack

The MXO2 is a great choice for you. it will run with both your laptop and tower. We've got a nice MXO2 FAQon our website, as well as some really great MXO2 bundle offers.

Videoguys Matrox MXO2 Frequently Asked Questions

Gary

Just found this video about the MXO2 on MacVideo.tv

MacVideo - Encoding - Features - Investigating Matrox MXO2

That's a neat idea, but WTF did they put the power cord in the front?! Smacks of bad/lazy engineering design to me, but that's just my opinion...

Yeah, I almost embarrassed to admit it, but I dismissed the MXO2 when I saw that the inputs are on one end and the outputs on the other. What a mess of wires that would make! So now they come out with a rack mount version and they put all the connections on the FRONT? What's up with the engineers at Matrox? Don't they know that the connections go on the rear and the blinky lights go on the front? I could see the benifit of a few connections on the front, but not all of them.

I guess if you had a rack with rails on both the front and the back, then it would be a good option.

I bought the AJA Io HD instead of the MOTU V4HD because the MOTU guys didn't have software to allow output from Adobe software to your monitor. For example, in AfterEffects I like to see what I'm working on output to my NTSC monitor to check color, etc.... You could hook up a consumer HDMI monitor or a full-blown HD-SDI monitor for this use.

I've been happy with the Io HD. Shop around for price. I was surprised at how cheaply we were able to purchase it. Way below list. Bought all the cables from Markertek. Great company to deal with. Everything has been working well since I installed it in January. I had some minor issues, but they all had to do with me learning to make the switch from SD to HD (XDCAM EX).

Good luck with what ever you decide to go with. :)

The Matrox MXO2 Rack can be mounted with the connections facing the front or the rear Matrox MXO2 Rack - Rackmount form factor

I've been testing out the MXO2 in the studio for a few months now and even had the Matrox rep in to do a shoot direct to ProRes over HDSDI. Talk about "eating your own dog food."

We test what we sell and the Matrox MXO2 has survived the beating I've been lashing out. It's sitting side by side with a box with an AJA LHe and handling just as nice. It's cool having the additional HDMI out on the MXO2, I'm testing that with IKAN's new 17" - pretty snazzy 1920x1080 output.