How useful are Matrox RT.X10 type real-time pci editing ca..

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 15:37:05 +0200, Crow <crow@vacionido.fslife.co.uk>
wrote:

>How useful are Matrox RT.X10 type real-time pci editing cards?
>
>I'm shooting a documentary this summer and will then be editing the
>footage on a PC. I've recently read a review of the Matrox RT.X10(0)
>cards, which made them sound extremely useful when it comes to
>editing. They come with a substantial Adobe software bundle also,
>which would be useful to me as I don't have any editing software yet.
>
>In practice how useful are these cards? I'm asking now rather than
>when I start editing, as I need to decide soon on whether to buy a
>laptop or desktop for editing. If they are very time saving then I'll
>build myself a desktop and buy one of these PCI cards.
>
>The documentary that I'm shooting won't be strictly talking heads, as
>I have ideas for visual effects and transitions that I'd like to
>include, that might be time consuming to preview.
>
>Are there other PCI cards and software bundles that offer similar
>features as the Matrox/Adobe bundle that anyone can recommend?

Real time means that you can do a lot of effects, titles,
transitions, and video processing without waiting for rendering. They
won't eliminate it entirely -- you can always find some effect you
want to use which can't be done in real time -- but it can save a
*lot* of time.

Real time color correction is a very nice feature. Adjust your
video, then watch it immediately. See the color correction changes in
real time on your TV monitor.

OTOH -- it is possible to do preview quality output in real time
with many of the current editing apps, including Premiere. You'll
need a TV monitor connected to your firewire camcorder, as PCs don't
generally come equipped with DV encoding TV output hardware :-) So
if you just need to see a good approximation of the output, you can
get by without real time hardware.

RT hardware gives you full quality, full resolution output in real
time. Its single biggest area of advantage is real time turn-around
on projects -- finish the edit, then roll tape to record the final
output immediately in real time, no waiting overnight for renders.

--
*-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*
** Muskego WI Access Channel 14/25 <http://www.execpc.com/~jeffsj/mach7/&gt;
*Starfire Design Studio* <http://www.starfiredesign.com/&gt;

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Thanks Jeffrey,

Apart from outputting the final output in real-time to tape, will the
RT.X bundle also allow you to output in real-time to disk in MPEG2
format?

Love

Crow

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

With the RT.X100 you can output in real-time out to Disk in both DV and
Mpeg-2.
The RT.X10 you have to render.


AL


"Crow" <crow@vacionido.fslife.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ipu6c0l6947u0j6ngsj4bcvl9mlifamhfa@4ax.com...
> Thanks Jeffrey,
>
> Apart from outputting the final output in real-time to tape, will the
> RT.X bundle also allow you to output in real-time to disk in MPEG2
> format?
>
> Love
>
> Crow

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Thanks Al,

Do I only need to output to DV or MPEG2 once I have what I hope is a
finished version?
If that's the case, then I guess I can live with this occasional
rendering process of the RT.X10.
Am I correct in assuming that I can preview in full quality with the
RT.X10, provided I only use effects and transitions within the limits
of what it can handle? Can this preview be output to a TV via either
the TV-Out of a graphics card or does the Matrox card have its own
outputs to handle this? I'm assuming that previewing on a TV is a
useful feature.

Love

Crow

>With the RT.X100 you can output in real-time out to Disk in both DV and
>Mpeg-2.
>The RT.X10 you have to render.
>
>
>AL
>
>
>"Crow" <crow@vacionido.fslife.co.uk> wrote in message
>news:ipu6c0l6947u0j6ngsj4bcvl9mlifamhfa@4ax.com...
>> Thanks Jeffrey,
>>
>> Apart from outputting the final output in real-time to tape, will the
>> RT.X bundle also allow you to output in real-time to disk in MPEG2
>> format?
>>
>> Love
>>
>> Crow
>

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

I've been using a Matrox RTmac for three years and it is excellant.
Reading this thread is a little odd though. My laptop does not use
Matrox and has a processor that is three times as fast as my desktop and
both work about the same. The capturing and exporting of the product is
supurb when viewed on a scope. You should visit this site and work out
all the details.

