Matrox RT.X2 LE with new MX.Tools 4.0 drivers will turn your Adobe
CS3/CS4 video editing system into a video production powerhouse capable
of editing HD & SD footage in realtime – that's the HARDWARE ADVANTAGE!
The demand for HD video production is set to skyrocket now that HD
televisions are in widespread use and Blu-ray Disc has won the battle of
the distribution formats. The time to add HD production capabilities to
your repertoire is now. Cameras are affordable and the new Matrox RT.X2
LE card dramatically reduces the cost of a high performance HD editing
system. Not only is the price of the card itself lower than ever, it
also fits into a low cost desktop system.
Key features of Matrox RTX2LE
Matrox RTX2 LE extends the capabilities of the Adobe software with many
important benefits.
•Realtime, mixed-format, multi-layer workflows that combine HD and SD
material from analog and digital sources
•Realtime Matrox Flex CPU effects - color correction, speed changes,
chroma/luma keying and many more
•Realtime and accelerated Matrox Flex GPU effects - 2D/3D DVE,
blur/glow/soft focus, shine and many more
•Extensive camera support including many new models from Canon, JVC,
Panasonic, and Sony
•Native HDV 1080i, HDV 1080p, HDV 720p (JVC ProHD), Panasonic P2 MXF
720p, and MPEG-2 4:2:2 I-frame HD editing
•Native DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, Panasonic P2 MXF SD, and MPEG-2 4:2:2 I-frame
SD editing
•Realtime playback of 32-bit MPEG-2 I-frame AVI files with alpha in HD
and SD
•Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
•Realtime high-quality downscaling for analog SD output from an HD
timeline
•Accelerated export to Blu-ray, DVD, multimedia formats including Flash
Video, and Adobe Clip Notes
•WYSIWYG for Adobe After Effects, Bridge, and Photoshop, Autodesk
Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, NewTek LightWave 3D, and Windows
Media Player with dynamic Alt+Tab switching
•Composite, Y/C, HD/SD analog component input and output
Matrox Mx.tools 4.0 provides the following new features:
•Earlier versions of Adobe Premiere Pro are not supported so if you're
still using CS2 or CS3 click here for our complete line of Adobe CS4
upgrades.
•Support for the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Vista Business or
Ultimate allows users to break the memory limitations of 32-bit
operating systems and install more than 4 GB of RAM on their system for
improved stability and performance. Vista 64-bit also breaks the 2
terabyte disk-size limitation which exists in 32-bit operating systems.
Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Windows Vista Business, and Windows
Vista Ultimate (32-bit versions) are also supported.
•WYSIWYG support for Adobe Encore CS4 lets you preview video played back
from the timeline on your video monitor by setting the player for your
project to Matrox Player (available on the Advanced page of the Project
Settings dialog box).
•A new DVI monitor calibration utility turns your DVI monitor into a
true-color video display for use with SD and HD video. Controls for hue,
chroma, contrast, brightness, and blue-only let you adjust and control
your DVI monitor exactly as you would a broadcast HD/SD video monitor.
Key features of Matrox RT.X2 LE
Matrox RT.X2 LE extends the capabilities of the Adobe CS3 software with
many important benefits.
- Realtime, mixed-format, multi-layer workflows that combine HD
and SD material from analog and digital sources
- Realtime Matrox Flex CPU effects - color correction, speed
changes, chroma/luma keying and many more
- Realtime and accelerated Matrox Flex GPU effects - 2D/3D DVE,
blur/glow/soft focus, shine and many more
- Extensive camera support including many new models from Canon,
JVC, Panasonic, and Sony
Native HDV 1080i, HDV 1080p, HDV 720p (JVC ProHD), Panasonic P2 MXF
720p, and MPEG-2 4:2:2 I-frame HD editing
Native DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, Panasonic P2 MXF SD, and MPEG-2 4:2:2
I-frame SD editing
- Realtime playback of 32-bit MPEG-2 I-frame AVI files with alpha
in HD and SD
- Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
- Realtime high-quality downscaling for analog SD output from an
HD timeline
- Accelerated export to Blu-ray, DVD, multimedia formats including
Flash Video, and Adobe Clip Notes
- WYSIWYG for Adobe After Effects, Bridge, and Photoshop, Autodesk
Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, NewTek LightWave 3D, and
Windows Media Player with dynamic Alt+Tab switching
- Composite, Y/C, HD/SD analog component input and output
Downscaling HD projects for SD delivery
Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE feature broadcast-quality NTSC and
PAL analog output of downscaled HD projects with proper conversion of
the HD color space to the SD color space. You can print your HD edit to
SD tape in real time.
