Matrox MXO2 Family for Mac Competitive Positioning
Matrox has put together the following white paper which explains how their MXO2 prodcuts stack up agains the competition. You can download the pdf here.
More Than Just I/O
Lightning Fast H.264 Encoding Too!
As a video professional you need an editing platform you can rely on to connect to anything, anywhere; work with your favorite apps; and deliver high-quality video to all the devices your viewers and clients use - the web, mobile devices, Apple TV, Blu-ray discs, even tape. The award-winning Matrox MXO2 devices have you covered. You get highly-reliable, broadcast-quality video and audio input/output and HDMI video monitoring with the unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility as well as 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion on capture and output. The devices can easily be moved among the Mac Pros in your facility, installed in an OB van, or taken on the road with MacBook Pros. Units equipped with the MAX option provide lightning fast H.264 file encoding.
Support for your favorite editing apps
The Matrox MXO2 devices let you get the most from Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Production Premium, providing a wealth of productivity tools. Matrox MXO2 Mini is a cost-effective HD monitoring solution for Avid editing systems, ideal for file-based workflows. The Matrox MXO2 devices can also be used with Windows laptops and desktops, giving you even more apps to work with.
- Matrox MXO2 Mini vs. Black Magic Intensity Pro
- Matrox MXO2 LE vs. AJA Io Express
- Matrox MXO2 LE vs. AJA Kona LHi
- Matrox MXO2 LE vs. Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme
- Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA IoHD
- Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA Io Express
- Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA Kona3
- Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA Kona LHe
- Matrox MXO2 vs. Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme
- Matrox MXO2 vs. Blackmagic Multibridge Pro
- Matrox MXO2 vs. Blackmagic Multibridge Eclipse
- Matrox MXO2 vs. Motu V4HD
- Matrox MXO2 Rack vs. AJA Kona LHi
Matrox MXO2 Mini vs. Black Magic Intensity Pro
1. Matrox MXO2 Mini is a portable box that works with PC and Mac laptops and desktops – Intensity Pro is a card that works only in desktops.
2. Matrox MXO2 Mini is a sleek, professional breakout box – Intensity Pro comes with a messy fan-out cable and there is no breakout box option.
3. Matrox MXO2 Mini supports eight tracks of embedded audio through HDMI so you can monitor up to 7.1 surround sound – Intensity Pro supports only two tracks.
4. Matrox MXO2 Mini provides high-quality 10-bit HDMI input and output – Intensity Pro provides 8-bit HDMI input and output.
5. Matrox MXO2 Mini features a 10-bit hardware scaling engine that works on capture and play out to let you perform realtime HD to SD downscaling, SD to HD upscaling, and 720 to 1080 and 1080 to 720 cross conversion – Intensity Pro does not provide upscaling from SD to 720 and cross conversion from 1080 to 720.
6. Matrox MXO2 Mini supports RGB as well as YUV output via HDMI and component for compatibility with a wider range of monitors – Intensity Pro provides only YUV output.
7. Matrox MXO2 Mini lets you output HD and SD simultaneously – with Intensity Pro you have to choose one or the other.
8. Matrox MXO2 Mini turns your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor with the unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility. You get accurate color representation so that you can use your HDMI monitor even for color grading – Intensity Pro does not have a calibration tool.
9. Matrox MXO2 Mini is backed by a three-year hardware warranty – Intensity Pro comes with a one-year warranty.
10. A version of Matrox MXO2 Mini is available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 HD file creation – Intensity Pro does not offer this important benefit.
Matrox MXO2 LE vs. AJA Io Express
1. Matrox MXO2 LE offers more features at the same price – $995
2. Matrox MXO2 LE provides 10-bit HDMI monitoring with the unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility that turns your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor – Io Express does not offer a calibration utility.
3. Matrox MXO2 LE provides 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion on capture and output – Io Express does not provide any scaling.
4. Matrox MXO2 LE supports analog component, Y/C, and composite input – Io Express does not support any analog input.
5. Matrox MXO2 LE provides analog component, Y/C, and composite output simultaneously via separate, dedicated connectors – Io Express has only three connectors used for a component output or Y/C and composite output.
6. Matrox MXO2 LE can output HD and SD video simultaneously – Io Express cannot.
7. Matrox MXO2 LE features professional XLR audio: 2-in, 2 out – Io Express does not support XLR audio.
8. Matrox MXO2 LE has stereo audio inputs (RCA) – Io Express does not.
9. A version of Matrox MXO2 LE is available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 encoding for Blu-ray, the web, and mobile devices – Io Express does not offer this important benefit.