http://www.matrox.com/video/home.cfm

bill


Crow wrote:
> Thanks Al,
>
> Do I only need to output to DV or MPEG2 once I have what I hope is a
> finished version?
> If that's the case, then I guess I can live with this occasional
> rendering process of the RT.X10.
> Am I correct in assuming that I can preview in full quality with the
> RT.X10, provided I only use effects and transitions within the limits
> of what it can handle? Can this preview be output to a TV via either
> the TV-Out of a graphics card or does the Matrox card have its own
> outputs to handle this? I'm assuming that previewing on a TV is a
> useful feature.
>
> Love
>
> Crow
>
>
>>With the RT.X100 you can output in real-time out to Disk in both DV and
>>Mpeg-2.
>>The RT.X10 you have to render.
>>
>>
>>AL
>>
>>
>>"Crow" <crow@vacionido.fslife.co.uk> wrote in message
>>news:ipu6c0l6947u0j6ngsj4bcvl9mlifamhfa@4ax.com...
>>
>>>Thanks Jeffrey,
>>>
>>>Apart from outputting the final output in real-time to tape, will the
>>>RT.X bundle also allow you to output in real-time to disk in MPEG2
>>>format?
>>>
>>>Love
>>>
>>>Crow
>>

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Depends on your needs first off. I used Digisuites, Targa3000s and
VideoToasters at work and they were great. I had a DV500+ at home but
sold it because I needed the money for a trip. I ended up using a
simple firewire port on my Audigy, with Premiere Pro, to my camcorder
and out to a TV for editing the trip's video footage (land, water,
underwater). It was extremely easy and I didn't miss the RT cards at
all. I brought the finished files into Encore and created a DVD in no
time. A lot of the newer editing programs have made it less painful
to work without a realtime card by utilizing memory, harddrive and CPU
(SSE) more efficiently.

I'd still probably use a RT card in a production environment as
multiple layers on a timeline in realtime is sweet.

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Thanks Bill & Jack,

On Mon, 07 Jun 2004 17:34:24 -0400, Jack Slopehead
<Jack_Sloan@jewbienation.com> wrote:

>I'd still probably use a RT card in a production environment as
>multiple layers on a timeline in realtime is sweet.

This kind of thing makes me interested in the Matrox card. It's
interesting to hear that you didn't miss it for certain projects
though. My dilemma is that I need to choose between a laptop and
desktop before I know how useful the card will be. Oh well, it's only
money  

I've assumed that there isn't an equivalent to the Matrox available
for laptops, due to their architecture? I don't suppose an external
firewire or USB 2 device, could handle this sort of data manipulation?

Love

Crow

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

The Canopus Edius software will do some real-time on a Firewire-only
computer. It will also work with much more RT in a desktop with their RT
hardware.

"Crow" <crow@vacionido.NOSPAM.fslife.co.uk> wrote in message
news:g7jbc0t86nvo36etsn1q2r1dp0uiscbu4o@4ax.com...
> Thanks Bill & Jack,
>
> On Mon, 07 Jun 2004 17:34:24 -0400, Jack Slopehead
> <Jack_Sloan@jewbienation.com> wrote:
>
> >I'd still probably use a RT card in a production environment as
> >multiple layers on a timeline in realtime is sweet.
>
> This kind of thing makes me interested in the Matrox card. It's
> interesting to hear that you didn't miss it for certain projects
> though. My dilemma is that I need to choose between a laptop and
> desktop before I know how useful the card will be. Oh well, it's only
> money  
>
> I've assumed that there isn't an equivalent to the Matrox available
> for laptops, due to their architecture? I don't suppose an external
> firewire or USB 2 device, could handle this sort of data manipulation?
>
> Love
>
> Crow
>

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 18:11:54 -0700, "someone" <mike@xyz.com> wrote:

>The Canopus Edius software will do some real-time on a Firewire-only
>computer. It will also work with much more RT in a desktop with their RT
>hardware.

Thanks,

I'll look into that.

Love

Crow

Archived from groups: rec.video,rec.video.production,rec.video.desktop (More info?)

On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 21:25:41 +0200, Crow
<crow@vacionido.NOSPAM.fslife.co.uk> wrote:

>On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 18:11:54 -0700, "someone" <mike@xyz.com> wrote:
>
>>The Canopus Edius software will do some real-time on a Firewire-only
>>computer. It will also work with much more RT in a desktop with their RT
>>hardware.
>
>Thanks,
>
>I'll look into that.
>
>Love
>
>Crow

yeah I hear they have pretty decent hardware.