$$$ to upgrade... new monitor or add an external TV?
 

Hi all,
I've come to you with problems before, and you've been very kind in answering them. Thus, i figured i'd pose a less stressful problem, and see what everyone has to say. :)
With Christmas right around the corner, i'm looking to purchase something to help make video editing a bit easier and more fun. I'm trying to decide between a new computer monitor or an external preview monitor.
Right now i'm working with a poor quality 17" CRT computer monitor, and i'd like to upgrade it to a widescreen LCD. This would help my video editing and website development by giving me a larger work area, allowing me to have all the necessary windows up in those programs.
HOWEVER,
i'm also wondering about an external preview monitor. I've noticed that when i correct for contrast and color on the monitor, the results on the TV aren't that great. I run an ATI 9800 pro graphics card, and have a canopus ADVC 100. What is involved in setting up an external preview monitor? Can it just be a small TV, or does it have to be a $1,500+ machine like i see when searching such sites as B&H photo?

Basically, if it would be worth it to hook up a cheap TV (like $100 to $200) i can upgrade the monitor as well. However, if its necessary to get a "production monitor" to be of any reasonable value, i'm going to have to shoose one over the other.
Ideas? Opinions? Thanks all. :)
kind regards,
matt lewis

You really do need an external monitor if your projects are being seen on televisions and not computer monitors at any given point. Even a low cost monitor from Walmart will do, although it's far from optimal or accurate.
If you have an ADVC 100, you've got everything you need except the monitor itself. It's just a matter of firewire to ADVC, and ADVC analog to the television, then set up external/preview monitor for 1394 in the Vegas Preferences. Select the External monitor button/option in the Vegas preview window, and you're done.
http://www.vasst.com/resource.aspx?i...c-7d5f37e4297e has a diagram and instructions for doing this.

thanks for the quick reply!
I've been reading more here, and it looks like, for issues of color, i should probably go with a more expensive "true" external monitor (i'm looking at the JVC TMH-150CGU). And for something like this, which i imagine stays pretty "current" (unlike computer parts which go obselete in 6 months to a few years), i might not mind spending $500 or $600.
Ok, any suggestions? I'm reading, and came across the JVC TMH-150CGU. Any others to look at in this price range?
thanks again,
matt

If you're using a single 17" CRT for now, I think you're better off with a second computer monitor as it'll increase your productivity a lot. I find it difficult to work on a single monitor now.

You might want to look out for hot deals on a Dell LCD. That should be your best bang/buck in a monitor. I suggest avoiding a second CRT because CRTs interfere with each other. Spacing the CRTs out with the LCD in between solves that.

2- An external monitor is a really really good idea- you can spot things you can't on a computer monitor (if targetting TV and not computer or projection).

A broadcast monitor is better of course but if it comes down to money, I'd get the second computer monitor first. Consumer TVs do have whacked colors... they have a number of image cheats to make them brighter and sharper.

3- The video preview on a computer monitor can show the colors pretty off. Vegas 5/6 by default decodes to 16-235 "studio RGB" color space, which means black level (in your footage) goes to 16 16 16 RGB which is lighter than black. White level goes to 235 235 235, which probably looks grey and not white.

I have a 17" LCD n I'm having the same problem. I'm currently hooked up to my graphics card via DVI. I have another analogue output.Will I be able to have a second LCD monitor with that port using Vegas? (For increasing the workspace). I'm on WinXP home edition. If I wish to setup an external preview monitor, what PCI card must I get?

Sean, it depends on your card. If it's not a dual head, chances are you have the VGA or DVI, but not both. If you want a PAL/NTSC preview monitor running from a PCI card, you need a card that provides analog outputs AND is supported by VEGAS for preview. It's way cheaper to just use your cam hooked via firewire, with analog out to your NTSC/PAL monitor.

Mathew, I personally do not like widescreen LCD's. My laptop has one, and I tend to work from an external 4:3 LCD as it is taller than the same size widescreen. Two 19" LCD's will give you tons more work area than a 20" widescreen.

Thanks Dennis.I have a feeling my card aint dual output.Looks like I have to search for a card as I wan to preview the video after rendering. Anything to recommend?

If you were using PP1.5 or AfterEffects, and you had a PCI express slot on your MB, this would the card I'd look at: http://www.matrox.com/mga/workstatio.../apve/home.cfm

It has dual head DVI, with HD/SD preview output for about $320. The preview drivers are written for Adobe products though. I'm guessing Vegas would not drive the HDTV port on this card for preview.

To preview after rendering, you could try one of the ATI AIW series cards. They'll do preview output (Theatre Mode) to an external NTSC monitor. I have this set up currently as my primary AGP card as an ATI AIW card. I don't however have a decent monitor yet. I'm trying to find an inexpensive small NTSC TV that will do these duties.

Tvzeka provides an Aftereffects plugin that will also take your preview video out to the ATI TV port. No help for Vegas of course!

Man thaz sad!! No support for vegas!