Matrox Axio LE is a complete post-production solution that lets you get the best from the Adobe Production Studio CS3 software. The Matrox Axio family of HD and SD platforms is designed to give you the highest finishing quality coupled with the most comprehensive real-time feature set and the most versatile codec technology, completely integrated with the Adobe software. The new Matrox Axio LE platform delivers it all at an unprecedented low price point.

Matrox Axio LE makes Adobe Premiere Pro and Premiere Pro CS3 the foremost real-time HD and SD editor for demanding broadcast and post-production environments going far beyond the capabilities of systems that combine Premiere Pro with a simple I/O card. It also lets you work seamlessly with the other Adobe applications, fully supporting Adobe Dynamic Link and providing WYSIWYG video output support for Adobe After Effects and Photoshop CS3, as well as other industry-leading animation and compositing packages.

Matrox Axio LE features no-render HD and SD finishing in a wide range of compressed and uncompressed formats, superior real-time color correction tools, advanced real-time effects, and a full complement of analog and digital audio and video inputs and outputs. It incorporates Matrox Power of X and Flex technologies to leverage CPU and GPU power to provide the ultimate HD and SD post-production environment.

The Matrox Axio family builds on solid expertise gained over several generations of Matrox DigiSuite and RT Series products. Well over 200,000 users worldwide currently enjoy the amazing value, stable reliability, and superior productivity of Matrox based real-time nonlinear editing systems. Close collaboration between the Matrox and Adobe engineering teams throughout development ensure the tightest hardware/software integration.

The Matrox Axio software and hardware components are integrated into an approved workstation and sold through a network of Matrox authorized dealers. These dealers also provide installation and training services to customers worldwide.

Key Features

• Native MXF file support for Panasonic P2, Sony XDCAM, and Sony XDCAM HD in Adobe Premiere Pro
  and After Effects
• Support for Matrox HDV files and Matrox Flex CPU effects in Adobe After Effects
  
• 4:2:2:4 (YUVA) MPEG-2 I-frame and uncompressed codecs in HD and SD
  
• HDV 720p (JVC ProHD) support at all frame rates (23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94)
  
• DVCPRO HD 720p support at all frame rates (23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, 59.94)
  
• Panasonic VariCam support
  
• Improved HDV editing performance
  
• Realtime playback of Adobe native HDV files – .MPEG and .M2T
  
• Realtime mixing of additional codecs, file formats, and resolutions on the timeline – MXF, MPEG (Adobe native HDV),
  
• M2T (FireStore), MPEG HD (Sony XDCAM HD codec), IMX (Sony XDCAM SD codec), HD 1080i in an SD timeline
  
• Matrox EZ-MXF utility for native MXF file support in Video for Windows (AVI) applications
  
• WYSIWYG video output for Adobe Bridge and Windows Media Player
  
• Improved color correction tools
  
• Eight new effects – crystallize, cube, impressionist, lens flare, move & scale, old movie, ripple, twirl

Native MXF file support in Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. You can now work with native Panasonic P2, Sony XDCAM, and Sony XDCAM HD material.

P2 workflow

1. Connect your P2 device (P2 card reader, P2 store, P2 camera, or FireStore drive) to the Axio system via USB or 1394. If you have a PCMCIA card reader in your PC that will work too. The only requirement is that the device shows up in Windows as a drive.

2. Edit directly from the P2 device or copy the folder structure to your local storage.

3. Edit the native MXF files in Premiere Pro by simply importing them into the bin like any other file. To help you select your shots you can enable Thumbnails View in Windows Explorer or in the File Open dialog. Matrox has written a shell extension that will show you a thumbnail of the MXF file instead of the default Windows icon. The metadata from the MXF file is also available in the Details View. The Properties window in Premiere Pro will also display the metadata.

4. Edit your composition with the native MXF files from the bin, applying effects, and mixing the MXF files with other AVI files as you see fit.

5. Add After Effects compositing with a simple copy and paste or import the MXF files into After Effects and edit them as you see fit.

6. Export your project to a wide variety of formats including a P2 compatible MXF file. Axio supports all of the 720p recording formats available on the HVX200 camera as well as the 1080i and 1080/24p (over 60) recording formats. No special processing is required to work with 24 fps files. You drop them on a 24 fps
timeline and it plays in real time.

