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Saturday, May 23, 2009
How to connect your HD evaluation monitor to your editing system properly: Let me count the ways!
Allan Tépper | 05/23
It has become much more complex than just BNC, DVI, or HDMI
If your NLE system has HD-SDI output, and you’ve picked an HD-SDI monitor
If your system already has HD-SDI output, and you have picked a monitor that already has HD-SDI input, then your answer is simple: Just use a coaxial BNC<>BNC cable that is rated for HD use (not all BNC cables are), and you are done.
Panasonic’s BT-LH2550 monitor has a built-in waveform and vectorscope
If your NLE system has HDMI only, and you’ve chosen an HD-SDI monitor
If your editing system has HDMI output but not HD-SDI, and you’ve chosen an HD-SDI monitor, then you need to purchase a converter that goes from HD-SDI to HDMI, like the HA5 from AJA.
If your NLE’s interface only has HD-SDI output, and you’ve chosen a monitor without inboard HD-SDI
If you have purchased a monitor without inboard HD-SDI, like the JVC DT-V24L1 or the HP DreamColor LP2480zx, then things get more interesting, and potentially more complicated.
JVC DT-V24L1
The JVC DT-V24L1 has a DVI input which is HDMI compliant (although without embedded audio). That means that (unlike most DVI inputs), the DT-V24L1’s DVI input will accept either digital RGB or digital YUV component. If your system has HDMI output (like most new ones from Blackmagic Design, some from AJA, and some from Matrox), you need a specific cable (HDMI>DVI) and a piece of valuable information: Don’t leave the monitor’s menu setting for the DVI input in “Auto”. If you do, you will sacrifice the data portion which this monitor features at the top portion of the monitor. Set it specifically to “Component” if the signal is digital YUV component (which is always the case with all current Blackmagic Design products, and is selectable in AJA and Matrox products) to take advantage of the data display at the top.
If you have chosen the DT-V24L1 and your system currently has only HD-SDI output, you need the opposite converter as the one mentioned in the prior section. This time, you need one that goes from HD-SDI to HDMI, like AJA’s Hi5 or (especially if you think you might ever change the DT-V24L1 monitor for a 10-bit HDMI model) the new Hi5-3G, which was just introduced at NAB 2009, and also accepts 3G-SDI, in addition to dual or single link HD-SDI. You’ll still need an HDMI>DVI cable, and (in this case) you’ll want to set the Hi5 or Hi5-3G for YUV output, and set the DT-V24L1 menu as explained above to retain the data feature of the monitor.
The HP DreamColor LP2480zx monitor’s unique features… and its special demands
The DreamColor LP2480zx from HP has gotten excellent reviews in forums, and I have arranged to do a full a review soon. In the meantime, let’s cover its unique features (at its US$1999 price point), along with its special demands. HP likes to describe the LCD panel in the DreamColor as being 30-bit. However, that number may sound strange for those of us who normally think in terms of 8-bit and 10-bit. The reason that HP calls it 30-bit is because they are counting each channel (RGB, or Red, Green, and Blue), and they are 10-bit each. The other feature of this model is the DreamColor “engine”, which manages different color spaces and profiles. Here come the special demands: In order to have the DreamColor engine available, we must send a signal over HDMI that is already true progressive (no PsF) and RGB. If the signal is either interlaced, PsF, and/or YUV component, the DreamColor engine will become inactive, since the monitor’s CPU must use all of its resources to de-interlace and/or convert YUV into RGB. In that case, the monitor can no longer manage the color as BT.709, and will be very too saturated. On the other hand, if we alleviate those two functions externally, then the DreamColor’s engine will be available to us.
The HP DreamColor LP2480zx has a true 30-bit (10-bit per channel) panel
Which NLE interfaces offer direct RGB over HDMI, and true progressive
- According to Jon Thorn, product specialist at AJA, the IoHD fortunately offers the option of outputting either YUV or RGB over HDMI. However, all 1080 modes output as interlaced or as PsF. Only 720p50 and 720p59.94 modes of the IoHD will output as pure progressive for the DreamColor monitor. If you need to edit and monitor in any other modes, see the next section.
- According to the tech support team leader at Blackmagic Design, through the marketing department, all Blackmagic Design’s current products deliver only YUV component over HDMI. See the next section to solve this for any Blackmagic product, except for the Intensity or Intensity Pro.
