Aja versus new Matrox DVI HD solution??

[Bob Zelin]

#1 – I ain’t no tech guru. I clean toilets for a living.

The Matrox MXO is a fantastic product, and was one of the main hits at NAB2006. If you are working with FCP on a laptop, it’s great for presentation work. If you are working with DV sources, and need to get your signal out to a VTR, it’s great for that. It also works with the MAC AVID system, because the AVID software can now do full screen out of the DVI port.

BUT, it ain’t no AJA (or Blackmagic) product. It has no software capability – it cant up convert, downconvert, cross convert, and MOST IMPORTANT – you can’t input from ANYTHING except DV. That’s VERY IMPORTANT – if you have a VHS machine, a DVD player, a Beta VTR, a DSR1800, a DSR45, a Digi Beta VTR, a Panasonic HD VTR, a Sony HD VTR – how the HELL are you going to get it into your FCP system with the Matrox MXO. There AINT NO INPUT – it’s output only.

So here is a great application for the MXO. You have your G5 and your Kona 3. And you dump your HD footage at DVCProHD compression codec onto your SATA drives or FW800 drives. You now move them onto your laptop and go to the convention. And now, they want to play back your video on your laptop on the main projector in the conference room, right from your laptop. Pop on your Matrox MXO, and away to you – CAV right out to the projector input.

Here is another application – you are sent to Lebanon to shoot the war with your HDV camera, and you dump into your laptop. You get back to the field office, and have to output to a normal VTR – pop on your Matrox MXO, and you have full output capability to a pro VTR.

But if you are like most of us, that own Beta VTR’s, Digi Beta VTR’s, and the beginning of a HD VTR collection – you need to be able to INPUT your video (and possibly upconvert to HD).
And without AJA products, you just ain’t gonna do it.

But it is a nice product, for what it does. !!!!

Bob Zelin

[Christopher Wright]

I guess my main question is the quality of the HD-SDI out using the DVI output on the Macbook Pro. My application would be playing back HD footage downloaded from a HVX-200, so I need no ingest. I am wondering if the output quality would be as high as the Kona LH, and could be output fine to an HD deck. I have both the IO and LH and of course use them for all the reasons you listed above, it would just be great if this specific application with the Macbook Pro would work.

[Bob Zelin]

I have never personally done it, but my guess is – YES.
Bob Zelin

[Tony! Hulette]

[Christopher Wright] “I guess my main question is the quality of the HD-SDI out using the DVI output on the Macbook Pro. My application would be playing back HD footage downloaded from a HVX-200, so I need no ingest. I am wondering if the output quality would be as high as the Kona LH, and could be output fine to an HD deck. I have both the IO and LH and of course use them for all the reasons you listed above, it would just be great if this specific application with the Macbook Pro would work.”

Chris, it should work fine for your application, but its still relatively new for all of us. Basically, for what you want to do, its the only game in town for Outputting HD from the Macbook Pro. I would go see the MXO in action at a good local VAR or at a trade-show and decide for yourself whether the quality is acceptable for your needs (I think in most cases it is). If not, you’ll be hauling your Mac tower (with AJA card), monitor and other gear with you. Hopefully, AJA comes up with their own portable HD/SD output device for MacBook’s in the near future as I think that would fill a need for many people, and we know the quality would be excellent with it.

Here’s one thread about the MXO that may give you a better handle on it. Know that Matrox is not a very highly regarded company by many of the pro Mac users on the Cow because of things they’ve done (or not done) in the past. Can they repair their tarnished image with this device