Video Editing Monitor

Dan Lahav · October 23rd, 2003, 11:06 PM

I plan on getting a DVX100 pretty soon and am interested in aquiring a monitor to edit my captures. I noticed that they can be quite expensive so my other option is to buy a new TV w/ S-video (possibly a 13" sony WEGA) instead. I'm on a pretty tight budget so i'm looking for a solution under $200. My other option is to just stick to my RCA TV with component hook ups and edit using that. Will S-Video make that much of a difference to warrant a new monitor? Thanks!

Glenn Chan · October 24th, 2003, 05:12 PM

If you're doing color correction then S-Video could help. However, it still isn't going to be as good as a NTSC monitor. Whether you should buy one with S-video inputs depends on what you want to do.

Mark Newhouse · October 24th, 2003, 05:26 PM

I was just lamenting to a friend that I had no video monitor (other than the little LCD on the ZR60 I use as a deck) and he said he might have something for me. We went to a storage closet and he found an old (nearly 20 years!) Commodore 64 monitor. I hooked it up and it works great for getting a look at the video without having to lug all my editing gear out to the living room and hook it up the the TV out there.

That said, I'm still saving for a production monitor to do color correction with, etc.

I'd say go for what you can afford in a TV (s-video will give you a better picture), but save up for a production monitor so you can do the real work in color. For me, I am just starting out, so I wouldn't know what to so with a real monitor anyway...

Glenn Chan · October 24th, 2003, 06:08 PM

Hey Mark, I found a Commodore monitor at my school. It's pretty funny because it's unshielded and wreaks havoc on computer monitors (and other electrical devices) when near them.

Anyways, you might be able to feed it S-Video. It may have 2 RCA jacks in the back labelled luma and chroma. Get yourself a S-Video and RCA cable and hotwire yourself an adapter. The wiring is kinda intuitive- open up the S-Video cable and there will be 2 wires inside. Each wire carries a signal and a shield. This is equivalent to RCA, where each of those wires are a signal and a shield. Connect signal to signal and shield to shield.

I tried doing this myself but it didn't work properly. I don't think I connected the shield part properly now that I think about it. :/ But I heard from someone else that this does work (that person bought an adapter cable online).

Mark Newhouse · October 24th, 2003, 06:15 PM

Thanks for the info Glenn.

I amy have to try that, although the monitor's resolution is pretty poor, so I'm not sure how much it will improve the picture. It's probably worth a try though!

Glenn Chan · October 24th, 2003, 06:19 PM

Some people get a huge resolution increase from RCA to S-Video. It might have to do with the quality of the components. Anyways, it's really cool to try! :)

My attempt kinda worked but it didn't show the right video signal- just some really weird stuff.

Boyd Ostroff · October 24th, 2003, 06:20 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by Dan Lahav : my other option is to buy a new TV w/ S-video (possibly a 13" sony WEGA) -->>>

Unless it's a very new model the 13" WEGA does not have s-video. I know because I checked this out last winter. You need to go up to the 19" model - the more expensive version as well. Also, you need to go up to the 27" model if you want the option to switch to 16:9.

I used to have a 13" WEGA and it was really a POS, the dot pitch is really coarse. It died about 2 years after I bought it. It was way inferior to the larger ones - basically I think you're just paying extra for the WEGA label. If you want a 13" screen I don't think there's any advantage to getting a WEGA. I have both a 19" and a 27" WEGA. The 19 is OK but nothing all that spectacular. The 27 is very nice, but also big and heavy.

K. Forman · October 24th, 2003, 06:29 PM

I have an NEC 2000, that is like a 20" screen. I paid $100 bucks for it on ebay. Has BNC, S-Vid in and out, and componant as well. It also has a bunch of other connections that I am clueless about.

If by any chance, someone has one that came with a manual, I'd dearly love a copy of it!

Dan Lahav · October 25th, 2003, 01:03 AM

im what you would call a 'pre-begginer' as i've never really done anything as far as editing video or shooting. I'm not even sure I need a monitor. I heard people were saying that to take full advantage of the DVX's resolution you need a damn good monitor (ie. 500+ lines of resolution)... What do you guys think i should do for now? Honestly, im pretty happy viewing video on my 19" monitor but I dont want to burn it to DVD, play it on my 7 year old RCA TV and realize it looks like crap.

