Apple HD 30" Cinema Display ?
- Thread starter zone6
- Start date
Out of the box? NO. Computer monitors by themselves can't be trusted for accurate video color nor should be expected to perform as production monitors.
I use an Apple 23" Cinema display with a Matrox MXO box but it won't work with the 30". The native resolution of the 23" is perfect for 1080 footage.
Go here: http://www.matrox.com/video/products/mxo/home.cfm
and read about the MXO box. It is great and is most likely what you are going to want if you are using a Cinema Display but I would rethink the 30" and go for the 23.
I use an Apple 23" Cinema display with a Matrox MXO box but it won't work with the 30". The native resolution of the 23" is perfect for 1080 footage.
Go here: http://www.matrox.com/video/products/mxo/home.cfm
and read about the MXO box. It is great and is most likely what you are going to want if you are using a Cinema Display but I would rethink the 30" and go for the 23.
Kevin - I checked out the MXO box. Wow, that is really sweet! You are right about it not being compatible with the 30" display.
Do you know of another option for me being I already have a 30"?
Is it possible to work of a plasma tv?
Is there a production monitor you recommend?
Thanks!
Do you know of another option for me being I already have a 30"?
Is it possible to work of a plasma tv?
Is there a production monitor you recommend?
Thanks!
RyanBellaCine
Well-known member
I 2nd that.
To go off in a tangent....
Untill OS GUI's are completely "Scaleable like Vector art" the big drawback of uber high resolution
computer monitors is also one of their advantages; Higher the rez, the smaller the text & Gui.
The plus side is the nice big canvas to sprawll everything out on. But if its soo hig res and small that you can't read/see any of the information, Then you've crossed the too much of a good thing line.
There are ways to zoom in to the desktop, increase the fonts an other options depening on the OS & programs, but none of them are anywhere near perfect. You candown rez your screen size, but with fixed resolution monitors like LCDs that results in fuzzy images.
I will say one thing the uber high rez 30 comes in reall handy is in photography workflow/ editing.
Using CS2 and Lightroom, that 30 is a dream! i havn't once found my self complaining of "too big of a screen canvas " when it comes to phography editing. In fact, i wish i could work with two 30's
however i do also believe the optimial setup would be twin 23"s. They seem to be Just right for most tasks.
To go off in a tangent....
Untill OS GUI's are completely "Scaleable like Vector art" the big drawback of uber high resolution
computer monitors is also one of their advantages; Higher the rez, the smaller the text & Gui.
The plus side is the nice big canvas to sprawll everything out on. But if its soo hig res and small that you can't read/see any of the information, Then you've crossed the too much of a good thing line.
There are ways to zoom in to the desktop, increase the fonts an other options depening on the OS & programs, but none of them are anywhere near perfect. You candown rez your screen size, but with fixed resolution monitors like LCDs that results in fuzzy images.
I will say one thing the uber high rez 30 comes in reall handy is in photography workflow/ editing.
Using CS2 and Lightroom, that 30 is a dream! i havn't once found my self complaining of "too big of a screen canvas " when it comes to phography editing. In fact, i wish i could work with two 30's
however i do also believe the optimial setup would be twin 23"s. They seem to be Just right for most tasks.
I think this will be one of the best LCD for color reproduction:
http://www.eizo.com/products/lcd/S2411W/index.asp
They should be there anytime now in USA/Canada.
http://www.eizo.com/products/lcd/S2411W/index.asp
They should be there anytime now in USA/Canada.
OK folks, computer monitors are NOT production monitors.
The best real solution for using a computer monitor as a reasonable production monitor is the MXO box with a 23" Apple Cinema Display. The reason fpr this is that the native resolution allows for pixel-for-pixel monitoring of 1080 footage. IMO the MXO still falls a little short in the color calibration department but future firmware updates may get us closer.
Even if it was possible to drive a Dual-Link monitor like the 30" Apple monitor with the MXO, I don't think you would want to use it as a production monitor because you would be scaling the image to fill the screen thus using several monitor pixels to display one actual pixel of your footage, not giving you 1 to 1 or a pixel-for pixel representation of your footage. Get it? Color is not the only thing you are looking for in viewing your footage on a production monitor. Levels of detail and sharpness, noise, correct representation of frame rates, etc. are all a big deal when making critical judgements.
Black Magic also makes a solution for monitoring using HDTVs and computer displays but I cant speak to how well it works because I haven't used them. Here is a link:
http://www.decklink.com/products/hdlink/
Best
Kevin
The best real solution for using a computer monitor as a reasonable production monitor is the MXO box with a 23" Apple Cinema Display. The reason fpr this is that the native resolution allows for pixel-for-pixel monitoring of 1080 footage. IMO the MXO still falls a little short in the color calibration department but future firmware updates may get us closer.
Even if it was possible to drive a Dual-Link monitor like the 30" Apple monitor with the MXO, I don't think you would want to use it as a production monitor because you would be scaling the image to fill the screen thus using several monitor pixels to display one actual pixel of your footage, not giving you 1 to 1 or a pixel-for pixel representation of your footage. Get it? Color is not the only thing you are looking for in viewing your footage on a production monitor. Levels of detail and sharpness, noise, correct representation of frame rates, etc. are all a big deal when making critical judgements.
Black Magic also makes a solution for monitoring using HDTVs and computer displays but I cant speak to how well it works because I haven't used them. Here is a link:
http://www.decklink.com/products/hdlink/
Best
Kevin
Flash Beaver
Well-known member
zone6 said:
Hey there zone6!
Here's our deal here at Beaver Hill. We do it all on a 20" imac intel attached to Sony 17" LCD monitor wth a native res. of 1280x1024. We have a GretagMacbeth Eye-One for monitor, big printer and scanner calibration. I calibrate the monitors a default white color setting of 6500k and a gamma of 2.2. I have both monitors matched perfect.
I recalibrate just for safety once every week or so, but they drift maybe a eight of a percent. All the same I would have to say my color accuracy for correction is about 97-99% Works like a charm every time!
Gretag sells a monitor only version for about $99 or $149 I think that should be just great for you!
Have a super day!
Disco Robo
Well-known member
I love it how everyone says you need to use a broadcast monitor for cc etc., Nobody is watching your footage on a broadcast monitor so dont sweat it. Make sure that you use the display calibrator assistant, take your time, and dial it in. Everything is lcd these days anyways. When was the last time you saw a high def CRT? Good Luck.
The reason people recommend using production monitors is that they are a standard. Meaning they give you a reference, so if they look good on a properly setup production monitor, and are within specs, the final will look good on the majority of tv sets on the market. Now that said, if you know what you are doing, you can set a computer monitor to give you an accurate representation you can trust. In my case, i used to use a production monitor, but with the fact that I do alot of editing while traveling, I have learned how to use my Macbook display in a way I trust. Would I prefer to use a nice HD production monitor, YES, but I do not have to.
On a side rant, it has always been humorous how an average professional would not dream of editing a project on any less than a high end production monitor, but when it comes to audio they use pair of $100 computer speakers. Sound is half of the experience, and if it sounds like mess, then people perceive low quallity.
Adam
On a side rant, it has always been humorous how an average professional would not dream of editing a project on any less than a high end production monitor, but when it comes to audio they use pair of $100 computer speakers. Sound is half of the experience, and if it sounds like mess, then people perceive low quallity.
Adam
bbalser
Veteran
Remember that the Cinema HD Displays are not CRT, and can be used for color grading in HD material. We use a 30" and love it. I'll never use anything else at this point. Once properly set up, the Cinema HD Displays are awesome. And yes, you can color correct HD progressive footage on them with proper set up.