Matrox RTMac

[Protools5LEGuy]

http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/2002/07_jul/features/cw_nle_buyers4.htm

Matrox RTMac Matrox RTMac is a PCI video card that provides real time DV effects processing, analog NTSC/PAL video capture and output/display capabilities, as well as support for connecting a second computer monitor to your Power Mac G4. It can be used with either Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere video editing software ......
RTMac lets you work with two layers of video and one graphics layer, or two graphics layers and one video layer in real time. RTMac is powered by Matrox Flex 3D, a video mixing and effects architecture that's also the engine inside the Matrox RT2500 and DigiSuite. ........
Like the Matrox RT2500, if you've added real time effects to your production in either Final Cut Pro or Premiere, they must be rendered if you send your final product back to DV. But if you're going to analog tape, no rendering of those effects is necessary. There is a bundle available with Adobe Premiere 6.0; If you want to use Final Cut Pro 3, you must purchase it separately. ($599 US, $799 with Adobe Premiere)

System requirements
http://www.matrox.com/video/en/support/rtmac/rec/system/

Minimum System Requirements

    Single or multi-processor Power Mac G4 with AGP motherboard.
    400-MHz PowerPC G4 processor.
    384 MB RAM.
    One free PCI slot.
    Fast EIDE/Ultra ATA or SCSI disk drives.
    For OS 9: Mac OS 9.1, QuickTime 5.0.5, Final Cut Pro 2 or 3
    For OS X: Mac OS X 10.2.6, 10.2.8 or 10.3, QuickTime 6.4, Final Cut Pro 3.0 or 4.1.1

The Matrox RTMac software for OS X detects the capabilities of your computer and enables more realtime features on a faster system. To take full advantage of realtime editing on Matrox RTMac for OS X, use the recommended system configuration.

Recommended System Configuration

    667-MHz or faster PowerPC G4 processor
    512 MB RAM
    Greater than 1 MB combined L2 and L3 cache (per processor)
    133-MHz or faster system bus

Important: Please note that the Power Mac G5 is not supported with Matrox RTMac. As well, Final Cut Pro version 4.5 is not supported with Matrox RTMac.

Storage recommendations
http://www.matrox.com/video/en/support/rtmac/rec/storage/

To support dual-stream realtime editing with Matrox RTMac, your hard drive must sustain transfers at a rate of at least 12 megabytes per second (12 MB/sec). Virtually all hard disks manufactured within the last year should be acceptable for use with RTMac, as long as they have a rotational speed rating of at least 5400 R.P.M. and are capable of sustaining at least 12 MB/sec transfers. SCSI drives may also be used for realtime editing with RTMac, as long as they meet the same minimum transfer rate. As a rule of thumb, we recommend you only fill your disks to 80% capacity, since filling a hard disk entirely can degrade performance.

The Ultra ATA* drive that came with your Power Mac G4 meets the minimum system requirements for realtime editing with the RTMac. However, to ensure optimum performance, we recommend that you use a separate dedicated drive for your video/audio storage.

Note: Our tests have shown that 1394 hard drives are not capable of sustaining the data transfer rates that are needed for editing with the RTMac.

* Ultra ATA is also referred to as Ultra DMA, Enhanced IDE, or ATA-66/100, depending on the specifications and capabilities of the storage device.

F.A.Q.

http://www.matrox.com/video/en/support/rtmac/faqs/general/

What is Matrox RTMac?
Matrox RTMac is a PCI video card that provides realtime DV effects processing, analog NTSC/PAL video capture and output/display capabilities, as well as support for connecting a second computer monitor to your Power Mac G4. It is used with Final Cut Pro video editing software.
For whom is this product designed?
Matrox RTMac brings creative flexibility to professional content creators. Corporate communicators, educational facilities, digital filmmakers, and multimedia producers will all benefit from RTMac's realtime editing performance, analog I/O and secondary VGA output.
What are the key features of Matrox RTMac?

    Realtime native DV editing with realtime broadcast-quality effects
    Simultaneous display of video-in-a-window on your computer monitor and full-resolution display on your NTSC or PAL video monitor
    Lets you work with up to four layers in real time - two video layers and two graphics layers
    Realtime processing including:
        transitions between video and/or graphics layers (includes cross dissolves, wipes, slides, and irises)
        up to two Motion Effects on video or graphics
        opacity control on up to three layers
    Realtime alpha-keyed titles and graphics
    Analog video capture and output (composite and S-Video)
    Analog audio capture and output (stereo RCA)
    Video input and output at full resolution and frame rate
    VGA output for connection to a VGA monitor
    Support for standard 4:3 editing or 16:9 widescreen editing.

