Dual Computer Monitors vs. One 30" Monitor at DVinfo.net

Jerry Neal · November 2nd, 2009, 10:26 PM

I need new computer monitors for editing. I can only spend around $500 total. I'm wondering if it's better to have two 23'' or one 30'' for video editing. Any suggestions? Also, what brands models would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

-Jerry

Dave Blackhurst · November 2nd, 2009, 11:21 PM

Personally I'd go for 2 monitors - you set one up for Vegas editing, and the second for a full screen review. I've got a couple aging 24" Dells, they've come down a lot in price.

I picked up a refurb 22" (21.5?) Samsung (1920x1080) for a secondary laptop display - it was under $150, and seems pretty decent - close to color correct according to the photo editing program I run on that machine - haven't tried editing on it yet, but hard to beat for the price.

Michael Wisniewski · November 3rd, 2009, 03:00 AM

For video editing I like two monitors myself. Aside from the benefits of a secondary preview, you can also look at it this way - a 30" monitor nets you a resolution of 1920x1080. But with two monitors you get a working resolution of 3840x1080.

Chris Harding · November 3rd, 2009, 05:45 AM

Hi Jerry

I work a little backwards.. a 22" for editing and a 19" for preview. However you have to accept the fact that your preview monitor quality isn't going to be as good as watching the rendered movie on a 42" LCD TV!!! I was a little disappointed when I started using a second monitor but with a little tweaking it can be quite acceptable.

For me this setup works well ...the only better way is to use a broadcast quality CRT monitor via either firewire or a special card (so I have been told) Twin LCD setups are very nice to use and easy to edit with as long as you know that the final quality will be much better than the preview quality even if you set it at "best" in Vegas

I would definately work on a dual monitor setup, you'll love the convenience!!!!

Chris

Chris Davis · November 3rd, 2009, 05:14 PM

Michael is right - it's not about the inches, it's about the pixels. I'd much rather use a single monitor, but until there's an affordable WQXGA monitor, I'll stick with dual monitors.

The Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC and the Apple Cinema HD Display are both WQXGA (2560×1600) 30" monitors, but run $1,400 and $1,800 respectively. Too much for me.

Jon McGuffin · November 3rd, 2009, 10:56 PM

This is honestly a no brainer... Definately go with the two monitors. More resolution, more screen real estate and typically cheaper. Idealy you'd get a couple of 23" 1920x1080 monitors which would enable full screen preview on the secondary device of HD material.

Here's your deal right here:
Newegg.com - Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1(ACM) Built-in Speakers - LCD Monitors

leaves you money to spare!

Jon

Taky Cheung · November 3rd, 2009, 11:03 PM

I have a 30" Dell running Dual DVI link at 2560x1600. It's great to have such desktop resolution to work with. I still bought a 17" Vizio as a display monitor.

Joe Parker · November 5th, 2009, 10:44 PM

I have two monitors, but 99% of the time monitor #2 is off. Certainly with Vegas there's no great need for a second monitor.

In fact, I like to have my preview window as close to the timeline as I can get it. Otherwise, there's way too much head swinging.

Jeff Harper · November 6th, 2009, 09:47 AM

This is strictly a matter of personal preference, IMO.

I was running a 30" and 24" but sold my 30" and am back to a single 24".

The advantages to a 30" that I enjoyed were:

1. the preview window was inherently larger because the monitor is larger. That was very nice. No need to locate it on second monitor.

2. The increased real estate of the 30" made for a "wider" timleline, meaning less scrolling back and forth. That was very nice also.

I did use both monitors but miss the 30" very little. I love having my desk space back.

The issue I had with the 30" was it was actually TOO large in a way, I actually turned my head back and forth a lot with it.

If I had to choose, I suppose I would go with 2 24" monitors as opposed to the 30". I like having one monitor strictly for accessing files, as my personal method of editing involves mixing photos with video for wedding videos. I used the second monitor as a place to view photos and then drag them from their folder directly onto the Vegas timeline as needed. That I do miss a lot.

