tv for color ref. at DVinfo.net

Martin Noboa · October 30th, 2006, 10:40 AM

Help, needing advice. I´m editing a film in hdv, with an Imac G5, but the colors are awfull, darker, I already did the calibrating process but it´s not working, so I was palnning on getting one of these mini vga cables and buy a televsion to do the After Effects magic bulleting with the TV image as final reference.

So the question is if any tv works fot this, even the cheapest ones? Or should I go for something more sophisticated

thanks in advance
martin

Brent Graham · October 31st, 2006, 09:26 AM

Well, that's subjective.

There is a reason that most production houses pay large amounts of money for 'monitors', a monitor will be highly accurate in it's color reproduction.

If you're doing it on the cheap, then go for a t.v. But keep in mind that you're color correcting for you audience, what kind of tv's do they have? A nicer t.v. will probably be...well...nicer.

Are you doing HDV? I'd suggest a HD lcd or plasma.

Martin Noboa · October 31st, 2006, 10:19 AM

Yes Brent, I´m editing hdv, but no money for plasma or hdv t.v. So I guess I´d go for the cheap tv, I assume is better than nothing, better than having my mac monitor which even after calibrating is still dark...

thanks
martin

Graham Hickling · October 31st, 2006, 12:11 PM

One thing to ponder - I'm still confused about this myself - is that SD and HD use different color-spaces (601 and 709 is the jargon).

An HD TV presumeably has the circuity to know whether its receiving an SD or HD signal, and so uses the correct conversion matrix for the signal.

I am not sure what happens when HD footage on an NLE is sent out of a graphics card as a SD analogue signal. What does the NLE do? - what does the graphics card driver do? Yikes!

Anyway, to play it safe I recently bought a sub-$300 19" widescreen LCD HDTV to monitor on. I still don't really know what the system is doing color-space-wise, but the picture that I watch while monitoring does look essentially identical to what I see if I plug my HDV camcorder directly into my living-room HDTV's component inputs .... so I am happy enough for now.

Dwight Flynn · October 31st, 2006, 09:29 PM

Graham did you calibrate your hdtv and if so which model are you using?

Graham Hickling · October 31st, 2006, 09:50 PM

Heh! I adjusted the settings but it would be fibbing to call it 'calibration'. Basically I selected several commercial DVDs that I felt had very pleasing color balance and contrast - watched some selected scenes carefully several times on my main HDTV, then repeated that on my 19" while adjusting the settings.

I bought a Polaroid FLM-1911 ... black levels aren't great (contrast spec is 1:500) but apart from that I'm happy with it.

I realize now that "under $300" was the price I kinda hinted at to my wife ... it was *actually* $429 minus a $100 instant rebate offered the weekend I bought it.

October 30th, 2006, 10:40 AM	#1
Martin Noboa Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: paris Posts: 55	tv for color ref. Help, needing advice. I´m editing a film in hdv, with an Imac G5, but the colors are awfull, darker, I already did the calibrating process but it´s not working, so I was palnning on getting one of these mini vga cables and buy a televsion to do the After Effects magic bulleting with the TV image as final reference. So the question is if any tv works fot this, even the cheapest ones? Or should I go for something more sophisticated thanks in advance martin Last edited by Martin Noboa; October 30th, 2006 at 03:35 PM.

October 31st, 2006, 09:26 AM	#2
Brent Graham Major Player Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 222	Well, that's subjective. There is a reason that most production houses pay large amounts of money for 'monitors', a monitor will be highly accurate in it's color reproduction. If you're doing it on the cheap, then go for a t.v. But keep in mind that you're color correcting for you audience, what kind of tv's do they have? A nicer t.v. will probably be...well...nicer. Are you doing HDV? I'd suggest a HD lcd or plasma.

October 31st, 2006, 10:19 AM	#3
Martin Noboa Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: paris Posts: 55	Yes Brent, I´m editing hdv, but no money for plasma or hdv t.v. So I guess I´d go for the cheap tv, I assume is better than nothing, better than having my mac monitor which even after calibrating is still dark... thanks martin

October 31st, 2006, 12:11 PM	#4
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	One thing to ponder - I'm still confused about this myself - is that SD and HD use different color-spaces (601 and 709 is the jargon). An HD TV presumeably has the circuity to know whether its receiving an SD or HD signal, and so uses the correct conversion matrix for the signal. I am not sure what happens when HD footage on an NLE is sent out of a graphics card as a SD analogue signal. What does the NLE do? - what does the graphics card driver do? Yikes! Anyway, to play it safe I recently bought a sub-$300 19" widescreen LCD HDTV to monitor on. I still don't really know what the system is doing color-space-wise, but the picture that I watch while monitoring does look essentially identical to what I see if I plug my HDV camcorder directly into my living-room HDTV's component inputs .... so I am happy enough for now.

October 31st, 2006, 09:29 PM	#5
Dwight Flynn Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: New York, NY Posts: 393	Graham did you calibrate your hdtv and if so which model are you using?

October 31st, 2006, 09:50 PM	#6
Graham Hickling Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 1,669	Heh! I adjusted the settings but it would be fibbing to call it 'calibration'. Basically I selected several commercial DVDs that I felt had very pleasing color balance and contrast - watched some selected scenes carefully several times on my main HDTV, then repeated that on my 19" while adjusting the settings. I bought a Polaroid FLM-1911 ... black levels aren't great (contrast spec is 1:500) but apart from that I'm happy with it. I realize now that "under $300" was the price I kinda hinted at to my wife ... it was actually $429 minus a $100 instant rebate offered the weekend I bought it.