Matrox® Video Products Group today announced Matrox MXO2 LE, an HDMI, SDI, and analog I/O device based on the award-winning Matrox MXO2 that streamlines editing with Apple Final Cut Studio on Mac Pros and MacBook Pros. Matrox MXO2 LE provides all the features of an I/O card in a sturdy, portable breakout box with professional audio and video connectivity. Matrox MXO2 LE is also available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 file creation using professional application such as Apple Compressor and Telestream Episode.

“Content creators are buying Matrox I/O devices not only to meet their input, output, and monitoring needs, but also to 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,” said Alberto Cieri, Matrox senior sales and marketing director. “The new Matrox MXO2 LE provides all the features professionals need in a compact, affordable, end-to-end productivity tool.”

“Matrox MXO2 LE is ideal for mobile journalists and freelance editors who need to take their toolboxes with them wherever they go,” said Wayne Andrews, Matrox product manager. “It’s easy to connect to towers and laptops and supports efficient workflows in any format required – in the studio, on set, and on the road.”

Matrox MXO2 LE will be demonstrated at IBC 2009 on stand 7.B29.

Key features of Matrox MXO2 LE
· Works with Intel-based MacBook Pros, Mac Pros, and Apple Xserve systems
· Lightweight, fits easily into a laptop bag
· 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
· Works with Final Cut Pro, Apple Color, Adobe After Effects and all QuickTime applications that support the V-out component
· Also available with Matrox MAX for faster than realtime H.264 encoding
· Three-year hardware warranty and complimentary telephone support

Key features of Matrox MAX technology
· Faster than realtime creation of H.264 files, for resolutions ranging from iPod to HD
· A specialized, dedicated hardware processor liberates system resources for other tasks
· Accelerated encoding for Blu-ray, Apple TV, YouTube, Flash, web formats, and mobile devices including iPhone and iPod from various video sources including 2K files
· Direct integration with Apple Compressor and Telestream Episode to simplify workflow
· Creation of Blu-ray H.264 files that can be authored in Apple Compressor 3.5, Adobe Encore CS4 or Roxio Toast 10 and burned without re-encoding

Price and availability
Matrox MXO2 LE is priced at $995 US (?749, €799) and Matrox MXO2 LE with the MAX option is priced at $1,395 US (?999, €1,099) not including local taxes. The units come with the customer’s choice of either an ExpressCard /34 laptop adapter or a PCIe desktop adapter. Additional adapters may be purchased separately at $99 US (£69, €83) each. MXO2 LE will be available in October through a worldwide network of authorized dealers.

About Matrox
Matrox Video Products Group is a technology and market leader in the field of HD and SD digital video hardware and software for accelerated H.264 encoding, realtime editing, audio/video input/output, DVD/Blu-ray authoring, scan conversion, capture/playout servers, clip/still stores, and CGs. Matrox’s Emmy award-winning technology powers a full range of content creation and delivery platforms used by broadcasters, post-production facilities, project studios, corporate communicators, and videographers worldwide. Founded in 1976, Matrox is a privately held company headquartered in Montreal, Canada. For more information visit www.matrox.com/video.