Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1127068
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY www.postmagazine.com 36 POST MAY/JUNE 2019 SONY HIGHLIGHTS NEW DISPLAY SOLUTIONS PARAMUS, NJ — At the recent 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Sony (https://pro.sony/ ue_US/home) showcased a number of new solutions, including several new display technology options. At the heart of its exhibition booth, Sony demonstrated its Crystal LED display system, which showcased immersive 8K x 4K imagery. There, the company discussed how a number of industry broadcast and global organizations have standardized on this visual solution for their prominent spaces. Announced at IBC last year, Sony's BVM-HX310 (photo, right) was showcased for the first time at NAB. Intended for 4K HDR color grading, shading and QC applica- tions, the BVM-HX310 supports wide color gamut, including DCI-P3, ITU-R BT.2020, S-Gamut3.Cine and S-Gamut3. The advanced performance of the Trimaster HX panel enables the BVM-HX310 to achieve 1,000 nits of full-screen brightness with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. With consistent and faithful color reproduction over the entire luminance range, it is intended for digital cinematography and post production workflows. In addition, the BVM-HX310 has useful functions such as User LUT, Quad View and automatic HDR setting by VPID for various workflows. Version 3 firmware for the company's LMD-A240, LMD-A220 and LMD-A170 offers HDR production enhancements supporting multiple EOTFs such as SMPTE ST 2084(PQ), ITU-R BT.2100(HLG), S-Log2, S-Log3, S-Log 3 (Live HDR) and 2.4 (HDR). Switching EOTFs, maximum brightness is automatically set. Already supporting ITU-R BT. 2020, the monitors are capable of accurate color reproduction in HDR with a low- er cost than conventional 4K HDR monitors. EIZO SUPPLIES MONTREAL-BASED POST FACILITY WITH COLOR ACCURATE MONITORS MONTREAL — Color management is often a complex and misunderstood aspect of many post production facilities. The nature of color and color drift means that most people cannot even trust their own eyes. This color drift, which occurs independently between monitors, often goes unnoticed by the visual effects artists. This means that the decisions these artists are making may be based on false color expectations from the monitor. These color-related errors are hard to track and costly to fix. This has become a more significant problem as Rec.2020 and HDR deliverables are now much more mainstream. In 2007, Real by Fake (www.realbyfake.com), a Montreal, Canada-based full-service boutique post house, and its sister studio Local Hero in Santa Monica, CA, were both looking to replace their aging CRT monitors. At the time, Marc Cote, CEO of Real by Fake and Steve Bannerman, CEO of Local Hero, were told about Eizo monitors by Autodesk as a key component to achieving the perfect Flame station. Through the use of the Flame system, the team's confidence in the Eizo monitor was assured. Given their fair price, the studios decided to have a look at the Eizo ColorEdge line for other color-critical appli- cations. "When we started to work with Eizo products in 2007, we realized just how good the image quality could be," says Cote. "The picture was extremely stable and had excellent color depth. What was promised to me, was delivered." Real by Fake and Local Hero have since rolled out the ColorEdge CG277 self-calibrating monitors across their visual effects team, along with ColorNavigator Network for remote monitor management. "The fact that you can calibrate your monitors automatically with the built-in colorimeter — for me this is paradise," adds Cote. "Also, the interface and presets are consistent with the language used in the industry, so it's easy for the artist to decide which color space they are working in. These characteristics make Eizo very interest- ing to us." In the last two years, content platforms such as Netflix and HBO have begun to request deliverables in both 4K and Dolby Vision HDR. To meet this demand, post facilities now require a reference display that meets or exceeds these requirements. This includes a true 4K resolution, highly-stable brightness with precise PQ tracking up to 1,000 nits, and with a meaningful percentage of the Rec.2020 color space covered. Not to mention, validation by Dolby and Netflix. "When you're working on shows for Netflix and HBO, Dolby Vision compli- ance is becoming a requirement," says Bannerman. "You have to deliver an HDR version. We set out, like a lot of people did, to explore HDR displays." Like many post houses, the need for a true HDR reference-quality moni- tor led them to only a handful of options from the likes of Sony, Eizo and FSI. Bannerman and his team tested the Eizo side-by-side at a customer site. "We spent a lot of time comparing monitors side-by-side during the produc- tion of Sharp Objects (HBO) and Black Summer (Netflix), which we worked on, and the Eizo met our Dolby Vision needs, while also providing us with tremen- dous value," explaines Cote. "We are not a huge company, so we had to pay a lot of attention to the value the monitor was bringing us." Both Real by Fake and Local Hero have since worked on shows for HBO and Netflix with HDR deliverables produced using Eizo self-calibrating monitors as well as the Eizo CG3145 HDR mastering monitor.