Need Help Choosing Video Editing Monitor…Any Suggestions?

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Ozzz

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Hello!

Love this forum and I hope there’s someone out there who can help as I’ve been surfing for weeks and going slightly INSANE in the process!!!

I’m looking two buy two Monitors for my Mac Pro to fit these requirements…

- For Video Editing (my job/hobby) from a 3-Chip HD camera
- Flat Screen
- 24” display each
- Price cap $500 a piece (I’m on a limited budget!) :(
- At least VGA and DVI
- They can be different monitors if there’s a compelling reason as well.
- Any extras are always nice too but the above list is the bottom line. Maybe there's something I should have that I don't know about...probably is!

I’ve done a lot of research and know that Response Time and Color Accuracy are important but after that, I am lost.

The Gateway FHD2400 24" Widescreen HD LCD Monitor seems promising but I would love some expert advice!


Thanks Guy!!! I totally appreciate your help!!!
 
Ozzz said:
I’ve done a lot of research and know that Response Time and Color Accuracy are important but after that, I am lost.
Click to expand...

Response time should not be a concern to you if your just going to be doing video editing. Having a good response time I benefitial if your going to use it for gaming or DVD/Blueray viewing etc. Actually I guess if your into video editing then that would include playback, and in that case you may want to pay attention to response times. Anyways to the main point ... what monitor is best. Any panel will allow you to do video editing but what we need to know is what performace aspect is most important to you, Pixel response? Viewing angles? Color gamut? Brightness? Contrast? If you tell us these needs then we can help you better. As a graphical/video expert myself, I chose an 8bit panel, which allows for better color reproduction, and deeper blacks. 8bit panels comes in the PVA, MVA, and IPS variety. These panels are mostly likely out of your budget in the 24" size however. If you must stay within the $500 range, you might have to look at 6bit TN panels. Perhaps others can suggest a TN panel that has the highest color accuracy and other decent specs. Or perhaps there might be an 8bit panel out there under your budget but I don't know if any personally.
 
WOW!! Thank you for such a thoughtful and quick response!!

I can best answer by saying what I like as I'm not even sure what I should have in a Video Editing monitor. I Love Color and so Color Gamut, Brightness, and Contrast seem the most important. I really enjoy getting into the esthetics of a scene. Most of what I shoot is action stuff (I'm in the military and use that for a lot of my material) so Response Time is up there too. I will be using this as a monitor and not a home TV so probably the Viewing Angle is, I guess, the least important.

I'm going to check out your link right now...AND THANKS AGAIN!!!
 
I'm looking at you LCD specs link...COOL! What number do you suggest that I put in the response time...5?

Also, given that I like color, do you think 1000:1 Contrast and 400 Brightness will work well?

Finally, if I may ask, does VA under TFT-Type refer to a 6bit TN panel?

Thank you again!
 
VA type panels are PVA, MVA, P-MVA and S-PVA. These are all 8bit VA type. TN is its own separate type and is 6bit. 8bit = better color reproduction than 6bit. The lowest i've ever seen a VA type in ms is 5. This "should" be adequte for you. 1000:1 contrast is also decent. But i'm still concerned about your budget. $500 is a bit low if you wanted to go to 24" VA type. The 3 main panel types are TN, VA, IPS, and the cost is also in that order. Brightness is a matter of taste. Some people love high brightness, while others say anything above 300 hurts the eyes after a time.

This may work for you http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19235&vpn=FP241W&manufacture=BENQ Just a little over your budget but not by much. This forum has many reviews on it. P.S. they're hard to find right now.

Just found http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014133 but also just a tad outside budget.

And now this one below your budget http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824255001

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks as always!! This more than helps and your patience in explaining all these things is greatly appreciated!

I think that, given that this is an investment for the future and for professional use, I should broaden my budget to VA. It seems silly to get something that won't satisfy for the long term.

I really appreciate your suggestions. I'm checking out all the links you sent. The BenQs seem really enticing and the name comes up a lot as a quality producer.