Dan Lahav · October 28th, 2003, 12:35 PM

Can anyone recomend a good video editing monitor? I see a ton on ebay offering 500+ lines of resolution... How do i go about buying these monitors? What specs should I be looking for?

Aaron Koolen · October 28th, 2003, 04:59 PM

Dan what are you wanting to do with your footage? It's a given that we should all have properly calibrated broadcast monitors so it really just comes down to cost.

If you just shoot home movies and then watch them on your 7 year old RCA TV then I'd say another TV would be fine. If you could set it up so the pictures between your editing TV and viewing TV are the same then you've got a good monitor for what you want. Better yet get another 7 year old RCA TV! ;)

I've ummed and ahhed over a monitor for a while and in the end, simply for costs, couldn't justify getting one so I got a TV and calibrated it as best I could. All the stuff I shoot are for people to view on TV's and it's not critical stuff. Also, I have a couple of other TV's in the house that I can check the footage on to get a little bit of a range if I want.

Cheers
Aaron

Glenn Chan · October 28th, 2003, 08:15 PM

Stick with any TV you have lying around for now. Your money is probably better spent elsewhere. For example, get a set of Sony MDR-7506s if you don't have a good pair of headphones already.

John Threat · February 9th, 2004, 01:16 PM

the commodore monitor works well. It's a bit heavy but it's cheap and it does to S video. Works fine on the set and I have never gotten interferrence.

you can pick one up for 30-50 dollars off ebay or less from a flea market or stoop sale.

They have a 13 inch sony triniton monitor in them so they render well. Nice conversation piece on the set when you have it hooked up to a $50,000 camera.

October 23rd, 2003, 11:06 PM	#1
Dan Lahav Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 172	Video Editing Monitor - Yay or Ney? I plan on getting a DVX100 pretty soon and am interested in aquiring a monitor to edit my captures. I noticed that they can be quite expensive so my other option is to buy a new TV w/ S-video (possibly a 13" sony WEGA) instead. I'm on a pretty tight budget so i'm looking for a solution under $200. My other option is to just stick to my RCA TV with component hook ups and edit using that. Will S-Video make that much of a difference to warrant a new monitor? Thanks!

October 24th, 2003, 05:26 PM	#3
Mark Newhouse Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 63	I was just lamenting to a friend that I had no video monitor (other than the little LCD on the ZR60 I use as a deck) and he said he might have something for me. We went to a storage closet and he found an old (nearly 20 years!) Commodore 64 monitor. I hooked it up and it works great for getting a look at the video without having to lug all my editing gear out to the living room and hook it up the the TV out there. That said, I'm still saving for a production monitor to do color correction with, etc. I'd say go for what you can afford in a TV (s-video will give you a better picture), but save up for a production monitor so you can do the real work in color. For me, I am just starting out, so I wouldn't know what to so with a real monitor anyway... __________________ --Mark

October 24th, 2003, 06:15 PM	#5
Mark Newhouse Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 63	Thanks for the info Glenn. I amy have to try that, although the monitor's resolution is pretty poor, so I'm not sure how much it will improve the picture. It's probably worth a try though! __________________ --Mark

October 24th, 2003, 06:20 PM	#7
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Re: Video Editing Monitor - Yay or Ney? <<<-- Originally posted by Dan Lahav : my other option is to buy a new TV w/ S-video (possibly a 13" sony WEGA) -->>> Unless it's a very new model the 13" WEGA does not have s-video. I know because I checked this out last winter. You need to go up to the 19" model - the more expensive version as well. Also, you need to go up to the 27" model if you want the option to switch to 16:9. I used to have a 13" WEGA and it was really a POS, the dot pitch is really coarse. It died about 2 years after I bought it. It was way inferior to the larger ones - basically I think you're just paying extra for the WEGA label. If you want a 13" screen I don't think there's any advantage to getting a WEGA. I have both a 19" and a 27" WEGA. The 19 is OK but nothing all that spectacular. The 27 is very nice, but also big and heavy.

