Best 24" monitor for video editing
 

Hi everyone,

Could anyone recommend me a good 24" monitor for HD editing? I would like to be able to display a 720p/1080i/1080p footage without seeing the image stretched vertically and no input lag. I plan to purchase 2 monitors for a dual screen configuration. Thank you for your advice.

well the 'best' is going to cost some serious money. What budget do you have for this?

$450 for each one which brings me to $900 for both. I can go up to $1000 for both.

Well, not sure about US price but I'm using a 8 month old Dell 2408WFP (and seriously thinking about getting a second one before it gets superceded as I like it so much).

No it's not perfect - but I suspect it's close to your budget. Google some reviews and decide for yourself.

There might be some better options that have appeared since in this price range but I'm a little out of touch on that. Anyone?

I'm with you, Andy -- I have a somewhat older Dell 2405 as my main monitor and use a 20" Vizio HDTV for full screen playback next to it. Love them both.

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your answer. I can't find anywhere if the Dell you mentionned does 1:1 pixel mapping.

Yes it does. It's a menu option. There are lots of links and information you'll want to know (and some you might not want to know) in this thread I had going some time ago.

Dell Ultrasharp 2408WFP Monitor - Mini Review - The Digital Video Information Network

Thank you very much to you both. I am ordering them today :D

input lag
 

Oh, just one last question before pressing the "checkout" button. Did you experience any input lag with the 2408wfp?
Thanks

I've had no issues with this lag "issue". I've read others have had issues - but maybe they were gaming people? It's just not been an issue for me, at all. Nothing is perfect but, for me, at the price point this Dell's at, there was nothing anywhere close at the time I bought it and I suspect may still not be. The gaurantee Dell offer is so good (and long!) that if you find any issues just return them. Out of interest, what's the price on these for you at the moment in the USA?

$517 free shipping each from Dell Small Business

Thank you very much for all your answers. I ordered them today. As they are out of stock, it will take up to 2 weeks until they are delivered. Meanwhile, I may go to Yellowstone and shoot some animals :)

Another option
 

I just got this one at Costco, it seems to be really nice so far....

VIZIO

It's 26 instead of 24 but close in size.....$400 at Costco....

Can't say for sure that it is the best or anything like that. Here's some specs that I copied from Vizo's site
(sorry if that's a no no Chris, I thought that since I attributed it, it may be OK)
You can see that you can tweak the color temperature and calibrate the colors which is nice.

# Supported PC Formats: 1080p (FHD)
# Native Panel Resolution: 1920 x 1200
# Supported PC Resolutions: 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1280 x 1024, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200 via VGA/HDMI
# Pixel/Dot Pitch: 0.2865mm (H) x 0.2865mm (V)
# Display Compatibility: FHD (1080p)
# Signal Compatibility: 480i, 480P, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
# Response Time: 3 ms (typical)
# Colors: 16.7 million
# Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (typical)
# Contrast Ratio: 2000:1 (w/DCR) - Dynamic
# Viewable Angle: 170°/ 160° (horizontal and vertical)
# Advanced Power Saving Management
# Color Temperature: 6500K (warm) and 9300K (cool)
# Color Fine Tuning: Independent Red, Green and Blue
# Audio: Built-in 3W x 2
# Lamp (LCD) Life: 50,000 hours
# Power: IEC Connector for direct power line connection
# Voltage Range: 100v~264vac @ 50/60Hz
# Power Consumption: 160W average
# Inputs: 2 HDMI (v1.2a) - 1 rear, 1 side; DVI: 1 rear; VGA: 1 rear; USB 2.0 Upstream: 1 rear; Stereo Audio: 1 rear
# Outputs: 4 USB Down Stream: 3 rear, 1 side; Headphone (Stereo Mini-Jack): 1
# Tilt: -5°/+20°
# Height Adjust: 0-110mm (4.3")
# Swivel: 120°/120°

I dunno, just another one to look at. Probably not as good as the Dell, but pretty nice overall.

2408wfp
 

BTW,

I received my monitors and they are just absolutely awesome! Thank you again for your advice, those monitors are great. And with my GPU, I don't even need a Huey Pro. I can calibrate the screen as I want!

Thx again.

Good news! Now you have all that screen real estate it's time do do some serious editing and produce something stunning for the world to see. Good luck!

Just purchased 2 at the mall.......AWESOME!
If you want to have a first check,log to vimeo and watch a full hd video in full screen!AWESOMe

I started with dual 24" monitors so I could have a 1080p preview but found turning my head everytime to watch the preview / then go back to the timeline was annoying.

