Client monitor with FCP HD
 

I have traditionally been an AVID user, until I joined a production house recently. They have bunch of nice MAC machines with the AJA KONA3 cards running with FCP. For one of the computers we have two monitors, the 30" Cine Display HD and the 20" Cine Display. With the massive display I get on the 30" I have been wondering if there is a way to make use of the smaller display (20") as a client monitor. Is it good enough to do color correction on these displays or do I have to buy an external client monitor with SDI input? Also, can I get full screen display from FCP on my 20" display?
Thanks guys!

To get an image onto the 20" display, go to VIEW>PLAYBACK>Digital Cinema Preview. Then choose VIEW>EXTERNAL>ALL FRAMES.

Neither display is good enough for color correction.

For color correction, you'll need a capture card and HD monitor. You can also try the Matrox MXO in conjunction with your 30" monitor. The MXO is designed to work with the 23" monitor to produce broadcast colors, but might work with the 30".

It does indeed work with the 30" display. It does show more accurate color because it translates RGB into YUV colorspace. For high accuracy CC work, you still need a better solution than the MXO.

-gb-

I have gotten VERY accurate results with the MXO and 23" apple display. I compared the same image on my HD CRT (Sony PVM-14L5) via Kona LH and the Apple monitor via MXO and I had to look VERY close to see the difference. The Apple monitor was slightly greenish....only barely.

With the new version of the MXO software, you can calibrate the monitor to bars. It gives you control over the brightness, contrast, hue and saturation...AND it has a BLUE ONLY option so you can really get critical. This option is a very good low cost HD monitoring solution.

Well the issue lays with finding the other display within final cut. The only thing I see is Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Main then about a zillion AJA Kona output. I don't see the other Screen 23" in the list to output to, I only see the one I stated, which is the HD 30" display!

I have been considering the MXO solution. Would using it along with a 23 apple monitor give me better results than using my Panasonic BT-LH1700W?
(I am using the SDI off a Black magic HD card)

Randolf...from what I have seen, the MXO/ACD 23" display option rivals the 1700W from a BM card. VERY close...I couldn't tell the difference. But since you already have that...keep it. The MXO doesn't capture, only output.

Oliver, you won't see OTHER SCREEN 23" OR 30" listed. Digital Cinema Preview -MAIN or FULL or blank are your options. Choose them all to see which one you like.