Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/69535
Monitors are mission-critical gear for every stage of post production, from on-set activities through editorial, color grading and finishing. Those shopping for monitors today will find an embarrassment of riches for every application and price range. Here is a look at some, in no particular order. JVC JVC (http://pro.jvc.com) has added the DT-V21G11Z 21-inch HD monitor to its Verite G Series of professional LCD monitors — the first in the G Series using mercury-free white LED backlighting. The LED backlit panel consumes significantly less power than CCFL-driven lighting, has a much longer life span and does not sacrifice its highly accurate image quality. The latest entry in the G Series is "affordably priced" and aimed at "mastering and confi- dence applications," both JVC's Verite G Series and E Series use mercury-free white LED backlighting. indoors and in the field, says national marketing and brand manager Craig Yanagi. Other highlights include 1,000:1 con- trast ratio; ITU-709 standard color space compatibility; 10-bit image processing; 3G/dual-link HD-SDI input with embedded audio; and 16-channel audio monitoring. It offers close to 17 million dis- play colors and 11 marker functions so "if you're shooting films or TV you have all the capabilities for proper marking," Yanagi reports. At NAB, JVC launched its cost-effective E Series of pro LCD monitors with the DT-E21L4 (21-inch) and DT-E17L4G (17-inch) models. These full HD monitors boast the same mercury-free LED backlighting as the Verite G Series and many of the same features. "Here, our focus is more on pure monitor- ing and multiple monitor display configurations," says Yanagi. "The new E Series enables us to bring the best in visual monitoring devices to virtually any location." He notes that JVC's 24-inch products and pro LCD monitors have been pack- aged and configured in NLE systems for years. "But post has become more and more mobile. To address those applications and provide flexibility we have increased our monitor choices and screen sizes: We never had a model larger than 17 inches for mobile use before. Now we have three new products — two are 21-inch models — to address this application." JVC's new E Series monitors and the DT-V21G11Z Verite G Series monitor are now shipping. PANASONIC With the launch of the BT-LH1850, an 18.5-inch, high-performance HD/SD LCD production monitor with WXGA resolution, Panasonic (www.panasonic. com/broadcast) has introduced a cost-effective, full-featured monitor with tools designed to facilitate on- set post. Steve Cooperman, product man- ager for Panasonic's P2 line-up and BT Series monitors, says that many customers using lower-cost HD cam- eras simply aren't investing in profes- sional monitors. "They want the abil- The Panasonic BT-LH1850 is designed for use with lower-cost digital cameras. ity to look at an HD signal, but they're not buying monitors that rival the cost of a camera. With the LH1850 they get a well-priced monitor with connectivity for all the different cameras and all the built-in tools they need." In addition to HD/SD SDI and HDMI connectivity, the LH1850 boasts mercu- ry-free LED backlight, 10-bit image processing and a 3D LUT with six-pole color correction for quality color reproduction. "We're offering very high-end features in a low-priced monitor," says Cooperman. The LH1850 is shipping now. The BT-LH2170, with native 1920x1080 HD resolution, begins shipping in the fall. "We think it will be the best monitor we've ever made," Cooperman declares. "It fits a lot of high-end production and post applications, from video assist on a DIT cart to a tool for stereographers." The LH2170 has a full complement of features, including 3D LUT, production- tough aluminum die-cast chassis, mercury-free LED backlight, high brightness and 1,000:1 contrast. It also offers powerful stereo 3D assist functionality for 3D review in the field. "There are some awesome built-in stereo 3D features," Cooperman notes, such as top-and-bottom as well as side-by-side display; a con- vergence mode for overlay; color left/right; line overlay for reviewing divergence; and a vertical and horizontal flip function for use with mirror rigs. He points out that with the introduction of the LH2170 and the LH1850, Pana- sonic addresses a wide range of customer needs. "The LH2170 is part of a clear trend toward native HD panels with more connectivity, " he says, "while the LH1850 fills the gap for professional HD monitoring with the low- er-priced cameras." Sony's Trimaster-EL master monitors feature OLED panels. SONY OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology continues to dominate Sony's (http://pro.sony.com) monitor line-up. Currently, the company is the only one manufacturing OLED panels larger than four inches in size. Launched early last year, the BVME Series features two products for digital cin- ema evaluation: the BVME170 16.5-inch and the BVME250 24.5-inch Trimaster EL OLED master monitors. They not only boast OLED panels but also Trimaster 12-bit engines; both deliver very accurate, very stable industry standards out of the box. "Our monitors are often more accurate than the probes measuring the standards — and they stay that way, " says senior product manager Gary Mandle. The E Series monitors take in 2K images and can display color mapping for Digital Cinema DCPs in X, Y and Z color space. They offer wipe and butterfly modes for image comparison and a blending mode for importing backgrounds for greenscreen photography without the need of any external devices. Introduced last fall, the BVMF Series for broadcast evaluation con- sists of the BVMF170 16.5-inch full HD Reference OLED monitor and the BVMF250 24.5-inch full HD broadcast OLED monitor. These HD monitors have 12-bit engines and can perform side-by-side image comparisons. Both the E and F Series products offer 3D analy- sis features and are shipping now. To enhance these products, Sony has been working in partnership with other leading manufacturers. For the E and F Series, Sony has teamed with Harris to develop the Harris VMM4SNY rasterizer card for advanced waveform/vector- scope signal checks inside the monitor. Sony has also partnered with FilmLight and its Truelight software to permit import of FilmLight- developed LUTs for dailies and VFX applications on the E Series monitors. www.postmagazine.com Post • June 2012 21