Intensity Pro For External Monitoring w/ FCP

[Jon Downs]

*Specs: Mac Pro, FCP7, OSX10.6*

*ProRes timelines: 1440x1080 or 1920x1080, 24fps or 30fps, progressive or interlaced*

I'm currently using a DVI to HDMI cable to externally monitor my FCP timelines on a 50" plasma HDTV (just using the HDTV as a second computer monitor, obviously not ideal). Would running the same HDTV from a Black Magic Intensity Pro card (instead of the DVI to HDMI cable) result in a more accurate image in terms of color and contrast?

I know without a professional broadcast monitor, I'm not going to get a truly accurate image...but I'm just interesting in improving my current monitoring situation without spending too much money.

I'm also curious about the Matrox MXO2 Mini used in the same way. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[William Hohauser]

Yes and no. Blackmagic has designed their products to output the correct color gamut for broadcast but you are now dealing with the limitations of your monitor, which may not be bad. Consumer TVs are not designed for exact colors but to give a generally pleasing viewing experience. You will have a better editing set-up but not one I would entirely trust for color correction. You might have better results with a calibration tool such as a Spyder4Elite (Datacolor Spyder4ELITE - Professional Monitor Calibration - Datacolor Imaging Solutions) although these days the Intensity line is cheaper.

[Jon Downs]

...so the Intensity Pro does output a more accurate image. Thanks for the response. I know the final image is only as good as the monitor, but it's nice to know that I'll at least be betting the correct output for <$200.