2k red grading solutions

[shu]

Hello,
I'm investigating options for color grading at max 2k resolution. Will be working with Final cut studio 2/apple color/Adobe after effects.
My choise is to get an intel mac pro, external Raid (SONNET FUSION D800RAID 8TB) and Blackmagic Multibridge Pro 2 ( don't see a reason to go AJA Kona3 and pay twice). The only chain that is missing here is a Monitor solution. I've allready have two Apple cinema 23' monitors ( can i use them for critical cc work via HDMI to DVI converter). Does the HD monitor is able to output a 2k image?
Need an advice about it...
Thank you

 

[Patrick Tresch]

We are investigating in that same route: FCPstudio2.

We have the Blackmagic Decklink Extreme
http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/hd/techspecs/
It has an HDMI 4.2.2. 10bit port wich is sufficient quality for the HP Dreamcolor 2480zx wich is about 4000.- Swiss francs. The dreamcolor is an 10bit per channel display.

But due to the monitor, we can only achieve 1920x1080 resolution. It's a 24'' screen and if you want to have a 2k res you have to go higher than 24''. We are still thinking of buying a bigger monitor but as we plan to do color critical work for film out, we have to be confident in the pannel we use.

Give me your feed back if you have any idea...

Patrick

As I believe... the only route to go with high quality signal is to use the HDMI route and to avoid the DVI wich seams to have only 8bit resolution...?

 

[Dave Blackham]

You could consider the new HP Dreamcolor monitor but suggest you take a look at the Blackmagic Multi bridge IO which supports HDMI or you will need an outboard SDi to HDMI convertor with this display.

The other consideration is that if you using BM the 10bit for uncompressed HD video coding used seems to use less bandwidth that AJA which may be significant when considering disk speed. It may not be relevent for some of the other 2K work though.

Dave
UK

 

[Karl Gustav H.]

Have you considered the Matrox MXO range - there is one specifically designed for the 23' ACD.

 

[shu]

if I'm sending the 2k signal from BM multibridge 2 in to Matrox MXO, Matrox will downscale the image to fit in 23'ACD or it will crop it or wont play at all?

Blackmagic HDlink Pro (HD-SDI to DVI) and Apple cinema 30'
http://www.decklink.com/products/hdlink/
Is this the better way?

 

[Santiago Marti]

i think the dreamcolor is 10bit using the displayport input, don't know about the hdmi. maybe i'm wrong, check it out.

 

[James Brundige]

I run red alert on my computer monitor. Once rendered, it plays out on my SDI broadcast monitor. The colors are totally different. Perhaps I can set up the computer monitor in a different color space, but, from this experience, I suggest not color grading on your computer monitor.

 

[Dan Hudgins]

Matching...

Matching...

I run red alert on my computer monitor. Once rendered, it plays out on my SDI broadcast monitor. The colors are totally different. Perhaps I can set up the computer monitor in a different color space, but, from this experience, I suggest not color grading on your computer monitor.

There are soooo many different technologies with monitors each looks different each has its own issues.

OLED will not match CRT, CRTs made with different phosphors do not match, LCDs change when you move your head around.

If you go to a large TV store playing the same BluRay you will see differences on the many types of monitor.

Film does not match any monitor at the edges of its color range or in the way resolution varies with brightness.

The grader needs to learn how colors will drift when going from his reference monitor to each of the end viewing methods.

I know from experence that the head and foot contrast of color print stock will not match my CRT monitor, so I try to leave a little extra there knowing that with day to day variations in film processing some of the end range detail will be lost. Also in my DI system I have an option to make a "test strip" filmout that just does the keyframe from each shot, that way you can filmout the "test strup" and look at it in a filmstrip projector to see if any grading adjustments are required before doing a full filmout. It might take several tries of making a "test strip" before you get all the shots optimised. No LUT will replace making "test strips" to really see exactly what the end result will be. Likewise you can output your own "test strips" and check them on DVD or BluRay etc. with a few seconds of each shot, or on still frame from each shots keyframe.

After you check you test strips you can try to adjust the grading monitor to come closer to what you are getting, but you cannot get the grading monitor to be an exact match ever, and only a close match on the center part of the color range using LUT. For the most part you need to "forcast" the end result in your mind's eye.

BTW: At 2K my DI system should be able to color correct uncompressed TIF frames in about 15-20 seconds depending on how fast your harddisk is, with fast RAID maybe 10 seconds or less. 4K takes about 60 +/- seconds with a single Harddrive. Maybe 75% of the time is harddisk and 25% CPU.