So moving to a single 30" monitor at 2560 x 1600, I got a full 720p preview with plenty of room for a timeline. In the picture it's rendering so the image is half 1080p, (960 x 540) but normally it'd fill out to the edges and be 1280 x 720...

http://lousyhero.com/blaze/lolquad2.jpg
http://lousyhero.com/blaze/desk08.jpg

Are you using the monitor for video previewing or grading or just for your computer monitor

For professional work, Dell, Apple and other volume sellers are low end. It's not about "looking good", it's about color accuracy.

Here's up a step:
NEC Display Solutions MultiSync LCD2490WUXi-BK-SV

NEC apparently provides panels to many smaller companies. I don't know about the high end. I do think its good to have a display with 1:1 pixel mapping from HDMI.

Wich are the best settings for the colors of the dell 248?

Joe, FWIW, I agree on the single 30". I have tried multiple monitors on several occasions and for same reason I've always gone back to single configuration.

I use a JVC broadcast monitor already for color accuracy, and that is more than enough for me.

The HP is a reasonably priced 30" solution that I like very much, best quality for the money.

My current older dell 2405 FPW is remarkably accurate for colors and I have purchased several newer monitors with great reviews only to find they are not as good as my current one. I ended up returning them all. I am staying with my currentl 24" until I move to a 30".

and then this is the cheapest pro item:

Amazon.com: JVC Professional 24-Inch Broadcast Studio Monitor with Built-in HD-SDI: Camera & Photo

HDSDI and all.

Paul

Don't buy that JVC from Amazon. That is an older model. They since have come out with an L2 followed recently by an L3 version. We bought our L3 version recently from our regional video dealer for $3200 (US funds). Comes with HD-SDI inputs, a built-in waveform monitor, audio level monitor and time code display. Here it is for sale from B&H Photo/Video:

JVC | 24" LCD MONITOR W/HD-SDI & WAVEFORM | DT-V24L3DU

Video previewing and pc monitor. For grading, I double checked with my HDTV.

The HP Dreamcolor is on sale.

HP DreamColor LP2480zx Professional Display overview - HP Small & Medium Business products

OWC has this 24-inch Dell on sale. $279.99

Dell 24" S2409W LCD Flat Panel Monitor W/ DVI,... (S2409W) at OWC

Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution
16:9 dynamic aspect ration
HDMI high quality digital connection

BTW for those who might even want a smaller monitor, Vizio has just released a native 1920 x 1080 1080P LCD set. VIZIO VA22LF

It's smaller than the DELL, only weighs 11lbs and is 2.5" thick.
Which I just picked up and I must say it's pretty sweet. It has any connection that you might need HDMI, Component, Composite, AF, S-Video, Computer RGB, 5.1 SPFIF, Headphone out and more.

It also has some nice picture adjustments, which includes the ability to turn OFF the DNC setting (Dynamic Noise Control). This is important to me, as I have passed on many set tops, due to the fact that you can't easily turn off DNC, and as a result your picture levels keep changing to the manufacturers white levels. Thus you could never properly calibrate your monitor, as after you calibrated your set, the contrast levels would change immediately after you calibrate it.

BTW, I just posted a review of the Vizio VA22LF on my Tools of the Trade Blog. REVIEW of VIZIO VA22LF (22" 1080P) TV

For an actual computer monitor I would want 1200 tall, not just 1080. The 1080 high would be nice for video display, dependent upon how well it can be calibrated.

I know that my Dell 2408WFP is 1920 x 1200 so it displays as expected (with slim black bars top and bottom) with Full HD video.

David, have you any first hand experience with this monitor?

Spec-wise, it looks great. For the price, this seems like a very sweet deal...but would have to see on how well it performs for color accuracy, compatibility (with specific apps, graphics cards, etc...) and reliability.

Totally agree with you Don.

I've seen a few posts on various other forums about these as well:

FSI 24 Inch Grade 1 HD Broadcast Monitor

HP DreamColor LP2480zx Professional Display

I too am researching for a monitor that is not only accurate in reproducing colors correctly but that has a wide range of colorspaces to choose from to make editing a bit easier / faster.

And the NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi is an even better step up. It has a bit more screan real estate as well as a wider colour gamut. I can't praise the 2690WUXi enough (I have it on my station at home).

In the VFX studio at which I work, we are currently evaluating the HP DreamColor LP2480zx which looks amazing. Actually, I don't think we're evaluating it anymore; we've made up our minds and will be buying a few of them.

Take a look at the LCD thread on the AnandTech VIdeo Cards and Graphics forum:

AnandTech - STICKY: The LCD Thread

Read about the panel types and their best usage, then take a look at Recommendations in post #2 at the category MULTIMEDIA.

John