Your Direct Source for Desktop Video  PH 1 800 379 7267

Matrox Axio LE Realtime HD/SD Editing Platform
For This Month's Special Price CALL

Call for Our special Price on The Axio LE System

Choosing your storage

Important : The video storage included with the above system would work with formats up to DVCPRO HD . For uncompressed HD you would need a special high performance raid . Please call us  at 1 800 379 7367  if you have a requirement to edit  uncompressed HD before ordering  .

When deciding on storage, there are two main factors to consider – the data rate the storage subsystem can sustain and the overall storage capacity.

To evaluate your needs, you must first take into account the data rate of the formats you will be editing. The table below provides the approximate data rate for a variety of formats. Multiply the data rate per stream by the number of realtime video layers to approximate the overall demand on the storage. For example, three layers of DV requires a minimum throughput of 75 megabits per second (Mb/sec) plus some additional room for overhead.

Once you have chosen a storage subsystem that meets your throughput needs, you must decide how much storage your workflow requires. The more storage you have, the more hours of footage you can maintain online for instant access. The table above provides an approximation of the number of hours of video you can store on one terabyte in the various formats.

Call Us at 1 800 379 7267 for Configration Details and prices

Matrox Axio LE is a complete post-production solution that lets you get the best from the Adobe Production Studio software. The Matrox Axio family of HD and SD platforms is designed to give you the highest finishing quality coupled with the most comprehensive realtime 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 makes Adobe Premiere Pro the foremost realtime 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 CS2, as well as other industry-leading animation and compositing packages.

Matrox Axio features no-render HD and SD finishing in a wide range of compressed and uncompressed formats, superior realtime color correction tools, advanced realtime 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 realtime 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.

There are three Matrox Axio platforms to choose from, Matrox Axio HD, Matrox Axio SD, and the new Matrox Axio LE. All offer ultra high performance editing in HD and SD formats. They differ only in terms of the editing codecs supported, the method of performing Matrox Flex effects, and the audio and video inputs and outputs provided on the breakout boxes.

Matrox Axio goes far beyond the capabilities of systems that combine Adobe Premiere Pro
and a simple I/O card. With Matrox Axio you get:
• Many more realtime layers of video and graphics in HD and SD
• More effects in real time including color correction, chroma/luma keying, speed changes, blur/glow/soft focus, and much more
• Broadcast-quality, realtime 3D effects with soft edges and realistic shadows
• Native support for additional codecs including: DVCPRO HD, offline HD, MPEG-2 I-frame in HD and SD, DVCPRO, and DV50
• Realtime mixing of HD and SD clips on the timeline
• Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
• Simultaneous HD and SD output (Axio LE)
• Accelerated export to DVD, all multimedia formats including Flash Video, and Adobe Clip Notes
• Audio VU meters on capture

Key features


Matrox Axio key features

• Makes Adobe Premiere Pro the foremost HD and SD editor for broadcast and post
• Full-resolution multi-layer realtime editing of HD and SD video, graphics, and effects
• Realtime CPU-based effects such as color correction, speed changes, and chroma/luma keying
• Realtime and accelerated Matrox Flex effects such as 2D/3D DVE, blur/glow/ soft focus, and shine
• Uncompressed HD and SD editing
• Native HDV and DVCPRO HD editing
• Compressed HD editing (offline and online finishing-quality MPEG-2 I-frame)
• DV, DVCPRO, DV50, and MPEG-2 I-frame SD editing
• Realtime mixing of HD codecs or SD codecs on the timeline
• Realtime playback of SD clips in a 1080i HD timeline
• Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
• 24 fps editing in HD and SD with pull down and reverse pull down
• Realtime high-quality downscaling from HD to SD
• Accelerated export to DVD, multimedia formats including Flash Video, and Adobe Clip Notes
• WYSIWYG for Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, and NewTek LightWave 3D

Matrox Axio LE
Breakthrough price/performance in realtime HD and SD editing
• Uncompressed 8-bit HD and SD editing
• Relies on the power of your system GPU to process Matrox Flex effects
• DV-1394, composite, Y/C, HD/SD analog component, and HD/SD SDI input and output
• Simultaneous HD and SD output
• 2-in/6-out AES/EBU audio, 2-in/6-out XLR audio, 2-in/6-out SDI embedded audio, 1/4" output jack for stereo monitoring


Most powerful realtime engine for HD and SD editing

The Matrox Axio platforms let you work at the highest finishing quality with the most realtime video/graphic layers and the most comprehensive realtime tool set of any platform in their class.

