If you do not need SDI I/O the MXO2 Mini may be right for you. Click here for the Videoguys' FAQ on the MXO2 Mini

The Matrox MXO2 is an award-winning product that evolved into a complete family of Hardware I/O devices from Matrox. The Matrox MXO2 Family includes 4 product variations (actually, twice as many if you count the Matrox with MAX variations). This Videoguys' FAQ has been completely updated in November 2009 to answer all of the new questions our techs hear from customers like you.

This Videoguys FAQ on the Matrox MXO2 Family is dedicated to the SDI products including the MXO2 LE, MXO2 and MXO2 Rack. The MXO2 Mini will be discussed in some parts but we recommend you check out the Videoguys' dedicated MXO2 Mini FAQ.

This FAQ is divided into 6 parts:

I. OVERVIEW OF THE COMPLETE MATROX MXO2 FAMILY

II. HD FORMAT & WORKFLOWS

III. MATROX WITH MAX TECHNOLOGY AND THE ADVANTAGES OF H.264 ACCELERATION

IV. WHAT'S NEW IN MATROX MXO2 RELEASE 1.9 FOR MAC

V. COMPARISON OF THE MATROX MXO2 VERSIONS

VI. MATROX MXO2 FAMILY vs. THE COMPETITION

I. OVERVIEW OF THE COMPLETE MATROX MXO2 FAMILY

The answers to these frequently asked questions relate to the Matrox MXO2 LE, MXO2 and MXO2 Rack versions.

What are folks saying about the new MXO2 family?
The original Matrox MXO2 was a great start! We have sold it into a wide variety of users ranging from cable news, local call letters, high end production houses, independent film makers, event videographers and more. Some are using it for uncompressed HD & SD footage, while many others have integrated MXO2 into their tapeless workflows both in the field and in their main editing suites.

In the edit suites we have customers reporting fantastic results vs comparable hardware from Aja or BlackMagic costing 2-3x as much! Not only do they save big bucks, they get the added versatility of the MXO2. It works great as the I/O cornerstone of their Mac Pro based editing workstation, and it serves double duty in the field with their laptop! Now there are even more options to choose from with the MXO2 LE at a more affordable price and the MXO2 Rack rackmountable version, perfect for news van installations.

How does Matrox MXO2 connect to my Mac or PC?
The Matrox MXO2 products all connect to a Mac Pro or PC Workstation via an internal PCIe card or to a MacBook Pro or Windows Laptop via an ExpressCard/34. The MXO2 LE includes your choice of either the PCIe card or the Express Card although bundles are also available with both. The MXO2 and the MXO2 Rack include both the PCIe and ExpressCard in the box.

If you are installing the ExpressCard into a Laptop you may have been told that this precludes you from using the best storage solutions available but FireWire storage is actually more than adequate for editing multiple layers of SD or compressed HD footage. Firewire 800 storage has the bandwidth to transfer up to 6 layers of DV, 8 layers of HDV 1080i, 2 layers of DVCPRO HD 1080i, 2 layers of ProRes 422 1080, or 2 layers of 10-bit uncompressed SD in real time.

Connecting the MXO2 to a desktop PCIe card will allow you to use any storage solution you'd like. The benefit of using the PCIe connection is that you can work with uncompressed 10-bit HD video as well as any other format including ProRes 422 HQ. You have complete flexibility.

What NLEs and Operating Systems are supported by the MXO2 Family of products?
All of the MXO2 family of products are now cross-platform and they support the latest 64 bit Operating Systems - Snow Leopard and Windows 7! You can use them with Apple Final Cut Pro 6/7 and the Final Cut Studio 2/3 applications on Mac (Leopard and Snow Leopard). Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 and the Production Premium CS4 applications are now supported on Mac and Windows (XP, Vista32/64 and Windows 7).

What are the system requirements for MXO2 family?
Matrox MXO2 LE, MXO2 and MXO2 Rack require the following configuration:

MAC RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Intel-based Mac Pro or MacBook Pro
• Mac OS X v10.5 or later
• One free PCIe slot on the Mac Pro to install the Matrox PCIe host adapter
• One free ExpressCard/34 slot on the MacBook Pro to install the Matrox PCIe host ExpressCard/34 adapter
• 2 GB physical memory (RAM) when working with compressed HD and uncompressed SD sources, or 4 GB physical memory (RAM) when working with uncompressed HD sources
• HDMI monitor that supports 1920×1080 and "dot-by-dot" mode is recommended for 1:1 pixel mapping.

