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DV stands for "Decidedly Versatile"
BY JIM 8. GRANT
Videonics' release of the MXProDV switcher is further confirmation that FireWire (IEEE 1394) is becoming a standard transmission format. The company's offering is the first switcher on the market with IEEE-1394 I/Os, but it surely won't be the last. In running this 10-input, four-channel unit through its paces, I found it to be easily learned, surprisingly broad in features, deep in user-defined options, and fun to use. The unit is perfect for the event videographer or small production shop and is obviously built on the success of Videonics' MXl and the MXPro models.
With a significantly larger case than the MX1, the MXProDV has a lot of space to spread the operating controls. The T-bar on the far left and the joystick on the far right bracket several sets of operating buttons, including columns of function buttons, transition control buttons, and input effects buttons. The I/O jacks on the back panel are spaced apart comfortably and are labeled in white letters. This is a really nice design feature after having to endure years of hard-to-read, black-embossed labeling on a black chassis.
There are four inputs for composite video, four for S-Video, and two for IEEE 1394, which Videonics officials simply refer to as DV. The composite and S-Video inputs have associated stereo audio jacks with them. The DV jacks handle video and audio simultaneously. The MXProDV can accept and route four-channel or two-channel audio. On the output side are composite, S-VHS, and DV. The audio and composite video I/O jacks are RCA style rather than BNC/XLR. The DV jacks are the four-pin version.
Although the MXProDV can be used with one video monitor, I think that most people will choose to use a program monitor and a preview monitor. There are five user-selectable options to...