LaCie or Mitsubishi 22" CRT? at DVinfo.net

Jaime Valles · September 21st, 2003, 05:41 AM

Hello, all. Just wondering if any of you have any experience with either of these monitors for video editing:

LaCie ElectronBlue IV 22" CRT
http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10037

or

Mitsubishi Diamond Pro DP2070SB-BK 22" CRT
http://www.necmitsubishi.com/products/home/mitsubishi_index.cfm

They're both about the same price, and have the same monitor specs. LaCie comes with a hood for removing reflections, and Mitsubishi comes with 4 (downstream) USB ports, while LaCie has only 3. Also, the LaCie weighs 60lbs, vs 65lbs for the Mitsubishi.

I'm trying to decide which would suit my needs better, and any advice would be very welcome.

Thanks!

Jeff Donald · September 21st, 2003, 11:27 AM

I think you're into splitting hairs with these two monitors. The hood isn't much use for video, but great for print work. So, if you also do print work, that might be a factor. I've used the Mits and the picture is among the best. Some are even switchable to NTSC video, which may be a plus.

I have friends using the LaCie and I've been equally impressed with it's picture. So, price and the few odd features are all that separates them. Either way, you won't go wrong.

Glen Elliott · November 18th, 2003, 01:59 PM

Jaime, which one did you go with? I'm selling one of my two LCDs for a CRT to help the accuracy of my color graphics work. I was deciding between these EXACT two though I'll probably go ahead and buy the Blue Eye (if I go Lacie) or the Spetra Vision (if I go Mitsubishi).

I actually think Mitsubishi designs both monitors and LaCie just markets it as their own. The specs are too similar.

I did, however, find the 22" ElectronBlue IV over at PCNation.com for $600. Quite compelling.

But yeah, please do- let me know which you went with and if your happy with your decision.

Jaime Valles · November 22nd, 2003, 11:50 AM

Glen,

I just set up my brand new Mitsubishi 22" DiamondPro 2070SB. What made me get that one over the LaCie was the price ($678 shipped), the 4 port USB hub (versus 3 for LaCie), and the color (black, which goes very well with my computer).

I do believe that the LaCie monitor is also made by Mitsubishi, so theoretically the image should be identical. I haven't seen them side by side, and in fact hadn't seen either one in person before buying, so I can't compare them.

As far as image quality, this thing is beautiful! I can't see virtually any glare, and the colors are rich and lifelike. The resolution is impressive. Right now I'm using it at 1600x1200 for internet and email stuff, but when I start up with the vifdeo work, I'm sure I'll bump it up to 2048x1536. I've noticed that at that high resolution, very small text gets a bit soft, but seems ideal for long timelines and Photoshop work. All in all, I'm very happy with this monitor, and can't wait to dive into editing on this thing. I'm sure you'll love it too.

Hope this helps!

Jaime Valles · November 22nd, 2003, 11:56 AM

One other thing... This sucker is HEAVY!!! 65.7 lbs! And the box it ships in is huge-gantic. It's the one thing that made me think I should have gotten an LCD, but then I realized I'd be paying 2x for a comparably sized LCD, and promptly patted myself on the back for being a smart shopper.

Glen Elliott · November 22nd, 2003, 05:46 PM

Well if you want an LCD as a second monitor- to store all your photoshop/NLE palettes say the word. I'm selling one of my brand-new NEC LCD1765s (Check out NecMitsubishi.com, and my post on the Private Classifieds Forum- http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=17284)

Yeah I found the LaCie ElectronBlue IV for cheaper than that...should I go with the LaCie? Hmm- how about Spectravision...did your monitor package come with it? If so that was an AWESOME deal!

Regarding fonts getting 'soft'...there becomes a point when your res is so high it's not condusive to the dotpitch of the monitor. .24 is nice but it's not like the Sony F520 which boasts an industry standar .22. The F520 could probably display that res's fonts crystal clear...though it comes at a price. The monitor retails for $1700!
Another thing to help the sharpness of the image- which I didn't believe would work till I tried it myself is tone down your refresh rate. If your running a high refresh of like 85 or 100hz you might encounter a little bit of blurring due to the extra video bandwidth needed to display an image with that kind of refresh. I turned mine down (on my old Sony E540) from 85 to 75 and I actually gained a considerable amount of sharpness!

