Adusting color bars on Dell 2405 at DVinfo.net

James Huenergardt · April 13th, 2006, 02:30 PM

Hi,

I currently have 1 2405 for my primary display, but was looking into getting a second 2405 for a secondary monitor and video out using Cineform.

Also, was wanting to use it as a production monitor with the c-stand setup posted on dvinfo.

I'm having a difficult time trying to adjust the 2405 with color bars. I can only find a HUE and SATURATION for user input settings.

What settings are other 2405 owners using and how happy are you with this monitor for video production purposes?

Thanks,

Jim

Jeff Donald · April 13th, 2006, 03:11 PM

Computer monitors do not make the best video monitors because of differences in color space, phosphors etc.

Boyd Ostroff · April 13th, 2006, 06:02 PM

This might possibly be of interest: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64809

I've heard lots of good things about the 2405, but I never saw one until the Texas Shootout last weekend. We were using one of them as a framing reference monitor (so each of the 6 camera operators could get similar shots). It does look like a nice screen, and the image looked good. However when you compared it to the HD studio monitors in the same room it really was considerably different. Now I have no idea if anyone actually attempted to calibrate that monitor, but it seemed to lack contrast and saturation when compared to the 6 studio monitors. But probably not a terribly fair comparison when you consider the price difference, and anyway this is all just my own highly subjective impression.

Nate Weaver · April 13th, 2006, 08:21 PM

You can't completely calibrate them.

My experience with them started over a year ago when I did a multicamera concert with FX-1s/Z1s, and had no way to perform the edit and monitor correctly.

I bought a 2405 to use with Final Cut as a "cinema desktop preview". I also used it to view footage directly from the camera using HD component. The gamma, black level and color tracking is just plain off on these monitors. Many of the HD-SDI->DVI adapters on the market make an attempt to get the monitor in the ballpark using lookup tables, but generally they just fall short.

The monitors are great for general framing reference, and for directors watching performance on set. DoPs can use them for framing and critical focus. Beyond that they're just cheap and plentiful. Accurate they're not.

Kevin Wild · April 13th, 2006, 08:58 PM

The 2405 is a VERY bright monitor. If you're going in via DVI from an HDLink, like many of us, you cannot adjust many settings like saturation, brightness, etc. Therefore, it is very bright. I have yet to find a good way to adjust this, though you can a little bit using the HDLink Utility...but it's not very good.

I think the picture is amazing for $750-$900 range for a 24" native pixel to pixel monitor. It's probably not fair to compare it to an HD monitor that costs 2 or 3 times that amount.

If anyone figures out a way to adjust the settings on this monitor, please send them along. I emailed Black Magic and got no response about lookup tables or any way to adjust it.

Thanks.

Kevin

April 13th, 2006, 02:30 PM	#1
James Huenergardt Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chehalis, WA Posts: 513	Adusting color bars on Dell 2405 Hi, I currently have 1 2405 for my primary display, but was looking into getting a second 2405 for a secondary monitor and video out using Cineform. Also, was wanting to use it as a production monitor with the c-stand setup posted on dvinfo. I'm having a difficult time trying to adjust the 2405 with color bars. I can only find a HUE and SATURATION for user input settings. What settings are other 2405 owners using and how happy are you with this monitor for video production purposes? Thanks, Jim

April 13th, 2006, 03:11 PM	#2
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Computer monitors do not make the best video monitors because of differences in color space, phosphors etc. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

April 13th, 2006, 08:21 PM	#4
Nate Weaver Wrangler Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,100	You can't completely calibrate them. My experience with them started over a year ago when I did a multicamera concert with FX-1s/Z1s, and had no way to perform the edit and monitor correctly. I bought a 2405 to use with Final Cut as a "cinema desktop preview". I also used it to view footage directly from the camera using HD component. The gamma, black level and color tracking is just plain off on these monitors. Many of the HD-SDI->DVI adapters on the market make an attempt to get the monitor in the ballpark using lookup tables, but generally they just fall short. The monitors are great for general framing reference, and for directors watching performance on set. DoPs can use them for framing and critical focus. Beyond that they're just cheap and plentiful. Accurate they're not. __________________ My Work: nateweaver.net

April 13th, 2006, 06:02 PM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	This might possibly be of interest: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64809 I've heard lots of good things about the 2405, but I never saw one until the Texas Shootout last weekend. We were using one of them as a framing reference monitor (so each of the 6 camera operators could get similar shots). It does look like a nice screen, and the image looked good. However when you compared it to the HD studio monitors in the same room it really was considerably different. Now I have no idea if anyone actually attempted to calibrate that monitor, but it seemed to lack contrast and saturation when compared to the 6 studio monitors. But probably not a terribly fair comparison when you consider the price difference, and anyway this is all just my own highly subjective impression.

April 13th, 2006, 08:58 PM	#5
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	The 2405 is a VERY bright monitor. If you're going in via DVI from an HDLink, like many of us, you cannot adjust many settings like saturation, brightness, etc. Therefore, it is very bright. I have yet to find a good way to adjust this, though you can a little bit using the HDLink Utility...but it's not very good. I think the picture is amazing for $750-$900 range for a 24" native pixel to pixel monitor. It's probably not fair to compare it to an HD monitor that costs 2 or 3 times that amount. If anyone figures out a way to adjust the settings on this monitor, please send them along. I emailed Black Magic and got no response about lookup tables or any way to adjust it. Thanks. Kevin