Monitors

mb72378

mb72378

Well-known member
I did some searching on the net and here on the boards and I am having trouble finding up to date info about good monitors for video editing.

Now, let me preface this by saying, yes I would love to buy a Ezio or Dreamcolor monitor but I don't have $5,000 to spend. My budget max is $1k for two monitors so $500 a piece. I was looking at and about to buy the Dell UltraSharp u2410 monitor until I read some reviews stating that it had color issues which is surprising given the stats for it. I am wanting a good monitor for general color referencing in Final Cut Pro, Color, Premiere Pro and After Effects. Does anyone have any educated suggestions as to good monitors that are as color accurate as possible given my budget? Also they need to be at least 1920x1080 but preferably 24" with 1920x1200.

Im so disappointed, I thought that dell was perfect for me.
 
from what ive seen lately, (even in what many would consider higher-end rooms) video people arent getting too wound up about their computer monitors, as those to whom it really matters, are viewing their actual output on a calibrated external monitor. ive seen hp, asus, acer, dell, etc. in use just about everywhere i go.

with that said ive been using dell's original ultra-sharp 24" for like 7 years now and its just recently starting to show its years. its been arguably close to what i see on my calibrated panasonic btlh1700.
so id say you could go that way with reasonable confidence...
 
@WGZN...from what I've read this morning people who purchased the ultrashape 24" up to 5 years ago have loved them. It's only the newer ones that are having serious color issues. what is the most reasonable calibrated monitor then?
 
mb72378 said:
I did some searching on the net and here on the boards and I am having trouble finding up to date info about good monitors for video editing.

Now, let me preface this by saying, yes I would love to buy a Ezio or Dreamcolor monitor but I don't have $5,000 to spend. My budget max is $1k for two monitors so $500 a piece.
Click to expand...

Well, this will be difficult. If you want accurate color for color grading, then you can't really get there from your $1K USD starting point. To do that, you need a monitor that can be calibrated to the Rec. 709 color space (for HDTV in North America) or the Rec. 601 color space (for SDTV in NA). Very few computer monitors can do this besides the two you've already rejected. Broadcast monitors can do one or both, but they typically cost more than you are willing to pay, even on the used market.

An alternative to the computer monitor or broadcast monitor is to use an HDTV that you can calibrate, but this again will be expensive (having a calibration done can be in the $300+ range all by itself), and most TVs that you can calibrate will be fairly large so you'll have to hang them on a wall instead of setting them on your desk.

If OTOH you don't care about accurate color grading... Just about any monitor will do if all you are after is something that lets you see enough to make your edits and apply your lower thirds.
 
and you have to consider the usual, "if you have to ask, it probably doesnt matter"

for most non-uber-high-end work: go to the store, find one that pleases your eye and simply adjust it to your liking.
 
Got two Dell Ultrasharp and even with a hardware color calibration device, I can´t get them not even close to REC 709.

It´s not even possible to have them calibrated to show the same color.

Now I got me a used Dreamcolor, but that comes with it´s own set of issues.
The DreamColor Engine requires a true progressive digital RGB signal over HDMI or DisplayPort. Interlaced video, PsF, and/or digital YUV over HDMI are not welcomed by the Engine. If you supply either or both of those, the DreamColor Engine will shut off, the settings for color space will become inactive, and the monitor will display full gamut, which is much more saturated than ITU Rec.601 or ITU Rec.709.


http://provideocoalition.com/index...._an_ideal_tool_for_critical_image_evaluation/
http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/atepper/story/dreamcolor_direct_interfaces/
http://provideocoalition.com/index....or_converter_boxes_for_non_compliant_systems/
 
What if I purchase the Matrox MXO2mini? I get one 24" monitor for computer interface and then one for reference. Will the MXO2mini be able to calibrate a "reg" computer monitor properly? Also, the issue then becomes...how the heck do I plug two monitors into my late 2011 macbook pro if the MXO2mini only has 1 output.
 
@WGZN yeah, according to a guy at B&H (was really friendly) on the newer thunderbolt macbook pros, the only way to get dual monitors and utilize a Matrox box etc. is to buy two Apple Thunderbolt displays and daisy chain them. I just don't have that kind of cash right now. I guess I'm going to just get the Matrox Dual Head2Go and try to find a monitor that will give me as good color as possible. Then Ill just move my Premiere/FinalCut preview window over to the second monitor and scale it to fit the window. If I'm going go that route and just buy two monitors what should I look at?
 
i wouldnt even begin to be able to give you models, as ive not seriously monitor-shopped in several years. but id look into asus, hp or as high end into the dells as you can. or there's always good old apple... but ive heard those arent what they used to be either.

but seriously, what id do is just go to your local best buy, office depot, whatever. look at all the monitors, wiggle the mouse around and see what suits your eye best.
 
mb72378 said:
What if I purchase the Matrox MXO2mini? I get one 24" monitor for computer interface and then one for reference. Will the MXO2mini be able to calibrate a "reg" computer monitor properly? Also, the issue then becomes...how the heck do I plug two monitors into my late 2011 macbook pro if the MXO2mini only has 1 output.
Click to expand...

