External HDTV as Monitor (DVI to HDMI)

[Oliver Darden]

I did try to search for this before posting and nothing useful came up.

How do I set FCP to see my HDTV as an external monitor? I'm using a DVI to HDMI cable to connect the video and an optical cable to run audio.

I know that my HDTV is not broadcast safe etc etc but I'd rather watch my FCP sequence this way than burn DVDs when I want to watch it on my TV.

Thanks!
O.D.

[Robert Lane]

Sounds logical enough but I'll admit that's a first for me; never seen it attempted before.

If the device isn't available in your system preferences in FCP where you can specify the output then it may be that FCP doesn't recognize it as a valid option. You'll just have to experiment and see what happens.

[Shaun Roemich]

I BELIEVE the option you are looking for is here:

[Oliver Darden]

Shaun, I see those options and I tried each one them, but none shoots the preview window out to my TV.

Update:
Got It! Not only did I have to do what Shaun said, but I also had to go in at set: View - External Video - All Frames

Once I clicked "all frames" it popped right on and it looks great.

thanks!


The only thing I'm not getting is the optical output. I'm still getting audio from the computer.

[Shaun Roemich]

Great news. Yeah, forgot about the All Frames thing... sorry.

[Paul E. Coleman]

You did try changing the FCP: View > Audio Playback to "Digital" right? It's right below the setting you just discovered. You may have to deselect the "Audio Follows Video" choice first to get the other selections.

If you have a Mac Pro the Blackmagic Intensity Pro is great for this too. Saves using a DVI out with the optical cable. And the price has come down considerably and also allows you many other choices like Composite, Component and S-video. I use my HDTV both off of my Blackmagic and the fourth DVI port with Optical audio so I can use both Final Cut Pro's output as well as a 4th screen spanned monitor to display anything on my desktop for the room.

[Chris Estrella]

I was shopping around because I wanted a Blackmagic Intensity Pro to hook my Mac Pro to an HDTV and get that colour accurate preview.

And then I thought, what if I just hook up a DVI-HDMI cable to an HDTV or monitor? (the DVI being plugged into the Mac Pro's included video card) Does it have the same effect? If someone can confirm, that would save me a lot of time :P Thanks!

[Shaun Roemich]

Chris: the DVI out is RGB colour space and video is YUV. CLOSE but hardly "colour accurate", especially at the fringes of the gamut overlap.

[Andrew Kimery]

Originally Posted by Chris Estrella

I was shopping around because I wanted a Blackmagic Intensity Pro to hook my Mac Pro to an HDTV and get that colour accurate preview.

And then I thought, what if I just hook up a DVI-HDMI cable to an HDTV or monitor? (the DVI being plugged into the Mac Pro's included video card) Does it have the same effect? If someone can confirm, that would save me a lot of time :P Thanks!

The DVI ports also dither the image and operate at computer monitor clock frequencies not TV clock frequencies. On top of that FCP, even in Digital Cinema Desktop mode, only puts out a proxy image that's intended to be used for preview/non-critical purposes only.


-Andrew

[Steve Rotter]

DVI carries video only, not audio. HDMI carries both, but the audio signal is lost when you change it over to DVI in the chain.

[Mitchell Lewis]

I would recommend buying a Matrox MXO2 as it converts the computers RGB output to YUV which is what you need for proper NTSC monitoring. There are many models to choose from, but they all have an HDMI output that's tied to software that allows you to calibrate the monitor for color correction work. We bought a Panasonic plasma and are VERY happy with the quality of the video. In the past we've bought a $3500 JVC professional monitor (HD-SDI) and it's crap compared to this setup. The off axis response of the JVC was aweful and so was the black levels.

If you can afford it, this is what I would recommend.

[Nate Haustein]

Originally Posted by Andrew Kimery

On top of that FCP, even in Digital Cinema Desktop mode, only puts out a proxy image that's intended to be used for preview/non-critical purposes only.

Helpful thread, thank you all, I'm beginning to see the futility of trying to get an accurate grade without the proper I/O connections. I'd love to use a Matrox, but unfortunately don't have the cash on hand at the moment. I do, however, have another question related to this Digital Cinema Desktop view if anyone would know of a solution:

When I render out to Quicktime with current FCP sequence settings, the resulting video file is significantly brighter and less saturated than what I saw in the canvas, viewer and digital cinema desktop - even on the same monitor. I'm simply applying a 3-way Color Corrector filter while using ProRes422 @1080p. The option in Quicktime Pro to match FCP gamma is enabled, but the videos still look so different after exporting.

Any ideas on the cause of this? I just need a little consistency in my life!