- According to Wayne Andrews, senior product manager at Matrox, the MXO2, MXO2 Rack, and MXO2 Mini do support RGB and YUV on output over HDMI. Fortunately, this is user-definable in the Matrox control panel. However, the MXO2 and MXO2 Rack put out true progressive over HDMI only at 720p50, 720p59.94, and 1080p23.976. For everything else, the output is PsF or interlaced. In the case of the new MXO Mini, the only true progressive modes it currently puts out are 720p50 and 720p59.94. (If you are editing 720p25, the MXO2 Mini will deliver 720p50 over HDMI.) This means that if you are editing true progressive in one of those framerates, then you are all set, since you have satisfied both of the DreamColor’s demands. However, if you need any other framerate (or interlaced editing), see the next section.
Oh my God! What if I have to edit interlaced video… or have a Blackmagic system… or any brand with an unsupported mode… or any other system without HDMI/RGB true progressive output?
Calm down, we have solutions! Most of my readers already know how much I have always preferred progressive video (whether low, medium, or high framerate) for so many other reasons beyond DreamColor’s recent demand. But I also know that in the real world, sometimes editors receive footage that was shot without their prior consultation or control… and of those times, sometimes it makes sense to de-interlace before editing, and sometimes it doesn’t, for reasons that go beyond the scope of this article. The reality is that even though we strongly prefer progressive video, there are some times where there’s no choice but to edit interlaced video. Well, if you you know you’ll be editing true interlaced video often, then the solution to make the DreamColor’s engine happy is the EXT-HDSDI-2-HDMIS from Gefen, otherwise known as the HD-SDI to HDMI Scaler Box. It costs US$1299 and has full 10-bit processing. Now, if you are going to edit progressive or PsF, the brand-new Hi5-3G from AJA will do the trick for only US$690. The Hi5-3G can selectively output RGB over HDMI even if the input is digital YUV. If the input is PsF, it will convert it into pure progressive too. The vital thing the Hi5-3G cannot do for the DreamColor (that Gefen’s EXT-HDSDI-2-HDMIS can) is to de-interlace a true interlaced signal, but it costs US$609 less. So if you are sure you won’t be editing true interlaced video very often (i.e. you mainly or exclusively edit your own progressive footage, you can save US$609 with the Hi5-3G. On the other hand, if you think you may be editing true interlaced footage often, then get the EXT-HDSDI-2-HDMIS from Gefen for US$609 more. Interlacing has its costs!
Sidebar: RGB versus component video
As I originally explained my Discover DisplayPort’s untapped power for pro video article back in February 2009: the primary colors in video are RGB, or red, green, and blue. However, a long time ago, video engineers discovered that given a situation of limited bandwidth, it is often more efficient to handle the video in component version of RGB. This is because the human eye is more sensitive to the luminance portion of the video than the chroma portion. Component video assigns more of the bandwidth to the luminance. Over the years, there have been many different ways of expressing component video, including:
- Y, R-Y, B-Y (Y=Luminance, R=Red, B= Blue)
- Y,Cb, Cr
- YPbPr
- YUV
Sometimes the terms are associated more with one context than with another. In the component analog days, there were even fights among the standards in terms of the chroma levels (the EBU N10 level, the SMPTE level, and the Sony Betacam USA level, etc.) which sometimes caused mismatches when interconnecting equipment. I remember having to re-calibrate component analog switchers to work with a different standard… and having to prove to Leader Instruments that in the PAL world, Sony had accepted the EBU N10 level, so they would not stop forcing PAL component vectorscope users to have the display say “MII” in order to show the proper level for PAL Betacam SP. It was very different in the NTSC world, where the Sony USA chroma levels won over in popularity over the SMPTE levels. But that’s all nostalgia now:)
Why we can’t simply use Apple’s “Digital Cinema Display”
Way back in 2005, Apple launched Final Cut Pro 5, together with a new feature called the “Digital Cinema Desktop”. The purpose was to allow FCP editors to preview full screen video on an independently connected computer monitor. However, together with the launch of the Digital Cinema Desktop feature, Apple warned us that it was for content only, and was not to be trusted for color correction purposes. This warning was stated both verbally at NAB 2005, as well as in writing in Apple’s support article TA27705. The reason for the color precaution has to to with the accuracy of the conversion between RGB and component video.
Possible future use of DisplayPort
Back in that Discover DisplayPort’s untapped power for pro video article, I discussed the possible future use of DisplayPort for direct connection, without any interfaces fro AJA, Blackmagic, or Matrox for proper monitoring. If that ever does happen, it’s likely to be after both SnowLeopard (MacOS 10.7) and FCS3 are both delivered. In the meantime, we still need a professional interface to evaluate our signal properly.