Panasonic VariCam 720p support
RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE support Panasonic VariCam 24p and 25p workflows with
the Panasonic HVX200 camera via MXF file transfers. The camera actually
saves 60 or 50 frames in the P2 MXF file and tags the ones that should
be used to playback at 23.98 or 25 fps. RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE let you play
those MXF files in a 23.98 or 25 timeline without any additional
processing. RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE will detect and remove the repeated
frames on the fly. The camera also features a "pN" native mode in which
it will only save the required 23.98 or 25 frames on the P2 card. RT.X2
and RT.X2 LE also support realtime playback of those "pN" files.
WYSIWYG for compositing and graphics applications
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms include a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You
Get) video output plug-in for Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop
that lets you see your work directly on your video monitor. The Adobe
Dynamic Link feature is supported so you can work in After Effects,
Photoshop, and Premiere Pro simultaneously and Alt+Tab between the
applications. The video output will change to show the output of the
active application.
The WYSIWYG plug-in also supports Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max,
eyeon Fusion, and NewTek LightWave 3D. This feature lets you ensure
proper 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio in NTSC or PAL, and check for exact
color temperature, safe-title area, and any interlace artifacts that may
be present in your images. You can also view the alpha channel of your
output on the video monitor to check for defects.
WYSIWYG video output for Adobe Bridge and Windows Media Player
You get instant output of video files such as MPEG, DivX, and AVI on
your broadcast monitor using Adobe Bridge, Windows Media Player or other
DirectShow-based applications. You can use this feature to show
different versions of your work to clients on a broadcast monitor
without having to open Adobe Premiere Pro. You simply double click on
the file in Windows Explorer.
Voiceover recording in the timeline
The voiceover feature of Premiere Pro is supported to let you record
audio directly in the timeline. It is based on ASIO driver technology,
which provides low latency. ASIO is a trademark and software of
Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.
Surround sound support
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms support the multi-channel 5.1 surround sound
mixing feature of Adobe Premiere Pro. Monitoring is done via your sound
card.
VU meters on capture
VU meters on audio/video capture are a unique feature of the Matrox
RT.X2 platforms. They let you see if your audio input is active and also
let you monitor and adjust audio levels in order to obtain the optimal
signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range.
Video preview on capture
The RT.X2 platforms let you see your DV video on your broadcast monitor
while capturing. RT.X2 also supports HDV monitoring during capture.
Device control
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms support the Adobe Premiere Pro standard
RS-422 and FireWire device control protocols. There is no need to
purchase third-party device control software.
Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms support the multi-cam feature of Adobe
Premiere Pro 2.0 and go further to let you view four cameras
simultaneously in real time even if the formats are mixed, provided your
RT.X2 system has the proper storage and system speed. For example, in a
multi-cam sequence you could use one HDV stream and multiple DV streams
and switch among them in real time.
Legacy support for RT.X100 AVI files
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms support playback of legacy RT.X100 AVI files
within the editing environment, allowing you to reuse archived footage.
Flexible AVI and WAV file formats
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms capture video in Windows-standard AVI and WAV
files for complete compatibility with other multimedia applications.
Interleaved audio is the industry standard and allows for maximum
compatibility with applications that expect the audio to be contained
within the AVI file. File management is simplified because there is only
one file to keep track of. However, integration with audio workstations
and DVD authoring is simplified by using separate WAV audio files.
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms provide maximum flexibility by allowing
AVI files to be mixed in real time with MPEG (Adobe native HDV) and M2T
(FireStore) files. This feature enables powerful and flexible
online/offline workflows. For example, you can capture HDV in the field
on a laptop and bring it into RT.X2 for finishing or transfer your files
directly from a FireStore to the RT.X2. You can also use a software-only
machine to rough cut your HDV project and bring that project into RT.X2
without having to recapture your footage. On RT.X2 SD, you can only use
your HDV clips in an SD timeline.
Efficient management of AVI and MXF files
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms extend Windows Explorer functionality to
simplify AVI file management. Important details such as User Clip Name,
Start Timecode, End Timecode, Duration, etc. are available in the
Windows Explorer Details View. A clip icon can also be displayed in the
Thumbnails View to let you more easily identify your clips.
On Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE this extended Windows Explorer
functionality also applies to P2 MXF 720p and SD files.
Matrox EZ-MXF utility
The new "tapeless workflows" offered by Panasonic P2 are truly
revolutionary. P2 simplifies acquisition, transport, archiving, asset
management, etc. It brings the worlds of video editing and IT closer,
making video simply a new data format that is as easy to manage as any
other digital file. At the heart of the new tapeless workflows is MXF.
