DigiSuite LE - $3,995
DigiSuite LX - $3,995
DigiSuite DTV - $5,995
MAX Option - $2,495

Maximum creativity in real time

Realtime editing - dvd authoring - web streaming

Which DigiSuite platform is right for you? comparison chart

All three DigiSuite platforms share the same realtime editing and 3D effects architecture, and advanced productivity tools. They all provide broadcast-quality analog video and audio I/O, as well as optional SDI I/O, and are compatible with all standard video equipment. They all provide realtime DV acquisition and print-to-tape as well as realtime MPEG-2 output. They differ only in the compression formats used for editing. You choose the platform that best suits your needs based on your budget and the type of work you do. comparison chart

DigiSuite LE
DigiSuite LE offers image quality that rivals uncompressed. It features variable M-JPEG data rates up to 15 MB/sec per stream (30 MB/sec combined). DigiSuite LE MAX also provides two channels of field-based variable-speed motion control. If you use a variety of analog and digital formats, such as Digital Betacam, DV, and Betacam SP, and want to maintain high image quality without investing in an uncompressed editing platform, DigiSuite LE MAX is right for you. Animators and compositors, in particular, will definitely appreciate the pristine image quality that DigiSuite LE MAX provides.

DigiSuite LX
DigiSuite LX provides native-DV and MPEG-2 I-frame (up to 50 Mbps) editing. If you work primarily with DV source material, DigiSuite LX MAX is the solution for you. DigiSuite LX MAX is cost effective, and allows analog and digital sources to be mixed on the editing timeline.

DigiSuite DTV
DigiSuite DTV provides native-DV, DV50, and MPEG-2 I-frame (up to 50 Mbps) editing. Both DV and DV50 sources can be combined on the same timeline. You get the benefit of both formats because you can use DV for video acquisition and higher-quality 4:2:2 DV50 as the preferred format for graphics, animation,multi-layer compositing, and other special effects.

MAX Option
These standard DigiSuite platforms can be very cost-effective choices, and you can always add the MAX card at a later date.

Emmy award winner:

Matrox Video Products Group has received a prestigious Emmy award for "Outstanding Achievement in Technological Advancement", Presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). The Emmy award specifically recognizes Matrox for "pioneering development of full-motion broadcast-quality PC video and compression plug-in cards utilized in the manufacture of nonlinear editing systems and video servers."

At a glance:

• Bundled Software Adobe Premiere, Inscriber CG, DVDit!, Boris FX, and Ligos
• Advanced realtime effects layering on video and graphics
• Realtime 3D digital video effects powered by Matrox Flex 3D
• Choice of editing formats: native-DV, DV50, MPEG-2 I-frame (up to 50 Mbps), or M-JPEG (up to 120 Mbps)
• 1394, analog component, Y/C, and composite support
• Optional SDI and AES/EBU add-on module
• Realtime DV acquisition and print-to-tape
• Realtime MPEG-2 encoding for DVD authoring
• Accelerated MPEG-1 encoding for multimedia and Video CD authoring
• Hardware-assisted web video encoding – RealVideo, Windows Media

The Matrox DigiSuite platforms deliver maximum editing power and creative freedom with more realtime features than any other on the market. You get fully keyframeable realtime 3D effects and transitions powered by the revolutionary Matrox Flex 3D technology, and much more – an additional 2D effects channel, two YUV color correction channels, independent transparency control on all layers, 32-bit animated graphics, two advanced chroma/luma/matte keyers, and a customizable wipe/tile generator.

These advanced realtime features can be applied to video and graphics. You can use your imagination to create an unlimited number of unique effects by combining a variety of Matrox realtime features. The Matrox DigiSuite platforms are compatible with a full range of editing, compositing, paint, animation, DVD authoring, and web streaming software so you can choose the industry leading applications that best fit your creative style.

