Matrox MXO review

For all those seeking inexpensive HD monitoring and broadcast color correction...the Matrox MXO offers it. I just reviewed it and was QUITE impressed.

[lfhd.blogspot.com]


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

does taking one of your dvi ports kill the ability to use two desktop monitors?

Great Job Shane! Now that I JUST took delivery on 2 Dell 2407's, hopefully I can get the same results.

Steve

>>does taking one of your dvi ports kill the ability to use two desktop monitors?

Yes. But all you need to do is get a PCI-X or PCIe Graphics card for that then. Or, if you have two Apple 23", route one thru the MXO when it comes time to color correct.

Or use a Laptop.

Sorry Steve...the MXO doesn't give the same results with the Dell monitors. That is the first thing I tried. It is calibrated to work with the Apples, which have a different gamma. They are greenish anyway. Dells show better black than the Apples.

This is something they are working on, however.

EDIT: Wayne...I take my statement back. With your monitor connected to the MXO, it still passes thru a desktop image, so you can have dual monitors. But when you hit VIEW>ALL FRAMES it will then turn the monitor into your production monitor, ready for color correcting your footage.

I had to hook it up and test it to verify that.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

and its a world of difference better than just going out desktop cinema preview to a second apple 23" out of the built in second DVI???

wayne granzin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> and its a world of difference better than just
> going out desktop cinema preview to a second apple
> 23" out of the built in second DVI???

HUGE difference. As you may or may not know, the Digital Cinema Preview is a PROXY. It will show you the image full screen, but the resolution won't be the best. You'll see artifacting around the text, you'll see stepping in your images that you see in your Canvas or Viewer. But route it thru the MXO, there is no artifacting.

That, again, is a demo that needs to be seen. Wayne Andrews of Matrox showed that to me. And showed footage of cars driving on PCH (Pacific coast highway). Showed how the image was aliasing. But then when viewed thru the MXO...no aliasing.

This is all tough to picture without actually seeing it. You are just going to have to take my word for it.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

[It is calibrated to work with the Apples, which have a different gamma. They are greenish anyway. Dells show better black than the Apples.]

Is that a function of Mac VS Windex gamma? The Matrox doesn't accomodate that for critical color grading? I should think that would be critical.

Thanks for the work, Shane.

- Loren
Today's FCP 4 / 5 keytip:
Set a multi-parameter Motion FX Keyframe with Control K !

The FCP KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

>>Is that a function of Mac VS Windex gamma? The Matrox doesn't accomodate that for critical color grading? I should think that would be critical.

What are you talking about man?


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

I'm still confused about what's "accurate" in terms of production monitoring. It was pretty straight forward when we could monitor on a good NTSC production monitor for projects eventually destined for viewing on standard t.v.

Would the Matrox serve that same purpose, eg., would it be "accurate" so we wouldn't miss any problems which might eventually show on some type of HDTV, or whatever someone might be using to view the final product?

In other words, I hope the Matrox doesn't just "disguise" problems (color, gamma, motion artifacts etc.). Maybe this is obvious to those of you who have been able to keep up with what all this means, but I'd just like a bit of elaboration on this point.

As I stated, the Matrox MXO would be "accurate" for production monitoring. It doesn't act like a television set and disguise the problem, it acts like a full fledged production monitor when used in conjunction with the Apple 23" Cinema Display. I compared it to my SOny PVM-14L5 Multiformat HD CRT monitor, and after a bit of tweaking, they nearly matched perfectly.

So yes...it can be used as a production monitor. That is the whole point. If it didn't, how could they justify the $1000 price tag?


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

Shane, does that mean it displays interlace signals properly (offset in time and space)?

Thanks for your time and trouble!

Hmmm...interlaced signals. Do I have interlaced footage to test...?

Lemme capture some DV footage and get back to you.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

[What are you talking about man?]

What I'm talking about is when you say "blacks are better on Dells," I'm thinking that's a function of Windows gamma settings.

Windows monitors are known to have darker gamma than Macs. You often see this when you view them side by side or send a photo from Mac to a Window user. Drives web designers crazy.

[So yes...it can be used as a production monitor. That is the whole point. If it didn't, how could they justify the $1000 price tag?]

Not the best metric in the world, but I take your point. Again, thanks for the seat time.

- Loren
Today's FCP 4 / 5 keytip:
Set a multi-parameter Motion FX Keyframe with Control K !

The FCP KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Gotcha Loren. I thought is was some sort of joke as you said...and I quote: "Is that a function of Mac VS Windex gamma?" Windex. EX and OW are kinda far apart on the keyboard, so I thought you were saying it wasn't clean enough or something. But now I get ya.

Yeah, the ACD and the DELL side by side...the DELL has blacker blacks...and is less green.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

Terrible typo, I agree.

Also, I completely missed PART ONE where you cover setup with your Dell-- your link goes to part two... my bad!! Now it's TWICE AS GOOD a review.

I am definitely geting one for eval here. I use a tripod 20" ACD-- I'll need an ACD-to-DVI connector, I suppose. But I have an overripe PVM-1344Q which I've relied upon for accurate CC, so, even though it pincushions on me and wants to go to the NAB graveyard.. I can use it to do a similar comparison, and I'll bring in a couple people who do it for a living for a looksee.

I have to decide where to spend the grand, on a new 14" bottle or the miracle box from Matrox-- whose last great product, the RT Mac card for FCP 2-- underwhelmed me and made me a little gunshy. But boy I would love a bottle-free future soon. It's a real paradigm shift to do CC on flats that won;t get boundced by Eval.

When I covered the product in the MacWorld report at our last user group meet I asked if anyone in the crowd was using it. Not a soul. Again, you are the pioneer here.

- Loren
Today's FCP 4 / 5 keytip:
Set a multi-parameter Motion FX Keyframe with Control K !

The FCP KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

I am using the Matrox MXO.
Gear = 15" MacBook Pro, 120Gb internal HD, 500Gb firewire external HD, 3Gb RAM, 23" Apple Cinema Display, FCP 5.1.4

My video/audio work is usually technology training videos/DVDs. The MXO also has a "Presentation Mode" that allows you to output your desktop at broadcast video specs. Had to tweak the gamma output settings for the ACD to match my broadcast monitor running on the SDI outputs. I also sometimes monitor using S-video from the MXO.

Matrox released info on 4-10-07 regarding the 2.0 version of the software that expands the DVI output functionality to bring it closer to a "replacement" for a broadcast monitor.

They are also supporting Leopard with this software release.

Thanks!
TG