Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 27, 2006. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
At NAB, Matrox is presenting a completely new type of graphics card: the Matrox Extio F 1400/1420. This is, in a sense, an external graphics card. Because the actual board that is inserted into the computer is only a PCI Express Fibrechannel card. The electronics (that is, the actual graphics card) are located in a black metal box with four DVI and five USB connections, audio jacks for Line in, Line out and microphone as well as optionally two Firewire interfaces. The connection to the PC consists of a fiber-optic cable that can be up to 250 meters long – the computer may therefore stand correspondingly far away from the workplace.
The four DVI connections each deliver a resolution of up to 1.600 x 1.200 pixels. However, they must always all have the same resolution. The maximum desktop size is therefore 6.400 x 1.200 pixels. The 3D acceleration corresponds roughly to that of a Parhelia APVE. The new graphics card is expected to ship from the third quarter and is to cost 2.500 US dollars without a Firewire connection and 2.700 US dollars with Firewire.
The new Matrox MXO is an external video card for the Mac. Connected to the computer’s DVI interface, it enables the output of video signals up to HD quality via SDI and Components. In the SD area, SDI, Components, Y/C and Composite are available as outputs. The device works with Final Cut Pro and other applications that use Quicktime for video output and preview. The box is available from June and will cost 995 US dollars.
For the PC there is now also the Matrox RT.X2 PCIe card, a solution tailored specifically to HDV and DV editing. According to the manufacturer, it integrates perfectly into Premiere Pro and other video-editing applications and enables a variety of transitions and effects in real time. The analog inputs can also process HD signals up to 1080i/29,97. The following connections are available on the external breakout box for video input and output: Components, Y/C, Composite and Firewire. For preview purposes, the card has its own DVI output through which the complete HD video signal can be displayed on a DVI monitor. The card is to be available from mid-May cost 1.995 US dollars.
Further links:
- Matrox Extio F 1400/1420
Matrox MXO
Matrox RT.X2