In addition to the productivity boost you get from realtime editing, DigiSuite also brings you other important benefits to streamline your workflow and let you deliver in record time on tape, CD, DVD, and the web. Whether you're creating television spots, long-form documentaries, corporate videos, interactive training, or streaming video for the web, there is a Matrox realtime editing platform that's right for you.

Edit once, deliver anywhere.....

The Matrox DigiSuite MAX platforms give you all the tools you need to output to tape, CD, DVD, and the web. Edit once, then deliver anywhere – faster, easier, or more affordably than ever before.

Output to tape
Print your program to all popular analog and digital tape formats. Go out analog in component, Y/C, and composite; record over the 1394 connection to a DV device; or use the optional SDI module with AES/EBU digital audio.

Output to DVD
Traditionally, DVD production has been an expensive and time-consuming process requiring specialized MPEG-2 video encoders and dedicated authoring systems. With the Matrox DigiSuite MAX platforms you get video acquisition, realtime editing, realtime MPEG-2 encoding, and DVD authoring all integrated in a single system.

The Matrox DigiSuite MAX platforms are bundled with Sonic Solutions DVDit! SE – the easiest way to publish digital video on DVD. DVDit! seamlessly turns your productions into DVDs. You capture and edit video in real time using your favorite editing application. Then drag and drop your edited video sequences, audio clips, graphics, backgrounds, and buttons into DVDit! With its intuitive user interface, lightning-quick operation and high-powered formatting engine, DVDit! lets you easily create DVD-Video and DVD-ROM titles that play back on your set-top or PC-based player. Now, with affordably-priced DVD-Recordable devices on your desktop, DVD is the perfect distribution format for any video program.

When you are ready to explore some of the more extensive features that DVD has to offer, you can choose more advanced applications from Sonic Solutions.

Output to CD
Compressing video for use on multimedia CDs, VCDs, and SVCDs is fast and efficient with the full version of the Ligos LSX MPEG plug-in for Adobe Premiere that is bundled with DigiSuite MAX.

Output streaming video
Exporting to the web just got a whole lot easier. With the DigiSuite MAX platforms you don't need costly third-party tools and multiple processing steps. The new Matrox plug-in for Adobe Premiere relies on the DigiSuite hardware to perform high-quality scaling, filtering, and YUV to RGB conversions.

Then, with the latest codecs from Microsoft and Real Networks, you use built-in batch processing to quickly and effortlessly encode video to several targeted bandwidths in a single pass. The scalable encoding architecture enables realtime encoding straight from the timeline, even on multiple streams if you have a fast enough CPU.

Features:

User interface

• Streamlined UI provides easy access to tools and controls, and supports integrated workflow
• Multiple, configurable viewports to see results of different elements of your workspace simultaneously
• Configurable work space layouts for up to four independent monitors
• Includes color schemes designed for the lighting environments of typical facilities
• Color scheme is user-customizable for adjusting to varying production environments
• Workflow is context-sensitive—tools and controls automatically appear when you click on items to be edited
• Pop-up multi-function calculator option for entering numeric values throughout the program

Architecture

• State of the art RAM caching for real-time effects and clip playback
• Process tree-based architecture—all elements exist as part of a fully customizable pipeline
• Background rendering allows UI manipulation while rendering—even while image sequences and effects are playing in real-time
• In-context RAM-based full resolution playback of elements and compositions
• Highly scaleable architecture supports multi-processors and utilizes RAM memory for increased visual interactivity and productivity

Compositing

• True 3D perspective positioning and animation
• Nest compositions consisting of multiple layers inside other compositions
• True 3D camera that animates and has real-world camera attributes
• Unlimited multiple color light sources, with variable attributes like spot, point, and distant light types
• Realistic ray-traced shadows and reflections
• Object parenting, hinging, and path alignment between multiple objects for building advanced motion path hierarchies
• Four-corner mapping with trackable corner points
• Multiple transfer modes, including add, subtract, screen, difference, negative, and shade
• Motion Blur

