Monitors, etc.

T

thejessicastar1

Active member
I'm just starting out and had a couple of questions...
As far as a monitor goes for checking my shots, what should I look for in a monitor? (I feel stupid asking this) Can I get away with using a regular 13'' TV, or do I really need a special type of monitor (are they called reference monitors or field monitors or something like that)? I've seen some on ebay for under $100; is this about right?
Also, in order to mark the monitor for 16:9 (since I'll be shooting in 4:3), on another thread someone suggested bringing up the dvx's letterbox option and just marking where the black bars are, then going back to 4:3. Will this actually work? I had thought about just marking it with a line so I could still see what I had framed up in 4:3 too.
If you all could help me out, I'd appreciate it.
Nathan Nix
 
Re: Monitors, etc.

[quote author=thejessicastar1 link=board=news;num=1084773990;start=0#0 date=05/16/04 at 23:06:30]I'm just starting out and had a couple of questions...
As far as a monitor goes for checking my shots, what should I look for in a monitor?  (I feel stupid asking this) Can I get away with using a regular 13'' TV, or do I really need a special type of monitor (are they called reference monitors or field monitors or something like that)?  I've seen some on ebay for under $100; is this about right?
Also, in order to mark the monitor for 16:9 (since I'll be shooting in 4:3), on another thread someone suggested bringing up the dvx's letterbox option and just marking where the black bars are, then going back to 4:3.  Will this actually work?  I had thought about just marking it with a line so I could still see what I had framed up in 4:3 too.
If you all could help me out, I'd appreciate it.
Nathan Nix[/quote]

I can't tell you very much, but here's what I've learned so far. If you plan on doing any kind of anamorphics (in camera squeeze/lens) you should find a monitor with a switchable 4:3 and 16:9 function. You likely will NOT want to use a TV monitor (although that's better than nothing) because they have special filters or such that don't give you a very accurate reproduction of what you're capturing on camera.

As far as pricing, professionally, I don't think any production monitor under 300 (maybe even under 400) will do. I hear that the more resolution the monitor has, the better (especially for getting that nice focus spot). hope that helps.
 
Re: Monitors, etc.

A consumer tv won't give you as much color fidelity and accuracy as a pro monitor, nor will it give you features like blue check (AKA blue gun), which helps in calibrating the monitor to color bars, underscan, which allows you to see the entire recorded image (versus a normal tv and the DVX LCD, which show less of the image around all the edges), and 16:9, which allows you to view 16:9 images in their proper unsqueezed form (if you shoot 16:9).

At best, a cheap consumer monitor will allow you to check focus better than the DVX viewfinder or LCD, and give you a bigger image to look at, but as far as seeing exactly what's going to tape, it'll leave something to be desired. Unfortunately, pro monitors are a good deal more expensive than consumer tv's. If you have the money, I'd recommend JVC at the low-end for pro monitors and Sony, the industry standard, around mid-range.

You can get a decent 14" Sony that lacks the 16:9 and blue check, for around $470 at B&H (the Sony PVM-14L1), while the next step up monitor, with blue check and 16:9, goes for around $970 (Sony PVM-14L2). Sony also offers several portable 9" monitors for production, the PVM-9L1, PVM-9L2, and PVM-9L3.
 
Re: Monitors, etc.

Just noticed you said you'd be shooting 4:3 and maybe cropping to 16:9 in post. In that case, of course, you could make do without the 16:9 function on a monitor, and, as you say, taping off the 16:9 ratio on the monitor with clear tape so you can still see your whole image.

Of course, since 16:9 is here to stay, it might still be prudent to get a monitor with the 16:9 feature, in case you decide to shoot with the anamorphic, the DVX-100A's squeeze mode, or some future model of the DVX that might have 16:9 chips (we all keep hoping!).
 
Re: Monitors, etc.

Thanks for all the info guys. I've started looking at what you all suggested, but I'm not sure what I'm going to go with b/c of available $. Did anyone have any suggestions on marking the 16:9 if I don't get a monitor with 16:9 capability?
Nathan
 
Re: Monitors, etc.

Check out the Toshiba 14" flatscreen that we all love around here. GREAT picture, component inputs, and best of all, 16:9 capability. No underscan, no blue gun, but for $150 at Best Buy, you simply won't do better. If you can't afford a true monitor, this is the way to go.
 
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