Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

been looking for a while for a portable unit to ingest HD from a few cameras and decks our clients use (and avid support)... didn't need a lot of bells and whistles, but component had to be on the list. we bought this and the pci card to use on the laptop and desktop and just used it to get HDCAM footage on the desktop using fcp and edited on fce on the laptop. only issue was that our older version of fc needed the apple prores plugin but after that, everything worked and looked great. very happy so far!

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

It does what it says it will do, but that isn't much. It is limited in formats it will accept.

Buy the Motu HD Express instead. It accepts more formats, including 720p60 (MX02 only does 59.94... important if you're capturing from a computer) and 1080p.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

My unit came completely dead. At Matrox forum I saw a lot of technical problems with the unit regarding Mac Snow Leopard and Final Cut Pro compatibility... Ended up giving it back. I would consider different brand...

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

I gave it one star because the Y/C input worked and the video looked great. I have a dual core 2.4Ghz laptop w/Win 7 and 2Gig of ram. So, I thought I met the requirements. But I couldn't encode anything above Y/C. The I/O box saw the HDMI or Component signals and displayed it was ok. I have a Pci express card reader on my desktop which is an Intel 3.0Ghz quad core w/4Gig of ram and I still couldn't encode. There were no warnings or crashes, it just didn't work. What a shame. I am going to try the Motu...

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

Great for HD monitoring and color correction w/ FCP.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

I use this to pre-visualize chroma keys on set. I take the HDMI out of my DSLR and use Conduit Live to see if the green screen is evenly lit and to check framing over temp backgrounds. Works well most of the time, although the drivers can occasionally require a restart. Be sure not to touch the Expresscard or connector while the laptop is on!

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

But not by THAT much. I returned a Hauppauge PVR 1212 because it would not capture 1080p game footage from my Xbox or PS3 (only 1080i). Well, I am telling you I got it right from Tech Support's mouth: This unit does NOT capture 1080p from game consoles. So the 1080i captures are much better than the Hauppauge, but you'll need to de-interlace them in your NLE. Speaking of NLEs, getting this to capture with Adobe Premiere CS5 is not a slam dunk (though the files captured with the Matrox Utils are instantly viewable in the CS5 timeline). After some initial troubleshooting, there is a lengthy process involving uninstalling any previous CS4 apps, uninstalling your current CS5 suite, running the Adobe Cleaner utility, then re-installing CS5 and the Matrox apps/drivers. If you're like me and have a boatload of third party (After Effects) plugins, this is at least a day's work. Overall, I am happy with it and plan to purchase the PCIe card for capturing with Avid to my desktop machine. Just be prepared for some possible work.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

Used to monitor HD video. Its nice to be able to adjust the colors before I capture the video.So far I've only seen positive results.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

I'm always in the need of monitoring my file based workflow from different NLE's and this works with them all: Final Cut, Avid, Premiere, After Effects... You name it!!... Plus is really affordable if you are in a budget!!...

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

I use the Matrox Mini to see HD video on my playback monitor.

It's inexpensive, small and works well with Mac book Pro.

I dont like the idea that the PCI host adapter is attracted to static electricity and could ruin my computer on some fluke shock.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

I use the mini to record church services directly to final cut for distribution on the web and DVD. It's not sure proof as it freezes and looses captures, but it's the best thing I've seen out there right now.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

Capturing gameplay on XBOX 360/PS3/Wii or Cable Box using Final Cut Pro with a 17" Macbook Pro (with Express 34 Card Slot).

Pros:
Small/Compact, Easy to Setup, High Definition Capturing

Cons:
Getting FCP settings to recognize the mini. The manual is not that great. Not a plug and play device. So if you accidentally unplugged the Express card be prepared to restart your computer.

Might want to consider getting the Matrox MXO2 mini with MAX technology. Does faster than real-time H.264 HD file creation. Saves you a ton of time. I didn't get it because I don't need it.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

I use the MXO2 Mini to monitor from Final Cut Pro and Color. After switching a few settings, it was very easy to get an image and it looks great. It's also great value for what you get.

A few things to note: The HDMI color calibrating tools are just sliders in the Preferences and you have to put some colour bars up and just judge it. Sometimes (most times maybe...) you have to go into the Preferences for the device and quit, after you've opened Final Cut/Color, to see the image. Audio (which can be played out from your monitor or any other speakers/headphones attached to the computer) skips & doubles when you stop playing your timeline. Like it has a bit of a stutter. But this is only in the last second when you stop - all while playing through the audio it's fine. There is a bit of a delay between what you see and hear on your monitor/played-out to what's playing in your Canvas. But if you've got a monitor you don't really need to look at the Canvas all that often. Finally, my MacBook Pro doesn't detect the "vendor" of the Express/34 card but it still works no problems. Make sure you've got an Express/34 card slot - I hear only the 17" MacBook Pros have them now.

I've tested the MXo on a component CRT, HDMI Samsung HDTV and HDMI Sony Bravia.It's worked flawlessly on all.

For the price and features, and the fact you can monitor from most of the top video editing/grading programs (and more) on Mac and PC, this is definitely worth it.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

Mini is fine for mid-level editing on an Apple.

Easy to set up but a little bit of an unnecessary struggle to get the out- and input settings right in Final Cut Pro and the manual's not the clearest I've ever read.

On positive side, it's good value in terms of inputs and outputs and a time saver in terms of outputting an edited sequence straight to a DVD recorder.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

im running this with a macbook pro 15inch. this little box is great! does everything i need it too. hdmi works perfectly also with the added colour correction and blue its easy to calibrate your viewing monitor/lcd/tv. works through finalcut and after effects which is perfect for my workflow. 2 issue i do have with it though, sometimes it doesn't pick up a signal or data. easy fix just to pull out the express card and insert again and the second biggest thing is the audio plays out of sync from both plugging direct to your mac and/or through the RCA jack. i think this is something they should consider to fix in the next software update if possible.

overall value for money and perfect for a small, portable video output setup.

Comments about Matrox MXO2 Mini for Laptops:

The MXO2 mini is a great product!

I have it mated to a 15" MacBook Pro 2.6 w/4gig ram. I'm using it mainly as an offline system, cutting 1080/30p XDCAM EX HQ footage which will then be ported over to an beefier Mac Pro system for sweetening and grading.

With the calibration tool you can properly set up a low cost LCD monitor for professional editing.

The MXO2 mini gives you a pretty powerful HDMI equipped system that can be thrown into a backpack for on the road editing.

The lack of true 24p output may put off some, (the reason for 4 stars instead of 5) but considering the price point, this product is a winner!

Well done, Matrox!