Matrox RT.X Readme

April 22, 2003

This document explains fixes and operational limitations applicable to Matrox RT.X with Matrox X.tools and associated third-party programs. For a list of new features and other important information about this release, see the Release Notes for your Matrox RT.X system. 

Notes  

• This document is optimized for viewing in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and later. It may not display correctly in other browsers.

• All fixes and issues regarding Matrox realtime export to disk, Matrox realtime export to tape, and .m2v capture apply to Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme only. These features are not available with Matrox RT.X10 Xtra. As well, certain effects, such as chroma and luma keys, are applicable to Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme only.

Contents

Fixes in this release

Operational limitations

Fixes in this release

Operational limitations

Please be aware of the following limitations applicable to using Matrox RT.X hardware and software provided with Matrox X.tools (build 4263):

Adobe Premiere and Matrox realtime plug-in

• If you import .tga files created using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 to your Premiere Timeline, the alpha channel will not be visible. If you frequently create .tga files using Photoshop 7.0 to use on your Timeline, you may want to upgrade to Photoshop 7.0.1, or download the Targa plug-in available in the Support Knowledgebase on the Adobe web site at www.adobe.com. (Ref# 28630)
• If your video drive is nearly full, serious errors can occur in Premiere when capturing or exporting. To avoid these errors, make sure you have adequate space on your A/V drive before starting a capture or export to file. As a reminder, one minute of DV data requires approximately 175 MB of storage.
• Premiere's Print to Video feature is not supported for the Storyboard window.
• If you’re using a RAID controller that has a system monitoring utility, such as a Promise FastTrak 66, you may notice some Timeline sluggishness or capture freezes in Adobe Premiere. Please disable this system monitoring utility if it is active on the Windows taskbar. 
• When you import 16:9 (widescreen) clips into your Matrox RT.X project, your clips are recognized as standard 4:3 clips in Adobe Premiere, even if you set the correct pixel aspect ratio for your project. This means that your 16:9 clips will appear with an incorrect pixel aspect ratio in the Project window, and display with incorrect proportions in the Source side of the Monitor window. Your clips, however, will be processed and output correctly when you export to file or print to tape, assuming you set the Editing Aspect Ratio for your project to 16:9 (choose Project > Project Settings > General > Advanced Settings). (Ref# 23442)
• Matrox DV-1394 Device Control can be used when capturing or recording material over the 1394 interface, and also when capturing the analog input from your DV-1394 device, such as the composite input. When you select a Matrox DV preset for DV-1394 input, Matrox DV-1394 Device Control is automatically set for you. If you later change your capture settings or project preset to perform an analog capture that is not from your DV-1394 device (such as to capture from a composite or S-Video deck), make sure you set Device Control to None by choosing Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks and Device Control. (Ref# 26824) 
• When using Premiere’s Lens Distortion video effect, the Fill color selected in Lens Distortion Settings appears as black in preview and output.
• Premiere's Play faster command (pressing ~ or L more than once) will not work if Premiere's Audio Mixer is open. (Ref# 22873)
• If you apply transform settings to a page curl transition and add a non-realtime effect, the transform settings will be applied to all the layers, instead of only to the layer that's curling. The same problem occurs if you use a virtual clip that represents a page curl transition with transform settings for which any of the page curl's sources is another virtual clip that is not opaque or not full-screen. As a workaround, apply the page curl as a video effect instead of a transition. You could also export the clip to which you've applied a non-realtime effect to an .avi file, then use your exported clip as the source for your page curl transition. (Ref# 23031)
• When using an Editing Mode other than Matrox RT.X in Adobe Premiere, you won't be able to use Matrox effects, even though they are listed as available in the Transitions palette and the Video effects palette. (Ref# 21119)
• If you create a virtual clip in Adobe Premiere consisting of two video layers and a transition, your virtual clip will not play back in real time if you place it on Video 2 or higher, and add an Alpha Channel key. (Ref# 20862)
• If you choose to replace a missing clip when you open an Adobe Premiere project, make sure the replacement clip is the same length or longer than the original clip. If you replace a missing clip with a shorter clip, a corruption will be reported and your project won't load properly. (Ref# 21170)
• If you apply Matrox effects to a video clip that was created using a non-Matrox Video for Windows software codec, such as the Cinepak codec, the effects may not render correctly. To get around this problem, export your Video for Windows clip to an .avi file using the Matrox DV/DVCAM codec, then replace the clip in your project with the exported .avi file. The clip will now play back in real time, and you can apply the Matrox effects you want on it. (Ref# 18288)
• If you move a video clip from the Video 1 track in Adobe Premiere to a superimpose track for the purpose of applying a Matrox video effect to the clip, you'll have to apply an Alpha Channel key to the clip in order to see the underlying clip in your effect. You will NOT have to do this for video clips placed directly on a superimpose track.
