video playback monitor - whats good?
 

I am looking for a real ntsc monitor, i really want something in the 13 inch size range as i already have a 36 inch sony tv in my editing room but i want something to put on the left of my two computer monitors.

i have looked at all the tv's out there and they just don't make a decent 13 inch tv anymore.

who has something their using that they highly recommend?

matthew

As you have discovered, a television set is not good for checking video quality.

You didn't give a price range but there are fairly good monitors from around $250 to $4,000 or so. The 13" JVC's at around $250 are favorites for prosumer editing systems.

The next step up is a fairly big one but you get all the goodies . . . underscan, blue gun only, cross-pulse, stable power supplies, good phosphor, metal cabinets, etc.

Figure on $600 to $1200 for this lot. You can normally find these as B-stock if you look around. Most available after NAB and other large video equipment shows. Figure $900 for a top-of-the-line model as B-stock.

Beyond this you get into programmable setups and pro-inputs like component and SDI.

well i just came across a post on another message board about the sony pvm14L1

this seems like a good monitor.

i have to get to somewhere that i can see it in person.

i was going to make a fieldtrip to b&h this friday but i just found out last friday that they close at 1pm!

matthew

But they are open on Sundays.

I have a Sony PVM-14L5 and can say that it's an excellent choice. The pot-free controls make adjustment easy and it will even self-calibrate to a SMPTE bar feed. But it's not inexpensive. B&H has them in-stock (at this writing) for abour $1,500.

syncing to the color bars sounds great, i wasn't aware of anything in a realistic price range that did that.

how does the one you have compare to the model i posted?

one is $500 and one is $1,500

i'd love to understand the features that set the two apart.

matthew

I could not find your model but did find the 14L2. I think yours is an older model. The number of lines of resolution is the first difference (800 -vs- 600). Different phosphors (P22 -vs- SMPTE-C). Mechanical switch controls -vs- membrane/digital controls. Etc.

Here are the Sony pages on each:

- PVM-14L2
- PVM-14L5