Review: Matrox Monarch HD

Matrox’s Monarch HD (Figure 1, below) is a live streaming encoder that costs $995. In a video and accompanying article that you can see/read here，我将演示该单元的工作原理及其最重要的功能. In this review, I tested the unit’s functionality.

Figure 1. The Monarch is about the size of a deli-sandwich. Click the image to see it at full size.

Connections

I’ll start with a brief overview. linux驱动的硬件大约是一个小熟食三明治的大小.6”x4.3”x1.22”), with no moving parts, 这意味着它很安静，所以你可以通过有线以太网连接从任何地方流媒体(该设备没有WiFi)。. 该设备接受HDMI音频/视频输入，具有单独的模拟音频(Figure 2, below). There’s an HDMI output for monitoring and a headphone jack. If you need HD-SDI or other inputs, 您可以购买与Matrox MC-100 SDI到HDMI转换器组合套件捆绑的单元, or use third-party converters.

Figure 2. Connectivity on the back of unit. Click the image to see it at full size.

Configuration

您通过从一台可以访问该设备的计算机登录来配置该设备, configuring streaming and recording compression parameters, and inserting server credentials and stream names. Once saved in the device, you don’t need to log in to stream; you can drive the unit via buttons and status lights on the front panel (Figure 3, below).

Figure 3. Driving the unit via buttons and status lights on the front. Click the image to see it at full size.

Encoding Options

该单元可以编码的分辨率范围从92x96到1920x1080, 流媒体的数据速率最高为10mbps，记录的数据速率最高为30mbps. Note that the maximum combined throughput is 30 Mbps, so if you’re streaming at 3 Mbps, your maximum recorded data rate is 27 Mbps. 如果两个流的分辨率都大于720p，则录制参数必须与流相同. 这不是一个问题，我使用720p@3Mbps流/1080p@25Mbps录制组合, but you can’t do 1080p at two different data rates.

Streaming and Storing

君主的独特卖点是，除了传输流到任何RTSP/ rtmp兼容的服务提供商或流服务器, 该单元可以将事件的存档版本以更高的质量级别存储到网络存储中, or to USB or SD card storage on the device. For example, in many of my tests, I transmitted a 720p@3Mbps stream to the streaming server, 并将其1080p@25Mbps版本存储在君主两个USB插槽之一的USB拇指驱动器中.

While devices like the NewTek TriCaster, Livestream Studio, 或者Telestream WireCast也可以存储更高质量的存档版本, 有更昂贵的单元在一台单独的计算机上运行. The Monarch HD is a standalone, $995 device.

So that’s the setup; what about testing?