PC RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Dual-CPU, or one dual-core CPU or faster.
• Microsoft Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate (64-bit), Windows Vista Business or Ultimate (32- or 64-bit) with Service Pack 2, or Windows XP Professional (32-bit) with Service Pack 3.
• 2 GB of RAM for 32-bit Windows systems, or 4 GB of RAM for 64-bit Windows systems.
• One free PCIe slot on a desktop computer to install the Matrox PCIe host adapter, or one free ExpressCard/34 slot on a laptop to install the Matrox PCIe host ExpressCard/34 adapter.
• If you want to use MXO2 with Adobe Premiere Pro, you must have Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.2 or later. For Matrox MAX H.264 encoding, you must have Adobe Media Encoder CS4 version 4.2 or later.
  Note: Adobe Media Encoder is included with many Adobe programs, such as Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Encore.
• We recommend an HDMI monitor that supports 1920x1080 for previewing all HD formats, and "dot-by-dot" mode for 1:1 pixel mapping.

Can I use the MXO2 with multiple workstations and laptops?
You may be able to use one of the Matrox MXO2 products instead of many I/O cards in your facility because you can easily move any of the MXO2s from system to system as the need arises. The "brains" of unit is in the box and it attaches to the Mac Pro via a small interface card. One interface card comes with the unit and additional cards can be purchased.

For example, if you have a 4-system facility, you can equip all your editors with I/O for under $2K vs. over $5000 if you were considering purchasing even mid-range I/O cards for each system. In addition, the MXO2 products are compatible with an ExpressCard/34 adapter to use with a MacBook Pro so you can take your Matrox MXO2 on the road too.

What can the Matrox MXO2 upscaling and downscaling feature do for me?
Matrox MXO2 provides realtime 10-bit hardware scaling on the outputs. You can upscale from NTSC or PAL to either 720 or1080. You can downscale 720 or 1080 HD footage to NTSC or PAL.

Matrox MXO2's realtime scaling feature is particularly useful when you need to master both HD and SD because it lets you output both simultaneously from the same timeline. It is also invaluable when you need to proof DVD content from an HD video source or make quick SD rushes from HD material.

Can Matrox MXO2 scale on capture?
Yes, Matrox MXO2 lets you capture to a different format than your source video. You can benefit from MXO2's high-quality 10-bit hardware scaling to conform all your various source footage to a single format up front, before you begin to edit. Currently when you mix formats you spend time rendering your timeline to conform your footage to a single format to share with other editors, send for final color grading, or deliver to your client. With MXO2's ability to scale the input during capture, you save time bypassing the usual rendering step. This feature is also useful for converting SD archive footage for HD broadcast.

Matrox MXO2 will upscale, downscale, or cross-convert your source video to the desired capture format. Through the Matrox Control Panel, you identify the input source then select the resolution in Final Cut Pro that you would like to capture. Matrox MXO2 will scale prior to capturing to your codec of choice. The scaled video can be monitored on all Matrox MXO2 outputs during capture. Options for 4:3 and 16:9 source input from SD sources are available. The following conversions are supported on capture (frame rates must match).

• SD to 720 (not applicable to HDMI input)
• SD to 1080 (not applicable to HDMI input)
• 720 to 1080
• 720 to SD
• 1080 to 720
• 1080 to SD

Can Matrox MXO2 convert my 720p timeline to 1080i and vice versa in real time?
Yes. Matrox MXO2 products provide realtime cross conversion in hardware, saving you hours of rendering when your source material does not match your client's delivery requirements.

I shot at 23.98 fps, but now my client demands 29.97 fps for broadcast, can Matrox MXO2 help?
Yes. Matrox MXO2 provides realtime frame rate conversion in hardware. It can output a 23.98 timeline to tape at 29.97 fps in real time, saving hours of rendering. This feature is also beneficial if you work in 23.98 but your monitoring equipment does not support that frame rate. Matrox MXO2 lets you view your 23.98 fps project at 29.97 fps to ensure correct title placement and accurate color temperature of your 23.98 fps project. Conversion from 23.98 fps to 25 fps is handled by Final Cut Pro and the host.

Can I use the MXO2 with Apple Xserve?
Yes. Matrox MXO2 products can now be used with the Apple Xserve systems commonly used in OB vans, broadcast environments, and networked facilities.

II. HD FORMATS & WORKFLOWS

Does Matrox MXO2 support ProRes?
Yes. All Matrox MXO2 products support ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 HQ. It also gives you the freedom and flexibility to use a wide variety of other codecs and video formats.

While you edit, your ProRes HD timeline will play out directly via the MXO2 outputs. Matrox supports all the new ProRes flavors introduced as part of the new Final Cut Studio 3 with the exception of ProRes 4444.

