Matrox Electronic Systems rt.x2 manual Flexible AVI and WAV file formats

Flexible AVI and WAV file formats

The Matrox RT.X2 platforms capture video in Windows-standard AVI and WAV files for complete compatibility with other multimedia applications. Interleaved audio is the industry standard and allows for maximum compatibility with applications that expect the audio to be contained within the AVI file. File management is simplified because there is only one file to keep track of. However, integration with audio workstations and DVD authoring is simplified by using separate WAV audio files.

The Matrox RT.X2 platforms provide maximum flexibility by allowing AVI files to be mixed in real time with MPEG (Adobe native HDV) and M2T (FireStore) files. This feature enables powerful and flexible online/offline workflows. For example, you can capture HDV in the field on a laptop and bring it into RT.X2 for finishing or transfer your files directly from a FireStore to the RT.X2. You can also use a software-only machine to rough cut your HDV project and bring that project into RT.X2 without having to recapture your footage. On RT.X2 SD, you can only use your HDV clips in an SD timeline.

Efficient management of AVI and MXF files

The Matrox RT.X2 platforms extend Windows Explorer functionality to simplify AVI file management. Important details such as User Clip Name, Start Timecode, End Timecode, Duration, etc. are available in the Windows Explorer Details View. A clip icon can also be displayed in the Thumbnails View to let you more easily identify your clips.

On Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE this extended Windows Explorer functionality also applies to P2 MXF 720p and SD files.

Matrox EZ-MXF utility (does not apply to RT.X2 SD)

The new “tapeless workflows” offered by Panasonic P2 are truly revolutionary. P2 simplifies acquisition, transport, archiving, asset management, etc. It brings the worlds of video editing and IT closer, making video simply a new data format that is as easy to manage as any other digital file. At the heart of the new tapeless workflows is MXF. MXF (Material eXchange Format) is a standardized (by SMPTE) file exchange format that assures interoperability among devices and systems. P2 uses .mxf files rather than .mov, .avi, or .mpg files, for example. MXF is designed for today's file-based workflows and provides a common way of packaging video and audio along with metadata so that information about the content is maintained as it flows through the production process. Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE natively support the Panasonic P2 MXF 720p and SD file formats in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. You can use MXF files created by your Panasonic P2 cameras directly in these applications without having to convert the files to the traditional AVI file format. By natively supporting the MXF file format, Matrox is joining the global MXF community committed to cross platform support.

Like every new technology, the MXF file format brings new advantages, but also some inconveniences. Most animation, compositing, and motion graphics applications used by video editors on the PC today read Video for Windows (VFW) AVI files, but they are not designed to read MXF files. So the question arises: Where can you really use your MXF files? This is where the new Matrox EZ-MXF utility bridges the gap. With Matrox EZ-MXF you can use the content of your native MXF files in all the applications that support Video for Windows AVI files. Matrox EZ-MXF lets your application see MXF files as AVI files without transcoding or decompressing and recompressing the video. The Matrox EZ-MXF utility creates very small reference AVI files almost instantaneously. The new AVI files can then be used in your favorite VFW application, making the MXF file format practical and efficient throughout your workflow. The Matrox EZ-MXF utility does not modify the contents of your original MXF file nor its metadata. Creating a Matrox EZ-MXF file could not be easier. You simply right-click on the selected MXF file and select “Create Matrox EZ-MXF” from the menu.

Matrox RT.X2 and RT.X2 LE also include features to simplify MXF file management in Windows Explorer. Important details such as User Clip Name, Start Timecode, End Timecode, Duration, etc. are available in the Windows Explorer Details View. A clip icon can also be displayed in the Thumbnails View to let you more easily identify your clips.

VFW Application

(does not understand MXF files)

Matrox EZ-MXF AVI file

Original MXF file

Matrox EZ-MXF bridges the gap between AVI and MXF allowing all Video for Windows applications to work with native MXF files.

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