|
crowd sourcing the experts |
|||||
| |
|||||
 |
|||||
 (Page 1 of 2 pages for this article 1 2 >) Filed under: DreamColor from HP: an ideal tool for critical image evaluation
After several months of waiting, I finally received a DreamColor evaluation unit from HP. Back in May of 2009, I had included the DreamColor in an article called How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways! That article included a comparison chart that I had made called Affordable 1080 HD monitors for critical color evaluation. Even back then, the DreamColor looked attractive compared to the specs of the competition, which included contenders from JVC and Panasonic. Before receiving the evaluation unit, I had the experience of going to Guatemala to install a DreamColor. However, because I had to integrate an entire system while I was in Guatemala, I didn’t have a chance to spend enough time with the DreamColor then as I have had now. In this article you’ll discover many reasons why the DreamColor is probably the the most sensible monitor to purchase for video production or post-production when you need critical image evaluation, even if it may mean purchasing it with a converter box, if your current NLE or grading system doesn’t have an an ideal connection for it. Even after adding the cost of a converter box (if required) or otherwise upgrading your current system, the DreamColor will still cost thousands of dollars less than a comparable competitive critical evaluation monitor with a true 10-bit panel.
One DreamColor monitor model so farAt the present time, there is a single DreamColor monitor model available from HP, which is the 24-inch LP2480zx. That’s the model referenced in the rest of this article. The optional dedicated colorimeter with software costs US$349. Depending upon your NLE’s or grading system’s current interface, you may or may not need a converter box. More about that (and about DreamColor’s US$1999 official price) later in this article. Reasons to love the DreamColor for critical image evaluation in pro video and digital cinema
This article does not reiterate all of the DreamColor’s specs. For that, just go to HP.com. I’m covering and emphasizing details which are not so obvious when simply reading the specs there. Color spaces for other industriesFor other industries (i.e. graphic design, medical, and pre-press), the DreamColor monitor offers other color spaces, including AdobeRGB and sRGB. Do you dream in 18-bit color, 24-bit color, or 30-bit color?Each pixel in any color LCD monitor contains three subpixels. Each subpixel corresponds with one of the three primary video colors: red, green, and blue. The bit-precision of the display determines how many levels of brightness can be shown for each primary color. A 6-bit monitor offers 64 (26) levels from darkest to brightest for each primary color. An 8-bit monitor offers 256 (228) levels for each primary color. The bit-precision is determined by the electronics which control the liquid crystal cells in the panel. Since there are three subpixels, the maximum number of colors that a pixel can display is 2n x 2n x 2n where n is the bit-precision of a subpixel. Therefore, an 8-bit monitor offers 28 x 28 x 28 = 16,777,216 colors (which is often rounded as 16.7 million). Many consumer LCD monitors have inexpensive 18-bit panels (6-bit per subpixel x3). Most professional LCD monitors have 24-bit panels (8-bit per subpixel x3). Only a very few high-end LCD models have 30-bit panels (10-bit per subpixel x3). Since the DreamColor LP2480zx has a 10-bit design, it can display a simultaneous palette of 210 x 210 x 210 = 1,073,741,824 colors which is often rounded to 1.07 billion* colors.
Ideally, to see 10-bit/30-bit video, the source and hardware that feeds the DreamColor should be 10-bit/30-bit. Fortunately, Apple ProRes422(HQ) is 10-bit, and many modern NLE interfaces also output 10-bit for the DreamColor. However, later in this article you’ll learn why it is better to monitor with a 30-bit panel even if your NLE outputs DVI (like the discontinued MultibridgeExtreme from Blackmagic), and DVI is 8-bit by definition. First impression from Julio Borrayo in GuatemalaWhen Julio Borrayo of STAFF HDTV in Guatemala first saw the DreamColor working in his third edit suite, he was stunned by the off-axis performance. By published specs, the DreamColor monitor was only two degrees better than the two JVC DT-V24L1 monitors Julio already had in two of his other edit suites, but in practice we both walked back and forth and saw practically no change in contrast even from the extreme sides. Julio also appreciated the fact that the DreamColor panel was matte, not reflective. Firmware update procedureI have upgraded firmware countless times in cameras, computers, NLE interfaces, and Internet routers, but I had never had to do it with a video monitor before this trip to Guatemala. I had read previously about a firmware update for DreamColor, so I first compared the current version on HP’s website with the one I had there in the monitor, and —as you guessed— it needed to be updated. Unfortunately, updating the DreamColor’s firmware currently requires Windows, but fortunately my MacBookPro has Windows XP installed via BootCamp, so I rebooted into Windows and downloaded the updater from HP’s website and connected my MacBookPro via USB to the monitor. The updater acted as if it had worked (no errors on screen), but the monitor didn’t get updated. I contacted HP tech support via SkypeOut at their 800 number, but none of their suggestions helped either. HP’s tech support and I were both stumped. Finally, I e-mailed Greg Staten —the DreamColor Solutions Architect at HP— and he explained that it is necessary to connect the same computer’s video output to the DreamColor’s input to initiate the firmware update (just a temporary connection), in addition to the USB cable. I would have never expected that, and it didn’t indicate that in the updater on screen. Fortunately, I had a video adaptor with me to go from my MacBookPro to the DreamColor, and from there forward, the firmware update went smoothly. Translation problem in the “Spanish” DreamColor menu
We were in Guatemala —where the first language is Castilian— (even though many people call it “Spanish”). That’s why we were looking at the DreamColor’s menus in that language. We wasted some time before I realized that HP’s contracted translator had mistranslated “Hue” as Contraste, which (as you might guess) means Contrast. I reported this to Greg Staten, and hopefully this will be corrected in a future firmware update. Perhaps HP will hire me next time for their technical translations Page 2 of this article covers:
(Page 1 of 2 pages for this article 1 2 >) 
You must be registered to comment. This is an effort to reduce spam. Please REGISTER HERE.
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
To be considered for listing, contact pr (at) provideocoalition (dot) com
Copyright © 2011, HD Expo, LLC a division of Diversified Business Communications. DBA Createasphere
All rights reserved. HD EXPO, High Def EXPO, Createasphere, E-Tech, Entertainment Technology Exposition, 3D Production Workshop, VariCamp, P2 Camp, ColorCamp 101, and Lighting, Filters & Gels for HD are all trademarks of HD Expo, LLC.