monitor for CS5 use
 

My old NEC SpectraView hardware calibrated monitor (CRT no less) is dying a slow and painful death. I'm about ready to replace it.

I've got two major uses for the monitor. One is still photography editing using Photoshop. The other is NLE work with Premiere. Both will be CS5 in another week or so.

I've got way more experience with Photoshop than I do with Premier. For Photoshop I'd likely go for a 24" or 26" monitor that's easy to calibrate. Something like the NEC Display Solutions MultiSync LCD2690W2-BK-SV or maybe the EIZO ColorEdge CG243W.

I'm currently working Premiere off a laptop. My main complaints are that the laptop screen is too small (of course) and that it's not color calibrated so I don't really know what I'm getting, especially from a contrast and saturation standpoint. I want to take some of the guessing out of my NLE workflow.

I'd like some suggestions please. What monitor setups work best for Premiere? Where do you think the "sweet spot" is in the compromise between Premiere and Photoshop use?

Edit: I guess what I'm worried about is that the monitor won't be fast enough for video. If it's too slow it will make dealing with motion somewhat painful I'm thinking. But maybe not. IDK, that's why I'm asking for some knowledgeable input.

Look at this: Nec PA241w NEC Display Solutions PA241W-BK

Eizo CG243W plus a Displayport capable graphics card. The Displayport will give you real 10 bit color with Photoshop, assuming you are editing images or video 10bit or above.

I love my CG243W, and finally have a displayport graphics card (FX 3800). Any of the lower-end nvidia Quadro cards should still provide 10bit from the displayport.

The one thing I have had to get used to is the greater dynamic range compared to my Dell Ultrasharp next to it. Where the Dell crushed blacks, the Eizo is able to display them very well. Editing my XDCAM EX video, I realized that the contrast from my EX1 is more than enough.

Last I checked, Adorama had the lowest price, but I purchased thru Abel Cine and they matched the price.

Steve.....

Do you, or know anybody, that has spanned displays with one card, and monitor out, with say your NVidia card?

I'm asking because my Matrox card allows for monitoring, and my ATI card allows for spanned display. But if in the future i dump the Matrox card, i'll need to know how i can still keep the same configuration. (Spanned display + output monitor)..

Thanx..

Good point. Must be new. Pretty darn fast for an IPS panel. One would think it would do fine for NLE work with CS5.

So that's my current favorite. Anyone else want to comment I'd love to hear it.

That LCD is nice if you only need to edit/print photos but video is an entirely different animal. The reason the Eizo is targeted towards both photography and video markets is its capability of switching from calibrated settings for photos to presets for video. Premiere does not use color profiles so being able to select Rec 709 or SMPTE-c greatly helps. Editing photos usually requires a much lower contrast then video does so calibrating for photos won't work for editing video.

The new NVIDIA cards, the 470 & 480 have 2 DVI's and one HDMI output on them. It should work for your needs, right now Im using the 470 with one monitor for Premiere and the HDMI out as my display monitor and it works great. Im sure the software/drivers would allow you to span Premiere accross 2 monitors while using the HDMI as you video display.

Ben

Any other suggestions other than the Eizo then? Because you're talking about more or less what I want -- WYSIWYG. With photo it's a calibrated and linearized monitor. With video it's SMPTE-c, Rec 709, etc. So what other monitors do both?

I'm running out of space, both desk and room. Dual monitors isn't going to be possible, but one larger one is. So I need one monitor to handle both workflows.

The Nec PA241W monitor is not only for photo/graphic, also it is suitable for video work: suport video frecuencies (720*480, 720p, 1980p) at 50/60 Hz, and REC 709, DCI (digital cinema) presets. See on manual (pag. 17).

Another monitor for video is the Eizo Foris: EIZO / FlexScan FX2431

Any suggestions in the $200-350 range? For those of us who can't afford a $1000 monitor.
OR
What specs should I be looking for when I'm looking for a new monitor? (for video editing)

PVA (or IPS, but possibly outside your budget).

Can someone confirm this? I have a 480 but as far as I'm aware, it is still a Dual Head card, so it will only support a maximum of 2 monitors. I use a Triple Head 2 Go to split the output of 1 DVI to spread across 1 and sometimes 3 22" 1680x1050 monitors, and the second DVI as the full screen 24" monitor at 1920x1080. It works wonderfully.

My 1920x1080 monitor is just a regular LCD TV. I selected this primarily because all of my business Has a final product that will be viewed pretty much exclusively on home televisions. So I decided that that was what I needed to calibrate for. I get that my display does not match others' displays, but didn't see the expense of a particularly good display as being relevant unless my projects were going to be broadcast. Am I wrong?

1920x1200 monitors are superior in my opinion and are more versatile.

Yes John, you are correct. Only 1 nvidia card I know of is capable of more than 2 monitor outputs at the same time (brand new GTX 465 from Palit).

Another possibility for your monitor needs:

HP DreamColor LP2480zx Professional Display overview - HP Small & Medium Business products