Jaime Valles · November 22nd, 2003, 07:08 PM

Wow. I just tried the lower refresh rate tip... everything is much sharper now! I never would have though of that. Thanks!

I say if you found the LaCie for $600 then go for it. If the image is anything like the Mitsubishi, you will be very pleased. I didn't get the Spectravision, though. The price was for the monitor alone. I'm not sure if you'd need it for web design stuff, or video work; an NTSC monitor is best for checking accurate colors for video.

I unfortunately can't take your LCD because I can't afford it, and even if I could I don't have any room for it! Good luck selling it!

Glen Elliott · November 22nd, 2003, 09:01 PM

What refresh were you running before? What did you switch it to to see the added sharpness?

PS I'd be getting the BlueEye Vision/Spectravision for web graphic design. Is it only for pre-press work?

Jaime Valles · November 22nd, 2003, 09:36 PM

Before I was running it at 100 Hz at 1600x1200. Now I have it at 75 Hz. It really is a world of a difference. Everything looks much cleaner, clearer and sharper. And no flicker. It looked good before, but now its even better.

As far as the Blue Eye / Spectravision, I really don't know. I don't do pre-press work, and have never used a CRT calibrator, so I can't offer an informed opinion on it.

Mike Butler · November 25th, 2003, 05:45 PM

Got the Mitsu 22, one at home and one at work, and YES it is heavy! And takes up a lot of desk real estate! And it's a bit dark both in Photoshop and FCP. Need to look at my work on an NTSC monitor to see if the lighting is OK. Next monitor will be an Apple Cinema...yes, more expensive but worth it, imho.

Glen Elliott · November 26th, 2003, 07:39 AM

I'm not sure about FCP but it may use video overlay. If so the look of the footage will be completly determined by your overlay settings in the video card. If stills look dark in Photoshop maybe your calibration is off. Did you get the Specravision with it?
The Apple Cinema Display IS sweet, however if your doing any graphic work any...ANY LCD is sub par. Reason being regardless of contrast ratio it still is incredibly inaccurate in the low end. Off black and black seem to blend together with no distinction between the two. If you adjust the brightness/contrast to fix this you end up getting whit saturation.

Re: Video work- you should always use external monitor. The only way to go!

Mark Monciardini · November 26th, 2003, 10:02 AM

Dude,

You can get a nice 18inch Sony LCD for the same price. I can't stand CRT's anymore. They are clumsy, heavy, you can never get them to adjust right, they lose their brightness after a while, take up too much space and much more. We have all LCD's here now and we will never go back.

Go and check out the Sony LCD's, they look awesome. Samsung is making some really crisp ones too.

Mike Butler · November 26th, 2003, 10:54 AM

Glen, no Spectravision. I did play with the gamma some and it helped a little.

Mark, Sony is same price as what, Apple or Mitsubishi?

I totally agree about the major disadvantages of CRTs. I had to ship my desktop to an on-location gig, and there ain't no way I was gonna ship that load of a Mitsu 22 with it, so I "borrowed" an LCD off the Fiery print spooler (using the Mitsu to take its place) and shipped the little LCD instead. Worked out fine. Of course, not as easy as bringing a laptop. :-)

Glen Elliott · November 26th, 2003, 07:22 PM

Mark, the only advantages LCDs have over CRTs are physical ones. If space and weight aren't an issue CRTs are still king (visually). LCDs are more than adequate for video work in an NLE- but you can't do any serious graphic work on an LCD....and I have a set of really nice ones *thankyouverymuch*
http://www.mazdamp3.com/vbb230/_hand...my%20setup.jpg Better displaymate results and pixel response than any in Sony's line-up. Yet- it's still not up to par of a good calibrated CRT. It'll be a while before LCDs match the color representation and viewing angles of CRTs.

Jeff Donald · November 26th, 2003, 07:28 PM

The only image I've seen that beats the Apple 23 inch Cinema Display (LCD) is the Sony Artisan (CRT). Plenty of serious pre-press, graphics arts, design and photography is done on high end CRT's.

