SD/HD Monitoring... Lots of questions!

M

markyf

Well-known member
Hey guys,

The great edit suite project is moving along smoothly. Just to recap, I recently got a Mac Pro dual two core 2.66ghz on craigslist. You guys helped me select my Dell 2408, which I love. I've since thrown 4 gigs in the Mac (6 total now) and a 750gb Seagate Barracuda. I can now work from home, which is great as I'm in the final stages of my short film edit and there's nothing like being able to work at 3am in your underwear. Getting tons of good work done.

The next thing I need is a production monitor. I can work right now without one but I will eventually need one if I'm going to rent my studio for film work and I'd rather get more than I need now and have it be done. I don't have a lot of desk space. I'm looking at the Panasonic BT-LH1700W. Any opinions? I like it cause it's smaller and could double in the field when I start shooting again in a year.

How do I get my signal from the Mac to the BT-LH1700W as simply as possible? All I want to do is monitor. This is a project studio for editing... I don't plan on ever mixing down on to anything. I know there's the Matrox and the Decklink but what else? Also, is my current video card a factor? I have the NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT. I notice the Matrox would use my second DVI output. Because the Decklink is PCI, would it take some load off my video card? Does it even matter?

I might consider getting a second 2408, although that would be overkill in terms of screen space. My other thought is going smaller, getting one of those 10" HD broadcast monitors that can do HD with an upgrade. If I'm just monitoring, does it really matter that it can't support all the pixels. I like the Panasonic monitor because you could do full 720p which seems to be the format of choice for indie film. Any other thoughts? Sorry for blabbing on and on.

Mark
 
Also look at the JVC....JVC DT-V24L1DU

As simply as possible? Gonna need a capture card. Decklink Intensity Pro would be your cheapest option. MXO in another good option, as you said. And getting a capture card does help....they take the burden of scaling the anamorphic footage off of the processors and graphics card thus allowing for them to get you more RT effects with certain formats.
 
Cool. Couple things though... Panny 1700W doesn't have HDMI in, so how can I use the Intensity Pro with it? Looks fine for analogue, though... Also, the 1700W is referred to on Panasonic Canada's website as 15:9. Find that a little strange?

If I'm doing 40% SD, 40% 720p and some 1080 then this looks like a good monitor as it's got the smaller footprint. I think I'd be overwhelmed with two 24" monitors in my setup. That said, if I ended up doing a lot more 1080 than I thought I would, when would the downscaling of the 17" monitor really be an issue? If anyone cares to, could they explain very simply the technology behind the downscale.
 
Last edited:
Intensity Pro has Component outs. That into the Panasonic will get you good results.

I would opt to get the monitor that can do pixel for pixel representation. 17" is fine for 720, but I wouldn't use it for 1080. Need at least a 24" for that...which is why I linked to the JVC.
 
Thanks Shane. Opted for the MXO @ C $969 and the Dell 2408 @ C $699. No sense spending a lot more than I need to do. May need the money in the future for something else anyways.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top