Turbocharge Apple Compressor
Deliver H.264 video up to 5 times faster without sacrificing quality!
If you're delivering H.264 content for the web, mobile devices, Apple TV, and Blu-ray discs, you know how painful it can be to wait for the long encoding times needed to create high-quality video files using software only. You might even be tempted to sacrifice quality for speed.
With Matrox MAX technology, you no longer need to even consider making that trade off. Matrox MAX technology is integrated directly into Apple Compressor to let you quickly and easily create your H.264 files from a variety of video sources including SD, HD, and RED proxy files up to 2K. There is no need for you to learn a new application or utility to take advantage of this game-changing technology.
Working with MAX
You can use the three categories of Matrox MAX presets – Fast Encode, High-Quality, and Blu-ray – or you can create your own customized settings.
Matrox Fast Encode presets
Matrox Fast Encode presets use the MAX hardware and your CPU to deliver H.264 files faster than realtime. Quality is better than Compressor Single-pass.
Matrox High Quality presets
Matrox High Quality presets use the MAX hardware exclusively, thereby freeing up your CPUs for other tasks. Quality is comparable to Compressor Multi-pass.
Matrox Blu-ray presets
Matrox Blu-ray presets use the Matrox High Quality technology to create Blu-ray compliant H.264 files faster than realtime. The Matrox MAX hardware performs proper color space conversions from SD to HD as well as proper color space conversion from RGB to YUV to prevent gamma shift. Blu-ray compliant H.264 files can be created and authored directly using Apple Compressor. Files you created in Compressor can also be authored in other apps such as Adobe Encore or Roxio Toast without the need to re-encode. You should use H.264 level 4.0 if you want to create Matrox MAX H.264 files intended for mass replication of Blu-ray discs. You can use either H.264 level 4.0 or 4.1 if you want to author and burn individual copies that are compatible with Blu-ray disc players.
Customizable presets
Customizable presets let you create tweak the power of MAX to fit your own unique requirements. You can choose to encode at a constant bit rate (CBR), a variable bit rate (VBR), or a constant quality, then choose other parameters to perfect the encode.
Constant bit rate
CBR ensures that the bit rate remains stable; quality varies depending on the complexity of each frame. This is the desired setting when content is delivered over a pipe with a fixed bandwidth. CBR ensures quality is maximized over such a connection.
Variable bit rate
VBR targets an average bit rate. Matrox MAX squeezes out the highest quality possible for each frame while respecting the average bit rate you choose. It analyzes each video frame and determines which frames require more or less compression data. This is the preferred mode when the lowest overall file size matters, but you do not want to sacrifice quality.
Constant quality
Constant quality lets you deliver your desired quality on each frame. Matrox MAX analyzes each video frame to deliver the targeted quality, bit rate varies while keeping the lowest possible bit rate.
Adjustable parameters
Noise filtering saves bits by reducing high frequencies in the video.
Hardware deinterlacing ensures high-quality encodes of interlaced SD and 1080i source material
Sample rate monitoring verifies compliance with targeted data rate
Data rate slider produces smoother or more abrupt transitions
Frame sizes let you choose even resolutions ranging from 64x64 to 1920 x 1088.
Bit rates from 100 Kb/s to 50 Mb/s are supported.
Frame rates of 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60 are supported.
GOP structure controls are provided.
Profiles let you choose Baseline (CAVLC) and main (CABAC).
Levels are selectable: 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2.
Matrox MAX performance for Apple Compressor
Choose the Matrox product with MAX that’s right for you based
on the I/O formats and form factor you need for your workflow
 Matrox MXO2 Mini MAX Affordable HDMI/analog HD/SD video and audio I/O plus H.264 encoding acceleration Read more |  Matrox MXO2 LE MAX SDI/HDMI/analog HD/SD video and professional audio I/O plus H.264 encoding acceleration Read more |
 Matrox MXO2 MAX SDI/HDMI/analog HD/SD video and complete audio I/O with direct 5.1 surround sound monitoring plus H.264 encoding acceleration Read more |  Matrox MXO2 Rack MAX SDI/HDMI/analog HD/SD video and complete audio I/O with direct 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound monitoring plus H.264 encoding acceleration Read more |
Matrox Mojito MAX SDI/HDMI/analog HD/SD video and professional audio I/O card plus H.264 encoding acceleration Read more |  Matrox CompressHD Lightning fast H.264 encoding card for professionals Read more |