Matrox Axio is designed to overcome the limitations of software-only editing by providing performance- and quality-optimized effects processing. Built on Matrox Power of X and Flex technologies, Matrox Axio leverages CPU and GPU power to provide a tightly integrated, ultra high performance SD and HD editing environment for Adobe Premiere Pro.

Highest quality realtime effects
Matrox has invested heavily to develop the expertise in code optimization for both AMD and Intel processors that enables us to deliver the most powerful realtime effects at the highest quality. Matrox Axio effects are fully keyframeable and feature a high level of control for detailed work. Each effect has a series of parameters that can be fine tuned to get just the look you want. To save time you can use the preconfigured effects presets or create and save your own presets.

Most realtime video/graphic layers
Many editing systems compromise quality or effects refinement and complexity to increase the number of layers, whereas Matrox Axio always delivers maximum realtime quality. Timelines with more layers and/or effects than can be processed in realtime can still benefit from hardware-accelerated previews. Matrox Axio will always play back the timeline at the best possible quality and if necessary, gracefully reduce the frame rate. You always get in-context feedback as you work.

The number of layers that can be processed in real time depends on your system CPU, the GPU that is performing the effects processing, and the characteristics of your workflow – the video resolution you are working with, the frame rate, the codec, and the number and complexity of effects. For example, the number of video and graphics layers that can be processed in real time at full online 1080i quality doubles when using Dual-Core AMD Opteron Model 275 compared to Single-Core AMD Opteron Model 250.

System selection guidelines and lists of validated workstation-class PCI-X computers and motherboards, as well as GPUs recommended for use with Axio LE, are posted in the support section of the Matrox website.

More information on supported video resolutions, frame rates, and codecs

Most comprehensive realtime tool set
The combination of realtime CPU-based effects and realtime Matrox Flex effects gives you all the realtime features you need to finish your projects in record time.

Realtime CPU-based effects

Realtime Matrox Flex 3D effects


Matrox Axio relies on the power of your CPU to perform primary and secondary color correction, advanced chroma and luma keying, speed changes, transitions, track matte effect, and SD clip upscaling in an HD timeline.

Realtime primary color correction

Realtime secondary color correction

Realtime chroma and luma keying

Realtime speed changes

Realtime transitions

Realtime track matte

Realtime SD clip upscaling in an HD timeline

Realtime primary color correction
Primary color correction is a critically important effect for all productions, whether to achieve continuity when cutting between shots, ensure broadcast safe levels, or establish and emphasize a "look". The primary color corrector provides basic proc amp control; three-way color correction complete with master, shadows, midtones and highlights control; and input/output level control.


Click on image for a closer look (23 KB)

Realtime proc amp controls
Matrox Axio lets you easily adjust four proc amp controls - hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast. Hue adjusts the tint of the colors in the image, saturation adjusts the vividness, contrast adjusts the difference in luminance between the lightest and darkest areas of the image, and brightness adjusts the level of black. You can also use these controls to create special effects, such as black and white, in real time.


Click on image for a closer look (22 KB)

Realtime color match and color balance
Colors can be corrected using nine parameters related to the black (shadow), midtone, and white (highlight) levels of your clips. You can easily match colors or balance blacks, whites, and grays against a reference shot in one simple step.


Click on image for a closer look (34 KB)

Realtime input/output level control
Using the histogram display and level controls, luminance levels can be remapped to maximize the dynamic range of a clip. For example, bright areas can be made brighter and dark areas can be made darker. Five parameters are available - black, white, and gamma levels on the input; and black and white levels on the output. Auto white and auto black controls are also provided.


Click on image for a closer look (27 KB)

Realtime secondary color correction
The secondary color corrector is an advanced tool used for fine-tuning or dramatic effects creation. It offers all the controls found in the primary color correction filter with the added capability of limiting the effect to a specific range of pixels. Pixel selection can be done using color and/or brightness. Using the simple garbage matte tool, you can also limit the effect to a specific region. The pixel selection can also be inverted.

The secondary color corrector can be used, for example, to change the color of a dress, deepen the background sky color, or to achieve an effect similar to the film Schindler's List where only one object or person remains in color while the rest of the image becomes black and white.