September 21st, 2003, 05:41 AM	#1
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	LaCie or Mitsubishi 22" CRT? Hello, all. Just wondering if any of you have any experience with either of these monitors for video editing: LaCie ElectronBlue IV 22" CRT http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10037 or Mitsubishi Diamond Pro DP2070SB-BK 22" CRT http://www.necmitsubishi.com/products/home/mitsubishi_index.cfm They're both about the same price, and have the same monitor specs. LaCie comes with a hood for removing reflections, and Mitsubishi comes with 4 (downstream) USB ports, while LaCie has only 3. Also, the LaCie weighs 60lbs, vs 65lbs for the Mitsubishi. I'm trying to decide which would suit my needs better, and any advice would be very welcome. Thanks!

September 21st, 2003, 11:27 AM	#2
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	I think you're into splitting hairs with these two monitors. The hood isn't much use for video, but great for print work. So, if you also do print work, that might be a factor. I've used the Mits and the picture is among the best. Some are even switchable to NTSC video, which may be a plus. I have friends using the LaCie and I've been equally impressed with it's picture. So, price and the few odd features are all that separates them. Either way, you won't go wrong. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

November 25th, 2003, 05:45 PM	#10
Mike Butler Machinist Mate Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Southern Connecticut Posts: 644	Got the Mitsu 22, one at home and one at work, and YES it is heavy! And takes up a lot of desk real estate! And it's a bit dark both in Photoshop and FCP. Need to look at my work on an NTSC monitor to see if the lighting is OK. Next monitor will be an Apple Cinema...yes, more expensive but worth it, imho. __________________ I ain't straight outta Compton, I'm straight out the trailer. Cuss like a sailor, drink like a Mc. My only words of wisdom are just, "Radio Edit."

November 26th, 2003, 10:02 AM	#12
Mark Monciardini Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 158	Dude, You can get a nice 18inch Sony LCD for the same price. I can't stand CRT's anymore. They are clumsy, heavy, you can never get them to adjust right, they lose their brightness after a while, take up too much space and much more. We have all LCD's here now and we will never go back. Go and check out the Sony LCD's, they look awesome. Samsung is making some really crisp ones too. __________________ Best Regards, Mark T. Monciardini Riverlight Studios www.riverlightstudios.com DVX100/Final Cut Pro 4/Mac G5 Dual 1.8

November 26th, 2003, 10:54 AM	#13
Mike Butler Machinist Mate Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Southern Connecticut Posts: 644	Glen, no Spectravision. I did play with the gamma some and it helped a little. Mark, Sony is same price as what, Apple or Mitsubishi? I totally agree about the major disadvantages of CRTs. I had to ship my desktop to an on-location gig, and there ain't no way I was gonna ship that load of a Mitsu 22 with it, so I "borrowed" an LCD off the Fiery print spooler (using the Mitsu to take its place) and shipped the little LCD instead. Worked out fine. Of course, not as easy as bringing a laptop. :-) __________________ I ain't straight outta Compton, I'm straight out the trailer. Cuss like a sailor, drink like a Mc. My only words of wisdom are just, "Radio Edit."

November 18th, 2003, 01:59 PM	#3
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Jaime, which one did you go with? I'm selling one of my two LCDs for a CRT to help the accuracy of my color graphics work. I was deciding between these EXACT two though I'll probably go ahead and buy the Blue Eye (if I go Lacie) or the Spetra Vision (if I go Mitsubishi). I actually think Mitsubishi designs both monitors and LaCie just markets it as their own. The specs are too similar. I did, however, find the 22" ElectronBlue IV over at PCNation.com for $600. Quite compelling. But yeah, please do- let me know which you went with and if your happy with your decision.

November 22nd, 2003, 11:50 AM	#4
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Glen, I just set up my brand new Mitsubishi 22" DiamondPro 2070SB. What made me get that one over the LaCie was the price ($678 shipped), the 4 port USB hub (versus 3 for LaCie), and the color (black, which goes very well with my computer). I do believe that the LaCie monitor is also made by Mitsubishi, so theoretically the image should be identical. I haven't seen them side by side, and in fact hadn't seen either one in person before buying, so I can't compare them. As far as image quality, this thing is beautiful! I can't see virtually any glare, and the colors are rich and lifelike. The resolution is impressive. Right now I'm using it at 1600x1200 for internet and email stuff, but when I start up with the vifdeo work, I'm sure I'll bump it up to 2048x1536. I've noticed that at that high resolution, very small text gets a bit soft, but seems ideal for long timelines and Photoshop work. All in all, I'm very happy with this monitor, and can't wait to dive into editing on this thing. I'm sure you'll love it too. Hope this helps!

