Editing Monitor/Display/TV/Etc... for HVX & HD editing/viewing?

[John Michael Corey]

I'm a novice and am learning about HD filming & editing as they pertain to features.

 

I'm trying to figure out the most cost effective route for viewing/editing the images recorded with the HVX200. My preference is: the bigger the display, the better. I feel that production monitors are tiny and way overpriced and not very "relevant" due to their small screen size. I say "relevant" because if you're viewing/editing something for film, i don't see how an itsy bitsy screen is going to help you better see how your image is going to be projected onto a big movie screen. Maybe they are good for viewing TV footage with their standard/generic flat lighting, but i don't see the utility/practicality in a little production monitor for features.

 

I'm considering using a home TV/monitor like Pioneer or their Elite line because of their 3:3 pulldown, great image quality, & their generous screen size per dollar - as compared to "production monitors." Or, a 30" Apple monitor. The catch seems to be that the color range that the HVX200 (and really any HD camera) records in is different than the ranges displayed by plasmas or home computer monitors.

 

Is there a simple program or "adjustment" tool/technique that can be used so that what you see is really what you're going to get when using a plasma TV or Apple monitor? It confuses me because i've always heard that all the "creative people" use Apples, not PC's for doing computer graphics and such. Well, when the "creative people" are editing and color correcting and such, are they using their Apples? Are they hunched over a tiny little CRT production monitor during editing/color correcting/SFX? I seriously doubt it. I need enlightenment, please!

[John Michael Corey]

I was hoping someone could give me a definitive & economical/practical solution to this common dilemma. I just can't learn everything at once.

 

I've got about 75 books on film that i've been mowing through on all phases and topics related to film. It just happens that my current monitor is on the fritz and quite near kaput. I'm currently using a PC, but have been saving/budgeting for a new Apple Mac Pro editing set-up for when the Tiger OS comes out... But, I need a monitor now and want to make a purchase that will be wise in retrospect. Last thing i want to do is buy what i don't need and then have to go spend more money later on buying what i really do need.

 

I'd love to be able to buy a 42" or 43" Pioneer/Elite (not sure if the Elite has enough resolution, but man does it look fantastic!) or Apple 30" Cinema (quality, reliability, warranty) and use it for multiple purposes since these displays are so thin, light, mountable, & "portable":

 

1. Home theatre

2. Computer monitor

3. Color correction monitor

4. How cool would it be to view field footage on a 30" or 43" HD display - it'd certainly give you a better idea of what you captured than some tiny field monitor. At least dreaming here at home typing this, it would be much more useful to me. I have a feeling most may feel #4 is impractical. Hey, try it once... maybe i'm right!

 

Anyway, why buy 3 or 4 different items when you can save a ton of money that could be better used elsewhere? Ideally, this would be my goal. It's seems like common sense to me.

 

I thumbed through my book on color correcting, even though i'm reading 2 other books concurrently. Talk about reclibrating, talk about color correcting room set-up (ambient lighting affecting viewed color), learning the funky controls on a production monitor, wondering why computer monitors aren't set up at least with compatible color ranges, and why there isn't a computer monitor that can do the production monitor functions.

 

How big of a screen do you really need for color correcting anyway? Do you really just need a tiny screen because the process is "simple?" What does one actually need to have to produce "flawless" color correction work? What hardware is nice but not necessary? What hardware is overkill/superfluous?

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[John Michael Corey]

I purchased an Apple 23" display.

 

I can get an "eye TV USB dongle" that gives television on a MAC.

 

It's possible to bring the 23" display to view footage while on location, if power is available (no generator). Maybe if shooting inside somewhere. Otherwise, i'll just have to wait until i return to home base.

 

I'm looking into something called a Matrox MXO that supposedly removes all interlacing artifacts on an Apple display. Obviously sounds useful for editing. The Matrox can also enable you to view your footage exactly as it will appear on an ordinary television...

 

As for having one monitor to be used even for color correction... Well, that seems to be a pipe dream. For now, at least. Someday...

 

How many independent filmmakers have all the fancy gadgets and equipment anyway?! So, i'll just keep a keen eye out for hot spots and underexposed areas, and i'll be alright.

 

Color correction is the last thing i'm worried about after researching the topic.

 

Guys on the DVXuser.com forum's HVX200 section have been helpful...

Edited September 21, 2006 by John Michael Corey