Click on image for a closer look (33 KB) Click on image for a closer look (21 KB)

Realtime chroma and luma keying
Matrox Axio provides one of the finest realtime chroma keyers in the industry. It makes clean blue- and green-screen keys easy to achieve, even with DV and HDV material shot in less than optimal lighting conditions. It upsamples your video to 4:4:4:4 resolution and uses advanced noise reduction algorithms to ensure superior results. The auto key button intelligently adjusts the key with soft edges, spill removal, and shadow preservation. If needed, you can further refine the key with manual controls. The Matrox Axio chroma keyer lets you key on any color, not just blue and green. It also lets you invert the selection and display the matte being generated to fine tune the key.


Click on image for a closer look (22 KB)

The realtime luma keyer gives you low clip, low gain, high clip, high gain, and transparency controls.


Click on image for a closer look (19 KB)

Realtime speed changes
You can use speed changes to emphasize special moments, extend the duration of shots to match voice-over timing, or enhance the feeling of dramatic shots. Matrox Axio lets you apply smooth slow and fast motion with field or frame blending.

Realtime transitions
Matrox Axio supports standard dissolves, SMPTE wipes, and organic wipes with soft edges and color borders.


Click on image for a closer look (19 KB) Click on image for a closer look (19 KB)

Realtime track matte
The realtime track matte effect lets you superimpose one clip onto another using an animated matte, sometimes called a traveling matte, to determine how the two clips are composited (keyed). You can use a grayscale video or graphics clip as your matte, or use a graphics clip or graphics sequence with an alpha channel as your matte. When using a grayscale clip as your matte, areas of black in the matte create transparent areas in your foreground clip, areas of white create opaque areas that prevent the underlying clip from showing through, and gray areas create semi-transparent areas in your foreground clip.


Click on image for a closer look (23 KB)

Realtime SD clip upscaling in an HD timeline
This effect is enabled by right-clicking on an SD clip in an HD timeline and selecting "scale to frame size". It provides realtime playback of SD clips upscaled to HD to let you mix NTSC material into a 1080i at 29.97 fps timeline or PAL material into a 1080i at 25 fps timeline.


Realtime Matrox Flex effects

Using the power of a GPU, Matrox Axio lets you create a wide variety of fully-keyframeable, broadcast-quality 2D and 3D digital video effects. All effects can be applied to video or graphics on any layer. Although Matrox Axio provides the most realtime power of any system in its class, certain complex effects or combinations of effects at certain resolutions using certain codecs may not playback in real time, but they still benefit from hardware acceleration.

Matrox Axio HD and Matrox Axio SD feature a specialized card with an on-board GPU optimized for moving large amounts of data to and from host memory. The use of this dedicated card maximizes realtime 3D effects performance in HD and SD.

Axio LE relies on the power of your system CPU and GPU to process Matrox Flex effects. Using today’s graphics cards, most 3D effects will be realtime in SD. In the more demanding HD resolutions, some effects will be realtime and the rest will be hardware accelerated. System selection guidelines and lists of validated workstation-class PCI-X computers and motherboards, as well as GPUs recommended for use with Axio LE, are posted in the support section of the Matrox website.



Realtime Adobe Motion effect

Realtime advanced 2D/3D DVE

Realtime shadow

Realtime blur/glow/soft focus

Realtime page curl

Realtime surface finish

Realtime mask

Realtime pan & scan

Realtime mask blur

Realtime mask mosaic

Realtime four-corner pin

Accelerated shine

Native Adobe Premiere Pro transitions

Advanced realtime editing workflow

Matrox Axio offers performance- and quality-optimized codecs that are critical for efficient collaborative workflow. Please click here for more information on supported video resolutions, frame rates, and codecs. The Matrox Axio MPEG-2 I-frame HD codec provides high-quality online finishing that can eliminate the need for offlining on most projects. The Matrox Axio offline HD codec provides responsive low bit rate editing of HD material on a laptop. It can also be used to maximize the amount of material that can be stored when editing long-form projects.

Matrox Axio also offers additional productivity features such as WYSIWYG for popular compositing and graphics applications, voiceover support, realtime mixed-format multi-cam, and closed captioning support in NTSC.