Allan Tépper’s policy on model nomenclature
Since I know we have an international audience and we are living in the global village (thanks Marshal McLuhan!), I am constantly researching the possible variants among model numbers in the international marketplace. Often, video equipment manufacturers restrict certain functionality in regional versions, and sometimes they use a strict regional warranty system. Sometimes the manufacturers do this to avoid grey marketing (i.e. to encourage purchasing of products in a local region, to protect local distribution), and sometimes it’s to avoid extremely high import tariffs in a specific market. When they do this, the manufacturers often add a regional suffix to the model number.
When I mention model numbers, I purposely omit regional suffixes when they make absolutely no difference in a product’s features or functionality worldwide. I include these suffixes only when making specific reference to differences among regional variants. So if you see a model number I mention and you are used to seeing that same model number with an “E”, “J”, “N”, “U”, or “P” suffix, what I am writing is applicable to any version, with any suffix. Those few times I do include the suffix, it’s because I am specifically describing features which are specifically added or missing from that version of the product. I encourage all journalists in all media to do the same.
Upcoming seminar in Miami on HD color correction and grading
If you’ll be in the Miami area on June 1st, 2009, consider attending a seminar on HD color correction and grading.
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Thank you Marcus. That wouuld work, but is not an ideal solution, since the DVI input is only 8-bit. The solutions I recommended are true 10-bit solutions. It would be a shame not to use a 10-bit solution knowing the DreamColor’s 10-bit/30-bit panel. But thanks for your comment. It may be helpful for somehone who already owns the HDLink Pro and wants to use it temporarily.
Posted by Allan Tépper on 05/24 at 01:40 AM
Alan:
I am still confused as to how I can might my twoer Mac to a Dreamcolor Display using the Aja Hi5-3G. My Mac (2 X 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon) is equipped with an ATI Radeon HD 4870 video card. It has one DVI and one Mini Display Port output. Can I connect the Aja Hi5-3G directly to this card, or will I need another card?
Lang
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/26 at 02:08 PM
Lang,
No, the Hi5-3G is to connect to an HD-SDI output from an existing professional interface, which apparently you don’t own yet. You need a professional interface. If you mainly edit 720p, it could simply buy an IoHD from AJA… or any of the three Matrox units mentioned. Then you wouldn’t need the Hi5-3G.
Posted by Allan Tépper on 05/26 at 02:19 PM
Alan:
Bummer. So you’re saying I need to spend at least a couple of thousand dollars more in order to connect properly to the Dreamcolor Display? I’ll need a “professional interface” plus either a Gefen or Aja converter in order to accomplish the task?
This is all very confusing to me.
BTW, virtually all my editing will be of 1080p footage from my 5D Mark II.
Lang
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/26 at 02:27 PM
Lang,
I believe that the 1080p footage from the 5D Mark II is 29.97p. So far, none of the professional interfaces output 1080p29.97 as pure progressive. (They currently put it out as PsF or interlaced.) I will publish immediately if and when this changes. You could either have the IoHD or Matrox cross-convert to 720p on the output, to satisfy the DreamColor, or purchase the Gefen or Hi5-3G to continue monitoring 1080p.
Posted by Allan Tépper on 05/26 at 02:37 PM
Alan:
I don’t need any capture capability, just the ability to play back my 5D Mark II 1080p 30fps quicktime files (or ProRes 422 versions) and color correct using a color-critical monitor such as the Dreamcolor Display. I will also need to be prepared to deal with 1080p 60 fps footage, as the faster frame rate becomes available in new cameras.
So what interfaces will I need? Or do the right ones even exist yet?
Lang
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/26 at 02:37 PM
OK. I think I got it.
I now understand that my least expensive solution would be to purchase a Matrox MX02 Mini ($450) and allow it to cross converter my 1080p 29.97 fps signal to 720p 59.94 fps on output to satisfy the Dreamcolor’s demands?
This yields a loss in resolution, but great color accuracy for grading in Color . . . for only $450 in addition to the cost of the Dreamcolor Display.
Is this correct?
And then, if I want to spend extra money, I could add an Aja Hi5-3G ($690) that would wangle things so that I get a true 1080p 29.97 fps output from the Matrox MX02 Mini that satisfies the Dreamcolor demands, thus giving me full resolution, along with great color accuracy.
Right? Or am I still confused?
Lang
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/26 at 03:00 PM
Lang,
The first paragraph you wrote is true: You can purchase a Matrox MXO2 Mini and allow to cross-convert your 1080p29.97 to 720p59.94 on output to satisfy the DreamColor and have its color engine active. Obviously, this won’t reduce the spatial resolution of what your are actually editing, but only the monitoring of it.
