Video Monitoring for HDV
 

Hello,

I am trying to find out information about video monitors to use with the Z1. I am still waiting for the camera to arrive, so I have not had any hands-on time with it yet. Right now, I currently edit with FCP using a Canon XL-1 for video out via S-VHS to a SD studio monitor. This alows for realtime playback on the video monitor. Is there an equivalent for realtime HD video monitoring with the Z1? Can you connect a HD monitor to the Z1 via component out and get real time playback while editing in FCP (or FCP-E)? I have also heard you can connect some Sony video monitors that have iLink to the Z1 for real-time playback - is this true? Several people have mentioned the JVC video monitors as being good choices. What are the advantages verses cost to these over a high-end consumer HDTV from Bestbuy, etc? For my editing computer, I have to Apple 23" LCD monitors, and I would like to find decent CRT video monitor for HDV playback, color-correction, and "artifact checking"


I realize that there are a lot of questions in here, but I can't seem to find any answers elsewhere. Any help would be greatly appreicated-

Thanks,
Carl

Re: Video Monitoring for HDV
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Carl Crum : Hello,

I am trying to find out information about video monitors to use with the Z1. I am still waiting for the camera to arrive, so I have not had any hands-on time with it yet. Right now, I currently edit with FCP using a Canon XL-1 for video out via S-VHS to a SD studio monitor. This alows for realtime playback on the video monitor. Is there an equivalent for realtime HD video monitoring with the Z1? Can you connect a HD monitor to the Z1 via component out and get real time playback while editing in FCP (or FCP-E)? -->>>

None of the HDV editing systems preview HDV via the firewire port. It requires a muxed transport stream (.m2t or .ts). NLEs use elementry streams (.m2v and mp2) or transcode to another format - FCE HD and iMovie do, and what I guess FCP5 will too.

For realtime monitoring you'll need third party hardware. For FCP at the moment it doesn't exist. My hope is that, at NAB 2005, Apple and Blackmagic Design will announce full support for HDV and the AppleIntermediateCodec in FCP HD and the Decklink cards, making full res realtime HD out available (albeit SDI only) for $600!

<<<-- I have also heard you can connect some Sony video monitors that have iLink to the Z1 for real-time playback - is this true? -->>>

What's coming out of the Z1 (or the FX1 whatever) is a transport stream, which the HD TV sets in question can take.

<<<--Several people have mentioned the JVC video monitors as being good choices. What are the advantages verses cost to these over a high-end consumer HDTV from Bestbuy, etc? For my editing computer, I have to Apple 23" LCD monitors, and I would like to find decent CRT video monitor for HDV playback, color-correction, and "artifact checking"-->>>

How demanding are your clients? For event videography or weddings, or for yourself as a hobby, a very good consumer HD TV would probably be OK as your work would likely never be seen on anything better. However, if you have broadcast or corporate clients, you need a broadcast monitor.

Consumer sets disguise and hide image defects inconsistently from one set, or one image to another. Broadcast monitors show footage at it's best but also reveal faults in the image very clearly. On a computer display colour correction is inaccurate and interlacing is apparent while field order problems or interlace resizing errors could be disguised.

<<<--I realize that there are a lot of questions in here, but I can't seem to find any answers elsewhere. Any help would be greatly appreicated-

Thanks,
Carl -->>>

In general the way to be sure is to spend a lot of money. A place I used to work at saved money on monitoring on Avid DV Xpress by taking an S-Video out from the Matrox display cards to SD monitors (a similar option is offered for some HDV editing systems) . As playback was deinterlaced they had no idea if the effects or MPEG2 outputs render properly until they playback a tape or DVD on another set.

I have always wondered why did Apple abandon Matrox cards?
With PremierePro and Parhelia's WYSIWYG plug-in one really don't have to have video monitor anymore. Just one carefully calibrated and profiled 1920x1200 pc-monitor.
And if you really want to have hd video monitor Parhelia's pci-e version has analog hd component output.

Well, actually, the Cinema Desktop option in FCE HD and FCP HD offer something similar provided you have a DVI monitor, though in general, for colour correction and artefact spotting, PC (or Mac) monitors are not considered acceptable.

For desktop videographers/filmmakers it is a reasonable low cost alternative, though I'd only want to use it if I was working 100% progressive frame material.