I see on professional sets that a director watches the scene through a playback monitor. is there any equivalent that DSLR videographers could use? I was thinking of using an older HDTV i have would that work?

A number of newer production monitor s have HDMI inputs so all you need is the proper cabling (usually HDMI Mini - HDMI) to connect the monitor. You can use a HDTV but it will not be as accurate for framing and color. Also, if the monitor has a DVI input you can use a HDMI to DVI cable or adapter. DVI is basically the video portion of the signal coming from and HDMI.

-Garrett

I never knew the industry term was production monitor. Thankyou for the advice