XDCAM and XDCAM HD workflow

1. Connect your XDCAM or XDCAM HD deck or camera to Axio via FAM (File Access Mode – 1394) or Ethernet.

2. Use the Sony PDZ-1 software, Windows Explorer, or an FTP browser to copy the high resolution MXF files to your local
storage. Note that you cannot edit directly from the XDCAM or XDCAM HD deck.

3. Edit the native MXF files in Premiere Pro by importing them into the bin like any other file. To help you select your shots you can enable Thumbnails View in Windows Explorer or in the File Open dialog. Matrox has written a shell extension that will show you a thumbnail of the MXF file instead of the default Windows icon. The metadata from the MXF file is also accessible in the Details View. The properties window in Premiere Pro will also display the metadata.

4. Edit your composition with the native MXF files from the bin, applying effects, and mixing the MXF files with other AVI files as you see fit.

5. Add After Effects compositing with a simple copy and paste or import the MXF files into After Effects and edit them as you see fit.

6. Export your project to a wide variety of formats including an XDCAM compatible MXF file. DVCAM and IMX (30, 40, and 50) are all supported. File export to XDCAM HD is not currently supported; however you can use HD SDI out of Axio to write back to the XDCAM HD deck.

DVCAM, IMX (also called D10), and MPEG HD files recorded at all three bit rates - 35 mbps (HQ), 25 mbps (SP), and 18 mbps (LP) - are supported in real time. You can even mix the different formats on the same timeline. Both over and under cranked files created by the XDCAM HD camcorder's "Slow and Quick" variable frame rate mode can be played back in real time without rendering.

Support for Matrox HDV files and Matrox Flex CPU effects in Adobe After Effects
In this release of Axio, Matrox has focused on the After Effects/Premiere Pro relationship and added features that complement that workflow.

As mentioned above, Native P2, XDCAM and XDCAM HD MXF files are supported in After Effects. You can import these files into the After Effects bin and use them like any other file format.

Matrox HDV files are also supported in After Effects. In the previous release of Axio you were forced to render out your HDV files to an intermediate format for editing in After Effects. Axio 2.5 improves that workflow by allowing you to work directly with the Matrox HDV files.

The Matrox Flex CPU effects – color correction, secondary color correction, chroma key, luma key, the new move & scale effect, etc. – are now also available in Adobe After Effects. If you have a timeline in Premiere Pro with any of these effects and you copy/paste this timeline into After Effects, the Matrox effects will remain intact. This is a huge time saver, given that these effects are realtime in Premiere Pro.

4:2:2:4 (YUVA) MPEG-2 I-frame and uncompressed codecs in HD and SD
Axio now includes 32-bit uncompressed and MPEG-2 I-frame VFW codecs that you can use to render your animations or other compositions containing alpha. The 32-bit AVI file will playback in real time on an Axio system. This support opens up many workflow possibilities. For example, an editor creating broadcast graphics in After Effects or using a stock animation package such as Digital Juice or Artbeats can now export one 32-bit file instead of rendering out two separate AVI + MATTE files. Having only one file simplifies management and makes it easier to include the composition in the final edit.

Note that the 32-bit MPEG-2 I-frame codecs are locked to the hardware and therefore will work only if Axio is in the system.

HDV 720p (JVC ProHD) support
Axio now supports the complete list of 720p frame rates in the ATSC specification – 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94. We have built on Axio’s extensive codec support for a wide variety of cameras by adding realtime native editing of all the 720p frame rates supported by JVC’s popular 100 ProHD series camera. In addition, Axio goes a step beyond what Adobe Premiere Pro software offers alone and supports the 50 and 59.94 frame rates provided by the new 200 and 250 ProHD series cameras.

DVCPRO HD 720p support at all frame rates
Axio now has support for the complete range of 720p frame rates in DVCPRO HD –23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94. Panasonic’s tape-based cameras and the new HVX200P and HVX200E P2 cameras are supported.

Panasonic VariCam support
Axio now supports the Panasonic VariCam 24p workflow. When capturing a VariCam tape, Axio will detect the real 24 frames (from the transmitted 60) and create a 23.98 fps file for editing. Axio supports detection over 1394 in a 720p at 23.98 fps project.

