Matrox Video Products Group has announced that release 2.0 software for the Matrox Axio family of HD and SD editing platforms will support the newly announced Adobe Production Studio and Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0. In addition to support for the latest Adobe software, Matrox Axio release 2.0 will include realtime multi-camera editing, realtime SD clip upscaling in an HD timeline, an accelerated shine effect, voice-over recording in the timeline, audio VU meters on capture, and WYSIWYG support for Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop CS2, Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, and NewTek LightWave 3D.

Matrox Axio features no-render HD and SD finishing in compressed and uncompressed formats, realtime color correction tools, realtime effects, and a full complement of analog and digital audio and video inputs and outputs. It incorporates Matrox Flex 3D and Power of X technologies to leverage CPU and GPU power to improve SD and HD editing experience.

There are two Matrox Axio platforms to choose from, which differ only in terms of the editing codecs supported and the audio and video inputs and outputs provided on the interchangeable breakout boxes. Both of the Matrox Axio platforms offer the following:

• Guaranteed full quality, full frame rate, full resolution playback at up to 1080i at 29.97fps
• At least 2 layers of uncompressed HD video plus 2 layers of graphics in real time, with effects
• At least 4 layers of uncompressed SD video plus 6 layers of graphics in real time, with effects
• Realtime primary and secondary color correction with shot-to-shot color matching
• Realtime multi-camera, 3D DVEs, chroma/luma keying, speed changes, blur/glow/soft focus, and much more
• Uncompressed HD and SD editing
• Native HDV and DVCPRO HD editing
• Compressed HD editing (offline and online finishing-quality MPEG-2 I-frame)
• DV, DVCPRO, DV50, and MPEG-2 I-frame SD editing
• Realtime mixing of HD codecs or SD codecs on the timeline
• Realtime playback of SD clips in a 1080i HD timeline
• 24fps editing in HD and SD with pull down and reverse pull down
• Realtime high quality downscaling from HD to SD
• WYSIWYG for Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, and NewTek LightWave 3D

Matrox Axio HD also includes the following:

• Uncompressed 8- or 10-bit HD and SD editing
• DV-1394, SD SDI, and HD SDI input and output
• RGB and YPbPr analog component output
• 4-in/8-out AES/EBU balanced audio, 8-in/8-out SDI embedded audio

Additional Matrox Axio SD features are as follows:

• Uncompressed 8- or 10-bit SD editing
• Uncompressed 8- bit HD editing
• DV-1394, composite, Y/C, analog component, and SD SDI video input and output
• 2-in/2-out RCA and XLR audio, 8-in/8-out SDI embedded audio
• Upgradeable to Matrox Axio HD by simply adding the HD breakout box

Matrox notes that realtime performance increases significantly with Dual-Core systems--up to double the number of realtime layers. Matrox Axio release 2.0 drivers will be available in March and provided free of charge to registered Matrox Axio owners.

Matrox Axio HD systems start at $17,000 US in North America. Matrox Axio SD systems start at $13,000 US in North America. Prices include the Axio hardware and software, the Adobe software, and the workstation. Storage is extra. Matrox Axio is available worldwide through a network of authorized dealers. The software and hardware components are integrated by the dealer into an approved workstation-class PCI-X computer, coupled with a robust storage subsystem, and delivered as a turnkey system. Dealers also provide on-site installation and training services.

www.matrox.com/video