Mixing codecs on the same timeline

Flexible HD workflow

Collaborative workflow using centralized storage

Editing HD material on Matrox Axio SD

Downscaling HD projects for SD delivery

WYSIWYG for compositing and graphics applications

Voiceover recording in the timeline

Realtime mixed-format multi-cam

Closed captioning support in NTSC


Mixing codecs on the same timeline
Matrox Axio offers a flexible editing environment by allowing files encoded using different codecs to be mixed together on a single timeline. This simplifies integration with various broadcast equipment and eases file management in networked environments by eliminating file recompression to match timeline formats. You can capture your footage using the appropriate codec for the source material and then combine footage as needed. For example, on a single timeline you can mix DVCPRO HD, HDV, compressed HD, and uncompressed HD files that have the same resolution and frame rate and it will play back in real time. Similarly, in SD, you can mix DV, DVCAM, DV50, MPEG-2, and uncompressed files without worrying about file compatibility.

In addition, the realtime SD clip upscaling feature lets you mix NTSC material into a 1080i at 29.97 fps timeline or PAL material into a 1080i at 25 fps timeline.



Flexible HD workflow
Matrox Axio lets you balance storage space and bandwidth with your quality requirements for each HD project.
• For no-compromise image quality, Matrox Axio offers realtime multi-stream uncompressed editing.
• For those projects where HD bandwidth and storage requirements that can be up to 50 times greater than those for SD are a concern, Matrox Axio provides an MPEG-2 I-frame HD codec for high-quality online finishing.
• For responsive low bit rate editing of proxy HD material on a laptop, from a DVD, or over a low-bandwidth network, Matrox Axio also features an offline HD codec.

Uncompressed editing and finishing
On short projects, or when storage space is not a concern, there is simply no need for offline editing with Matrox Axio. You can capture, edit, and deliver uncompressed HD projects in real time.

Online finishing using the Matrox Axio MPEG-2 I-frame HD codec
For most projects, the finishing-quality of the Matrox Axio MPEG-2 I-frame HD codec can eliminate the entire offline process. It is highly optimized to provide visual quality that rivals uncompressed but with tremendous savings in storage space and file transfer times.

Offline editing using the Matrox Axio offline HD codec
The Matrox Axio offline HD codec captures HD material at 1/16 resolution. For example a 1920 x 1080 image will be captured at 480 x 270 at less than 10 mbps. Aspect ratio, frame rate, and timecode are preserved for easy conforming.

The Matrox Axio offline HD codec offers many advantages:
• Because the proxy files are small, you get very responsive performance for making your offline edit decisions, even on an ordinary laptop.
• When you use the proxy files on an Axio system they will be scaled to full size for previewing your project either directly on your HD video monitor or by printing to tape. You can even mix the proxy files with full resolution clips.
• When you are ready to create your HD master, your simply batch re-capture the required clips at full resolution. Frame rates match perfectly, so timecode is always accurate.


The following table demonstrates the flexibility of the Matrox Axio HD editing codecs. You can make your choice for each project depending on your storage space vs. quality requirement.

Storage 10-bit uncompressed HD
(150 MBytes/sec) Finishing quality
MPEG2-I frame HD
(100 Mbits/sec*) Offline HD
(7Mbits/sec)
1 TB 1.85 hours 22 hours 300 hours
2 TB 3.7 hours 44 hours 600 hours
3 TB 5.55 hours 66 hours 900 hours
4 TB 7.4 hours 88 hours 1200 hours
*The Matrox Axio MPEG-2 I-frame is configurable for a data rate from 50 Mb/sec to 300Mb/sec.

If your post-production process involves the use of different offline and/or online suites, you can depend on Adobe Premiere Pro for industry-standard EDL input and output, as well as more advanced exchange formats such as AAF.


Collaborative workflow using centralized storage
Realtime nonlinear editing gives you the creative freedom to experiment and make changes to your projects on the fly. In facilities where multiple artists collaborate on common projects, the next level of productivity gain comes from true file sharing using centralized storage. Where tasks are sub-divided, with everyone working from their own computer and storage; special effects scenes, graphics, sound tracks, and animations are transferred back and forth between editing stations and the other creation stations. All these file transfers cause delays, interfere with creativity, lead to versioning errors, and make back-ups more difficult.

Matrox Axio takes advantage of recent advances in compression, data storage, and high-speed networking technologies to enable realtime editing of HD projects across your entire facility. Media files reside on central storage and are accessed using a high-speed network so the most recent changes are immediately available to everyone working on a project. Access rights can be managed to prevent accidental or unauthorized modification or deletion of files.

