New bundle – RT.X2 with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 Upgrade

[Eric Jurgenson]

I think Cineform’s codec is as good as any of them – DnxHD, ProRes, even Matrox MPEG I-frame. It’s just that any transcoding is going to affect the quality slightly, and the key to maintaining quality is minimizing unnecessary transcoding steps, and using uncompressed codecs if necessary. if you are color correcting, 10-bit will help maintain your effective bit depth. As we all know, multiple transcoding steps, especially using compressed codecs, will rapidly turn HD video to mush.

Matrox’s RTX2 is a unique product – specifically tailored to HDV and P2 editing without a pro deck (HDCAM, D5, DVCPRO HD). There are many people out there who have no intererst in HDSDI or $40K+ tape decks. So a Kona or a Xena card have limited usefulness to them. They just want to shoot, edit, and deliver a Blu-Ray DVD or other digital file on a data DVD. The RTX2 is perfect for them, with software features identical to, and performance close to Axio.

RTX2 software is now on version 3. I suspect, like any card, eventually it will become obsolete. But it just came out last year, and it’s FPGA technology can be upgraded in the field. I’d give it another 4-5 years at least.

[Mike Smith]

Are you connected to Matrox?

[Eric Jurgenson]

I’m a director/editor at the Video Workshop in Portland, Maine. We have an Axio HD and an RTX2 system in-house, and have been using Matrox products (DigiSuite and RT products) since 1996 (first on our Inscriber CG in our old 1″ online suite). I am a paid technical consultant for Maine Video Systems, who is a Matrox Gold dealer, also in Portland. I have also been a beta tester for Matrox in the past.

We have been in the production business since 1978. Our projects here run the gamut from TV spots to HD series.

I’m not a Matrox fanboy; I’ve carefully checked out the competition. If I thought we could do better with FCP/Kona, or an Adreneline, that’s what we would edit on. But I don’t.

Frankly I’m amazed that more people don’t appreciate the performance/value of Axio ant RTX2. But if they don’t, that’s their problem. Most people, i understand, aren’t really professional editors. They may do a project here and there, and for them, Pinnacle Studio is all they really need (although they’ll buy FCP anyway to be cool).

For me it’s important to export the DVDs as quickly as possible, so I can move on to something else. Speed is important to me. That’s why I like Matrox.

[Steven L. gotz]

Don’t assume I don’t understand the benefits. I do. I also see all the complaints about the things Matrox has gotten wrong over the years. You have to be the one to determine if the problems are worth the benefits. Unfortunately, I have never seen Matrox release a list of problems with each release so that people can make a fair decision.

That is all people want. Enough information to make an informed decision.

Steven

https://www.stevengotz.com

[Gary Bettan]

Steve,

I know that over the years some folks have had some issues with Matrox cards. We didn’t sell DigiSuite, but we’ve been with them since the RT2000. Now that cardset was a nightmare to install, but we took the time and effort to learn everything we could about the issues and working with Matrox we were able to create some cookbooks and tech docs that made it work for more people. It still was a nightmare for those who ran into problems, but we kept on trying to make it better. With each new generation of Matrox RT products we have seen better compatibility and easier installs.

With the RTX.100 Matrox introduced a card that was as stable as the Canopus DV Storm. Canopus had set the bar for stability and performance as a Premiere accelerator. Unfortunately for Storm owners, when Adobe moved on to Premiere Pro, Canopus was unable to maintain the stability and performance that had made them tops in our market.

Matrox on the other hand was able to deliver solid drivers for Premiere Pro and then Premiere Pro CS2. With each FREE driver release they not only added compatibility with the new version, but additional features to the toolset. They continue to be by far and away the best hardware solution for Adobe editors. While others offer I/O – only Matrox delivers real-time performance, additional features and effects, accelerated rendering and an HDV workflow that works.

Note: We have been a Cinform dealer and supporter since before they where Cineform. I think that Aspect HD is a very cool plug-in. I am amazed at what these guys can deliver with software only. But the Cineform workflow isn’t for everyone either.

Getting back to Matrox. I do think your idea about them publishing a knowledgebase of issues is a good one. While their support forums offer this information, it would be beneficial to have it be in one place as a reference.

As far as compatibility with motherboards Matrox has done a great job not only publishing a pretty extensive list of approved hardware, but you can drill down for specific installation instructions including what slot to put the card in and what drivers / updates to install for the mobo & graphics card. https://www.matrox.com/video/support/rtx2/rec/computer.cfm

One of the things I’d like to stress here is the importance of buying your Matrox card from a Gold Dealer. These guys have extensive knowledge about the cards and many submit their turnkey solutions to Matrox for evaluation and testing. If you plan on using your own computer, review the specs with the dealer and they can recommend any changes or modifications that will make everything work better.

Gary
https://www.videoguys.com/rtx2.html

Videoguys.com 800 323-2325

We are the desk top video editing and DVD production experts!

[George Socka]

Up here in Toronto Canada it is hard to find a dealer with a clue. When I bought the RT2000, it came in a box with a return policy that expired when it went out the door. However, since I complain incessantly about stuff from China, maybe it is worth giving a Canadian company another try when I build the CS3 machine. Please God they keep it compatible with XP for a few years.