what to look for (and recommendations) for a production crt monitor

FiddlerMD

FiddlerMD

Well-known member
recently i've been scouring ebay for various used pro monitors cause editing with just the preview window is just no good .. what i see is really wide range of prices and sizes. I see the advantage of an 7" cause you can take it with you but then a 19" would be great to see finer detail.
also, i sometimes see varying info on the same monitor.. for example, i was looking at one, and some websites say 250 lines of resolution while others claim 450
so here's what i'd like to know:
1 - is there anything in particular one should look for in a USED monitor (aside from lack of burn in and the obvious stuff like this)
2 - are there any particular models/brands that are considered better than others or is it safe to assume that a production monitor is already "good enough" compared to just editing on a computer and output to tv?
3 - how many lines of resolution should one look for (and is it even advertised truthfully?)
thanks!
 
JVC make great broadcast quality monitors.
i've got 3 off their tvm 14inch in the office, and 2 17 inch in my editsuite
i used to use SONY pvm-9010 in the back of my van for editing sp on the road,
they were good because they were battery operated, but they were a bit too small.
and they were no 16:9 switchable

ian
 
FiddlerMD said:
recently i've been scouring ebay for various used pro monitors cause editing with just the preview window is just no good .. what i see is really wide range of prices and sizes. I see the advantage of an 7" cause you can take it with you but then a 19" would be great to see finer detail.
also, i sometimes see varying info on the same monitor.. for example, i was looking at one, and some websites say 250 lines of resolution while others claim 450
so here's what i'd like to know:
1 - is there anything in particular one should look for in a USED monitor (aside from lack of burn in and the obvious stuff like this)
2 - are there any particular models/brands that are considered better than others or is it safe to assume that a production monitor is already "good enough" compared to just editing on a computer and output to tv?
3 - how many lines of resolution should one look for (and is it even advertised truthfully?)
thanks!
Click to expand...

I am kinda going through the same thing-needing a monitor for editing that I could maybe use on some shoots...

The minimum size for editing is really 13". Anything lower than that and you won't be able to see detail. Of course, lines go hand in hand with the monitor size. 450 lines really should be the minimum for editing. 900 lines would really be the best you can get, but you will pay out the butt for that (and probably only REALLY useful if you are editing HD--though you can buy a HD monitor for around the same price.)

The key feature is complete controls on on front--which include contrast, brightness, color, picture, over/underscan, blue gun (vital for getting getting picture setup correctly) and if you need, 4:3/16:9. Having those controls on front (and not in menu) really helps setting up a monitor quickly and correctly.

As far as brands go, everyone that I've worked with says that Ikegami is the best. However, I have never been very impressed with color on any Ikegami that I have seen -but I have only seen 10 year old+ Ikegami's. What I think look the best are Sony monitors. If you get one with 450+ lines, they are very sharp, the color is good, and have good technology for keeping the color in spec over time. As far as JVC goes, I haven't seen any over 9" w/300 lines, but those I have not been very impressed with (probably because they were always sitting next to a sony that had more lines and was newer.) I would like to hear from others how 13"+ JVC monitors hold up with color/brightness/contrast over time (or how good they are to start with!)

I have been looking at the JVC TMH-150CGU which has great features (everything you need accessible through a menu) but I don't know how the color is on it. I would think that it is fairly sharp since it has 750 lines, but sometimes that doesn't mean anything.

The other monitor that I had looked at was the Sony PVM-14L1. However, it doesn't seem to have any really needed features (blue gun, over/underscan, 4:3/16:9.) The next step up in the Sony costs $1,099-which is out of my budget for right now.

As far as buying used on ebay, I am in a state of "is it safe?" I have worked with some really crappy monitors before (always for non critical color applications) so I know that monitors can go really bad. It also makes me weary of paying $350 for a monitor that might be bad when I can buy the JVC TMH-150CGU for $500 shipped (but again, I don't know how good of a monitor it is to begin with.) There seems to be allot of 13-14" sony monitors on ebay for a good price ($200-$400.) However, I am just worried about the color not being as accurate as described or pictured in a photograph (which is really hard to tell anything except case damage.)

What do you all think about buying used on ebay? Or would it really be wiser to stick to buying used locally?

Matthew Rogers
 
I also am a bit worried with ebay but my budget doesnt allow for a new one and really if i get one on ebay for $200 its not THAT much of a loss if it's not quite perfect - my editing isnt broadcast-critical for the most part and so far i've done fine with just the computer monitor. Also, with the pro monitors even if the color drifts, isnt it possible to restore it - hence all the available controls? (aside from just phosphor aging i suppose)
 
FiddlerMD said:
I also am a bit worried with ebay but my budget doesnt allow for a new one and really if i get one on ebay for $200 its not THAT much of a loss if it's not quite perfect - my editing isnt broadcast-critical for the most part and so far i've done fine with just the computer monitor. Also, with the pro monitors even if the color drifts, isnt it possible to restore it - hence all the available controls? (aside from just phosphor aging i suppose)
Click to expand...

Yes, there is a certain degree that you can restore the image, but for the most part once it really stars going, it's gone--there is only so much you can do. Really the controls are designed for small adjustments and not for correcting a tube that is going bad.

From my research today, that 15" JVC is really looking good. It looks like the color is fairly accurate and it has more than enough lines. The only downside is that the thing is 35 lbs--which means I wouldn't be able to use it that much for location shooting unless it was a lockdown type set (aka doing sit down interviews, etc.)

Matthew

Matthew
 
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