-
External Monitors – Get One!
Ok, with quite a few posts popping up about bad quality video and text on this forum, I think it’s time for a reminder. Final Cut Pro is a professional video application which requires an EXTERNAL VIDEO MONITOR to properly view all footage.
You cannot judge the quality of any project you’re doing using the Viewer and Canvas Windows on your computer monitor as those images are degraded. ONLY the external monitor will give you true, full video quality.
So please, if you have a question about the quality of your project, be sure you’re looking at it on an external monitor before asking for help with quality issues.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.comDirector, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow Posting “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
-
12 Replies
-
Just looking at Video Monitoring. Was going to use a Sony Underscan monitor but my director prefers to buy an LCD monitor for viewing. LCD is fullframe I think but are there any other FCPro issues I should consider before agreeing to this choice.
thanks again -
LCD’s are not ready for prime time when it comes to color reproduction. You really can’t color correct accurately on an LCD yet.
If he/she doesn’t care about accurate color reproduction, then an LCD is fine.
A better solution is a CRT for you on or near your desk, and an LCD for him/her that is set at least 8 feet away from the edit desk.
Director’s shouldn’t get to make decisions about gear, unless they’re writing the check. You need what’s best for you, not what he/she thinks would be nifty. An LCD is nifty, but not reliable for color reproduction.
debe
-
any recommendations for an external monitor
brand, type, etc
thanx…
-
thanx debe,
yes he is writing the cheque ! but i will get what i want if the arguments good enough. Colour is not a big issue in this case. I was a bit worried about the sync playback issues in Final Cut Pro that I am hearing about. I know that if you go out to video monitor there is no problrm. Just wanted to be sure the same was true for LCD monitors. Thannks GG -
I have a JVC TM-H1375SU probably a newer model exists now, but I like JVC.
bob vick
-
on monitoring….I always view for accuracy via an external monitor (that’s just a given)…however i was watching a project this weekend via the 23″ cinema display partly to just see what it would like in true 16:9 and also to test out the apple marketing-hype….
here’s what i noticed…the graphics from my 10bit timeline on output via the cinema display looked awful – dv style artifacts…generally yuck
if this is normal then how could anyone use this method for viewing HD or even SD projects as per the apple marketing spiel? it just seems a complete no go…meaning the HD CRT companies are not out of business yet!!
is this normal or am i doing something wrong?
G5 DP 2.0
2.0G RAM
OS 10.4.2
QT 7.0.3
FCP 5.0.3
BMD Decklink Extreme 5.1.2 -
[maurieketje] “any recommendations for an external monitor
brand, type, etc”
Sony PVM series is still the broadcast standard, though they are getting much harder to pick up. I run the PVM-20L5/1 and the 14L5/1 in our suites as they are multi-format SD/HD monitors with true SMPTE-C colors.
There’s no broadcast standard yet for LCD color correction and I’m hoping that will be addressed at NAB in a few months.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.comDirector, “The Rough Cut”
https://www.theroughcutmovie.comNow Posting “Good Eats” in HD for the Food Network
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters
-
Those rumored synch issues are 100% caused by user error. Many people who are connecting their video monitors to their FCP system neglect to connect their audio monitors (aka ‘speakers’) to the same source. Consult your FCP manual to see how to properly connect both your video monitor & audio monitors.
Arnie
https://www.arniepix.com -
There is an LCD Color Correction Monitor. http://www.ecinemasystems.com.
Cost about $17,000, but it is a professional CC monitor.
The Panasonic BT-LH1700W is close, but really meant as an on location monitor for the director/producers, or client monitor. Close….darn close, but not yet. There is even an LCD that Sony is trying to tout as a CC monitor, and I have seen glimpses of it, but don’t know the model number, nor have I had the chance to see it in action.
I have seen the Ecinemasystems one in action…and it is SHARP.
Shane Ross
Alokut Productions
http://www.lfhd.net -
Was this an HD or SD project? If it was SD, there’s not an lcd monitor that will look good. At least not yet. Common sense make this believable. SD is 720×486, HD is up to 1920×1080. Say you have a ‘lowly’ 1024X768 monitor, it’s twice the resolution of SD tv.
If it was HD, how were you watching it? That digital cinema desktop thing? An HDSDI to DVI convertor? Give me some more info and maybe we can make some sense of it.
Jeremy
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up