What inputs or outputs (I am so technically inept here) would be required to use your home TV as a way to monitor video you're shooting? Or is it even possible?

Yes it is possible. You just need a monitor with a HDMI input.

Nice.

I think I'm going to have to give it a try tomorrow.

Jason,

Hold on a second. You can use a regular TV as a "viewer" perfectly well.

But NOT as a "monitor."

There's a difference. A standard TV's job is to output a pleasing picture that people will want to watch. An actual MONITOR on the other hand, has the job of putting out an *accurate* picture that can be judged for critical elements like focus, color accuracy, and scene brightness elements.

The point is that if you just want to "see" the picture - the TV works great.

If you want to TRUST the picture, the circuits in consumer TVs that typically try to make them look "beautiful" to the eye are exactly the wrong thing to have when you're trying to produce videos that will look proper on all TV sets.

For what it's worth.

For the 5D, the Composite output should also be considered. The 5D2 switches to SD when recording anyway.

Some HDMI inputs don't care for the switching. There is often some delay when starting the recording on HDMI. But with composite, it's a bit less fussy.

Of course, you don't get HD for setting focus and playback with the composite output.

Can I just add that using that specific method, composite out of 5D to an SD monitor (Sony 13" production monitor) is what we've been doing on a short film my friend and I have been working on. For some reason, the 5D composite out is VERY mushy and soft compared to, say, taking an SD out on a Canon XAH1. They're both SD, sure, but the 5D composite out is very soft, even for SD. To me it throws your eye off where contrast is concerned, not having that at least SD-quality sharpness.

I'm using a 1Dm4

I wanted to setup something on in one of my 'empty' rooms where I can record myself for some upcoming birthday messages etc....that kind of stuff. And if it's easy, I can do the same thing at friends' houses. I'm just actually looking to use it for focusing when I don't have anyone around (Or don't want anyone around).

Then again, I wouldn't recommend using a field monitor for critical contrast settings. You really want to use histogram, zebra, false colors or some other method. No matter how good your field monitor is, it's not going to be under controlled lighting, and if you're shooting in CineStyle, things will be flatter than the final picture anyway.

For narrative, you want to pull focus to marks, not to the monitor. Find your settings with the x10 function, mark the focus points, and pull focus looking at the scene, not the pixels.

The main functions of the monitor are for framing live, and for playing back for review.