However, the 2nd paragraph won’t really apply, since the MXO2 Mini doesn’t output 1080 PsF (only 1080i, true interlaced), at least not at the present time. For that you would need a more expensive device. I know that the US$1595 MXO2 will put out true 1080p29.97 PsF. I have to check whether the new lower-cost i/o devices from AJA put out PsF. At first you could use the MXO2 (or possibly one of the new AJA devices if they put out PsF) as in paragraph 1, and then later add the Hi5-3G. (Blackmagic products’ documentation indicates that they put out PsF, but only at 23.976p, not at 29.97. If this changes, I will update this.)
But remember: if you are short on budget and are willing to monitor 8-bit, you could buy an Intensity Pro for the new price of US$199 and use with a JVC DT-V24L1 which is only US$2195 and supports 709.
Posted by Allan Tépper on 05/26 at 06:00 PM
Very interesting story and posts everyone!
Does anyone have any suggestions for monitors and solutions in a lesser price range? I am helping to set up some suites for people whose budgets are often less than $1000 for monitors. I understand that you get what you pay for and am willing to concede the fact that the monitors won’t be 100% accurate for color correction. In most cases we would have Black Magic gear including one system with an intensity pro and one with a decklink HD Extreme. We would like to use these as client monitors that are also capable as color correction monitors knowing that our results won’t be perfect.
For instance I did a short last year which was color corrected on a apple 23inch cinema display which had been calibrated with a spyder color correction unit. Later, we took the short into a lab and watched it on proper HD monitors during the output. The results were surprisingly good and more than acceptable for us.
What are your thoughts on this? I am currently looking at HP LP2475w 24 monitors connected via HDMI for this purpose. Any thoughts? I would love to hear peoples opinions on this segment of the market
Cheers
Evan
Posted by Evan Warner on 05/28 at 04:14 PM
Evan:
As you know, I am also looking for inexpensive yet adequate options. One possibility is purchasing a Matrox interface (such as the MXO2 Mini) and using their software “color controls” to, as they profess, “turn your HDMI screen into a professional-grade video monitor”. See Matrox info about choosing an HDMI monitor here:
http://www.matrox.com/video/en/support/mxo2/system/monitors/
I wonder if Allan can comment on this solution.
It would probably be 8-bit monitoring and monitors such as the HP model you mention aren’t exactly professional, but would this approach nonetheless suit our purposes? For 720p? For 1080p?
BTW, thank you Allan for previous posts. I’ve been out of town for a couple of days and was just able to read your response to my 5/26 post.
Lang
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/28 at 06:22 PM
I have an AJA ioHD and a LaCie 324 10 bit monitor with HDMI, DVI and RGB analog, less than $1000. Any chance of a test with these components? What might opinions be? What about rec 709 compliance? Camera is EX1, sfw is Final Cut Studio 2.
Thanks,
Jim Wiseman
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/29 at 02:40 AM
Evan, Lang, Jim
If you find a lower-priced solution with these specs, please let me know. I am not sure whether the LaCie 324 actually has a 10-bit panel. You may have noticed that the JVC DT-V24L3D and the Panasonic BT-LH2550 both have 10-bit input, and 10-bit processing, but actually have an 8-bit (24-bit) panel. However, in the advertising they don’t mention the panel spec. That spec is only available directly from the product manager or engineering director directy, by special and specific request. This is very likely the case of the LaCie 324 a well. I also don’t know for sure whether the LaCie 324 has the 709 color space. I will try to find out both. It is much more debatable how important it is to monitor 10-bit, as the 709 color space. The 709 is really a must for HD color correction. I think that both JVC and any other manufacturer which does have 709 would be best served by promoting that fact. JVC has 709, but neglected to mention it in the lastest brochure or on the website. LaCie doesn’t mention it on their website, but may or may not have it.
Posted by Allan Tépper on 05/29 at 12:34 PM
Hey guys,
Good information to know! I hadn’t really looked at the Lacie before. I will try and dig deeper into that. So what you are saying is that 709 is the most important factor followed by 10 bit.
For one of my clients those specs might be doable if not right now then conceivably sometime in the future. For the other, he is really looking for the best playback monitor for the buck. The more adapt at color correction the better but he isn’t will to spend the kind of money needed to get a 709 monitor. From your subjective point of view, how close can he get with a good S-IPS 8 bit computer monitor hooked up to an intensity pro?
Posted by Evan Warner on 05/29 at 03:32 PM
Not sure what it means, but LaCie says their 324 LCD Monitor has a vivid “92% NTSC gamut panel”. Perhaps this is equivalent to 92% of 709?
See the following review:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/10/lacies-new-lcds-put-ntsc-to-shame/
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 05/29 at 04:35 PM
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