A quick question about SD production monitors for HD projects . . .

T

Trigonis

Member
Hi everyone,

I'm putting the finishing touches on color correction for my HD project, and I was wondering if it would be worth it to invest (a small amount of money) in an inexpensive production monitor so that I might see what final output will look like on a standard-definition television. Normally, I make color/gamma changes to a series of scenes and burn a copy onto a DVD to view on various TV sets, but this is proving to be very time consuming, not to mention a waste of DVD-Rs.

So, my first question is this: if I do purchase an inexpensive monitor, such as a 10" JVC, would I be able to get a fairly accurate estimation of what my video will look like when played on a standard definition television WHILE I WORK ON IT? And my second question, can anyone recommend a decent monitor within the $300-400 price range.

If it's NOT worth purchasing a monitor, or if I wouldn't be able to accurately tell what my HD footage will look like through a SD monitor, can anyone offer any alternatives to burning out "test" DVDs? Any advice would be very beneficial, as I'm looking to premier the film by June 22nd. Thanks in advance.

Sincerely,
Trigonis
 
if youre just looking at color correcting reference, ive had success monitoring dvcproHD in final cut out via firewire to a canopus advc110 then out svideo of that to my sony broadcast monitor. it doesnt give realitime timeline playback but it does display a parked playhead frame and that will be enough to cover basic CC work.

but the mxo + apple (or dell) monitor is a better idea:
- mxo $1000, monitor $1000 and you get realtime playback
- advc110 $300, broadcast monitor $1000 and all you get is a parked frame

id say the mxo route is a better use of an additional $700
the only drawback is the mxo uses one of your monitor outs so you lose full-time dual desktop
 
You could use an MXO out to the SD broadcast monitor aswell, using it to do the realtime down-convert. Best of both worlds then.
 
Wow, thanks for the advice, everyone! Unfortunately, I'll have to stick with DVD burning 'cause I just don't have the cash to go with any of these options; and the Sony PVM looks great, Tim, but my friend has a similar one, and it would appear that I'd still need to purchase some kind of HD converter like the MXO in order to get an accurate representation of my footage out of it. I appreciate the help, though! Thanks again.

Always,
Trigonis
 
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