cheapest monitor for color correction

[Larry Secrest]

I'm becoming aware that I just cant' color correct with my 24" Dell.

Could somebody tell me what is the cheapest monitor to do decent color correction?
I'm using Vegas 7.

Can I go with a LCD monitor or I must use a CRT?
I need to color correct HDV, well, cineform codec actually, Neo HDV more precisely using Vegas 7.
Any brand, type and models of monitors would be appreciated.
thanks
Larry

[David Stoneburner]

Of course a professional monitor would be best, but they are expensive. Before diving in, I would hook up a regular TV to your system. Make sure you send it color bars from the editors timeline and adjust properly. Then look at your differences and see if it will work for you. I use a standard 13" TV for my output and have been very happy with the results. I have professional monitors at my day job and yes you can set them up more accurately, but really what you get is a better quality of inputs, better mounting capabilities, and usually more lines of resolution. As for CRT vs. LCD, I prefer CRT but they are getting harder and harder to find. Hope this helps.

[Shaun Roemich]

Depending on what you do with the end product, a TV may be "good enough".

Does Vegas have Waveform and Vectorscope monitor functions built in? I'm PERSONALLY more concerned about staying within legal limits on colour gamut while achieving the overall look I'm going for. If you can pull up scopes AND tie into a reasonable quality TV, preferably through the best input available to you (in SD that would be Component then S-Video then Composite) after adjusting the TV to colour bars, you MAY have enough solution for you.

For digital cinema, filmouts and highend broadcast, there is no alternative but if your material is for home viewing off DVD or for training purposes projected through an LCD projector, you MAY not need a pro monitor yet. (But it's sure nice to have one, when you can afford it...)

[Vasco Dones]

Hi Larry,

I use this one
JVC | TMH-150CGU 15-Inch Color Production Monitor | TM-H150CGU
with good results.
Reasonably priced (and dual standard as well!)

Vasco

[Ervin Farkas]

If your setup makes it possible, and you're happy looking at an SD picture while editing HD, then search the evilBay for used monitors. Look for the PVM series from Sony for example; with most TV studios and other production facilities going HD, they are throwing out SD monitors left and right - I bought a van-load of them for just a little over $100 locally here in Atlanta.

And if you think that old is bad (CRTs burn out, etc), think again: this is all professional stuff, known to last (almost) for ever, not to be confused with consumer electronics.

[Bill Ravens]

My observations, after working on Apple systems with a Panasonic HD-SDI monitor running thru a mojo card.....

color correction is a subject that seems to elude even very career editors, and for good reason. Every link between the captured footage and the display monitor is capable of distorting color, and many intermediate steps do that quite without the users knowledge. For instance, I am not convinced that Quicktime is accurately reproducing the same color in the QT7 player that I saw on the HD-SDI preview in Avid. This really troubles me. And, I don't have an answer.

My point is, even with a very expensive production monitor with accurate color, can I believe what it shows me? I wish vectorscopes and waveform monitors were standard on all studio monitors.

[Larry Secrest]

Thanks, for all your answer.
It's a tough question, I'm not sure yet
L.