External HDTV Display Opinions

While it's not a television, I use a 24 inch Dell Ultrasharp, connected to my macbook pro. Awesome setup. Has component, composite, USB inputs.

While okay to use as a preview monitor this type of setup shouldn't be used to judge image quality or anything like that.


Lethal

Both. Unless you use something like the Matrox MXO you can't get a good quality signal off the DVI head of a GFX card.


Lethal

likeavaliant said:

While it's not a television, I use a 24 inch Dell Ultrasharp, connected to my macbook pro. Awesome setup. Has component, composite, USB inputs.

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The new Dell has HDMI as well as DisplayPort.

I wonder how the Matrox MXO really works.

I mean the image is still coming for your cinema display right?

You would think there would be a way to calibrate your monitor to the same settings and color without the MXO.

I hear the MXO works great though.


The other option is to buy a consumer HDTV and use a blue gel over your eyes to setup the color bars.

The other option is to buy a consumer HDTV and use a blue gel over your eyes to setup the color bars.

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That really doesn't work, not the same as a blue gun.

I wonder how the Matrox MXO really works.

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I have one and it is good. The one thing that sucks is that it only does 8 bit video, not 10 bit, so if you are grading any AVC-I, you won't see it the same way. But i like it.

So the blue gel thing is just a myth?

I just bought a SD monitor with bluegun, cause my output is for DVD.

I am guessing if your working on SD output it's better to have a SD monitor.

Although I was thinking about getting a Intensity Pro with consumer HDTV, but I guess that won't really work.

Do any consumer monitors have a bluegun? I doubt it, but you never know.

The MXO I know it works well, I just wonder HOW it works, like what is it doing to make it work?

The MXO contains a specific LUT for mapping the color of the video signal to the capabilities of the ACD.

Chaos123x said:

So the blue gel thing is just a myth?
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The MXO I know it works well, I just wonder HOW it works, like what is it doing to make it work?

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Among other things, the MXO does a frame rate and color space conversion on the signal coming off of the DVI port of your GFX card. One reason the MXO works so well w/the 23" ACD is that the ACD can actually support a 59.94 frame rate. The blue gel isn't a myth, but it's less than ideal.

Lethal

http://www.thx.com/home/dvd/blueGlasses.html

Cheaper than gel.

KeithPratt said:

http://www.thx.com/home/dvd/blueGlasses.html

Cheaper than gel.

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Nice find!

I've been looking into external displays as well but not too sure where to start...so I have a few questions myself (sorry to hijack but maybe the answers will help others too!)...

I'm on a budget and can't really afford a MXO or HD broadcast monitor at this time. Can I use a Blackmagic Intensity (which seems to be the cheapest HDMI card I can find) and hook that up to an HDTV I already have? I'm not sure how well this would work, as my HDTV is 1080i with a resolution of 1280x720.

Doing mostly weddings and other live events, is there any major reason I should spring for a MXO or HD monitor instead?

I used to think a display dedicated to judge image quality and color wasn't all that important...until I watched my highlights video with a bride and groom on their HDTV, and colors were quite a bit more neon than I saw on the preview window on my Dell Ultrasharp :/

321estrellas said:

Doing mostly weddings and other live events, is there any major reason I should spring for a MXO or HD monitor instead?

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Because you need one of those to calibrate the image you are seeing... simply going out of the Intensity to an HDTV will not give you a more accurate preview than your Dell because the HDTV is not able to be properly calibrated.