I was thinking of getting an external monitor for my post production. I have a 24" imac with final cut studio 2. If I could get some help on if and why or why not I would need a good external monitor and if it would help me and if I could get better resolution then on my mac also, some advice on which external monitors to get.

I'd need more clarification for editing / playback requirements but...

The best possible set up (in my opinion) is the MXO.
You'd have to buy an adaptor (for DVI-D to that mini display port) and also another monitor (LCD, with min 1920x1080 resolution). It will give you frame accurate editing and color adjustment settings (along with professional outputs).

If you want to go cheaper, any decently priced LCD should do the trick.
The three things I always keep in mind when I shop are:

1. Display Rate (under 5ms is helpful) & Refresh Rate (something that supports 60 hrz)
2. Max Resolution (1920x1080 is a must for me)
3. HDCP & HDMI inputs (this one feature will make the display more money)
4. At least 23"

I purchased a bunch. I have two Acer 23", a 47" Vizio, Two 30" ACD's and a 26" HansG.
They all are good but I use the Acer's the most. The ACD's are the cleanest but the refresh is bad (video delays on sudden action).

Anyway, hope this helps.
-C

I am using the MXO with an Apple Cinema display on a 24" 3 ghz iMac and it works fine. Fortunately I already had a DVI adaptor laying around from an old laptop. The display from the MXO looks nice, but the software is a little uneven IMO. When you do various things, the external screen will black out for a second and then refresh. This doesn't happen while you're actually working in FCP, but when you switch out of the application, when you first boot the machine, and at various other times. Not much of a problem, but it can be a bit unsettling, especially right after booting when you wonder if the screen is going to come on at all.

The MXO box also gets *really* hot while operating, but that hasn't been a problem yet. All things considered, it's a good way to get accurate color on a budget though.

Boyd, I responded to this issue on another post along with a potential fix.
-C

Thanks Christopher. I believe this is your other post, in case anyone else is following along: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/1134270-post11.html

It's not much of a problem really, just a bit startling when you don't expect it.

For FCP editing I use two Planar LCD's , a Sony NTSC monitor, and a 42" Vizio for checking HD footage. I run the lcd's off the dvi ouputs on the mac pro and the Sony and VIzio off a BM Intensity Pro card.

With an Imac you should at least have an extra monitor to keep your browser on one side and timeline/viewer/canvas on the other. Samsung makes a very nice 32" lcd, but depending on your desktop real estate , a 24" would be sufficient.

If you're working in HD footage, you'll need a larger monitor. Of course, the "correct choice" for evaluating color is a production monitor, but they are very expensive.