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Monitor for FCP X

L

laserbeam273

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 7, 2010
424
0
Australia
I've finally got around to buying a new mac to replace my 2008 MBP. I've now got a 13" MBP from 2011. I want to get a screen for doing FCP X, so I figure it needs to be at least full HD. However I don't feel like putting a grand down to get a cinema display, but at the same time it would be disappointing if it were to be significantly lower quality than my MBP screen.

My FCP X use will just be hobby work (1080 HD dive videos).

So my question: What's the least I could pay to get at least a full HD monitor (around 21"-24" or more) with quality on par with my 2011 13" MBP? Any recommendations? I suppose I'd be happy to at least put $300 down for it.

Also what display connection should I use?
 
Well you see the thing is, I'm in Australia, so a refurbished 24" cinema display is AUD 919 (~USD 953) - and that's far too much. Throw in $200 more and I can get myself an iMac. I suppose my thoughts are that, if I really pursue this video editing stuff I'll get myself an iMac, but for the time being I want to be a bit conservative with my spending.
 
laserbeam273 said:
Well you see the thing is, I'm in Australia, so a refurbished 24" cinema display is AUD 919 (~USD 953) - and that's far too much. Throw in $200 more and I can get myself an iMac. I suppose my thoughts are that, if I really pursue this video editing stuff I'll get myself an iMac, but for the time being I want to be a bit conservative with my spending.
Click to expand...

The cinema displays are nice but you can certainly find good options within your budget.
 
You want to get an IPS display. Those have higher quality and thats whats in the Cinema Displays.
 
Thanks for the helpful replies.

The Dell UltraSharp U2212HM sounds like it'd be just right for me, currently at a discounted price of AUD 199. Are all the Dell UltraSharps good?

It's a 21.5", which would give me a good opportunity to test how it'd be having a 21.5" iMac (I'm guessing the panels are pretty similar, if not the same).
 
I doubt you'll get an ISP display for that amount of money. If you have a chance to color correct (extra $$$) it, you'd be fine though.
 
cgbier said:
I doubt you'll get an ISP display for that amount of money. If you have a chance to color correct (extra $$$) it, you'd be fine though.
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Well it is an *IPS screen for that much money. Even read a lengthy review on the larger size model and they seemed very happy with it. It is able to be calibrated, and better yet - my dad has the Spyder 3 Pro!
 
Then it is something you wanna go for.

Thanks for the info. I always thought ISP screens start somewhere $500 and up in that size.
 
cgbier said:
Then it is something you wanna go for.

Thanks for the info. I always thought ISP screens start somewhere $500 and up in that size.
Click to expand...

Same here until I recently looked at prices. I figured the displays on either iMacs are worth a grand.

And it's IPS (In-Plane Switching) by the way.
 
...but you are right. I have been putting together (in my mind) a Hackintosh several times, but whenever it comes to monitors I always end up with an iMac :rolleyes:
 
drewyboy said:
They actually are worth 1K on the 27". Here is Dell's
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&sku=224-8284
Click to expand...

Do you know how much it costs the panel for the 21.5" iMac? Is it the same as the display I'm looking to buy?

EDIT: I've ordered the U2212HM today, sounds like it'll arrive around the 27th. I'm surprised it's that slow - definitely appreciate Apple's fast delivery. I'll post here once I've used it a bit to give it a bit of a review.
 
Last edited:
Brief review:

Pros: Good functionality, nice sliding height adjustment, can rotate for portrait, good tilting angles.

Cons: Antiglare doesn't compare to a good MBP antiglare - looks quite grainy. Also, colour balances weren't great out of the box. Never got around to using a colour sync thing.

I'm returning it as I realise my 13" MBP has no where near the graphics capability I need, so I'm buying an iMac.
 
Take a look at NEC non-wide gamut monitors.

They are top quality and sell at greatly reduced prices, as the latest generation is wide gamut.
 
Brief review:

Pros: Good functionality, nice sliding height adjustment, can rotate for portrait, good tilting angles.

Cons: Antiglare doesn't compare to a good MBP antiglare - looks quite grainy. Also, colour balances weren't great out of the box. Never got around to using a colour sync thing.

I'm returning it as I realise my 13" MBP has no where near the graphics capability I need, so I'm buying an iMac.
Click to expand...

No monitor is going to ship with spot-on color accuracy and there will also be slight variances with two of the exact same model. A colorimeter like a Spyder3 is a good investment with ANY monitor, if you care about color accuracy.

Well at the moment FCPX doesn't support proper broadcast monitoring so don't get your hopes up.
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Broadcast monitoring is an entirely different thing. This pertains to using a pro broadcast monitor, attached to a capture or I/O card (usually over an SDI/HDSDI connection). Presently, there is no way for FCP X to interface with these types of setups properly, with full color and field accuracy.
 
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