Can Matrox MXO2 capture to ProRes and ProRes 422 HQ in real time?
Yes. On systems with a 2.4 GHz or faster Core 2 Duo CPU you can capture to SD ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 HQ in realtime. On systems with at least two Dual-Core or a Quad-Core 2.4 GHz or faster CPU you can also capture to HD ProRes422 and ProRes 422 HQ 720P or 1080i in real time.

Can I capture 720p ProRes on a MacBook Pro?
Yes, Matrox MXO2 products lets you capture 720p 23.98 from 59.94 sources directly into ProRes 720p 23.98 with a MacBook Pro with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or higher CPU.

Can I capture ProRes 422 (LT) on a MacBook Pro?
Yes, Matrox MXO2 products lets you capture ProRes 422 (LT) on a MacBook Pro with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or higher CPU. (Final Cut Studio 3 and Matrox MXO2 version 1.6 or higher are required.).

What other CODECs does Matrox MXO2 support?
There are many different CODECs and video formats in use today. Unlike some other products, Matrox MXO2 does not force you to use one specific codec. You are free to use the codec that is best for each job, including your camera's native codec.

In HD for example, MXO2 supports ProRes, ProRes422 HQ, HDV, DVCPRO HD, XDCAM HD, XCAM HD 422, and XDCAM EX. Since Matrox MXO2 products take full advantage of the high bandwidth of the PCI Express bus it also supports 8- and 10-bit uncompressed workflows (remember, it is not a FireWire 800 device).

Can Matrox MXO2 capture to DVCPRO HD in real time?
Yes. If you are using a 2.4 GHz or faster Core2 Duo CPU, Matrox MXO2 products let you capture to DVCPRO HD at 720p and 1080i in real time.

How does the MXO2 work with XDCAM?
Fantastic! In fact, the MXO2 products are the only way to playout XDCAM HD directly from Final Cut Pro using the MacBook Pro – no intermediate codec needed! With MXO2 you can output and record to SDI or analog formats without rendering. You save time on every project and enjoy a more fluid workflow with Final Cut Pro on your Mac Pro or MacBook Pro.

Can MXO2 let me preview my XD CAM timeline in Full HD quality while I edit?
Matrox MXO2 products let you see your XDCAM HD project on your broadcast monitor or an inexpensive HDMI display while you edit, at the correct frame rate and size with no dropped frames. You just put your XDCAM HD footage on the timeline and press play. Once you've finished your edit, you play out your XDCAM HD timeline directly from Final Cut Pro to SDI and analog formats.

Does Matrox MXO2 support XDCAM EX?
Yes, Matrox MXO2 is the only portable solution that lets you log and capture your XDCAM EX files, place them on the timeline, and simply hit play – no transcoding, no drop frames, and no need to convert your files to another codec format.

Does Matrox MXO2 offer any benefits for RED users?
Yes. Matrox MXO2 can benefit RED users on location and in the post suite.

Capture, monitor, and playback on set
Matrox MXO2 provides an inexpensive way to manage your RED shoots. It can easily be taken on set and connected to the HD 720p SDI output of the RED camera. You can then capture while shooting; you can monitor on an HD SDI or HDMI monitor while shooting; and you can instantly playback the shot. This saves time and production costs by allowing your DP to instantly approve shots and scenes. At the end of the day, you can quickly create SD and HD dailies or rushes taking advantage of MXO2's realtime 10-bit hardware scaling feature.

Edit, monitor, and output in post
Back in the post suite, you can use Matrox MXO2 to work with 1K and 2K RED timelines in either 16:9 or 2:1 aspect ratio,and output to SD, 720, or 1080 via MXO2's realtime 10-bit hardware scaling feature. This lets you use HD or SD monitoring equipment you may already own, or you can get great results using inexpensive HDMI monitors. Matrox MXO2 lets you adjust and control an HDMI monitor exactly like you would a broadcast 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 with Apple Color to begin the first phase of color correction. Matrox MXO2 also makes it easy for you to output EDLs, dailies, and rushes in record time.

Does Matrox MXO2 provide deck control?
Yes. Matrox MXO2 LE, MXO2 and MXO2 Rack all come with an RS-422 port to communicate with devices that support this protocol. Frame-accurate capture and print-to-tape with guaranteed audio video sync are provided.

Can Matrox MXO2 do anything to preserve HD closed captioning data while I edit?
Yes, you'll no longer need to spend time and money recreating HD captioning data that is typically lost when you edit projects in Final Cut Pro. In release 1.3.1, Matrox MXO2 offers a unique patent pending workflow to capture, playback, and preserve closed captioning data while editing projects in Final Cut Pro. Nothing is destroyed.

