Professional Connectivity with HD SDI I/O and Maximum Productivity for Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium

Matrox MXO2 LE with MAX™ gives you all the features of a high-quality capture card and a breakout box with professional audio and video connectivity. It works with Mac and PC, and let’s you get the most from Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium. The built-in Matrox MAX H.264 encoding accelerator lets you deliver H.264 files for the web, mobile devices, and Blu-ray up to 5 times faster than software encoders such as Apple Compressor and Adobe Media Encoder. System connectivity via PCI Express®, ExpressCard®/34, and Thunderbolt™ technology ensures maximum versatility for use in the studio and in OB vans. HD/SD 10-bit video connectivity via HDMI, SDI, and analog; professional audio connectivity via 2-in/2-out balanced XLR, up to 16-channels of SDI embedded audio I/O, 8-channels of HDMI embedded audio I/O, and genlock input, ensure maximum I/O flexibility.
Edit anything, anywhere!

Matrox MAX is a unique technology that implements faster than realtime H.264 encoding for resolutions ranging from iPod to HD. It uses a dedicated hardware processor to accelerate the creation of H.264 files for Blu-ray, the web, and mobile devices. By using specialized hardware acceleration, jobs are finished with amazing speed and system resources are liberated for other tasks. Quality and flexibility are ensured through direct integration with professional applications such as Apple Compressor on the Mac and Adobe Media Encoder on the PC. As an added benefit, the Matrox MAX technology allows direct export to higher-quality H.264 Blu-ray compliant files from Compressor.

Key features

• Lightweight – 2¾ lbs. (1245 grams)
• Fits in your laptop bag – 9¼" x 9½" x 2" (235mm x 241mm x 51mm)
• 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
• RS-422 machine control for frame-accurate capture and print-to-tape
• Captures to a variety of codecs – Apple ProRes 422 HQ, 10-bit uncompressed HD, and many more
• File-based workflow support – XDCAM, XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, P2, P2HD
• RED workflow support
• HD-SDI closed captioning support
• Also available with Matrox MAX for faster than realtime H.264 encoding
• Three-year hardware warranty and complimentary telephone support

Truely 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.

HD and SD inputs and outputs
Matrox MXO2 LE features professional inputs and outputs. RS-422 machine control is provided for frame-accurate capture and print-to tape with Final Cut Pro. A 4-pin XLR power connection is provided for AC or field battery operation.

Inputs

• Video
  • SDI - HD/SD
  • Component - HD/SD - 10-bit
  • Y/C - 10-bit
  • Composite - 10-bit
  • HDMI - HD - 10-bit
• Audio
  • 2 XLR - balanced
  • 2 RCA - unbalanced
  • SDI embedded – up to 8 channels
  • HDMI embedded - up to 8 channels

Outputs

• Video
  • 2 SDI - HD/SD
  • Component - HD/SD - 12-bit
  • Y/C - 12-bit
  • Composite - 12-bit
  • HDMI - HD/SD - 10-bit
• Audio
  • 2 XLR - balanced
  • 2 RCA - for surround sound monitoring (unbalanced)
  • SDI embedded – up to 8 channels
  • HDMI embedded - up to 8 channels

Up to five user selectable simultaneous video outputs, HD and/or SD on HDMI, SDI, and analog are supported.

Genlock
Matrox MXO2 LE provides SD analog black burst (bi-level) or HD trilevel sync genlock. It can genlock to any type of video input or to house sync. Timing offset controls can be used to align your video output relative to your external genlock source to compensate for cable delays within your facility.

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.

Matrox MXO2 LE kit contents

• Matrox MXO2 LE input/output device
  • One of the following:
  • Matrox MXO2 PCIe host adapter (for use with Mac Pro)
  • Matrox MXO2 PCIe host ExpressCard/34 adapter (for use with MacBook Pro)
• Matrox MXO2 LE PCIe cable (1 meter)
• Matrox MXO2 LE external power supply
• IEC-C13 power cord

(Additional Matrox MXO2 host adapters may be purchased separately. A thirdparty RS422 cable is required for machine control.)

Videoguys' Matrox MXO2 LE with MAX Bundles
The entire Matrox MXO2 product line is now cross platform – PC and Mac – as well as laptop and desktop, and can easily be moved among the editing stations in a facility or taken on the road. Not only do these products meet the needs of content creators for input, output, and monitoring, they also 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.

Pioneer Blu-ray Disc Bundles

	Matrox MXO2 LE Desktop Kit with MAX plus Blu-ray Disc Bundle

G-Tech G-RAID Bundles

	Matrox MXO2 LE Desktop Kit with MAX and G-RAID 4TB Storage Blu-ray Disc Bundle
	Matrox MXO2 LE Laptop Kit with MAX and G-RAID 4TB Storage Blu-ray Disc Bundle

Apple Final Cut Studio 3 Bundles

Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 Bundles

Adobe CS4 Production Premium Bundles

Roxio Toast Titanium 10 Pro

3) Matrox MXO2 I/O devices with Thunderbolt

In 2011 Matrox did not introduce any new external MXO2 I/O devices, but they did introduce a Thunderbolt adapter that allows you to turn any MXO2 into a Thunderbolt device. Thunderbolt is the new high speed interface that Apple & Intel introduced last year. You can learn more about Thunderbolt in our Videoguys' Guide here.

I think what Matrox did was brilliant. Rather then force you to invest in all new hardware, all you have to do is buy a Thunderbolt adapter for $199 and your existing MXO2 plugs right into your new iMac or Mac Book Pro. This gives Matrox MXO2 I/O devices an incredible amount of flexibility. You can install them in workstations with a PCIe card, on your laptop with ExpessCard or to your new iMac with Thunderbolt. In fact you can move your MXO2 from machine to machine, just by purchasing inexpensive additional adapters!

The Matrox MXO2LE MAX with Thunderbolt lets you add professional level SDI, Analog & HDMI I/O to Avid Media Composer, Adobe Production Premium or the old FCP7 running on your new iMac, MacBook Pro, Mac Mini or MacBook Air. Plus, with the MAX technology you get faster than real time H.264 encoding. Avid Media Composer editors can encode directly from the timeline to H.264 files for Blu-ray, iTunes, Vimeo, YouTube, Smart Phones or any other devices. For $1,495 that is a tremendous value. Videographers who do not require SDI can get the MXO2 Mini Max with Thunderbolt for $949 or the MXO2 Mini with Thunderbolt for $549. Videoguys offers some incredible bundle deals with Avid and Adobe software and you can also select the MXO of your choice using our Avid & Adobe configurators.

Another great product that Matrox did introduce in 2011 is the Matrox Mojito MAX with all of the features of an MXO2LE MAX built into an internal PCIe card for under $1,000! The Matrox Mojito MAX gives you SDI, Analo & HDMI I/O plus the Matrox MAX technology and it supports Avid Media Composer 6, Adobe CS5.x and the old Final Cut Pro 7.

Click here to Read the Complete Matrox MXO2 Family FAQ!