Matrox introduces Onyx companion board for Matrox Equinox Series

Matrox Onyx replicates Equinox Series graphics capabilities locally outside the operating room

Montreal, Canada, October 23, 2007 — Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of professional graphics solutions, today announced its latest solution for OR departments-Matrox Onyx™–a PCIe, single-slot, fan-less companion board to Matrox Equinox™ Series. The Matrox Equinox graphics extension unit extends displays up to 250m (820 feet) away from the host PC via fiber-optic cable. Equinox can also perform audio/video and data routing/distribution to provide display information for medical staff in ORs, control rooms, planning, and education areas. Used with Equinox, Matrox Onyx reproduces the Equinox medical display and imaging capabilities onto displays next to the host PC, allowing OR staff to plan and monitor surgeries outside of the OR. The introduction of Onyx reinforces Matrox's dedication to providing OR staff with the best solutions for their video and data imaging needs.

Hospital staff can choose to replicate displays between any two rooms. Onyx can replicate images from OR displays connected to Equinox on displays in a control room to provide access to OR display information and improve intra-operative communication. Similarly, Onyx also allows staff to view patient images and prepare pre-operative information on displays within a planning room, which are later displayed in the OR during surgery. When ORs configure their workstations in the planning or control rooms, having Onyx as a companion board to Equinox is a preferable, cost-effective option to adding another Equinox in that location. For further customization, users can configure Equinox and Onyx to support display replication through Matrox PowerDesk, Matrox PowerSpace, and Matrox Desktop Divider utilities.

"The ability to replicate displays ensures the imagery viewed locally and remotely is displayed identically, reducing any potential errors due to mismatched resolutions and/or orientation," says George Rigas, business development manager for medical imaging, Matrox Graphics, Inc. "Control room and OR staff can change how displays are replicated and what information is routed and distributed remotely without rebooting the PC. This provides a very high degree of functionality for staff to work with, and applications to be developed for.

"Matrox Onyx supports dual independent outputs for digital displays (up to 4 MP each), and analog displays (up to 2 MP each), allowing any combination of digital and/or analog resolutions and orientations. The advanced features, including display replication for high-resolution/high-definition display support and ExtendiGray© technology, are only available between Matrox Equinox and Onyx products, since these two solutions provide identical functionality for displays.

For more information about Matrox Graphics Inc., contact graphics@matrox.com.