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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Pro Plasma... something or other

Roberto Lequeux

Roberto Lequeux

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I just talked to a colorist/VFX pro who was helping me out with some advice. He had to go so I couldn't get the exact product number from him for a monitor that he was telling about. It is apparently a very popular plasma among post houses right now, used for grading.

So I figured I'd write down what I remember he said before I forgot it and asked to see if someone could help me figure it out:

_ I think it was a Panasonic
_ It was something like "Pro Plasma"
_ Definitely a Plasma and not an LCD
_ I think he said it came in 42" and 50" flavors

Does this ring a bell?
 
Roberto Lequeux said:
I just talked to a colorist/VFX pro who was helping me out with some advice. He had to go so I couldn't get the exact product number from him for a monitor that he was telling about. It is apparently a very popular plasma among post houses right now, used for grading.
Click to expand...

Panasonic TH-42PF11UK. Or, if you want the 50 inch, TH-50PF11UK.
 
i was looking at this just the other day as a low cost option for our edit suite. it is by no means anything comparable to a high end color grading monitor (CineTal, or even a TV Logic) but it does look like a decent enough low cost solution. it is good to hear that other people are using this, and liking it.

any other opinions would be most welcome, as i have not bought a monitor yet, and am looking for a sub $6,000 monitor that is about 50-inches for an edit suite.
 
Chris Parker said:
i was looking at this just the other day as a low cost option for our edit suite. it is by no means anything comparable to a high end color grading monitor (CineTal, or even a TV Logic) but it does look like a decent enough low cost solution. it is good to hear that other people are using this, and liking it.
Click to expand...

Not "other people." Virtually every major post facility. And this decision was made after extensive testing. Price was not even a consideration. To say it's "not comparable to a high end color grading monitor" is to go against the collective opinions of just about every major chief engineer in Los Angeles. For them, it IS a "high end color grading monitor." The "best" choice for just about everyone was CRT's - and still is, if you can maintain them. But given the current state of technology, the decision to go plasma was not one that was taken lightly. I don't know of any major facility that does HD finishing in L.A. that in a color correction environment uses a CineTal, a TV Logic, or any LCD, period. Including Sony. Broadcast facilities, yes (Fox bought tons of JVC LCD monitors over a year ago). Post facilities doing color correction, no.
 
mmost said:
Not "other people." Virtually every major post facility. And this decision was made after extensive testing. Price was not even a consideration. To say it's "not comparable to a high end color grading monitor" is to go against the collective opinions of just about every major chief engineer in Los Angeles. For them, it IS a "high end color grading monitor." The "best" choice for just about everyone was CRT's - and still is, if you can maintain them. But given the current state of technology, the decision to go plasma was not one that was taken lightly. I don't know of any major facility that does HD finishing in L.A. that in a color correction environment uses a CineTal, a TV Logic, or any LCD, period. Including Sony. Broadcast facilities, yes (Fox bought tons of JVC LCD monitors over a year ago). Post facilities doing color correction, no.
Click to expand...
Just had a conversation with Cine-Tal at NAB about their LCD monitors. Only now their new monitors will be able to display 10bit (June, I think). And even then, LCD will still have a problem of off axis viewing. This fact pretty much disqualify it for me for the color grading use. In this respect plasma monitor (Panasonic series 11) is a better and much cheaper solution. Personally, I just would get the Sony FW-900, if you can find one and just use the "Eye one display" to calibrate it. And it's a true 2K display to boot...
 
This thread came at a good time, I'm looking for a good grading monitor myself. Can anyone tell me what connections one needs from a Kona 3 card for the monitor? What about calibration? What is the preferred method these days that is "affordable"? And is there something else that must be purchased along with the monitor to make it work as a grading monitor?
 
Chris Parker said:
what does the dual link do for you that single link won't?
Click to expand...

It allows you to monitor 4:4:4. My feeling is that if you're doing DI work, and you're looking through a LUT, this can have some value, although the vast majority of the time you won't see any difference. If you're doing HD video work, there's no need for 4:4:4 monitoring because the vast majority of your delivery elements are much more likely to be 4:2:2 anyway.

Don't forget that the picture monitor is only one part of a proper monitoring chain. The other component is a scope set, and if you're going to look at 4:4:4, you'll need a 4:4:4 capable scope set as well.
 
jake4n said:
Just had a conversation with Cine-Tal at NAB about their LCD monitors. Only now their new monitors will be able to display 10bit (June, I think). And even then, LCD will still have a problem of off axis viewing. This fact pretty much disqualify it for me for the color grading use. In this respect plasma monitor (Panasonic series 11) is a better and much cheaper solution.
Click to expand...

And you get to see a much bigger image as well. This is important if you're correcting for something that will be seen on a big screen. In fact, it's kind of important in almost any case because many home viewers - and I would think most producers - have screens of at least 40 inches now, anyway.
 
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