Monitoring and capturing live from EX
by Mickey Power
on
Aug 17, 2009 at 2:11:32 pm
AS well as monitoring to a Dell 2408 from my MacPro-based FCS2 system, I was looking to a MXO2 or MXO2 Mini to capture live from my EX1 during studio shoots (to my MBP).
For example I have a TVC shoot in a couple of weeks with the final delivery as 720 for SD broadcast. Would it be much better to capture as HD SDI with the MXO2 or would capturing via analog component (say, to Prores) with the Mini produce better results than recording to the SxS cards? If the latter, what would be the best capture codec?
What other advantages might I gain from the MXO2 over the Mini? I do a bit of broadcast work but otherwise most is finished as either HD Quicktime files for docos that screen on HD in museums or as SD DVDs for clients (with audio only in stereo).
Re: Monitoring and capturing live from EX by Andy Mees on Aug 21, 2009 at 2:27:33 am
Hi MIckey
Yes, capturing live from the camera will certainly allow you bypass the in camera compression and thereby capture a higher quality image (ie better color subsampling, less compression) than that which is recorded internally to the SxS card. In camera you are limited to the Sony's XDCAM EX codec which although a very nice is nonetheless a visually lossy 4:2:0 codec which doesn't allow for extensive manipulation in post.
Bear in mind a few limitations though. The MXO2 devices are compatible with Intel Mac's only, so if your Mac is of the G5 generation then the MXO2's are not for you. If you intend to capture to ProRes at HD resolutions then you cannot use a laptop for capture. The current breed of Apple laptops lack the raw CPU cycles needed to process the realtime transcode of the uncompressed HD data stream into the ProRes codec at HD resolutins. For that you need at least a quad core Mac. (Note: There is one exception to this rule, that being the capture of 720p24 which is supported for capture on a good Core 2 Duo MBP).
Additionally bear in mind that the only currently supported 1080p input/capture format is 1080p24, and that support is limited solely to the MXO2/MXO2 Rack boxes, it is not available with the MXO2 Mini. The Mini does not currently support any 1080p capture. If you are intending to shoot 1080p25/30/50/60 then you need to be aware of these current limitations.
Getting back to your other questions. What would be the best codec? Well this TVC appears to be for SD delivery, so with all of the above noted, some options open to you are to record HD in camera but to capture SD into you Mac via the MXO2's realtime downconvert. This would allow you to capture and thereafter work with Uncompressed SD (highest quality SD option) or to SD ProRes (lower data rate, visually lossless). If you want to capture and master in HD before producing your SD deliverable then your options are dependent on your hardware. If you will be capturing to a laptop then using either the MXO2 or Mini you can capture to the DVCPRO HD codec as an intermediate. Although also lossless it is an intraframe format and therefore much more "edit friendly" than XDCAM EX's interframe format. Its also a 4:2:2 format versus the XDCAM's 4:2:0. What all this adds up to is a format that is much quicker to work with in the timeline and is also far more resilient to manipulation (color correction/treatment/effects etc).
Advantages of the MXO2 over the Mini? Asd far as I/O goes, mainly you're looking at a more professional box that lends itself to broadcast environments far more readily than the Mini. You have a greater range of I/O ports such as HD/SD SDI for video and Balanced XLR and AES EBU audio, plus 6 channel RCA analog outputs, furthermore the main connectors themselves are of a more rugged/better build quality using industry standard BNC type connections. There is a genlock Reference input that allows your MXO2 to be integrated within a broadcast environment. There is RS422 deck control on the MXO2 that allows for frame accurate deck control, not to mention the capture of timecode from source. None of the above is available on the Mini. The MXO2 also offers an option to take a standard Anton Bauer type camera battery for its power source ... very useful for the road warrior types.
Long term advantages to the MXO2 over the Mini? Hard to say, I'm not privvy to the goings on of Matrox's R&D teams but as the shooting formats become increasingly popular I'd expect to see expanded support for capture 1080p formats, at least 1080p25/30 if not 1080p50/60. Given that at present Matrox has chosen to not to support 1080p on the Mini line at present then its entirely possible they will continue to delineate their product offerings in that way. If you envisage wanting or needing support for these formats then your best guarantee at present is to go for the bigger MXO2... but this is a guessing game. There's zero guarantee that I'm right and Matrox could turn around and remove the limitations overnight leaving the devices separated functionally only by their physical I/O's. I don't know Mickey, on this one only you can make the call.