The VariCam feature on a P2 camera (HVX200P) works similarly to the VariCam feature on tape. The camera actually saves 60 frames in the P2 MXF file and tags the ones that should be used to playback at 23.98 fps. Axio lets you play those MXF files in a 23.98 timeline without any additional processing. Axio will detect and remove the repeated frames on the fly. The camera also features a “pN” native mode in which it will only save the required 23.98 frames on the P2 card. Axio also supports realtime playback of those “pN” files.

Improved HDV editing performance
The native resolution of HDV 1080i is 1440x1080. Axio now allows processing in 1440, resulting in additional realtime capability. The 1440 resolution has 25% fewer pixels to process when compared to the 1920x1080 resolution.

Realtime playback of Adobe native HDV files – .MPEG and .M2T
The ability to play native Adobe HDV files (MPEG) and Focus Enhancements FireStore files (M2T) in real time and mix them with AVI and MXF files on the timeline in real time enables powerful and flexible online/offline workflows.

You can now capture HDV in the field on a laptop and bring it into Axio for finishing or transfer your files directly from a FireStore to Axio. You can also use a software-only machine to rough cut your HDV project and bring that project into Axio without having to recapture your footage.

Realtime mixing of additional formats on the timeline
Mixed-format editing is even more comprehensive now. As long as your clips have the same frame rate, on the same timeline you can mix:

• Resolutions – HD 1080i and SD
  
• File formats – MXF, AVI, MPEG (Adobe native HDV), M2T (FireStore)
  
• Codecs

Matrox EZ-MXF utility for native MXF file support in Video for Windows (AVI) applications
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. Matrox EZ-MXF lets you use the content of your
native MXF files in all 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.

WYSIWYG video output for Adobe Bridge and Windows Media Player
You get instant output of video files such as MPEG, DivX, and AVI on your broadcast monitor using Adobe Bridge, Windows Media Player or other DirectShow based applications. You can use this feature to show different versions of your work to clients on a broadcast monitor without having to open Adobe Premiere Pro. You simply double click on the file in Windows Explorer.

Improved color correction tools
Improvements to the color correction tools include: more color wheel and color picker precision, a new split view, and a luminance slider per tonal range.

Eight new effects – crystallize, cube, impressionist, lens flare, move & scale, old movie, ripple, twirl. Matrox continues to add value to the Axio product line by providing exciting new effects to keep your edits looking fresh and new.

Specifications

• Capture/editing formats
• HDV 1080i
• DVCPRO HD
• DV, DVCPRO, DV50, MPEG-2 I-frame
• Uncompressed 8- bit SD
• Uncompressed 8- bit HD
• Compressed HD for offline and online (MPEG-2 I-frame)
• Playback of legacy Matrox DigiSuite and RT series AVI files

Realtime video effects*

• Three-way primary color correction

• Three-way secondary color correction
• Super smooth field- or frame-blended slow motion
• Advanced 3D DVE
• Chroma/luma keying
• Dissolve, wipes
• Surface finish
• Blur/glow/soft focus
• Shadow
• Transitions
• Page curls
• Mask
• Pan & scan
• Mask mosaic
• Mask blur
• Four-corner pin
• Track matte
• Native Adobe Premiere Pro transitions
• SD clip upscaling in a 1080i HD timeline
• Accelerated shine

Video Editing

• Ultra high performance editing with Adobe Premiere Pro
• Mix codecs on the same timeline
• EDL import and export
• AAF export for interoperability with other systems
• Waveform and vectorscope monitors for color correction and broadcast safe output
• User customizable keyboard
• Multiple nestable timelines for managing multi-layer effects and complex timelines
• Accelerated export to DVD, all multimedia formats, and Adobe Clip Notes
• WYSIWYG for compositing and graphics applications
• Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
• Closed captioning support in NTSC

Audio editing

Video inputs and outputs

• Simultaneous HD and SD output
• Realtime high quality downscaling from HD to SD
• NTSC and PAL – ITU-R 601
• 1394
• Composite
• Y/C
• Analog component
• SDI – SMPTE 259M
• Analog and digital genlock
• 1080p at 23.98 and 25 fps
• 1080i at 25 and 29.97 fps
• 1080p at 24 fps
• 720p at 59.94 fps
• SDI HD – SMPTE 292M
• Analog YPbPr component
• Tri-level genlock

Package Contents:

• Axio LE PCI Board
• Axio LE Daughter Card
• Axio LE Professional Breakout Box
• Axio LE Software CD & Manuals
• Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 Upgrade