Cheap temporary alternative for Broadcast monitor?Or used broadcast monitor@HongKong? at DVinfo.net

Sergio Perez · June 23rd, 2005, 08:15 PM

Since I've to wait almost 3 months for a broadcast monitor to arrive with sd/hd capabilities, I would like to know from you guys if there's any solution out there in the market, more precisely on consumer models, that can give me acurate color reproduction, with an error margin that can give me some security while color correcting in FCP. I really need a solution since I've a couple of pending jobs, so all help is appreciated! I cannot get used gear as well as new equipment over here in Macau. I can, however, get it in Hong Kong. I just don't know were...

Any consumer tv's worth using? (budget 1000 USD)

Glenn Chan · June 23rd, 2005, 11:56 PM

3 months is quite a long time for a company to deliver a monitor.... maybe you can call them and get air shipping and get them to ship the monitor out faster?

Anyways...
If you do have to use a consumer TV, get a CRT-based one if your target audience is broadcast (and most of your audience will be watching on CRTs). Not LCD or plasma.

Calibration instructions:
http://www.videouniversity.com/tvbars2.htm
The blue gel would likely help, although I don't know how much it would actually help.

Other notes:
A- Try matching the color temperature of all light sources in your room. Minimize the # of light sources to make things easier. Block sunlight, turn offending lights off. Many but not all monitors have RGB controls to manually set white point.
B- If you don't have a gel, just set the monitor settings in the middle position. White balance needs to come down. 6500k color temperature probably isn't critical unless you have p22 or SMPTE C phosphors.
C- After that just throw up some tests on your monitor. Put up a black and white image, and look to see if you can see color. You shouldn't be able to.
Display black on the monitor, and look at the glare and reflection. Be aware of it.
Display a gradient and see if the blacks are being crushed. Final Cut handles color space different from other programs... 255 is sometimes illegal, sometimes not depending on filter.
D- Turn off cheats in consumer TVs. One of them is flesh tone "correction". Another is aperture/sharpness. Noise reduction is another.

2- For 1000USD, you can get a new broadcast monitor. If you don't have a field broadcast monitor already, I'd look at getting one. They are smaller and lighter so it's practical to carry them around. They are slightly cheaper as well.

Higher priced monitors do give more accurate color however... especially the ones with calibration probes (some Sony BVM series, Ikegami).

Sergio Perez · June 24th, 2005, 01:57 AM

Thanks, Glenn, for your very informative reply.

Since you are pretty informed, what company's broadcast monitor costs about 1000 US?

More so, can you recommend me a good consumer crt for this price? You know, I have a Toshiba 34" crt hd ready tv- however, up close, my dvxa footage just looks miserable- it looks too noisy, and the definition and lines are all horrible! I've seen my dvxa works on older TV's (lower resolution?) and it looks great. However, on a new Sony low end 400USD 100hz tv my dvx footage, once again, looks noisy, grainy and just very "consumer"- the same goes for the TV signalfootage, however, due to lenses and color, (due to filming with big studio cameras) tv still looks better (but with lots of grain and noise) ...

Is there a tv that, like a professional monitor, shows us sd footage the way it should be, without noise and looking natural and clear? It seems like the new tv's with 100hz or new technological "advances" just make my broadcast pictures and sd images ugly...

(I say this because my tv images and my dvx100a pictures look very good in older sony triniton tv's, compared to the newer models...)

Glenn Chan · June 24th, 2005, 07:40 AM

Sony, JVC, Ikegami all sell field monitors about 600-700USD and higher (plus shipping, which may cost a lot).

There may be good deals on b stock and demo items.

2- Not sure where the noise is coming from. Did you shoot with gain?

The DVX100 also has a small amount of noise. Try playing it on a fairly new computer monitor, turn the brightness and contrast all the way up. (return those settings to about 80% after, your monitor will last a little longer that way if it's a CRT).

Sergio Perez · June 27th, 2005, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Chan

Sony, JVC, Ikegami all sell field monitors about 600-700USD and higher (plus shipping, which may cost a lot).

There may be good deals on b stock and demo items.

2- Not sure where the noise is coming from. Did you shoot with gain?

The DVX100 also has a small amount of noise. Try playing it on a fairly new computer monitor, turn the brightness and contrast all the way up. (return those settings to about 80% after, your monitor will last a little longer that way if it's a CRT).