October 28th, 2003, 04:59 PM	#11
Aaron Koolen Trustee Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,727	Dan what are you wanting to do with your footage? It's a given that we should all have properly calibrated broadcast monitors so it really just comes down to cost. If you just shoot home movies and then watch them on your 7 year old RCA TV then I'd say another TV would be fine. If you could set it up so the pictures between your editing TV and viewing TV are the same then you've got a good monitor for what you want. Better yet get another 7 year old RCA TV! ;) I've ummed and ahhed over a monitor for a while and in the end, simply for costs, couldn't justify getting one so I got a TV and calibrated it as best I could. All the stuff I shoot are for people to view on TV's and it's not critical stuff. Also, I have a couple of other TV's in the house that I can check the footage on to get a little bit of a range if I want. Cheers Aaron __________________ My Website Meat Free Media

October 24th, 2003, 05:12 PM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	If you're doing color correction then S-Video could help. However, it still isn't going to be as good as a NTSC monitor. Whether you should buy one with S-video inputs depends on what you want to do.

October 24th, 2003, 06:08 PM	#4
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Hey Mark, I found a Commodore monitor at my school. It's pretty funny because it's unshielded and wreaks havoc on computer monitors (and other electrical devices) when near them. Anyways, you might be able to feed it S-Video. It may have 2 RCA jacks in the back labelled luma and chroma. Get yourself a S-Video and RCA cable and hotwire yourself an adapter. The wiring is kinda intuitive- open up the S-Video cable and there will be 2 wires inside. Each wire carries a signal and a shield. This is equivalent to RCA, where each of those wires are a signal and a shield. Connect signal to signal and shield to shield. I tried doing this myself but it didn't work properly. I don't think I connected the shield part properly now that I think about it. :/ But I heard from someone else that this does work (that person bought an adapter cable online).

October 24th, 2003, 06:19 PM	#6
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Some people get a huge resolution increase from RCA to S-Video. It might have to do with the quality of the components. Anyways, it's really cool to try! :) My attempt kinda worked but it didn't show the right video signal- just some really weird stuff.

October 24th, 2003, 06:29 PM	#8
K. Forman Capt. Quirk Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Middle of the woods in Georgia Posts: 3,596	I have an NEC 2000, that is like a 20" screen. I paid $100 bucks for it on ebay. Has BNC, S-Vid in and out, and componant as well. It also has a bunch of other connections that I am clueless about. If by any chance, someone has one that came with a manual, I'd dearly love a copy of it!

October 25th, 2003, 01:03 AM	#9
Dan Lahav Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 172	im what you would call a 'pre-begginer' as i've never really done anything as far as editing video or shooting. I'm not even sure I need a monitor. I heard people were saying that to take full advantage of the DVX's resolution you need a damn good monitor (ie. 500+ lines of resolution)... What do you guys think i should do for now? Honestly, im pretty happy viewing video on my 19" monitor but I dont want to burn it to DVD, play it on my 7 year old RCA TV and realize it looks like crap.

October 28th, 2003, 12:35 PM	#10
Dan Lahav Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: CA Posts: 172	Can anyone recomend a good video editing monitor? I see a ton on ebay offering 500+ lines of resolution... How do i go about buying these monitors? What specs should I be looking for?

October 28th, 2003, 08:15 PM	#12
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Stick with any TV you have lying around for now. Your money is probably better spent elsewhere. For example, get a set of Sony MDR-7506s if you don't have a good pair of headphones already.

February 9th, 2004, 01:16 PM	#13
John Threat Major Player Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: New York Posts: 322	the commodore monitor works well. It's a bit heavy but it's cheap and it does to S video. Works fine on the set and I have never gotten interferrence. you can pick one up for 30-50 dollars off ebay or less from a flea market or stoop sale. They have a 13 inch sony triniton monitor in them so they render well. Nice conversation piece on the set when you have it hooked up to a $50,000 camera. __________________ Director: http://www.mediathreat.com