Top 10 Reasons to Buy Matrox MXO2 Mini – Not Intensity Pro

Adrian Frearson · May 31st, 2009, 04:45 AM

Thanks Gary, I thought this would be a nice little extra if it was possible and would eliminate the need for separate audio I/O for this task. Realtime cross conversion and capture at this price is pretty attractive to say the least, add h.264 acceleration and it really looks like a must for me.

John Cline · June 17th, 2009, 03:06 PM

Does anyone know where I can download a short clip recorded on a PC in the I-frame only MPEG2 mode of the MX02 mini? I'd like to test it out its files with some various NLEs before I commit to buying it.

Thanks,
John

Gary Bettan · June 18th, 2009, 11:45 AM

John,

The RTX2 already uses this for analog HD capture for Premiere. No complaints about the quality. I don;t think Matrox MPEG2 HD works in any other NLE besides Premiere.

Gary

John Cline · June 18th, 2009, 03:12 PM

Gary,

I understand the the MX02 mini is only fully integrated into Premiere on the PC side. I have and use Premiere CS4, Avid Media Composer v3.5 and Vegas v9 and I much prefer Vegas. I'd like to see if Vegas can handle the MX02's I-frame-only MPEG2 files.

John

Ron Evans · June 18th, 2009, 06:44 PM

IF the codec is on the PC maybe Vegas and Edius will use and work with Matrox MPEG. I too am interested but would want it to work with Edius or Vegas or preferably both.

Ron Evans

Bill Koehler · June 22nd, 2009, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Bettan

John,

I don't think Matrox MPEG2 HD works in any other NLE besides Premiere.

Gary

If it wasn't for my concern that I would be buying into a proprietary codec/wrapper, my order would already be in.
This thread illustrates some of the problems:

Matrox MXO User Forum :: View topic - MXO2 Mini and Matrox HDV

Given how video is often archived, a codec/wrapper/format without an assured long, long lifetime is simply a no-go for me.

Bill Ravens · June 22nd, 2009, 10:48 AM

Why is this solution better than AJA's IO Express? I know the MXO2 mini is cheaper, but, the IO Express has HD-SDI I/O.

Edit: AJA seems to exclusively be a MAC shop, the IO Express records to Apples Prores codec. But, There is a decoder available for Prores on the PC, and, hopefully the Cineform DI can also be ported to the IO Express.

Gary Bettan · June 22nd, 2009, 10:50 AM

I can certainly understand your concern. We have good news on the Cineform front. Things are moving forward nicely and we hope to have an official announcement from Matrox & Cineform shortly.

Things not going as smooth with Sony. There is work to be done to make Vegas & Mini compatible. Not sure Sony has the resources available at the current time.

Gary

Bill Koehler · June 22nd, 2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Ravens

Why is this solution better than AJA's IO Express?

Thanks for the reference, I didn't know about the IO Express, only the IO HD.
I'll bet I'm not the only one.

When I went to AJA's website and looked around, they mention PC support - and that's it. No details. They do mention the codecs that are supported only on the Mac. I didn't find anything about the ones supported on the PC or even minimum PC system requirements. The documentation is still overwhelmingly Apple/Mac centric. And the same Final Cut/Premiere Pro bias.

Andrew Clark · June 25th, 2009, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Bettan

6. Matrox MXO2 Mini supports RGB as well as YUV output via HDMI and component for compatibility with a wider range of monitors – Intensity Pro provides only YUV output.

** Is this user selectable, or does the Mini automatically decide?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Bettan

8. Matrox MXO2 Mini turns your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor with Matrox’s unique color calibration tool. Controls for hue, chroma, contrast, brightness, and blue-only are provided. You get accurate color representation so that you can use your HDMI monitor even for color grading – Intensity Pro does not have a calibration tool.

** Reasoning to my previous question above....to utilize the HP Dreamcolor LP2480zx monitor, the monitor needs to be fed a RGB progressive signal (in order to take full advantage of all the benefits the monitor provides) which would be great if the Mini truly did this!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Bettan

10. On the PC, Matrox MXO2 Mini lets you capture to the highly-efficient Matrox MPEG-2 I-frame codec at adjustable date rates up to 300 Mbps to optimize quality and storage usage – Intensity Pro uses an older M-JPEG codec that is limited to 128 Mbps and is not user adjustable.

** Is this the only option to capture to? Can one capture the camera's native codec? What about the Mac side? Can one capture using ProRes / ProRes HQ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Bettan

12. A version of Matrox MXO2 Mini is available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 HD file creation – Intensity Pro does not offer this important benefit.

** This is cool...but I'm a bit confused; does one need the CompressHD card to do this....or is MAX built into the Mini?

Gary Bettan · June 25th, 2009, 02:53 PM

I have not tested Mini with dreamcast monitor, but I do know of folks successfully using the MXO2 HDMI output with it.

MXO2 Mini is available witht he MAX option integrated into it for $849. So you don;t need the seperate compressHD card.

MAtrox MPEG-2 capture is for Premeire. Capture into Cineform is on the way. The MXO2 Mini captures directly into ProRes in real time on a quad core Mac

Gary

Frank Brodkorb · June 25th, 2009, 03:30 PM

Don´t want to rain on the parade, but Intensity captures uncompressed.
I take that every day over any codec.

