MAX drivers needed for Compressor?

credence · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 33

I have the MXO2 on my Mac Pro. I read about the MAX H.264 processing in Compressor. Are there drivers or Compressor presets to install for the MXO to access the H.264 encoding?

Andy Mees · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 1016

Hi Credence

According to the press release the Matrox Max technology uses a "dedicated hardware processor" as per the CompressHD card ... so No, it would not be something that existing MXO2 customers will be able to leverage via a simple driver update, you'll need the extra hardware.

Andy

credence · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 33

The Matrox website gives the impression that the Matrox MAX technology is built into the products listed here:
http://www.matrox.com/video/en/products/max/

---including MX02. ?

Andy Mees · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 1016

No, will be (optionally) built in, not is built in ...

Price and availability
The Matrox MXO2 product line is available through a worldwide network of authorized dealers. Units with the MAX option will be available in summer 2009. Matrox MXO2 is priced at $1,595 US and Matrox MXO2 with the MAX option is priced at $1,995 US. Matrox MXO2 Rack is priced at $1,995 US , and Matrox MXO2 Rack with the MAX option is priced at $2,395 US not including local taxes.

credence · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 33

Thanks for clearing that up. The website should use the words "will be" instead of: Matrox MAX technology is available in these products

BTW do you know if there will be a retrofit or upgrade for existing owners? I bought the MXO2 this year and then the Rack unit came out. I would love to have the rack unit with the MAX built in.

Andy Mees · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 1016

Goodness, I've absolutely no idea.

Curiosity didn't kill this cat yet, Credence, so I've not taken my MXO2 apart to see what I can accidentally break yet! But my guess is the MXO2 MAX chipset would be integrated on a single board not a daughter card design. The single board design, as you know, is one of the reasons the MXO2 is so ruggedly portable ... there is less to go wrong! So a simple upgrade option would seem unlikely for existing MXO2 owners. As per usual when buying into tech we know its only a matter of a time before the next gen makes the existing gen feel old!

That said, who knows? Maybe Matrox will offer a cost effective retrofit program for users who want to upgrade their MXO's board to the MXO2 MAX board ... I dare say they could sell a few boards to users who would otherwise simply not upgrade. Or maybe they'll offer some other upgrade or trade in path. Does Matrox have any history of such programs? I really don't know, but it may be a good indicator. I think we'll just have to be patient on that front and wait for the answers to become apparent.

In the meantime, all the usual rules apply. Lets just get some jobs in and make some money off of our current investments before nobody wants 2D production services anyway!

Best
Andy

Customer_Care_Bassel · Site Admin Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 582

Hello, the MXO2 Rack (and MXO2) will be offered with the MAX option in summer 2009 so new customers can opt to purchase these products with the MAX technology at a different price point. For current Matrox MXO2 owners however, we do not have any plans to offer an upgrade path to add the MAX technology on existing units. The alternative would be what Andy proposed, and that is the CompressHD card.

So in your case, if you already have the MXO2 or MXO2 Rack, you can simply add the CompressHD card to take advantage of its faster than realtime H.264 HD file creation. this accelerator card will be a practical hardware addition to your editing suite since the CompressHD card can be used with or without the MXO2 or any video I/O device.

Regards,
B.C.

credence · Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 33

Thanks for the info B.C.

Matrox_Support_Vic · Site Admin Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 553

Do to inactivity of this thread, it will now be locked.