What are the system requirements for Mac OS X?
Matrox RTMac requires the following minimum system configuration:

    Single or multi-processor Power Mac G4 with AGP motherboard
    400-MHz PowerPC G4 processor
    384 MB RAM
    One free PCI slot
    CD-ROM drive for software installation
    Mac OS X version 10.2.6, 10.2.8 (aka Jaguar) or 10.3 (aka Panther)
    Final Cut Pro 3.0.4 or Final Cut Pro 4.1.1
    QuickTime version 6.3 or later

Important Please note that the Power Mac G5 is not supported with Matrox RTMac.

The Matrox RTMac software detects the capabilities of your computer, and enables more realtime features on a faster system. To take full advantage of realtime editing on Matrox RTMac, use the following recommended system configuration:

    667-MHz or faster PowerPC G4 processor
    512 MB RAM
    Greater than 1 MB combined L2 and L3 cache (per processor)
    133-MHz or faster system bus

What are the system requirements for Mac OS 9?
Matrox RTMac requires the following minimum system configuration:� Single or multi-processor Power Mac G4 with AGP motherboard

    400-MHz or faster PowerPC G4 processor
    320 MB RAM (minimum)
    One free PCI slot
    Mac OS version 9.2.2
    Final Cut Pro 3.0.4
    QuickTime 5

Does RTMac support Final Cut Pro HD 4.5?
RTMac does not support Final Cut Pro HD (aka Final Cut Pro 4.5).
Does RTMac support Mac OS X Panther?

Version 4.1 of RTMac drivers provides support for Mac OS X Panther version 10.3, Final Cut Pro 3.0.4 or Final Cut Pro 4.1.1, and QuickTime 6.4 or later.
Will there be any future releases of RTMac?

Matrox has no plans for any additional driver releases.
Click to hide How long will Matrox continue to support RTMac on the Power Mac G4?

As long as possible. RTMac is still an excellent option for the Power Mac G4 and Final Cut Pro users who need analog I/O and the type of realtime preview capabilities they can't get from software alone.

F.A.Q. Final Cut+RTMac

http://www.matrox.com/video/en/support/rtmac/faqs/final_cut_pro/

How do I know what effects are realtime enabled?
Realtime transitions appear in boldface. All effects in the Motion tab are realtime except for motion blur.
Can I use Final Cut Pro G4 realtime effects and RTMac hardware effects at the same time?

Not at the same time. To work with the Final Cut Pro G4 realtime effects, you must disable the RTMac card. This is easy to do and accomplished using the Matrox RTMac control panel. If you choose to use the RTMac's realtime effects, you can render any effects that aren't supported.
If I exceed the realtime performance available, does Matrox RTMac accelerate rendering?

To accelerate rendering, you would need a faster Power Mac G4.
How do I get my video footage from my DV camera onto the hard disk?

The DV capture process is the same whether you are using Matrox RTMac or not. You simply plug your DV device into the FireWire port of your Power Mac G4 and capture your DV clips using Final Cut Pro.
What about capture from analog sources like a Hi-8 camera or VHS deck?

You connect your analog device to either the S-Video or composite input connectors on the Matrox RTMac breakout box and capture using Final Cut Pro. The RTMac breakout box also has two RCA input connectors for stereo audio. Matrox RTMac digitizes the analog signals and simultaneously compresses them to DV format for use with your native-DV footage. You are always working with DV clips on your Timeline. If you are working in NTSC, your clips are captured at 720 x 480 at 29.97 frames per second (fps), with audio at 48 kHz. If you are working in PAL, your clips are captured at 720 x 576 at 25 fps, with audio at 48 kHz.
How do I prepare my projects for output?

Once you've finished your projects, you can record them in real time to analog tape without rendering. If you've only got cuts in your sequence, you don't even need to render when you record to DV tape. If you do have effects on your timeline, those parts of your project must be rendered before recording to DV tape, but you'll only have to do this once, at the very end of your production.
How do I prepare projects for output on DVD?

You can simply export your projects as QuickTime files and use Apple iDVD authoring software (bundled with Power Mac G4 computers shipped with Superdrives). Alternatively, you can purchase and use Apple DVD Studio Pro (sold separately).

Final Cut Pro 3 settings and preferences

http://www.matrox.com/video/media/pdf/support/rtmac/archive/en_RTMac_FCP3_Visual_Guide.pdf

[Protools5LEGuy]

A good article on RTMac with Premiere http://www.manifest-tech.com/media_pc/rtmac_premiere.htm

[Protools5LEGuy]

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