The workflow is as follows:
Capture – If you have an HD-SDI video source that contains digital closed captioning data in the VANC (vertical ancillary data space), Matrox MXO2 lets you capture the closed captioning data along with the video using MXO2's HD-SDI input.
Edit – Matrox MXO2 will preserve your closed captioning data throughout the editing process. You can use Final Cut Pro to trim, add effects such as color correction, and add titles or credits while maintaining your closed captioning data. With Matrox MXO2, your original closed captioning data is not destroyed.
Output – When using Matrox MXO2's HD SDI output for playback, you can choose to maintain and output the digital closed captioning data that was captured using MXO2. The closed captioning data is inserted into your video's VANC.

Even if you need to scale on capture or output, you can count on Matrox MXO2 to preserve your closed captioning data throughout your production.

In addition, Matrox has worked with CPC, the closed captioning software leader, to develop an innovative solution that allows the Mac Caption HD software to encode and decode HD captions to and from HD decks using Matrox MXO2. You can save time and money by encoding HD captions directly on your video editing system, without any additional hardware and with zero generation loss. It is no longer necessary to send HD master tapes to a separate deck-to-deck hardware caption encoding system. Now, instead of hiring a closed captioning service, you can bill your customers for the extra value you give them in producing their final project with closed captioning included. For more information, visit http://www.cpcweb.com22/.

III. MATROX WITH MAX TECHNOLOGY AND THE ADVANTAGES OF H.264 ACCELERATION

What is Matrox MAX Technology and why do I want it?
Matrox MAX technology is a special hardware chip that gives you H.264 acceleration. There is a version of each of the Matrox MXO2 products with MAX that has this hardware built right into the box and is available for only $400 more than the standard versions.

MAX allows you to encode your video to H.264 for Blu-ray, Flash or YouTube at faster than real-time! How fast is it? Right now a fully loaded 8-core Mac Pro tower will take several hours to encode one hour of ProRes HD video to H.264 - with the Matrox Max it will take less then an hour! That's right faster then real-time encoding - even on a slower Mac.

What is H.264?
H.264 is an encoding standard used to produce the very highest quality Blu-ray and web based video. It is used by Hollywood and the networks to provide the highest possible image quality in the smallest possible file sizes. That means it is very highly compressed video. As a result encoding your HD video to H.264 gives you the very best possible quality video but, unfortunately, H.264 encoding takes lots of computer power and rendering time. The MXO2 family of products with MAX technology massively accelerate your H.264 encoding.

Can I buy the Matrox MXO2 LE, MXO2 or MXO2 Rack now and upgrade it with MAX later?
Not exactly. When you purchase an MXO2 product you have to decide if you want it with or without MAX technology. Unfortunately you can't upgrade an MXO2 LE to an MXO2 LE with MAX. The MAX chips are integrated into the main circuit board during manufacturing.

If you decided to buy an MXO2 LE without MAX now and you want to add it later, you do still have an option if you are using a workstation. You can add the Matrox Compress HD card ($495) and it will deliver the full range of MAX features plus the added benefit of being able to encode in the background while you are using your MXO2 Mini for monitoring the output of your timeline!

 IV. WHAT'S NEW IN MATROX MXO2 RELEASE 1.9 FOR MAC

What’s new in Matrox MXO2 release 1.9 for Mac

• Matrox Vetura Playback application for convenient playback of H.264 and .mov files
• Active Format Description (AFD) support in the SDI video signal using the patent-pending Matrox 4VANC method
• Support for 16 channels of SDI embedded audio
• Support for Apple’s Core Audio

Matrox Vetura Playback application for convenient playback of H.264 and .mov files
The Matrox Vetura Playback application was designed to give users of Matrox MAX H.264 encoding technology a convenient way to view their H.264 .mov files on external monitors and to play them out to air, because Final Cut Pro cannot play back H.264 files in real time and QuickTime Player cannot output through I/O devices.

In fact, Matrox Vetura Playback lets you play out any 1080, 720, PAL, NTSC or smaller .mov file, including those captured with an iPhone, through your MXO2 device as long as you have the applicable codec installed on your system.

This application is ideal for checking your encodes before sending them off for client approval or to their final destination. It also enables a state-of-the-art HD workflow for quick news delivery.

Field journalists equipped with a Matrox MXO2 device that includes the Matrox MAX H.264 encoding accelerator can shoot and edit their stories, then quickly encode to a very high quality H.264 file faster than realtime. Via any internet connection, the small H.264 file can be efficiently uploaded to headquarters then ingested to a video server or played directly to air using another MXO2 device and the Matrox Vetura Playback application.