Do you think 5 ms isn't good enough? What is your editing experience is a good ms and contrast?

I'm going to do some more looking with my new criteria (don't wan't to become too helpless!) but will probably have a follow up question tomorrow. I hope you don't mind!

Thank You So Much Again!!
 
Hello Again,

Do you know what type of panel the BenQ FP241VW is?

I’m leaning towards that one but it’s frustrating because the BenQ FP241W seems to be maybe a better(?) product from everything I’ve read. However, the only ones I could find are from NCIX.com and they are open Box and say “OPEN BOX ITEM - FINAL SALE - This product has a 30 day warranty from NCIX.com. No returns or exchanges for this item.” That makes me really nervous…what if there’s a dead pixel.

I’ve read the whole official BenQ FP241VW on the forum, but do you have a strong opinion on…

- OPEN BOX LCDs

- FP241VW vs. FP241W?

Thanks! Hopefully I’m nearing the end of my search!!!!! :cool:
 
The 241VW uses the same panel as the 241W, which, depending on vintage is either an AU Optronics A-MVA (M240UW01 V2) or AU Optronics P-MVA (M240UW01 V0) panel. A-MVA has slighter better specs. Both are good. Not IPS good, but one of the best VA type panels.

Open box? If there's only a dead or stuck pixel, then no worries...If there are dozens or backlight bleed then worry. Can't say I have the stomach for a $472 bet. I'd suggest getting a new one. If it was a 2nd monitor for $200 then sure, take a chance, life's a risk etc....

If budget is the final arbiter, then you might consider the Westy L2410NM, it's a MVA panel for $369 on sale at Bestbuy.
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0926INGFS10090158&catid=22559&logon=&langid=EN

Then again, since you have a 1 KiloDollar total budget, you might consider spending more on one great IPS monitor like the NEC 2490 or Planar 26" and a used CRT. That's what I'd do for video editing with your budget. Oh wait, I did.
 
Ozzz,

You can also look into a Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC. It's a 30" S-ISP panel.

It's the last gen 30" Dell. It's great for video editing.

You can find them on ebay for under a $1000.
 
Thanks for all those suggestions!! :D I think I’ll expand my price range up to about $650.00 a piece, more or less, to include the better panels.

Do you think the BenQ FP241VW can handle video editing well? I am not a gamer and most of what I do is documentary video, music videos, and digital stills and my desire to get two of whatever monitor I choose for a dual display.

I really appreciate the input as I have been looking for a while and am not that familiar with these terms (MVA, IPS, etc).
 
The FP241VW is fine for video editing, but I'd still suggest a CRT for some sanity checking. The thing is with MVA/PVA panels is the gamma shift when you move your head. The MVA panel in the BenQ is better than most VA units in this regard, but still not as good as an IPS display.

It seems you have you mind set on two identical displays so I won't dissuade you. But if were me, which it's not, I would consider a cheaper 24 for the Video Editing timeline and an expensive H-IPS for the preview / display monitor. And a CRT.

And just to make your choices more confusing, you might consider a single 30" IPS like the Dell 3008 or new NEC 30" and a CRT. A single 30" with its 2560 X 1600 resolution has almost as many pixels as two 24s. Makes for an awesomely large timeline for editing.
 
If you want cheap and good colour reproduction, see if you can find some professional CRTs. They'll be big, heavy and warm, but you can't beat the image quality for so little money.

If you really want to go with LCDs, prepare for a long selection process and for the sake of everything that is holy, check out the displays IRL, with applications you'd use yourself lest you end up with a lemon.
 
Would using a Television in addition to two basic LCD monitors due the job of a CRT forr checking color? :) I used to use one next to me for that purpose many years ago.
 
That's one way.
And if TV is going to be used for viewing edited videos that would be good way to make sure it shows well in them...

If it's not broken don't fix it, it only breaks up. :p
 
Great! But would my $90 color Tube television (Zenith?) that I bought back in 2003 work ok or does it have to be fancy. :rolleyes:

Incidently, why do LCDs have such fickle color...they seem so state of the art.
 
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