Matrox MXO 2.0
DMN By Heath McKnight 
A Mac-only monitoring and downscaling device, and also a great way to calibrate your monitors! The Matrox MXO 2.0 is a Mac-only monitoring and downscaling device, and also a great way to calibrate your monitors. This little box packs quite a punch, and if you’re editing with HDV, whether on a desktop or a laptop, you’ll have no need for expensive capture cards; A/D, D/A; or small HD CRT monitors to see and hear your footage in high definition. All you need is an extra monitor (native 1920 x 1080 preferred), speakers and the MXO, and you’re ready to rock and roll! Though Final Cut Pro 6 can down-convert native HDV footage to DV so you can monitor and hear it, FCP 5 had no such capabilities. And regardless of which version you’re using, to actually be able to view and hear the HD footage, you would need an expensive set up listed above (a DeckLink HD card to convert the HDV footage to uncompressed HD; an A/D, D/A (Analog to Digital, Digital to Analog) device to convert the digital audio to analog; and a solid HDTV CRT to monitor the video could cost a total $2,500 to $3,000). The MXO makes this more affordable. And don’t even mention to Apple laptop users who would have to buy a more expensive breakout box to monitor their HDV edits. read more...
A Mac-only monitoring and downscaling device, and also a great way to calibrate your monitors! The Matrox MXO 2.0 is a Mac-only monitoring and downscaling device, and also a great way to calibrate your monitors. This little box packs quite a punch, and if you’re editing with HDV, whether on a desktop or a laptop, you’ll have no need for expensive capture cards; A/D, D/A; or small HD CRT monitors to see and hear your footage in high definition. All you need is an extra monitor (native 1920 x 1080 preferred), speakers and the MXO, and you’re ready to rock and roll! Though Final Cut Pro 6 can down-convert native HDV footage to DV so you can monitor and hear it, FCP 5 had no such capabilities. And regardless of which version you’re using, to actually be able to view and hear the HD footage, you would need an expensive set up listed above (a DeckLink HD card to convert the HDV footage to uncompressed HD; an A/D, D/A (Analog to Digital, Digital to Analog) device to convert the digital audio to analog; and a solid HDTV CRT to monitor the video could cost a total $2,500 to $3,000). The MXO makes this more affordable. And don’t even mention to Apple laptop users who would have to buy a more expensive breakout box to monitor their HDV edits. read more...