The matrix system is more designed to drive a ref monitor, or even a standard tv. It has some built in calibration function. It requires an expansion card which can be had for either a tower or laptop, so make sure you have expansion capability. The matrix boxes are made to work with editing software, so the only use you get from the tv monitor is when your nle is running. Apple just revised fcpx so it can use a matrox or similar products, so full function has returned. Fcp7, no problem. I actually run two computer monitors, and a 32" LCD tv with fcp7, and I like it quite well. Not as good as a true ref monitor, but you can buy a matrox mini with max, and a decent tv for a little over a grand.
 
So here is my problem. This is what ive found out today in my research. My macbook pro...late 2011 model with thunderbolt...is going to be a huge pain in the ass to get a good monitor set up going. This is what ive found out...for anyone who doesnt know and is interested. Please, anyone, if im wrong about something let me know. Theres really only 3 options for a dual monitor setup on macbook pro (2monitors showing cumputer interface):

(1) daisy chain x2 apple thunderbolt displays through your 1 thunderbolt port on the macbook pro. (Really expensive) color accuracy on the thunderbolt display isnt as good as others in its price range, glossy screen. Im not exactly sure but i think later on down the road you can connect the matrox mxo2 to your 2nd thunderbolt display and then connect a 3rd color correction monitor...not sure though. Sure the thunderbolt display isnt without its benefits...multiple connections like ethernet, 2 more usb, facetime camera etc. But i dont know if those outweigh the need for better stats like color accuracy, brightness/contrast etc.

(2) buy x2 monitors of your choosing and purchase the matrox dualhead2go and connect to your 1 thunderbolt port. There are known issues with the dual head to go and its not a "true" dual desktop...it tricks your computer into thinking is using one large screen and then it just spans it across 2 monitors. Its $250 and lots of people have trouble getting it to work the way its supposed to.

(3) buy x2 monitor of your choosing. Purchase a minidisplay port to dvi/hdmi/vga etc. Plug one monitor into thunderbolt port. Buy a usb monitor connecteor and plug your 2nd monitor into a usb port. This is not a great option because the speed of the monitor going through usb sucks. Only really usable for email etc.

So...pretty much sucky as to the options. I know the thunderbolt display is nice. I just find it hard to drop the money on one when im pretty sure there are better...more color accurate...monitors out there for less. With the macbook pro we're kinda stuck...obviously you cant install a graphics card or anything else that will give you two true monitor outputs.....hmmmmmm.

What is a freelance editor to do?
 
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I know, this sounds heretic, but why do people think a laptop (especially a Mac) is a good idea as a NLE workstation?
They limit you in so many ways.
 
Does your mbpro have an expansion port? If so, ad a monitor via thunderbolt or video out port. add a matrox device from the expansion port. A matrox box will drive a component or hdmi device when fcp is running.

Grant
 
I know, this sounds heretic, but why do people think a laptop (especially a Mac) is a good idea as a NLE workstation?
They limit you in so many ways.
Click to expand...

why dont we let the thread stay on topic?
but just to answer your question. its because for some people - mobility is a priority.
 
Schlepping around a laptop, two 24" monitors and a external box plus a bunch of cables is not my idea of mobility, but I might be a bit old school here.


:happy:

To get back on topic, have you looked into BlackMagic products?
The UltraStudio 3D might work for you.
 
Postmaster said:
I know, this sounds heretic, but why do people think a laptop (especially a Mac) is a good idea as a NLE workstation?
They limit you in so many ways.
Click to expand...

Not that this has to do with the thread...but i am a freelance editor. I travel all over the state. My home office is where my editing set up is. I have to be able to bring my work with me to meetings and client previews but i dont bring my monitors...just the laptop. My clients prefer to pay for me to come to them instead of the other way around. I cant lug a desktop with me. But anyways i digress....

@ggrantly, I'm not completely sure what you mean by expansion port but I know that it doesn not have an express card slot. It just has an sd card reader slot.
 
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Just to point out: unless you are doing your own color grading, if you are really just editing, then it doesn't really matter quite as much. You will probably be working with ungraded footage so it won't be accurate regardless.

You might want to consider getting an HDTV instead (with a DVI input, or else use an output device with an HDMI output) for at least one of these.


Also, I believe there are external video cards that connect via either USB or Firewire -- you might want to consider looking into one of those...
 
@fde101 I do my own color grading. Kind of an all purpose 1 man "facility". I don't have huge/high paying projects right now so I'm not looking to get a dedicated reference monitor right now. I basically want a 2 monitor set up to show my computer interface...on the 2nd monitor Im just going to make my preview window a little bigger. Obviously this isnt a proper color correction practice...I'm mainly just looking for the most color accurate monitor I can get for like $400 to $500.
 
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