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Matrox or software-only
I’m getting a new computer system and so I’m looking at my options again.
Last time I went with IEEE1394.
Up to this point, I’ve been doing some pretty basic editing, but now I’m looking for more.
And as someone (or was it me?) said: look at what you’ve been doing lately and plan accordingly. That is to say that I will probably keep on doing basic editing, while possibly learning more and getting more proficient, but I probably won’t suddenly jump to an all-star editor who will use all the tools of the product to its max potential. I’d like to though 🙂So, I’m setting my eyes on a Matrox card, yet I’m wondering if I will really need it.
Ok, I really don’t NEED it as I seem to be doing fine with IEEE1394 card so far.But I wonder what will I see and use most prominently in a Matrox card if I get one for editing ?
Will I be fine with Matrox RT.X10, or shall I go with X100 ?——— My thoughts on this matter so far ———
For one, if all I get with Matrox is a few minutes of savings here and there as opposed to IEEE1394, then it may be more cost-effective to go with IEEE1394.
Now, if I do get Matrox RT.X100, what more will I get that I will actually use ? The comparisons on Matrox site are cut and dry and I don’t quite see what I will really need. Like I said I may not really NEED something though. But I know that I probably won’t use a lot of 3D tools or the like. I may use color matching and some other things.
One thing I wanted to note on particularly is RT editing. If I go PP1.5 software only, Matrox seems to be claiming that I may get variable quality and frame rate and drop frames when I output to tape. I also heard that PP1.5 is render free for many basic things that weren’t render free in P6.0. Thus, it seems that PP1.5 outputs render-free to tape, but at the price of quality, frame rate and dropping frames ?
Will this be an issue to me ? I tend to think not, as I will be getting a dual processor machine that SHOULD be fast enough to not compromise on these things. Also, I will be outputting to DVD, not tape, so an issue of dropped frames shouldn’t be applicable. I don’t know if what I’m saying is right, as I don’t have PP1.5. Is this right ?
If the above is right, then dropping frames and the like will not be an issue for me, thus it ultimately will not matter if I get IEEE1394 or a Matrox card. In this case I will probably go with IEEE1394, unless Matrox will have some real benefits that I don’t know of yet (or don’t know if I’ll use them).
Yet another issue is that while I can “get away” with IEEE1394 for most things, with Matrox I may “get away” much more nicely. But I don’t know what I’m missing here if I’m missing anything and that’s probably one of the main reason of me asking things in this post.
thank you for reading ! and I hope that you can give me a better idea of what I’m dealing with.
thanks,
Dennis -
8 Replies
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You should check the Matrox forum for the RT.X100E product… at one point users were finding the product a bit buggy.
If you’re getting a dual proc system, you can just use PP1.5 for awhile and see how you like it, if you feel the need for speed, then get the card. My suspicion is that with such a fast system, you probably won’t.
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Your concerns about dropped frames or poor quality with a software only system is unfounded with a modern PC (2.6 P4++). Your system will rener preveiew files where needed prior to export.
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I have a high end spec computer dedicated to running PremPro and Matrox RTX100E and associated apps. (Audition , After Effects, PhotoShop)
I use it professionally for broadcast and off line editing.
Experience mostly good but…( big BUT)…
IMHO …There remains some tech issues with the combo. Namely a “Timeline Updating” error issue which I attribute to Matrox and the occasional PP freezes and crash – for which I can not find reason or attribute responsibility.
The software only set up maybe worth trying first and you may find this meets your needs. You may not want the hassle of the issues. I know that I dont !
I have a question about this software only scenario though… How does one output to a Program Monitor? ( I consider an external monitor essential for monitoring Broadcast work)
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There are several different routes to get a monitor signal, though all the ones I know about require some hardware. Basically you need a Digital to Analog converter to go from Firewire to an NTSC or PAL signal for the monitor. You can do that externally with a dedicated box (Canopus, Laird, many others) or even a DV camera if budgets are tight. Or you can look for a display card that provides an analog signal out. I’m using a Matrox Parhelia card for that at the moment. It uses a plug-in for Premiere, AE, and Lightwave, so you get the right display when you want it.
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Will you ever edit any HD content? If so, don’t get an X10 or X100 because they’ll be of no use when editing HD content.
What system are you building? Athlon or P4? Instead of going dual-processor, you might consider using dual-core CPUs. Both Intel and AMD have recently released dual-core CPUs. A dual-core system will be cheaper than a dual-CPU system (cheaper motherboard AND cheaper CPU).
If you’re building an Athlon system, make sure you get an Athlon based on the most recent hardware revision (Venice). It’s got SSE3 and a better memory controller.
Jack.
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One more thing… personally, I reckon you’d be better off not getting a Matrox card… instead, spend the money on high-quality components… for the price of the Matrox card, you could get stuff like:
2GBytes of low-latency RAM
Build a RAID 0 array with two 300GB drives (also get two external firewire drives for backup)
Get a 10,000 RPM SATA drive for your system files
Get a dual monitor setup.
Get a good book on Premiere Pro! -
thanks !
I never had a RAID setup, but now it sounds achievable.
2Gb RAM, no problem, that’s what I wanted to get.
Dual Monitor ? Sounds cool, … never had it before, and I don’t know if I’ll want to do that or not.
Good book on Premiere ? Yeah, I think I’ll need one.For RAID, do I need a drive for system files ? I thought in some configurations system files themselves can be on the RAID.
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You don’t NEED a separate system drive, but it help a lot. When you’re editing, you’ll be accessing system files at the same time as you’re accessing your video data. So things will go much faster if you’re using a separate system drive. The separate system drive need not be anything special. Personally, I have a 10,000 rpm SATA 36GByte disk as my system disk, which only cost me about 70 UK pounds. If that’s gonna stretch your budget too much then get a bargain-basement 7,200 RPM disk… a 100GByte disk will cost you hardly anything.
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