• If you add a numbered marker to a clip, you'll see the marker number on the clip in the Timeline, but not in the display of the clip in the Monitor window or Clip window. (Ref# 18036) 
• When importing a file by choosing File > Import > File, you'll see AVI Movie (*.avi) twice under Files of type. Either one works correctly if chosen. (Ref# 25632)
• If you export only audio, you may be prompted for the location of the video file at the end of the export, even though there is no associated video. This does not affect the exported audio file. (Ref# 26878)
• Both Windows XP and Windows 2000 provide the option of formatting your drives using the NTFS or FAT32 file system. Your A/V drives must be formatted using NTFS for use with Matrox X.tools because NTFS overcomes FAT32 file size limitations. When a hard drive is formatted using FAT32, files saved to this drive cannot exceed 4 gigabytes in size (approximately 20 minutes of DV video). If you do format your hard drive using FAT32, Adobe Premiere will freeze if you try to perform an analog capture greater than 4 gigabytes in size. (Ref# 27186)
• If you modify the color of a Premiere Color Matte once the Color Matte has been placed on the Timeline, the color changes will not take effect. If you want to change the color, you must delete the Color Matte, and create a new one by choosing File > New > Color Matte. (Ref# 26951)
• On Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme, when performing an .m2v capture of four hours or longer, the associated .wav file may be corrupted. This is because the maximum size supported for a .wav file is 2 GB. (Ref# 26560)
• If you are using a Matrox dual-head display card, to be able to preview video (such as in Premiere’s Monitor window) on your second monitor, you must set the resolution and color display settings on your secondary monitor to the same as your primary monitor. (Ref# 27042)
• In the Matrox DV Export to Tape dialog box, if you click the Browse button to add a logo (.tga) to your recording, the name of the .tga file will be displayed in the Browse dialog box until you select another .tga file. If you want to add the logo (.tga)  to your recording, you must enter a duration. (Ref# 26965)
• If you shorten a clip to which you've applied a Matrox effect with the Force Render option selected, then later resize the clip to its original length, the clip will not play back correctly. To fix this, delete the clip and set up the effect again. (Ref# 27198)
• If you overlap any window over the Monitor or Clip window while playing back a clip from the Timeline, a small line may appear in the video where the top or bottom of the other window overlaps. This does not happen in Video for Windows mode. (Ref# 26652)
• If you have a project on the Timeline that contains both video and audio files, do not Shift+Scrub in the Navigator palette, or Adobe Premiere may become unstable. You can still perform an audio scrub on the Timeline and in the Monitor window.
• When you animate a clip by applying Premiere's Motion Settings, you may notice that the clip is slightly skewed when played back from the Timeline. As a workaround, you can use a Matrox advanced DVE effect to apply motion to a clip. (Ref 27492)
• When using a multi-layered Photoshop .psd file to import separate layer to your Premiere Timeline, you'll notice that since all layers have the same file name, only one of the layers is displayed. As a workaround, you can create a separate .psd file for each layer, then import the files into Premiere. (Ref# 27482)
• Importing .jpg files that were created with a Nikon Coolpix 5000 digital camera into Adobe Premiere may cause Premiere to stop responding. As a workaround, you can open the .jpg files in Adobe Photoshop, rename and save the files, then import them into Premiere. (Ref #27545)
• If you place a .jpg after an Adobe Premiere title on the Timeline, the .jpg will not display correctly. (Ref# 27735 & 28345)
• Exporting a clip directly from the Bin will only export the video portion of your clip. If you want to export both the audio and video portions of a clip, export from the Adobe Premiere Timeline. (Ref# 27449)
• If you trim a clip in the Bin, then double-click the clip to preview it in the Clip window, you will only be able to press Play once to preview the trimmed clip in the Clip window. If you want to preview the clip again, manually drag the cursor to the start of the clip and press Play. (Ref# 28577)
• When performing an export to DV tape in which the audio portion of your Timeline is longer than the video portion, the entire audio portion will not be exported correctly. As a workaround, use the work area bar to select the entire range you want to export, and choose Work Area from the Project list in the Matrox DV Export to Tape dialog box. (Ref# 28480)
• If you apply a Film Noise effect from the QuickTime Effects folder to a clip on the Timeline, then click Set up in the Effect Controls palette, Adobe Premiere will freeze. (Ref# 28561)
• If you apply a speed change to a clip on the Timeline, then double-click the clip to play it back in the Clip window, the clip may not play back properly. As a workaround, always play back clips with speed changes from the Timeline. (Ref# 28894)
• If you import a 24-bit .tga to use in your Premiere project, it may appear cropped on the Timeline. As a workaround, clear the Maintain Aspect Ratio option (Clip > Video Options > Maintain Aspect Ratio), save your project, and close Premiere. When you restart Premiere, and re-open your project, the .tga will now display correctly. (Ref# 28998)
• If you try to place clips on the Timeline past the 3-hour limit, Premiere may close without displaying an error message. (Ref# 28229)