Jerry Neal · November 7th, 2009, 08:18 PM

For the preview monitor, Is there an advantage to purchase a small LCD TV (720p) instead of using a second computer monitor? Would this give me a more accurate representation of what the finished project will look like? I can get a small HD Television for around the same price of a second computer monitor.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I greatly appreciate the information.

Jerry

Joe Parker · November 7th, 2009, 08:21 PM

No, these days you can't tell what someone is going to be watching the material on. It would make as much sense to get a huge plasma monitor.

Jeff Harper · November 7th, 2009, 08:28 PM

I have a professional broadcast monitor I bought last year gathering dust. Complete waste of money. My Dell 2405WFP is as close as I need to get. When I purchased the JVC broadcast monitor I was shocked at how similar it was to the preview window in Vegas. But then I do not do broadcast material, only wedding DVDs and web presentations.

Allan Phan · November 9th, 2009, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Parker

I have two monitors, but 99% of the time monitor #2 is off. Certainly with Vegas there's no great need for a second monitor.

In fact, I like to have my preview window as close to the timeline as I can get it. Otherwise, there's way too much head swinging.

The head swinging is very true, I have (2) 24 inch HD monitors and they are too wide on vegas but 1 monitor is too narrow. My vote is 30 inch monitor.

Steven Reid · November 9th, 2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allan Phan

The head swinging is very true, I have (2) 24 inch HD monitors and they are too wide on vegas but 1 monitor is too narrow. My vote is 30 inch monitor.

I use a 30" monitor to great effect, but find myself constantly resizing the preview window depending on what stage of editing I was at. Small preview for locking down an edit, large preview for color grading. I got tired of resizing (even though I know I can configure different layouts in Vegas), so I just ordered up a 23" monitor for preview (2048 x 1152). I guess I'll find out soon enough if my neck gets tired from turning to and fro, but for now I'm looking forward to more screen real estate. If it turns out poorly, then I guess my kids' computer is going to get a nice upgrade. :)

Steve

Jeff Wisener · November 9th, 2009, 04:00 PM

You might think this is over the top but I use 4 monitors at work. I only have one at home & it is where I do editing but I can tell you dual monitors is something that falls into the category of you dont know what you are missing until you try it.

November 2nd, 2009, 10:26 PM	#1
Jerry Neal Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 121	Dual Computer Monitors vs. One 30" Monitor I need new computer monitors for editing. I can only spend around $500 total. I'm wondering if it's better to have two 23'' or one 30'' for video editing. Any suggestions? Also, what brands models would you recommend? Thanks in advance for your replies. -Jerry

November 3rd, 2009, 03:00 AM	#3
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	For video editing I like two monitors myself. Aside from the benefits of a secondary preview, you can also look at it this way - a 30" monitor nets you a resolution of 1920x1080. But with two monitors you get a working resolution of 3840x1080. __________________ "Ultimately, the most extraordinary thing, in a frame, is a human being." - Martin Scorsese

November 3rd, 2009, 11:03 PM	#7
Taky Cheung Inner Circle Join Date: May 2007 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 2,114	I have a 30" Dell running Dual DVI link at 2560x1600. It's great to have such desktop resolution to work with. I still bought a 17" Vizio as a display monitor. __________________ LA Color Pros Blog RODE Authorized Reseller . Comer LED Camera Lights . TakyBox HTML5 Menu Generator

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November 2nd, 2009, 11:21 PM	#2
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	Personally I'd go for 2 monitors - you set one up for Vegas editing, and the second for a full screen review. I've got a couple aging 24" Dells, they've come down a lot in price. I picked up a refurb 22" (21.5?) Samsung (1920x1080) for a secondary laptop display - it was under $150, and seems pretty decent - close to color correct according to the photo editing program I run on that machine - haven't tried editing on it yet, but hard to beat for the price.