Glenn, I'll try to find some info on those companies local websites- HK. Thanks for the input.

I would still like to have a recommendation for a consumer crt based TV with accurate colors and good overal picture rendition- for both tv viewing and editing. All suggestions are welcome!

June 23rd, 2005, 08:15 PM	#1
Sergio Perez Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Macau Posts: 331	Cheap temporary alternative for Broadcast monitor?Or used broadcast monitor@HongKong? Since I've to wait almost 3 months for a broadcast monitor to arrive with sd/hd capabilities, I would like to know from you guys if there's any solution out there in the market, more precisely on consumer models, that can give me acurate color reproduction, with an error margin that can give me some security while color correcting in FCP. I really need a solution since I've a couple of pending jobs, so all help is appreciated! I cannot get used gear as well as new equipment over here in Macau. I can, however, get it in Hong Kong. I just don't know were... Any consumer tv's worth using? (budget 1000 USD) __________________ If you don't believe in your film, no one else will.

June 24th, 2005, 01:57 AM	#3
Sergio Perez Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Macau Posts: 331	Thanks, Glenn, for your very informative reply. Since you are pretty informed, what company's broadcast monitor costs about 1000 US? More so, can you recommend me a good consumer crt for this price? You know, I have a Toshiba 34" crt hd ready tv- however, up close, my dvxa footage just looks miserable- it looks too noisy, and the definition and lines are all horrible! I've seen my dvxa works on older TV's (lower resolution?) and it looks great. However, on a new Sony low end 400USD 100hz tv my dvx footage, once again, looks noisy, grainy and just very "consumer"- the same goes for the TV signalfootage, however, due to lenses and color, (due to filming with big studio cameras) tv still looks better (but with lots of grain and noise) ... Is there a tv that, like a professional monitor, shows us sd footage the way it should be, without noise and looking natural and clear? It seems like the new tv's with 100hz or new technological "advances" just make my broadcast pictures and sd images ugly... (I say this because my tv images and my dvx100a pictures look very good in older sony triniton tv's, compared to the newer models...) __________________ If you don't believe in your film, no one else will.

June 23rd, 2005, 11:56 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	3 months is quite a long time for a company to deliver a monitor.... maybe you can call them and get air shipping and get them to ship the monitor out faster? Anyways... If you do have to use a consumer TV, get a CRT-based one if your target audience is broadcast (and most of your audience will be watching on CRTs). Not LCD or plasma. Calibration instructions: http://www.videouniversity.com/tvbars2.htm The blue gel would likely help, although I don't know how much it would actually help. Other notes: A- Try matching the color temperature of all light sources in your room. Minimize the # of light sources to make things easier. Block sunlight, turn offending lights off. Many but not all monitors have RGB controls to manually set white point. B- If you don't have a gel, just set the monitor settings in the middle position. White balance needs to come down. 6500k color temperature probably isn't critical unless you have p22 or SMPTE C phosphors. C- After that just throw up some tests on your monitor. Put up a black and white image, and look to see if you can see color. You shouldn't be able to. Display black on the monitor, and look at the glare and reflection. Be aware of it. Display a gradient and see if the blacks are being crushed. Final Cut handles color space different from other programs... 255 is sometimes illegal, sometimes not depending on filter. D- Turn off cheats in consumer TVs. One of them is flesh tone "correction". Another is aperture/sharpness. Noise reduction is another. 2- For 1000USD, you can get a new broadcast monitor. If you don't have a field broadcast monitor already, I'd look at getting one. They are smaller and lighter so it's practical to carry them around. They are slightly cheaper as well. Higher priced monitors do give more accurate color however... especially the ones with calibration probes (some Sony BVM series, Ikegami).

June 24th, 2005, 07:40 AM	#4
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Sony, JVC, Ikegami all sell field monitors about 600-700USD and higher (plus shipping, which may cost a lot). There may be good deals on b stock and demo items. 2- Not sure where the noise is coming from. Did you shoot with gain? The DVX100 also has a small amount of noise. Try playing it on a fairly new computer monitor, turn the brightness and contrast all the way up. (return those settings to about 80% after, your monitor will last a little longer that way if it's a CRT).