Two LCD Screen Query

Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

VHS Member Old Skool
I've been using just one monitor for awhile. I usually output simultaneously to a panny production monitor as well, via firewire. But after seeing a few dual screen set-ups, I got monitor envy. I picked up a couple of hi-resolution 20' LCDs, and hooked them up to my G5. They work great. (And my daughter ges a kick out of the cursor moving from one monitor to the other) But here's my problem:

The images in FCP seem poor at best. When I view other images on the monitors, they look great. (The res is set to 16something x 10something.) But in FCP (Especially if I use one monitor for my canvas at full size) it seems jagged and pixelated. At first I thought it was my source files, but even the text looked that way.

I adjusted my video settings, to no avail. Is it me, or does everyone have this issue?

Thanks
 
Yeah I have a similar issue with a set a HP monitors. My main monitor, which is a 24", does the same thing with edges of graphics and text. I wonder what it is?
 
You're seeing a lo res "preview" in RGB space on your computer LCD from FCP while you're seeing your true video via firewire to the production monitor. You can get full res video to your LCD's via a Matrox MXO.
 
I find the same when using two monitors. I believe that the second monitor is a lower quality preview video only. For instance, from memory I think it always sends out a single field version to make it all run faster (and I believe that setting can be changed).
I just use it as it is for previweing knowing that when I output it I'll get what I'm after.
In most setups I have seen, the video monitor by firewire is the preview monitor and the two screens just have the viewer, timeline, etc spread out over the screens to help workflow.
 
Hey RDykmans,

This seems to answer a question I had about FCP displaying images differently compared to the native Quicktime player or Shake.

So to gague the correct image I should use a firewire production monitor? (I'm new to FCP and Macs and didn't know that there was such a thing as a firewire monitor?) how about hooking up a calibrated broadcast monitor to the MBPro's DVI would that be similar?


Thanks

Dean
 
Wow, that's more than my budget can justify at the moment. Is a Matrox MXO the only way to improve the playback resolution?

Updated question:

The part I don't get is that I know both the Mac and the Monitor can play back at kick-ass resolution (just watched Chinatown on it), so the issue (it seems to me) is with FCP. Is it as MattC says, possibly a setting I can adjust? I realize that it would take up more processing power and RAM. Now I'm just wondering why I bought new monitors for more resolution when it looks like crap. I like how it spreads out the work space, but I was hoping for higher resolution along with it.
 
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Dean,

Sony made a firewire card for the PVM 14L CRT but I don't know if they ever actually sold any. For SD you really didn't need one, just a firewire deck or cam with component, SDI or Y/C out to your production monitor. Since HDV can't play out in RT over firewire you need (with a Mac) either a Kona or BM video card outputing SDI/component or an MXO which will play out via DVI or SDI/component.

Jim,

The DVD is playing back to your 20" LCD via RGB progressive where as your video is NTSC YUV, 2 different animals.
 
Thanks, but now I have another question (I know, I'm never satisfied). I'll be eding some HD (from an HVX) this summer. Will I need to get an MXO or something else to do that?

I have a dual 2.3 G5. I onlt have 2.5 gigs of RAM right now, but I was planning on getting more.
 
Okay, that clears things up a bit. But now I am gettiing the impression that a new piece of hardware will be necessary for me to edit in HD. I'll be shooting a feature on an HVX in a few months. I edit on a dual 2.3 G5 with 2.5 gigs of RAM (which will be added to soon). If I import HD footage, will I even be able to see it at all?
 
You can edit just fine using your 20" LCD's and the FCP preview mode, it's not terrible. Render your HVX edits back to P2 cards and play out via the HVX to a broadcast monitor for final evaluation.
 
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