November 3rd, 2009, 05:45 AM	#4
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Hi Jerry I work a little backwards.. a 22" for editing and a 19" for preview. However you have to accept the fact that your preview monitor quality isn't going to be as good as watching the rendered movie on a 42" LCD TV!!! I was a little disappointed when I started using a second monitor but with a little tweaking it can be quite acceptable. For me this setup works well ...the only better way is to use a broadcast quality CRT monitor via either firewire or a special card (so I have been told) Twin LCD setups are very nice to use and easy to edit with as long as you know that the final quality will be much better than the preview quality even if you set it at "best" in Vegas I would definately work on a dual monitor setup, you'll love the convenience!!!! Chris

November 3rd, 2009, 05:14 PM	#5
Chris Davis Trustee Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Willmar, MN Posts: 1,400	Michael is right - it's not about the inches, it's about the pixels. I'd much rather use a single monitor, but until there's an affordable WQXGA monitor, I'll stick with dual monitors. The Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC and the Apple Cinema HD Display are both WQXGA (2560×1600) 30" monitors, but run $1,400 and $1,800 respectively. Too much for me.

November 3rd, 2009, 10:56 PM	#6
Jon McGuffin Major Player Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Carlsbad, CA Posts: 634	This is honestly a no brainer... Definately go with the two monitors. More resolution, more screen real estate and typically cheaper. Idealy you'd get a couple of 23" 1920x1080 monitors which would enable full screen preview on the secondary device of HD material. Here's your deal right here: Newegg.com - Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1(ACM) Built-in Speakers - LCD Monitors leaves you money to spare! Jon

November 5th, 2009, 10:44 PM	#8
Joe Parker Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Shannondale, WV Posts: 50	I have two monitors, but 99% of the time monitor #2 is off. Certainly with Vegas there's no great need for a second monitor. In fact, I like to have my preview window as close to the timeline as I can get it. Otherwise, there's way too much head swinging.

November 6th, 2009, 09:47 AM	#9
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	This is strictly a matter of personal preference, IMO. I was running a 30" and 24" but sold my 30" and am back to a single 24". The advantages to a 30" that I enjoyed were: 1. the preview window was inherently larger because the monitor is larger. That was very nice. No need to locate it on second monitor. 2. The increased real estate of the 30" made for a "wider" timleline, meaning less scrolling back and forth. That was very nice also. I did use both monitors but miss the 30" very little. I love having my desk space back. The issue I had with the 30" was it was actually TOO large in a way, I actually turned my head back and forth a lot with it. If I had to choose, I suppose I would go with 2 24" monitors as opposed to the 30". I like having one monitor strictly for accessing files, as my personal method of editing involves mixing photos with video for wedding videos. I used the second monitor as a place to view photos and then drag them from their folder directly onto the Vegas timeline as needed. That I do miss a lot.

November 7th, 2009, 08:18 PM	#10
Jerry Neal Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 121	For the preview monitor, Is there an advantage to purchase a small LCD TV (720p) instead of using a second computer monitor? Would this give me a more accurate representation of what the finished project will look like? I can get a small HD Television for around the same price of a second computer monitor. Thanks for everyone's replies. I greatly appreciate the information. Jerry

November 7th, 2009, 08:21 PM	#11
Joe Parker Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Shannondale, WV Posts: 50	No, these days you can't tell what someone is going to be watching the material on. It would make as much sense to get a huge plasma monitor.

November 7th, 2009, 08:28 PM	#12
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	I have a professional broadcast monitor I bought last year gathering dust. Complete waste of money. My Dell 2405WFP is as close as I need to get. When I purchased the JVC broadcast monitor I was shocked at how similar it was to the preview window in Vegas. But then I do not do broadcast material, only wedding DVDs and web presentations.

November 9th, 2009, 04:00 PM	#15
Jeff Wisener Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Oceanside Ca & Bali Indonesia Posts: 158	You might think this is over the top but I use 4 monitors at work. I only have one at home & it is where I do editing but I can tell you dual monitors is something that falls into the category of you dont know what you are missing until you try it.