Best External Monitor for MBP for Final Cut Pro
 

I'm looking into buying a companion monitor to extend my desktop with my Macbook Pro, and sometimes use with my MBP in closed top mode.

Does anyone have any suggestions on the best monitors to use for video editing? I know it's a pain to get them color accurate. In fact, i hear its technically impossible with the DVI out on the MBP.

What would be an overall great monitor without spending a ton of money? I've been looking at the Dell Ultrasharps. Are these on par with the Apple Cinema Displays?

If you need one just for editing (not color grading), nothing beats the Apple Cinema Displays. Today I bought a 1920x1080 21.5-inch HP monitor for $220.- at BestBuy (model HP2159). It had the best image of all monitors BestBuy had on display, and for more than $600 less than a Cinema Display, I thought "what the heck". Image looks pretty good after calibrating it and I am a happy camper.

I have an older 23" Apple screen with my 2.4ghz dual MBP and have always been really happy with it. Apple's monitor switching sofware is really great too. It quickly detects when I hot-plug or unplug and re-arranges the screens. Big improvement of the "old days".

I also have a 23" apple screen connected to a 24" 3ghz dual iMac via a Matrox MXO. It is quite impressive for editing HDV. The Matrox software is a little quirky though - in contrast to Apple's built-in monitor software. The external screen will blank out sometimes briefly, then refresh along with the iMac built-in screen. A few times I've had to trash my FCP preferences to get it to switch from SD to HD modes. The MXO box also runs very hot. Nevertheless, for the price it's a nice way to get color accuracy.

Well, it seems that the 23" Apple Cinema Displays are pretty much impossible to find now. And, if i go on ebay, they cost more than BRAND NEW great HP and Dell 24" monitors! Sheesh..

So, what does everyone do here? Have a color inaccurate monitor to edit, and a broadcast monitor to do their color timing?

The 23" Cinema display is not color accurate unless you use it with the Matrox MXO (or MXO2). The MXO only supports a few monitors according to their site. Others should work buy may not be color accurate - see: Matrox Video - Support - MXO tested DVI monitors

So if you aren't going to use one of the MXO products with your computer monitor, I don't think it matters a lot what you get; it will not be color accurate anyway.

Let's extend the discussion to the MXO2 mini. Which HDMI monitor would work well with this device. Many HDMI sets have a limited viewing angle compared to the Apple 23" monitor. For those of us with a small edit room this kills many HDMI sets which look great head on from a few feet away.