10. Matrox MXO2 LE has a sturdy, stylish, metal enclosure that is designed to dissipate heat and protect your connections for longer product life and better stability – Io Express has a plastic enclosure.
Matrox MXO2 LE vs. AJA Kona LHi
1. Matrox MXO2LE offers more features at a better price – Kona LHi is priced at $1495.
2. Matrox MXO2 LE works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – Kona LHi works only with towers.
3. Matrox MXO2 LE is a professional breakout box – with Kona LHi the breakout box is separate, increasing your cost.
4. Matrox MXO2 LE provides 10-bit HDMI monitoring with the unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility that turns your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor – Kona LHi does not offer a calibration utility.
5. Matrox MXO2 LE provides analog component, Y/C, and composite output simultaneously via separate, dedicated connectors – Kona LHi has only three connectors used for a component output or Y/C and composite output.
6. Matrox MXO2 LE has stereo audio inputs (RCA) – Kona LHi does not.
7. A version of Matrox MXO2 LE is available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 encoding for Blu-ray, the web, and mobile devices. Even with the MAX option, the price is still lower: $1,395 – Kona LHi does not offer this important benefit.
Matrox MXO2 LE vs. Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme
1. Matrox MXO2 LE works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – DeckLink HD Extreme works only with towers.
2. Matrox MXO2 LE fits in a single PCIe slot – DeckLink HD Extreme occupies one slot plus an additional bracket for the HDMI option.
3. Matrox MXO2 LE is a professional breakout box – DeckLink HD Extreme does not have a breakout box option.
4. Matrox MXO2 LE provides 10-bit HDMI monitoring with the unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility that turns your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor – DeckLink HD Extreme does not offer a calibration utility.
5. Matrox MXO2 LE provides 10-bit realtime hardware upscaling, downscaling, and cross conversion on input and output – DeckLink HD Extreme depends on your CPU for some scaling operations.
6. Matrox MXO2 LE provides analog component, Y/C, and composite output simultaneously via separate, dedicated connectors – DeckLink HD Extreme has only three connectors used for a component output or Y/C and composite output.
7. Matrox MXO2 LE supports eight channels of HDMI embedded audio – DeckLink HD Extreme supports only two channels.
8. A version of Matrox MXO2 LE is available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 encoding for Blu-ray, the web, and mobile devices – DeckLink HD Extreme does not offer this important benefit.
Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA IoHD
1. Matrox MXO2 costs substantially less – $1,595 vs. about $2,770.
2. Matrox MXO2 is truly portable – fits easily into a laptop bag, can run off a field battery, weighs 3 ½ lbs vs. 9 ½ lbs.
3. Matrox MXO2 is road ready and rugged – built entirely on one circuit board, MXO2 is a robust design whereas IoHD has many stacked circuit boards which can become loose over time.
4. Matrox MXO2 provides direct surround sound monitoring – IoHD has only stereo RCA output for monitoring.
5. Matrox MXO2 works with a variety of codecs, not just ProRes – there is no need to transcode your native XDCAM, P2, HDV, and DV footage, for example.
6. Matrox MXO2 does not use the FW800 bus – the PCIe bus used by MXO2 provides higher bandwidth so you are not limited to just compressed workflows, you can work with all formats including uncompressed 10-bit HD. You also have the flexibility to use popular FireWire storage solutions with MXO2, even on towers.
Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA Io Express
1. Matrox MXO2 provides 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion on capture and output – Io Express does not provide scaling.
2. Matrox MXO2 provides analog component, Y/C, and composite I/O – Io Express has only component out.
3. Matrox MXO2 features professional XLR audio: 2-in, 4-out – Io Express does not support XLR audio.
4. Matrox MXO2 features direct 5.1 surround sound monitoring – Io Express provides stereo monitoring only.
Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA Kona3
1. Matrox MXO2 costs substantially less – $1,595 vs. about $2,400.
2. Matrox MXO2 is a professional breakout box – with Kona3 the breakout box is separate, increasing your cost by about $260.
3. Matrox MXO2 works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – Kona3 works only with towers.
4. Matrox MXO2 provides analog, SDI, and HDMI I/O – Kona3 has analog preview output and SDI I/O only.
5. Matrox MXO2 provides direct surround sound monitoring and XLR audio – Kona3 has only stereo RCA output for monitoring.