Editing HD material on Matrox Axio SD
The ability to edit HD material on an Axio SD system makes the collaborative workflow even more flexible and affordable. Projects can be shared seamlessly between systems ?projects created on Axio HD can be opened on Axio SD and vice versa. The high quality downscaling also lets you save on the cost of HD monitors. Your SD broadcast monitors can be used to monitor your HD edits.

Downscaling HD projects for SD delivery
Matrox Axio features broadcast-quality NTSC and PAL output of downscaled HD projects with proper conversion of the HD color space to the SD color space. You can print your HD edit to SD tape in real time. On Axio LE, HD and SD outputs are simultaneous.

WYSIWYG for compositing and graphics applications
Matrox Axio includes a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) video output plug-in for Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop that lets you see your work directly on a broadcast video monitor. The Adobe Dynamic Link feature is supported so you can work in After Effects, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro simultaneously and Alt-Tab between the applications. The video output will change to show the output of the active application.

The WYSIWYG plug-in also supports Autodesk Combustion and 3ds Max, eyeon Fusion, and NewTek LightWave 3D. This feature lets you ensure proper 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio in NTSC or PAL, and check for exact color temperature, safe-title area, and any interlace artifacts that may be present in your images. You can also view the alpha channel of your output on the video monitor to check for defects.

Voiceover recording in the timeline
The voiceover feature of Premiere Pro is supported to let you record audio directly in the timeline. It is based on ASIO driver technology, which provides low latency. ASIO is a trademark and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

Realtime mixed-format multi-cam
Matrox Axio supports the multi-cam feature of Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 and goes further to let you view four cameras simultaneously in real time, even in HD, even if the formats are mixed, provided your Axio system has the proper storage and system speed. For example, in a multi-cam sequence you could use one DV stream, one HDV stream, one DVCPRO HD stream, and one uncompressed stream and switch among them in real time.


Click on image for a closer look (24 KB)

Closed captioning support in NTSC
Your Axio system can be used to edit NTSC video clips that contain closed captioning information on line 21 of active video. You save time, because there is no need to re-create closed captioning information when you deliver your project.

Captioning information is maintained when capturing uncompressed video. It is also maintained when acquiring DV, DVCPRO, and DV50 material over 1394. When capturing to DV using Axio’s analog and SDI inputs, it is encoded in the DV stream according to the blue book specification. When capturing to Axio’s MPEG-2 I-frame codec, the captioning information is encoded into the MPEG stream according to the ATSC standard.

You can see the closed captioning on your broadcast monitor as you play and scrub the timeline to accurately make your edit decisions. You can even apply some effects such as color correction and fades while maintaining the closed captioning information. Other effects such as cross dissolves and 3D DVEs, however, do affect the closed captioning information so care must be taken when applying effects.

Because Axio maintains the captioning information according to the blue book and ATSC specifications, playout servers that support these specifications, such as the Grass Valley iVDR, can be used to playout Axio files.

Full range of analog and digital audio and video I/O support

Matrox Axio supports a complete set of industry standard audio and video inputs and outputs via active breakout boxes for maximum quality, flexibility, and ease of connection. Matrox Axio breakout boxes can be rack mounted or used on the desktop.

Matrox Axio can genlock to any type of video input. Alternatively, Matrox Axio can genlock to house sync along with other SD or HD equipment through bi-level and tri-level sync so it can easily be timed into your facility's switcher or remote production truck.


Click on image for a closer look (28 KB)

When capturing video, you see the footage that is going onto your hard drive on your console display and your broadcast monitor, even in HDV.

Matrox Axio supports standard RS-422 and FireWire device control protocols with frame accurate capture and print-to-tape.There is no need to purchase third-party device control software for use with Adobe Premiere Pro.

All Matrox Axio platforms provide a full complement of audio I/Os, perfectly synched with video.

All audio inputs and outputs support up to 24-bit sampling to ensure very high quality and superior dynamic range during capture, mixing, and output.


Click on image for a closer look (32 KB)

VU meters are provided to monitor audio levels when capturing video.

Click on image for a closer look (32 KB)

Axio LE breakout box
• Simultaneous HD and SD output
• HD SDI SMPTE-252M or SD SDI SMPTE-259M input and output
• HD or SD analog component input and output
• DV-1394 input and output
• Composite input and output
• Y/C input and output
• Bi-level and tri-level genlock
• 2-in/6-out AES/EBU audio
• 2-in/6-out XLR audio
• 2-in/6-out SDI embedded audio
• 1/4" output jack for stereo monitoring