Painting

• Completely object-oriented paint and animation environment
• Vector-based: all paint strokes are resolution-independent
• Real-Time Roto™
• Paint in one view while watching the result playback and loop in second viewport
• Over 30 real-time draw modes, including smooth, brightness, blur, emboss, dodge, burn, tint, posterize, smear, and more
• Cloning and reveal controls for interactive painting between video clips and between various frames in a clip
• Store any paint tool and tool option as a snapshot for instant switching between brushes, clone settings, shape tools, and more

Selections

• Extensive vector-based animatable shape, lasso, and text selections with feathering control
• Animation magic wand selections—keyframe and even track the magic wand point
• Boolean operations for selections—add, subtract, intersect, and replace
• Create selections using keyer controls for advanced color extraction and color-based rotoscoping
• Animatable expand/contract selections keying and matte controls
• Provides production-quality blue/green screen keying and matte control tools
• Completely compatible (import/export) with Discreet effects/editing systems Keyer
• RGB, YUV, HLS, Channel, Luminance, and RGB-CMYK

Keying modes

• Spill and color suppression
• Matte controls: levels, shrink/erode/blur settings
• Create animatable spline-based masks: use standard or freehand-drawn shapes
• Boolean operations for masks: add, subtract, intersect, and replace
• Difference Keyer for pulling keys by comparing two images

Color correction

• Unified interface for all color correction functions with channel manipulators
• Completely compatible (import/export) with Discreet effects systems Color Corrector
• Comprehensive color correction tools, including Color Balance, Brightness/Contrast, Levels, Gamma, Equalize, Tint, Curves, Shadows/Midtones/Highlights adjustment, and more
• NTSC and PAL color limiting and RGB and HSV color space models
• Precise and automatic color matching of footage from different sources

Motion tracking

• Integrated, Discreet context-sensitive tracking tools — any keyframeable parameter, point, mask, or effect can be tracked with an unlimited number of tracking points
• Precise motion analysis with position, scale, and rotation tracking, plus automatic extrapolation of obscured objects and off-screen motion
• Share tracking data and setups with inferno, flame, flint, fire®, and smoke® — export tracking data to any other compositing system that imports ASCII tracking data
• Four-corner pinning
• Image stabilization to remove unwanted camera roll, shake, and jitter

Keyframing and timeline controls

• Layer-based timeline for advanced keyframe and object control
• Marquee-based multi-selection of keyframes and objects, plus copy/paste operations between multiple channels
• Clip trimming and scheduling
• Definable interpolation methods per keyframe — constant, linear, bezier, cubic, and hermite
• Definable extrapolation methods per channel—loop, ping pong, and progressively repeat animations
• Perform math operations on channels or groups of keyframes

Filters and plug-ins

• Includes an extensive library of combustion image processing plug-in effects for blurs, sharpening, channel manipulation, image processing, and animation enhancements
• Displacement and bump mapping effects
• All filter parameters are keyframable
• Filters can be applied to layers or regions of layers over time
• Simultaneous use of multiple filters
• Every filter (including third-party filters) can have up to five snapshots of their settings stored in memory
• Compatible with most Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects® image plug-ins

Text

• Resolution-independent text objects are treated like any paint stroke or other object, so all effects, draw modes, cloning, etc. can be applied to text
• Interactive on-screen text editing
• Supports all system-level fonts, including Adobe Postscript® and TrueType® fonts
• Supports double-byte fonts for Asian and Arabic characters
• Individual control of phrases, words, and characters for precise editing and animation
• Control of typography attributes like animatable kerning, leading, line direction, and character direction
• Edit and animate vector outlines of text characters
• Definable automatic alignment and distribution options

Audio

• Supports QuickTime, AVI, WAV, and AIFF files
• Synchronize to any operator in the process tree, or use as a global audio track
• Display audio waveform over timeline for precise synchronization
• Play audio simultaneously with cached animation
• Volume controls and VU/Peak meters