Also Intensity can be connected to a laptop via card slot.

In case you have to be independend of AC power....

But usualy, with all the lights and whatnot at a set, one more cable for a small PC doesn´t matter.

My ct 2

Frank

Gary Bettan · June 25th, 2009, 04:50 PM

Of course the MXO2 Mini captures uncompressed. I was answering specific questions about the compression options.

As for portability and versatility, MXO2 mini wins hands down. It's an I/O box, that attaches via Express Card for Laptops or PCIe card for desktop. It comes with your choice, but for $100 more you can get both! Now just move the box between your laptop and desktop!

Gary

Andrew Clark · June 26th, 2009, 12:27 PM

Gary - Thanks for the replies...much appreciate it!! Right to the point, exactly what I needed to know.

Do you have these in stock...(with the MAX option)?

Gary Bettan · June 26th, 2009, 03:29 PM

MXO2 mini and Mini Max are selling strong and we've got more units rolling to us from Matrox.

Not sure if we still have stock today, but more coming Mon or Tues

Gary

June 18th, 2009, 11:45 AM	#18
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	John, The RTX2 already uses this for analog HD capture for Premiere. No complaints about the quality. I don;t think Matrox MPEG2 HD works in any other NLE besides Premiere. 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

June 22nd, 2009, 10:48 AM	#22
Bill Ravens Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: santa fe, nm Posts: 3,264 Images: 10	Why is this solution better than AJA's IO Express? I know the MXO2 mini is cheaper, but, the IO Express has HD-SDI I/O. Edit: AJA seems to exclusively be a MAC shop, the IO Express records to Apples Prores codec. But, There is a decoder available for Prores on the PC, and, hopefully the Cineform DI can also be ported to the IO Express. Last edited by Bill Ravens; June 22nd, 2009 at 11:55 AM.

June 22nd, 2009, 10:50 AM	#23
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	I can certainly understand your concern. We have good news on the Cineform front. Things are moving forward nicely and we hope to have an official announcement from Matrox & Cineform shortly. Things not going as smooth with Sony. There is work to be done to make Vegas & Mini compatible. Not sure Sony has the resources available at the current time. 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

June 25th, 2009, 02:53 PM	#26
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	I have not tested Mini with dreamcast monitor, but I do know of folks successfully using the MXO2 HDMI output with it. MXO2 Mini is available witht he MAX option integrated into it for $849. So you don;t need the seperate compressHD card. MAtrox MPEG-2 capture is for Premeire. Capture into Cineform is on the way. The MXO2 Mini captures directly into ProRes in real time on a quad core Mac 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

June 25th, 2009, 04:50 PM	#28
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	Of course the MXO2 Mini captures uncompressed. I was answering specific questions about the compression options. As for portability and versatility, MXO2 mini wins hands down. It's an I/O box, that attaches via Express Card for Laptops or PCIe card for desktop. It comes with your choice, but for $100 more you can get both! Now just move the box between your laptop and desktop! 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

May 31st, 2009, 04:45 AM	#16
Adrian Frearson Regular Crew Join Date: May 2008 Location: U.K Posts: 154	Thanks Gary, I thought this would be a nice little extra if it was possible and would eliminate the need for separate audio I/O for this task. Realtime cross conversion and capture at this price is pretty attractive to say the least, add h.264 acceleration and it really looks like a must for me.

June 17th, 2009, 03:06 PM	#17
John Cline Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Posts: 333	Does anyone know where I can download a short clip recorded on a PC in the I-frame only MPEG2 mode of the MX02 mini? I'd like to test it out its files with some various NLEs before I commit to buying it. Thanks, John

June 18th, 2009, 03:12 PM	#19
John Cline Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA Posts: 333	Gary, I understand the the MX02 mini is only fully integrated into Premiere on the PC side. I have and use Premiere CS4, Avid Media Composer v3.5 and Vegas v9 and I much prefer Vegas. I'd like to see if Vegas can handle the MX02's I-frame-only MPEG2 files. John

June 18th, 2009, 06:44 PM	#20
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	IF the codec is on the PC maybe Vegas and Edius will use and work with Matrox MPEG. I too am interested but would want it to work with Edius or Vegas or preferably both. Ron Evans

June 25th, 2009, 03:30 PM	#27
Frank Brodkorb Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Stillwater Oklahoma Posts: 39	Don´t want to rain on the parade, but Intensity captures uncompressed. I take that every day over any codec. Also Intensity can be connected to a laptop via card slot. In case you have to be independend of AC power.... But usualy, with all the lights and whatnot at a set, one more cable for a small PC doesn´t matter. My ct 2 Frank

June 26th, 2009, 12:27 PM	#29
Andrew Clark Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 477	Gary - Thanks for the replies...much appreciate it!! Right to the point, exactly what I needed to know. Do you have these in stock...(with the MAX option)?

June 26th, 2009, 03:29 PM	#30
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	MXO2 mini and Mini Max are selling strong and we've got more units rolling to us from Matrox. Not sure if we still have stock today, but more coming Mon or Tues 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