DV-1394 devices with Adobe Premiere

• For an up-to-date list of supported DV-1394 devices, check the Matrox RT.X Support section of our web site at www.matrox.com. If your DV-1394 device is not supported, you may not be able to accurately use device control for batch capture and export to tape. In this case, you can manually capture your clips and manually activate DV recording to record material onto tape. For other important information about using DV-1394 devices, see the section titled "Things you need to know about using DV-1394 devices" in the "Defining Your Adobe Premiere Settings" chapter of the manual for your Matrox RT.X system.
• If your video drive is nearly full (less than 500 MB free), DV-1394 captures in Premiere can result in jerky video on your NTSC or PAL video monitor. To avoid this problem, make sure you have adequate space on your video drive before starting a capture. (Ref# 20609)
• If you type a time code in the time code field of the Movie Capture window to cue to that time code, the time code display will not update while your DV device is cueing.
• When using Matrox DV-1394 Device Control on a Windows 2000 system, holding down your mouse on Premiere's Frame Advance or Frame Reverse button will not continuously advance or reverse your DV device. Instead, use the keyboard shortcuts for accurate frame advance and frame reverse.
• Matrox DV-1394 Device Control does not support the Slow Play or Reverse Slow Play commands. (Ref# 23046 & 26934)
• Matrox DV-1394 Device Control does not support the "J" keyboard shortcut for reverse play. Instead, use the shuttle slider for reverse play. (Ref# 18028)
• When performing a DV-1394 batch capture, you may lose the video display in the Movie Capture window. The display will resume at the start of the next clip in the batch list. (Ref# 21026)
• When using the go to time code feature of Adobe Premiere's Movie Capture window, typing a number higher than the last frame on your tape will not cue to the end of your tape. (Ref# 17998)
• If Always output to 1394 is already selected when connecting a DV-1394 device, wait for a sound confirming connection before scrubbing on the Timeline. (Ref# 26966)
• When performing an export to DV tape, make sure that your DV-1394 device is set to use the time code format (drop frame or non-drop frame) that you've striped on your DV tape. (Ref# 26814) 

• When capturing analog video from your DV-1394 device using Matrox DV-1394 Device Control, the capture may take longer to start if the device is not already playing when you begin the capture. (Ref# 27238)
• On Matrox RT.X100 Xtreme, if you perform a realtime export to DV tape using a particular DV-1394 device,  then play back the tape in a different device, the time code may not be accurate. (Ref# 27945)
  

DVDit! SE and other DVD authoring programs

• When playing back a clip from the DVDit! SE timeline, the Play button is no longer available once playback reaches the end of the clip. To avoid this, press the Stop button before playback reaches the end of the clip.
• In order to properly use your exported Matrox .m2v clips in your Ulead DVD Workshop projects, you must use the DVD Workshop 1.3 update patch, available on the Ulead web site at www.ulead.com. (Ref# 27992)
• Some DVD authoring programs (such as Sonic Solutions DVDit! SE and Ulead DVD Workshop), do not support moving  or resizing their live video window. If you are using a Matrox Parhelia display card in TripleHead mode, in order to correctly display video in your DVD authoring program's live video window, clear Use video overlay in the Video Playback Settings dialog box (right-click your Matrox PowerDesk HF icon on your desktop and choose Video Playback Settings). When you clear this option, however, you won't be able to adjust your video window settings. (Ref# 27975 & 28006)
• Software DVD players (such as CinePlayer) cannot preview your .m2v files accurately, so that you may think the .m2v file is not frame-accurate. This will not occur once you burn the DVD. (Ref# 27994)  

Installation and general operation

• When installing Matrox X.tools, if you try to change the Destination Folder in the Choose Destination Location dialog box more than once, the X.tools Setup program may stop responding. If this happens, click Cancel, then choose Browse again. (Ref# 26783) 
• Your Matrox RT.X system does not support the hibernation feature in Windows. If you try to put your computer into hibernation, a message will be displayed to warn you that the system hibernation has failed. (Ref# 26458)

Matrox MediaTools

• If you perform a capture in MediaTools when your DV-1394 device is already playing a tape, the time code display may freeze even though the tape is still playing. This does not have any effect on the capture itself. (Ref# 24718)
• On a Windows 2000 system, with certain devices, such as the Canon GL-1 and Canon XL1, you may get an operation error if you add clips to the clip list using the Add To List command in MediaTools. (Ref# 26785) 

Matrox MediaExport

• If you encode your Windows Media video using a recent Windows Media video codec (such as version 9.0), your video may not play back on older versions of Windows Media Player (such as version 6.0). (Ref# 28714)

Copyright © 2003 by Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. All rights reserved.