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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 :)

Suggest Monitors for Grading...

NEC Multisync PA271W w/ calibrator.

The NEC is a pretty nice monitor and does 10 bit (although I'm only running 8 bit at the moment). It sports an onboard processing engine and multiple LUTs along with a software system to switch between them (I have mine set to Video / REC709). Unlike most calibration systems the calibrator does not alter the signal to the monitor, rather it updates the engine's settings in the monitor. The NEC can be had at a few different sizes; I have the 27 centered in front of my keyboard with 2 15" 'wing' monitors on each side. It also has a 2 channel USB keyboard/mouse switch built in.

I think it's a better choice to the DreamColor as the DC hasn't been updated in a few years and still sports the intro pricing while other competitors have entered the market. When compared to the NEC the DC is way overpriced. The 24" NEC is cheap enough that I'd not hesitate to take it on set.

Bob
 
Kevin, with probes you really pay your money and take your chances.

The most cost effective probe for its level of accuracy/cost is probably the X-Rite i1 Display Pro - we have a lot of customers using that.

For better accuracy and faster calibration the Hubble is great.

For the best possible accuracy the Jeti 1211 and Klein K-10 are hard to better, along with the PR-655...

Personally I use the Jeti, Hubble and i1 Display Pro, depending on the job.

Cheers,

Steve
 
Bob, I've never used the NEC displays, but they says they use ICC profiles for calibration.

If so, it is possible the 3D LUTs are actually 1D data, as ICC profiles when used for display calibration do not use 3D data (in graphics cards applications).

I'm obviously not 100% on the way NEC uses ICC profiles, but it's worth checking if you can.

The way to check is to see if saturation can be controlled - can you make the display mono via the LUTs for example?

In normal use ICC profiles used for display calibration cannot control saturation, so cannot control colour gamut.

The other way to have a quick check of this is how many colour patches are used during calibration - if grey scale plus RGB primary only the same is probably true - no gamut control. If a complex selection of colours is used (not just pure RGB) it's more likely that gamut control is possible.

I will see if I can get my hands on a display to check as well.

Cheers,

Steve
 
FSI 2461w monitor

FSI 2461w monitor

I am about to buy a color monitor for grading and am seriously looking at the Flanders Scientific 2461 $5300 with shipping and already calibrated. I read here from Steve that they are poorly calibrated out of the box, but I belief they recently acquired a high end calibration system, and offer free recalibration at any time if needed.

Should I be looking at any other monitors in this price range, or maybe a little less, so I can also afford part of a Tangent Panel :)
 
I do not know if I can buy into the idea of a "pre-calibrated" monitor. As soon as you plug it into a system, it must be profiled: it is a "combo" type of stuff that one interact one with another, not an independent element...
 
Reviving this thread: NAB's coming up and I need a monitor. Both FSI and Borland offer lifetime calibration.. Should this be irrelevant since proper calibration can only be accomplished in system, Luis? Also, I'm reading a wide disparity of criticism for FSI but this thread is nearly five years old now so who knows. Anybody using Borland? The Borland BVB24 is within range for me and I like the company. Steve Shaw, are you still as critical of grading monitors in this sub $5k price range? What are Redusers using?
 
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Cameron K said:
Reviving this thread: NAB's coming up and I need a monitor. Both FSI and Borland offer lifetime calibration.. Should this be irrelevant since proper calibration can only be accomplished in system, Luis? Also, I'm reading a wide disparity of criticism for FSI but this thread is nearly five years old now so who knows. Anybody using Borland? The Borland BVB24 is within range for me and I like the company. Steve Shaw, are you still as critical of grading monitors in this sub $5k price range? What are Redusers using?
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I was not a Borland fan for a few years, but I just finished a freelance stint at an LA facility that used the top-of-the-line Borland OLED, and it looked terrific to me. I had zero problems with it. It's not the equivalent of a true Grade-1 display like a Sony X300, but it's pretty good for what it is, and I think they're around $7000-$8000 or so.
 
Marc Wielage said:
I was not a Borland fan for a few years, but I just finished a freelance stint at an LA facility that used the top-of-the-line Borland OLED, and it looked terrific to me. I had zero problems with it. It's not the equivalent of a true Grade-1 display like a Sony X300, but it's pretty good for what it is, and I think they're around $7000-$8000 or so.
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Thanks, Marc. Always generous with your experience on this forum. That oled is a couple-three grand over my budget. On another forum you once told of an indie client who did their initial grade with a decent, consistent monitor and then your house was able to do a very satisfactory pass for them in three days or so for $6k. Of course, I think that was 2012. A guy can dream.
 
FSI makes great grading monitors. The DM series rocks and I use the CM250 also for grading where the slight lag isn't an issue. I've also ordered the DM240 which is very reasonably priced and although an LCD performs very, very well.
 
Cameron K said:
Thanks, Marc. Always generous with your experience on this forum. That oled is a couple-three grand over my budget. On another forum you once told of an indie client who did their initial grade with a decent, consistent monitor and then your house was able to do a very satisfactory pass for them in three days or so for $6k. Of course, I think that was 2012. A guy can dream.
Click to expand...
I routinely will grade at my home studio on a Panasonic BT-300, then if the client wants to, we move the session into a bigger room, even a D-Cinema projection room, and we do a trim pass over a period of a couple of days. I can get it 90% of the way there with the Panasonic, no problem.

The Panasonics were about $3200 new, but nowadays you can get the LG B6/B7 OLED displays for well under $3K. When you calibrate them correctly, they can look very good. While a lot of facilities in LA still use the Panasonic plasmas for broadcast delivery, I think the reality is that they're all starting to fade nowadays and everybody is replacing these "client monitors" with new technology. So far as I've seen, the calibrated OLEDs are a good alternative. As Steve Shaw has noted, you do have to set the black level a little higher so you don't wind up overcompensating for the "superblack" levels the OLEDs can achieve.
 
Marc Wielage said:
So far as I've seen, the calibrated OLEDs are a good alternative. As Steve Shaw has noted, you do have to set the black level a little higher so you don't wind up overcompensating for the "superblack" levels the OLEDs can achieve.
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Wow, certainly hadn't thought of that. Since I'll always be working towards hiring a colorist for finishing this is a very exciting alternative. Thanks a million, Marc!
 
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