Rendering

• Render Queue™ allows unattended rendering of multiple combustion workspaces
• Multiple outputs per render node
• Sends e-mail notification upon render completion, and attaches statistics, a log file, or even a representative image or small movie
• Can be run within the combustion application, or standalone
• The included standalone Render Queue can be installed on multiple systems for network rendering

Photoshop and EPS import

• Photoshop documents can be imported as a multi-layered composition and animated as individual layers
• EPS files with gradients and layers can be imported as resolution-independent vector graphics, which can be edited and animated freely

Input / Output

• Integrated image-based file browser with multiple criteria searching helps manage large projects easily
• Supports fields and 3:2 pulldown interpolation with automatic detection of phase
• NTSC and PAL display is supported with select video cards
• Supports industry-standard file formats including QuickTime, AVI, BMP, JPG, TGA, ElectricImage, GIF, JPEG, PhotoShop, EPS, PICT, PNG, Quantel, SGI, Targa, TIFF, and 3ds max™

RLA and RPF files

• Import and export 10-bit log Cineon files with custom or pre-made lookup table support

3ds max integration

• Import rendered 3ds max RPF and RLA files with extended channel information for post-processing
• RPF support for 3D filters (3D Fog, 3D Depth of Field, 3D Lens Flare, 3D Glow)
• 3D Motion Blur filter adds motion blur to rendered 3D animations in RPF format
• Texture Map filter can use any footage in the workspace and map it to any object in the RPF image using accurate UV texture coordinates
• 3D Extract filter can completely remove or isolate 3D objects, materials, and layers from a rendered RPF image without re-rendering
• Create selections based on individual objects and materials in the RPF image
• Merge multiple rendered files in 3D space
• Add new elements to a rendered sequence, with Z-compositing then position and rotate them freely in 3D space to match the original rendered scene
• Use camera information from the 3ds max rendered sequence to control the combustion camera's position and orientation, for match moving of CG elements and live video
• Apply lighting and shading to rendered RPF or RLA animation
• Cast true 3D shadows and reflections from 2D elements created in combustion onto the RLA image—the shadows and reflections will be distorted correctly according to the contours of the original 3D scene, including bump maps
• Use native combustion workspace files directly in 3ds max as resolution-independent, scalable texture maps
• Interactive live updating between combustion and 3ds max for texture creation and editing—create animated texture maps for use in 3ds max with synchronized timelines
• Paint directly in the 3ds max viewport with any combustion paint tool
• Unwrap the wireframe mesh of any object to display in combustion as a reference while painting

Edit integration

• Import edit clips directly from bins through the image-based browser
• Render directly to edit bins
• Launch combustion directly from edit from a bin or from a program timeline, complete with timing and trimming information (requires edit 5.0)

Discreet effects systems integration

• Share keyer, color corrector, and tracker data and setups with inferno, flame, flint, fire, and smoke

Macintosh system requirements

• PowerPC processor, G3, or G4 at 200 MHz minimum
• MacOS 8.6, 9.0 or 9.1
• 256MB of RAM minimum, 512MB RAM recommended
• 20MB free disk space
• CD-ROM drive
• QuickTime 4.0
• Video display card with minimum 4MB VRAM (1024 x 768 display at 24-bit color)
• Optional: multi-button mouse

Windows system requirements

• Intel® - compatible processor at 200 MHz minimum (thoroughly multi-threaded to take full advantage of multiple processor systems; dual Pentium® III system recommended)
• Windows® 95/98 or Windows NT® 4.0/2000
• 128MB free RAM, 512MB recommended
• 2GB main hard drive with 20MB free disk space
• CD-ROM drive
• Video display card with minimum 4MB VRAM (1024 x 768 display at 24-bit color)
• Optional: sound card and speakers, 3-button mouse

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