MXF (Material eXchange Format) is a standardized (by SMPTE) file
exchange format that assures interoperability among devices and systems.
P2 uses .mxf files rather than .mov, .avi, or .mpg files, for example.
MXF is designed for today's file-based workflows and provides a common
way of packaging video and audio along with metadata so that information
about the content is maintained as it flows through the production
process. Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE natively support the Panasonic P2 MXF
720p and SD file formats in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects.
You can use MXF files created by your Panasonic P2 cameras directly in
these applications without having to convert the files to the
traditional AVI file format. By natively supporting the MXF file format,
Matrox is joining the global MXF community committed to cross platform
support.
Like every new technology, the MXF file format brings new advantages,
but also some inconveniences. Most animation, compositing, and motion
graphics applications used by video editors on the PC today read Video
for Windows (VFW) AVI files, but they are not designed to read MXF
files. So the question arises: Where can you really use your MXF files?
This is where the new Matrox EZ-MXF utility bridges the gap. With Matrox
EZ-MXF you can use the content of your native MXF files in all the
applications that support Video for Windows AVI files. Matrox EZ-MXF
lets your application see MXF files as AVI files without transcoding or
decompressing and recompressing the video. The Matrox EZ-MXF utility
creates very small reference AVI files almost instantaneously. The new
AVI files can then be used in your favorite VFW application, making the
MXF file format practical and efficient throughout your workflow. The
Matrox EZ-MXF utility does not modify the contents of your original MXF
file nor its metadata. Creating a Matrox EZ-MXF file could not be
easier. You simply right-click on the selected MXF file and select
"Create Matrox EZ-MXF" from the menu.
Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE also include features to simplify MXF file
management in Windows Explorer. Important details such as User Clip
Name, Start Timecode, End Timecode, Duration, etc. are available in the
Windows Explorer Details View. A clip icon can also be displayed in the
Thumbnails View to let you more easily identify your clips.
Matrox EZ-MXF bridges the gap between AVI and MXF allowing all Video
for Windows applications to work with native MXF files.
Matrox EZ-HDV utility
The Matrox EZ-HDV utility lets you playback HDV-AVI files of any length
in Video for Windows applications, overcoming the usual 2 GB AVI file
size limitation. It does this by creating a very small reference AVI
file almost instantaneously without modifying the contents of your
original HDV-AVI file.
Support for 32-bit AVI with alpha
The RT.X2 platforms include 32-bit MPEG-2 I-frame VFW codecs that you
can use to render your animations or other compositions containing
alpha. The 32-bit AVI files will playback in real time on an RT.X2
system. This support enables many workflow possibilities. For example,
an editor creating broadcast graphics in After Effects or using a stock
animation package such as Digital Juice or Artbeats can export one
32-bit file instead of rendering out two separate AVI + MATTE files.
Having only one file simplifies management and makes it easy to include
the composition in the final edit.
On RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE, 32-bit codecs are provided in HD and SD. On
RT.X2 SD, only SD is supported.
Note that the 32-bit MPEG-2 I-frame codecs are locked to the hardware
and will work only if there is an RT.X2 card in the system.
Project compatibility with Matrox Axio
Matrox RT.X2 and Matrox Axio projects are compatible. Any RT.X2 timeline
can be loaded onto an Axio system. Axio projects created using codecs
and resolutions supported by an RT.X2 card can be loaded onto an RT.X2
system.
Accelerated export to DVD, all multimedia formats, and Adobe
Clip Notes
The Matrox RT.X2 platforms significantly accelerate exports to all the
formats included in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Adobe Premiere Pro export formats include:
- Blu-ray
- DVD
- Windows Media for digital cinema, HD DVD, web, and multimedia
- QuickTime
- Real Media
- MPEG-1 for VCD and multimedia
- MPEG-2 for S-VCD, DVD, and HD DVD
- MPEG-4 for streaming
- Flash video (FLV)
- Adobe Clip Notes
Minimum system requirements
The Matrox RT.X2 editing system requires the following minimum
system configuration:
- Microsoft Windows Vista Business or Ultimate (32- or 64-bit), or
Microsoft Windows XP Professional (32-bit) with Service Pack 3
- Chassis with adequate cooling
- PCI Express (PCIe) slot available
- 2 GB of RAM (4 GB of RAM is recommended for Windows Vista
64-bit)
- Two processing cores - either two physical single-core
processors, or one physical dual-core processor
- Display card (see list of validated cards for higher
performance)
- Separate NTFS formatted hard drive for A/V content
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Overview
