Low-cost monitoring

[Adam Jeal]

Can someone from BMD please tell me if it is possible to use the following set-up for grading with Resolve;

Decklink HD Extreme 3D+,
HDLINK Pro DVI
Eizo ColorEdge CE240W

If so, is it capable of quality results? - I can't afford to get a dedicated grading monitor at the moment.

Many thanks,

Adam

[Alexander Ibrahim]

I am not from Black Magic, but the answer is that you can use that set up.

It will give quality results. Not feature level, not even broadcast level - but certainly low end cable and web level results. You will have to depend more on the scopes and less on your eyes.

What I'm wondering is why you'd drop coin on an EIZO before just getting a nice HDTV ?

A quality plasma HDTV will actually have greater native display capacity than just about any LCD/LED panel. Now here is the thing ... when you get a dedicated display, you still have a nice, and probably large plasma HDTV. You can show presentations on it, and use it for client display when they sit in. It frankly kicks ass.

Another thing I do? I just watch TV and BluRay on that display. Because its a calibrated display you get just a fantastic sense of the color work others are doing.

Oh, and another thing ... you can totally skip the HDLINK. The HDMI output on the Decklink is rock solid. You only miss some calibration features. You can get most of the benefit by sending test patterns out from your software and calibrating using the displays regular tools. (I send various generated bars out from every bit of software I use to make sure I am seeing the same thing from all of them - which is supposed to be the case but surprisingly is often not the case.

[Adam Jeal]

Thanks Alexander,

I think I'm going to have to look at something better, as I'm looking to grade indie feature films. I can't use the HDMI on the decklink as my PCI-e slots are used as follows;

Slot 4: Highpoint RocketRaid 4322
Slot 3: Decklink Extreme 3D+
Slot 2: Nvidia GT120 (GUI)
Slot 1: Nvidia GTX285 (GPU)

Is it a good idea to be grading features over HDMI?


Adam

[Alexander Ibrahim]

Well, its not a great idea ... but you can do it.

The principal problem isn't any kind of issue with the HDMI protocol or the display quality though, its a calibration issue. That and a consistency issue.

What I have done is to correct a whole project with HDMI displays, then get a "known good" calibrated monitor in for a day or two, and build a LUT that gives me a delta between the calibrated display and my own. Often this turns out to be very very tiny, the difference between two different calibrated displays.

Consumer devices tend not to hold their calibration well over time, so I recommend checking them roughly twice as often as professional devices. Small price to pay really for the cost savings.

Now ... if you are inclined, you can use the BMD HDLink 3D which goes HD-SDI to HDMI. That will save you a pile of effort in calibrating the display.

Now, your configuration issue ... this is why I tend to specify Resolve systems with two Quadro 4000 cards. I use one for GUI, and one for Resolve GPU ... leaving a slot open for HDMI.

In the future ... I expect we'll have Thunderbolt, but that we won't expand the available PCI slots in the Mac Pro. So ... some stuff will just have to hang off the Thunderbolt bus ... Ultrastudio 3D I'm thinking, and Thunderbolt may be the HBA too ... which will let you add in a Rocket and more GPU's ... especially if you can use single slot cards like the Quadro 4000.

Is any of that useful info?

[Adam Jeal]

Very. Thanks Alexander!

:)

Adam

[Philipe Ratton]

Hey Alexander, or whoever want to chime in, while we are at it, what about the ColorEdge CG243W (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...idescreen.html) ?
Its supposed to be as good as the dreamcolor. Using the same set up as Adam but two quadros 4000 and a HDLink Pro 3D DisplayPort, what kind of results can one expect ?

[John Saunders]

Now, your configuration issue ... this is why I tend to specify Resolve systems with two Quadro 4000 cards. I use one for GUI, and one for Resolve GPU ... leaving a slot open for HDMI.

Forgot about the raid card which would use all 4 spaces...


We have the same setup (GTX285 and GT120) and we ended up using a HDlink to go to our panasonic plasma.

I also thought that the HDMI out was 8 bit with resolve (maybe they fixed that with V8?) and if so that's another reason to use an HDlink.

Hey Alexander, or whoever want to chime in, while we are at it, what about the ColorEdge CG243W (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...idescreen.html) ?
Its supposed to be as good as the dreamcolor. Using the same set up as Adam but two quadros 4000 and a HDLink Pro 3D DisplayPort, what kind of results can one expect ?

Just out of curiosity are you using the coloredge because you already have it? If you plan to buy one why not look into the 21 inch FSI? Its $2500 and although not full 10bit it has all the IO and scopes that you would expect and comes calibrated.

And since it has SDI you don't need the HDlink making the price the same.

[Adam Jeal]

Hi John,

Yes, I've already got the Eizo. I really like the look of the FSI's esp. the LM-2461W, but AFAIK they don't have any UK dealers. It would cost me nearly $300.00 to ship it from the States and then I'd get hit with 14% duty and 20% VAT on top. Ouch!

Adam

[John Saunders]

Hi John,

Yes, I've already got the Eizo. I really like the look of the FSI's esp. the LM-2461W, but AFAIK they don't have any UK dealers. It would cost me nearly $300.00 to ship it from the States and then I'd get hit with 14% duty and 20% VAT on top. Ouch!

Adam

Yeah, that sucks...

On a plus side I do like the HDlink and so far it has worked real well for us. The plasma is uncalibrated (still burning it in) but the HDlink lut controls look like it they will make it a little easier and more accurate.

The Eizo dosen't have an HDMI input right? Are you sure that the DVI will take a HDMI signal (not all will, I think the DVI has to be HDCP compliant)? I would test it using hdmi out of a dvd player (using an adapter or hdmi to dvi cable) before you go much further.

I know this from experience...

[Adam Jeal]

I'd go dual HD SDI out of the Decklink into an HDLink Pro DVI and plug the Eizo's DVI into that. I've heard a rumour that the HDLink Pro has a problem with the Eizo's. It'd be great if someone from BMD could chime in..

Adam