November 22nd, 2003, 11:56 AM	#5
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	One other thing... This sucker is HEAVY!!! 65.7 lbs! And the box it ships in is huge-gantic. It's the one thing that made me think I should have gotten an LCD, but then I realized I'd be paying 2x for a comparably sized LCD, and promptly patted myself on the back for being a smart shopper.

November 22nd, 2003, 05:46 PM	#6
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Well if you want an LCD as a second monitor- to store all your photoshop/NLE palettes say the word. I'm selling one of my brand-new NEC LCD1765s (Check out NecMitsubishi.com, and my post on the Private Classifieds Forum- http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=17284) Yeah I found the LaCie ElectronBlue IV for cheaper than that...should I go with the LaCie? Hmm- how about Spectravision...did your monitor package come with it? If so that was an AWESOME deal! Regarding fonts getting 'soft'...there becomes a point when your res is so high it's not condusive to the dotpitch of the monitor. .24 is nice but it's not like the Sony F520 which boasts an industry standar .22. The F520 could probably display that res's fonts crystal clear...though it comes at a price. The monitor retails for $1700! Another thing to help the sharpness of the image- which I didn't believe would work till I tried it myself is tone down your refresh rate. If your running a high refresh of like 85 or 100hz you might encounter a little bit of blurring due to the extra video bandwidth needed to display an image with that kind of refresh. I turned mine down (on my old Sony E540) from 85 to 75 and I actually gained a considerable amount of sharpness!

November 22nd, 2003, 07:08 PM	#7
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Wow. I just tried the lower refresh rate tip... everything is much sharper now! I never would have though of that. Thanks! I say if you found the LaCie for $600 then go for it. If the image is anything like the Mitsubishi, you will be very pleased. I didn't get the Spectravision, though. The price was for the monitor alone. I'm not sure if you'd need it for web design stuff, or video work; an NTSC monitor is best for checking accurate colors for video. I unfortunately can't take your LCD because I can't afford it, and even if I could I don't have any room for it! Good luck selling it!

November 22nd, 2003, 09:01 PM	#8
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	What refresh were you running before? What did you switch it to to see the added sharpness? PS I'd be getting the BlueEye Vision/Spectravision for web graphic design. Is it only for pre-press work?

November 22nd, 2003, 09:36 PM	#9
Jaime Valles Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: New York City, NY Posts: 316	Before I was running it at 100 Hz at 1600x1200. Now I have it at 75 Hz. It really is a world of a difference. Everything looks much cleaner, clearer and sharper. And no flicker. It looked good before, but now its even better. As far as the Blue Eye / Spectravision, I really don't know. I don't do pre-press work, and have never used a CRT calibrator, so I can't offer an informed opinion on it.

November 26th, 2003, 07:39 AM	#11
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	I'm not sure about FCP but it may use video overlay. If so the look of the footage will be completly determined by your overlay settings in the video card. If stills look dark in Photoshop maybe your calibration is off. Did you get the Specravision with it? The Apple Cinema Display IS sweet, however if your doing any graphic work any...ANY LCD is sub par. Reason being regardless of contrast ratio it still is incredibly inaccurate in the low end. Off black and black seem to blend together with no distinction between the two. If you adjust the brightness/contrast to fix this you end up getting whit saturation. Re: Video work- you should always use external monitor. The only way to go!

November 26th, 2003, 07:22 PM	#14
Glen Elliott Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 2,898	Mark, the only advantages LCDs have over CRTs are physical ones. If space and weight aren't an issue CRTs are still king (visually). LCDs are more than adequate for video work in an NLE- but you can't do any serious graphic work on an LCD....and I have a set of really nice ones thankyouverymuch http://www.mazdamp3.com/vbb230/_hand...my%20setup.jpg Better displaymate results and pixel response than any in Sony's line-up. Yet- it's still not up to par of a good calibrated CRT. It'll be a while before LCDs match the color representation and viewing angles of CRTs.

November 26th, 2003, 07:28 PM	#15
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	The only image I've seen that beats the Apple 23 inch Cinema Display (LCD) is the Sony Artisan (CRT). Plenty of serious pre-press, graphics arts, design and photography is done on high end CRT's. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors