-
Production Station Recommendations for Monitor/TV Output
This has nothing to do with the rendering PC – I am a PC nut and understand this component.
This is about the most efficient post production process and the equipment needed when targeting various platforms, like Television.
When I’m in final render, the final product never looks the same on PC monitor(s) as it does the TV (1080 HD) and I’d like to broaden my knowledge and potentially and potentially my rendering station to include a TV.
Is this what the more serious production folks are doing, putting a TV in their production loop?
As for my “external” monitor I’m using a multi-mon setup and using a second PC monitor.
So, the question is sufficient? If so, interested in the responses.
Thanks!
-
5 Replies
-
What you need is a high quality IPS monitor that is calibrated using a hardware colorimeter like the Spyder 5 Pro. You could use a consumer TV but you would also need to calibrate with a hardware colorimeter if you were going to trust the colors and I’m guessing that not all consumer TVs will calibrate properly which is why a high quality monitor is preferred. I use an ASUS ProArt PA246Q which cost $500 when new and it does a great job on a budget. Some of the Sony monitors cost thousands of dollars. You just want something that is calibrated properly.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
And to hook up the monitor? A second video card? Is there a post or article somewhere that describes this entire process?
Thanks for the info. It does help quite a bit.
Thanks John.Tom
-
https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-31MU97-B-4k-ips-led-monitor – 97% of DCI (which is a color space that fully in compasses NTSC, sRGB, and 709. The specs are pretty good for the price.
or
HP Dreamcolor for HD work.
Calman colorimeter. Its not just a hardware device, also the software is better than other colorimeter devices. The colorimeter software will profile the display you are trying to use and let you know what it cannot display.
AMD W9100, Blackmagic, or AJA video card to support the deep color mode expected by monitor.
Learn how to read the video scopes like histogram, waveform, vectorscope. Learn and understand the differences between sRGB levels, computer RGB levels, and 709 which is what the TV is showing.
Video players like YouTube, Vimeo, or windows media player will shift sRGB levels of codecs, for example h264, to Computer RGB automatically. This will change the look of the picture in subtle ways, so CC needs to be done so that this change is mitigated.
Workflow – shoot camera masters in a 10-bit codec, or down convert RAW/DNG level material to a 10bit Codec in 32-bit Video levels project mode. With Vegas what works best is HDCAM-SR/sr-lite, XAVC-I, or Cineform. DNxHD and Prores are workable, but have issues with a lack of a 64-bit QuickTime.
TV Delivery – the customer will specify the delivery format, most likely XDCAM-422.mxf/XAVC-I(4K), DNxHD/HR.mxf, or Prores.mov
Cinema Projection Delivery – 12-bit DCP, HDCAM, Blue-ray(some festivals will accept) or Prores.
TVs like standard Computer monitors operate in 8-bit modes. This includes most 4K sets sold today. Just because your codec is 10-bit, and the video card / display cable can pass 10-bit to the TV, doesn’t mean the panel will show the extra information. The TV itself needs to have a 10-bit capable panel.
-
[Tom Edwards] “And to hook up the monitor? A second video card?”
You could use an external card or device like ones from AJA and Blackmagic Design but you can also use a single video card. I use an AMD Radeon HD 7950 and use the Windows Secondary Display option in Vegas Pro. The help file in Vegas Pro lists all of the devices it supports.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
The monitors I listed are 10-bit capable. The HD 7950 will not pass 10-bit color modes. You need a FirePro device, or a video playback device like a Blackmagic card to pass the 10-bit color info.
The Windows Secondary Display option will work with the right professional GPU.
I do not like external video devices, like USB shuttles and what not. There is more bandwidth available from the PCIe bus with less overhead and latency.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up