Matrox MXO2 vs. AJA Kona LHe
1. Matrox MXO2 is a professional breakout box – with Kona LHe the breakout box is separate, increasing your cost by about $290.
2. Matrox MXO2 works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – Kona LHe works only with towers.
3. Matrox MXO2 provides HDMI I/O – Kona LHe has no HDMI support.
4. Matrox MXO2 provides direct surround sound monitoring and 4 XLR audio outputs – Kona LHe has only stereo RCA output for monitoring and 2 XLR outputs.
5. Matrox MXO2 provides realtime 10-bit hardware up/down/cross conversion – Kona LHe offers only downscaling.
Matrox MXO2 vs. Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme
1. Matrox MXO2 works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – DeckLink HD Extreme works only with towers.
2. Matrox MXO2 fits in a single PCIe slot – DeckLink HD Extreme occupies one slot plus an additional bracket for the HDMI option.
3. Matrox MXO2 is a professional breakout box – DeckLink HD Extreme does not have a breakout box option.
4. Matrox MXO2 offers simultaneous HD and SD output – DeckLink HD Extreme does not.
5. Matrox MXO2 provides direct surround sound monitoring and more audio I/Os – DeckLink HD Extreme supports only two channels of audio via AES/EBU, XLR, and HDMI.
6. Matrox MXO2 provides 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion – DeckLink HD Extreme depends on your CPU to do all scaling.
Matrox MXO2 vs. Blackmagic Multibridge Pro
1. Matrox MXO2 works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – Multibridge Pro works only with towers.
2. Matrox MXO2 provides direct 5.1 surround sound monitoring via RCA, 2-in/4-out XLR, and 8 channels of support for HDMI audio – Multibridge Pro has 2 channels of unbalanced audio output via RCA, 2-in/2-out XLR, and 2 channels of support for HDMI audio.
3. Matrox MXO2 provides 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion – Multibridge Pro depends on your CPU to do all scaling, and "center-cut" aspect ratio conversion is not supported.
Matrox MXO2 vs. Blackmagic Multibridge Eclipse
1. Matrox MXO2 costs substantially less – $1,595 vs. about $2,275.
2. Matrox MXO2 works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – Multibridge Eclipse works only with towers.
3. Matrox MXO2 provides direct 5.1 surround sound monitoring via RCA and 8 channels of support for HDMI audio – Multibridge Eclipse has 2 channels of unbalanced audio output via RCA and 2 channels of support for HDMI audio.
4. Matrox MXO2 provides 10-bit realtime hardware up/down/cross conversion – Multibridge Eclipse depends on your CPU to do all scaling, and "center-cut" aspect ratio conversion is not supported.
Matrox MXO2 vs. Motu V4HD
1. Matrox MXO2 costs substantially less – $1,595 vs. about $2,750 plus a separate breakout cable if you want access to more than 4 channels of audio.
2. Matrox MXO2 is truly portable – fits easily into a laptop bag, can run off a field battery, weighs 3 ½ lbs vs. 14 lbs.
3. Matrox MXO2 provides HDMI input and output – V4HD does not have HDMI input.
4. Matrox MXO2 works with a variety of codecs, not just DVCPRO HD and ProRes – there is no need to transcode your native XDCAM, P2, HDV, and DV footage, for example.
Matrox MXO2 Rack vs. AJA Kona LHi
1. Matrox MXO2 Rack is a professional breakout box – with Kona LHi the breakout box is separate, increasing your cost by about $350.
2. Matrox MXO2 Rack works with Mac Pros and MacBook Pros – Kona LHi works only with towers.
3. Matrox MXO2 Rack provides a unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility – Kona LHi has no HDMI calibration support.
4. Matrox MXO2 Rack provides direct 7.1 surround sound monitoring – Kona LHi only offers stereo monitoring.
5. Matrox MXO2 Rack provides 4 balanced XLR audio inputs – Kona LHi offers only 2 channels of balanced XLR support.
6. Matrox MXO2 Rack provides 4 AES/EBU audio outputs – Kona LHi offers only 2 channels of AES/EBU support.
7. Matrox MXO2 Rack provides 2 SDI outputs with 16 channels of audio support per output – Kona LHi offers only 1 SDI with only 8 channels of SDI audio support.
8. A version of Matrox MXO2 Rack is available with Matrox MAX technology for faster than realtime H.264 encoding for Blu-ray, the web, and mobile devices – Kona LHi does not offer this option.
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