HD video clips that contain closed captioning information created using the Matrox 4VANC method can be played out of your MXO2 device via SDI using Matrox Vetura Playback. Your Matrox MXO2 device will also let you downscale your HD video clips so you can see your closed captions on an SD monitor which is ideal when HD equipment is unavailable.

Matrox Vetura Playback – supported formats, frame sizes, and frame rates

• All formats smaller than SD
• NTSC 4:3/16:9
• PAL 4:3/16:9
• 960x720p at 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94 fps
• 1280x720p at 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94 fps
• 1280x1080p at 23.98, 25, and 29.97 fps
• 1280x1080i at 25 and 29.97 fps
• 1440x1080p at 23.98, 25, and 29.97 fps
• 1440x1080i at 25 and 29.97 fps
• 1920x1080p at 23.98, 25, and 29.97 fps
• 1920x1080i at 25 and 29.97 fps

(Support for the 23.98 frame rate does not apply to Matrox MXO2 Mini)

Active Format Description (AFD) support
(does not apply to Matrox MXO2 Mini)

Matrox MXO2 LE , MXO2, and MXO2 Rack now support Active Format
Description (AFD) in the SDI video signal using the Matrox 4VANC method.

The Matrox 4VANC method will capture, maintain, and restore your AFD information while capturing, editing and outputting an SDI signal through your MXO2 device. AFD is a standard set of codes in the SDI signal that broadcasters use to enable both 4:3 and 16:9 television sets to optimally present pictures transmitted in either format.

Support for 16 channels of SDI embedded audio (does not apply to Matrox MXO2 Mini)
Matrox MXO2 LE , MXO2, and MXO2 Rack now supports up to 16 channels of SDI embedded audio.

Support for Apple’s Core Audio
The entire MXO2 product line supports Apple’s Core Audio. The audio inputs and outputs of your MXO2 device can be used as a sound card, even as the default sound card on your Mac system. For example, you can hear your iTunes library through your MXO2 device or capture audio in SoundTrack Pro.

V. COMPARISON OF THE MATROX MXO2 VERSIONS AND OTHER I/O DEVICES

What are the feature differences between the MXO2 Mini and the new MXO2 LE?

• The MXO2 Mini is designed for the prosumer / event / corporate / independent videographer who requires HD I/O, but not SDI.
• The MXO2 LE is a broadcast/ professional HD I/O unit, for editors who require SDI and XLR interfaces in addition to analog and HDMI support.

What is the difference between the different MXO2 products?
The difference in the MXO2 family of products is the input & output options available on them. The features, capabilities, performance and power of all of the MXO2 family of products are exactly the same.

• If you don't require SDI connectivity, the MXO2 Mini is the perfect I/O solution for you.
• If you need SDI then the MXO2 LE at under $1,000 is a fantastic choice. It also adds RS422 deck control and XLR Audio.
• The MXO2 adds additional audio I/O and SDI channels.
• The MXO2 Rack adds even more audio I/O and genlock loop-thru in a rugged rack mount design for broadcast environments.

What are the feature differences between the MXO2 LE and other SDI I/O devices on the market?
The MXO2 LE is simply the worlds best SDI I/O solution for under $1,000. No other product comes close!

The MXO2 LE delivers all of the features and performance of it's big brother, the Award winning MXO2. You get all of the great quality and cross conversion and up/down scaling capabilities the MXO2. The only differences between the MXO2 and the MXO2 LE are that the MXO2 LE has less Audio I/O which allows it to fit into a much smaller case and become even more portable!

For under $1,000 the MXO2 LE is by far and away your best choice. You can use it with a laptop or workstation, it is a sleek metal breakout box that provides easy access to all the I/O ports, it has 10 bit real-time hardware up/down/cross conversion and full support for both analog and digital I/O. For now the MXO2 LE only supports the Mac platform and Final Cut Studio applications. Hopefully some time in the near future Matrox will be rolling out support for the Adobe CS4 suite on Mac and Windows (Win XP, Vista 32 & 64 and the new Windows 7 64-bit).

The product marketing team over at Matrox have done a great job comparing the MXO2 LE head to head versus the AJA IO Express, AJA Kona LHi and the Blackmagic DeckLink Extreme. You can download the PDF files here:

• MXO2 LE vs AJA IO Express
• MXO2 LE vs. AJA Kona LHi
• MXO2 LE vs Blackmagic DeckLink Extreme

Here's a handy comparison chart based on the Matrox head-to-head comparisons: