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Output Card and Broadcast Monitor
There are many posts on this. I’ve read them – most were helpful. I’m looking to do some colour matching between composites, despilling and colour grading eventually. Before I do, I thought I would roll the dice and turn to Ebay for a used broadcast monitor (my current CRT monitor is unacceptable). The project itself, shot on DVCPRO50, is aimed at film festivals equipped with video projection. As far as broadcast monitors go, I don’t really know what I’m doing and so here I am.
One post of interest pointed to this: Blackmagic Decklink card, broadcast monitor with BNC input.
Before I invest, what can expect from this combination? I’m trying to keep it affordable but I also hope to avoid drastic surprises when I screen this thing for the first time.
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6 Replies
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“One post of interest pointed to this: Blackmagic Decklink card, broadcast monitor with BNC input.
Before I invest, what can expect from this combination?”
If you get a decent monitor and properly calibrate it, you can expect to see an accurate rendition of what your video looks like, not necessarily comparable to perfect “black box” conditions but good enough for common broadcast work. You can also trust it for broadcast-quality color correction work. For sensitive projects a fairly costly monitor (possibly even HD CRT) is in order.
The missing ingredient needed to answer your question is “which broadcast monitor?” They vary dramatically in quality, resolution etc. The first monitor I ever bought was a JVC at around $600. Although it’s a little small it works great and is reasonably trustworthy. If you’re on a budget Ebay is an ok way to go, but be aware that many people run monitors into the ground so you never know what you might get. It may need a going-over by a technician before you can properly calibrate it, it could have screen burn-in, missing cord etc. so just make sure you know its story, specs and condition. If the Ebay postings are at all vague, avoid them. They are probably some liquidator that doesn’t even know how to test them so they just toss them on Ebay “as-is.”
Also, make sure it has at least the specs of the monitor I linked to above, anything less and there isn’t much point. It must have a Blue-Gun feature – this disables the red and green guns in the monitor to aid in calibration, and any monitor without this feature probably isn’t a serious option. Also make sure it has (at minimum) BNC connectors, ideally SDI but that may be out of your price range. I would probably focus on Sony, Ikegami, Panasonic and JVC brands, with Sony’s Trinitron monitors being the standard bearer to some degree.
Many will disagree with me and have other, equally valid points. Just make sure you understand the setup, why each component is needed and what it does, and what features are important to getting the quality you need.
Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com -
A very helpful reply. I jotted it all down. Just a couple of extra questions:
What, in your view, would make up a “sensitive project”?
Can I interpret “gun” as “channel”? (curious)
What’s the big difference between BNC and SDI?
Thanks again – SM
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“What, in your view, would make up a “sensitive project”?
Really, anything for broadcast (especially on major networks) is going to have to pass technical muster with the stations, and their standards vary so it’s best to make sure everything is tight and accurate, especially with regard to IRE levels. It would be quite embarrassing to find out the station rejected your work because your levels are too hot, especially if you have to explain this to a client who paid you to do it right the first time.
“Can I interpret “gun” as “channel”? (curious)”
Pretty much. A CRT monitor/television has three “guns” (RGB) and each shoots one of the three colors to create the complete picture. To properly calibrate a broadcast monitor you will need to enable Blue Gun, which only shows you the blue channel and allows you to make several key adjustments. Some people say it’s okay to use a blue gel held up over the monitor instead, but this is just as bad as not calibrating at all since it’s so inaccurate. Here’s a reasonably clear and thorough tutorial on monitor calibration.
“What’s the big difference between BNC and SDI? “
SDI (Serial Digital Input) is an all-digital connectivity option (similar to HDMI) and is a high quality, high bandwidth connection. It is a video transmission standard, like composite or s-video is, rather than solely a type of connector or cable. It should also be noted that many professional broadcast tape decks and cameras use SDI to connect to your capture system for the highest quality signal path.
BNC is just a type of connector found on pro-grade monitors and cables, so when I said to ensure it has BNC connections what I really meant is make sure it has professional grade connections. This is a small but important sign that the monitor is meant for professional use and may offer better visual quality. BNC is not a video connection standard like composite, component, HDMI or SDI is, it’s just a connector style that twists and locks. See below:
Most broadcast monitors have (at minimum) composite analog connections via BNC connectors, and this is probably what you will be using given your price range. Component connection is one step better than composite, and SDI is the best option. You will pay a little more to have each higher step of connection type on the monitor, but it will be worth every penny in quality. All three connection types – composite, component and SDI – are usually served up via BNC connectors.
Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com -
Good reply. Read it over carefully. I went on to look up BNC on wikipedia and it’s starting to sink in.
About that blue gun: What if I simply switch AE’s composition window to the blue channel and send that to the monitor during calibration?
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“About that blue gun: What if I simply switch AE’s composition window to the blue channel and send that to the monitor during calibration?”
That would be the same basic thing as using a blue gel over the screen during this part of calibration. The problem with these options is that neither technique shuts down the red and green guns. This is crucial as they will still be contributing to the on-screen image, and when you dial in your settings it won’t be based solely on the blue gun. Here is the technical explanation:
“the red and green phosphors emit small but meaningful amounts of light in the blue spectrum. Therefore blue light gets through when the desired behaviour is no light getting through.”
Also, switching the comp viewer to blue-only wouldn’t show that on the monitor. When using a broadcast monitor you typically only see After Effects’ output, i.e. the finished result, NOT what you see in the comp viewer.
Brendan Coots
Splitvision Digital
http://www.splitvisiondigital.com -
Understood. Thanks very much for the time. Off to Ebay.
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