One of the hardware devices I use is the Matrox MXO2 Mini. It’s a fantastic little box that can support Avid, Adobe and Apple’s legacy Final Cut Pro product. It runs on the desktop and can also run on a properly equipped laptop. Add the accelerated MAX H.264 compression and it can speed up the workday as well. Matrox has also now officially commented on Final Cut Pro X support on its site. Matrox had no special advance hooks into FCPX, so the message confirms what we already knew: “FCP X does not support professional video monitoring” from Matrox devices, or really any other third-party hardware devices at this point in time.

In Matrox’s words, from its website:

With FCP 7, the Matrox MXO2 devices provide full quality audio and video monitoring via digital and analog outputs so you don’t need to rely on just a preview-quality output when making edit decisions. The Matrox MXO2 products also include the unique Matrox HDMI Calibration Utility that lets an HDMI monitor perform like a broadcast HD/SD monitor.

FCP X does not support professional video monitoring. For full-screen, preview-quality output you can use the second DisplayPort output from your computer in Full Screen Mode. The audio outputs of the MXO2 devices can be used for audio monitoring.

Matrox does comment on quite a few other things related to FCPX and Compressor 4, including capture, monitoring, saving $100 and “lghtning fast H.264 encoding.” In the end, the company says it is “committed to adding new features to the Matrox MXO2 products to further enhance FCP X workflows for professional users. As the FCP X software platform evolves, so too will the workflows we can offer.” That makes Matrox like most everyone else who works in the professional broadcast space: we are all waiting for Final Cut Pro X to become more … pro.