What is your display setup?

[Hulk]

I'm currently using a iiyama Visionmaster Pro400 monitor with a Matrox g450etv. Resolution is 1178x864 and my editing program of choice is MS Pro 6.5

I am thinking of moving to a 19" LCD so that I can move to a resolution of 1280x1024.

I have thought about a dual screen setup but feel I need the vertical space more than horizonatal. I like to have both A and B video tracks as well as at least one overlay track availble without scrolling AND at least 3 audio tracks. It seems as though dual monitors wouldn't help vertically but just make for a longer timeline. Small preview and source windows don't bother me too much since I plan on have TV Out previews once MS Pro 7 rolls out.

I was wondering how some of you are set up and how you work. I'm not an advanced user, some of you pros might have some great tips!

If I got two lcd's and a Parhelia, could I set the gamma on the preview so that it emulated a TV? Not on the whole second display, just the preview window? If I adjust the whole display I'd have to switch it back for other computing.

- Mark

[Brian Ellis]

I agree with you, Mark. I use a prehistoric Hitachi 21" screen, which cost me an arm and a leg in 1988, at 1024 x 768. This is probably nearing its sould being rendered. I also have a Samsung 17" beside it, both being coupled to the G-550, but I rarely even switch it on because to split the timeline is horrendously tiring, along with Wimbledon neck. For my way of working, a single screen is ideal. OTOH, since MSP7 allows DV output on previews (including during adjustment of filters etc.), I have a TV screen working from the IEEE-1394 card through my bridge. This is fantastically useful, as I can see exactly what the picture will look like in the finished project. With this kind of set-up, you could have your two LCDs and a TV for the price of a G-550 (or even 450) and not a Parhelia.

Two other points: unless I'm much mistaken, I see no reason why you couldn't use two screens vertically (I haven't tried it, but I think it's possible). The other is that, with MSP7, you can compress the timeline horizontally, so that the transitions are normal size and the clips are much smaller. This means that you can do fine adjustments to the transitions with little or no horizontal scrolling. This eliminates the need for a longer timeline during one of the most critical editing operations.

The question of LCD v. CRT remains a moot point, judging from a recent thread here. I'm still undecided when the time comes.

[Hulk]

Brian,

I've pretty much decided that 1280x1024 resolution would be ideal for MS Pro. My Visionmaster Pro 17" can run that resolution very well, it's just that everything is so small! But, just to get a feel for things in MS Pro, I can tell I would be very happy with that resolution on a larger monitor.

I've calculated that to keep everything the same size it is now at 1280x1024 I would need a 18" screen measurement (actually 17.8").

Although you can get a really great 19" crt for HALF the price of a great 18" lcd, the lure of flat screen, thin monitor draws me to the dark side. I'll probably do this in a few months so hopefully prices on the lcd's will drop a bit more.

I'm thinking my setup will be the main computer monitor and a small TV monitor. A G550 should fit that bill.

The problem with the DV bridge is that as much as I think I'm not going to be editing in formats other than DV, I still find myself doing a lot of huffyuv editing. In order to get a tv out preview through the dv bridge (or camera) the whole project has to be rendered in dv format in "project preferences" as you well know.

I am hoping that MS Pro 7 will allow ANY format project to be previewed out of the Matrox TV out. Am I on track here in thinking this?

G550, Samsung 18" lcd, Sony Wega 13" TV. That's what I'm thinking right now.

- Mark

[Tapeworm]

I've become a big fan of dual and triple head, but I still don't like to split the timeline. I'm using Vegas and Sound Forge, and I like to use the other monitor for the bins and junk, so I can view more tracks on the primary. I'd like to see the Parhelia support Vegas preview, but for now I still run it through my GL-1 to a 14" Sony.

Double the real estate is still double the real estate. I'd love to have a pair of 21" LCDs at 1600 x 1200, but I picked up some MAG 19" tubes for the interim for $120 each at Best Buy, and they don't look to horrible, for now.

[Hulk]

$120 for a Mag 19" is a deal that would be hard to pass by. LCD price and performance are getting near my "buy" point, but aren't quite there yet. Now that they are outselling CRTs the price to performance ratio should really start to skyrocket. I use VA 2.0 for multitrack audio and SF 6.0 for stereo audio mixing. Both are great programs.

Matching audio levels on video productions would be almost impossible with out SF.

What resolution are you running those Mags?

[gt40]

I'm using 2 sony 17seII's at 1280*1024 and a 14" preview monitor with premiere 6.5.
This leaves so much room for menus/windows that I'd find it hard to go back to a single monitor- it would just seem to crowded.

Parhelia in dual independant with preview coming off RTX.10 BOB.

[wkulecz]

2-3 sqft of extra desk space has more than justified the $$$ of LCD vs CRT for me. YMMV

--wally.

[Hulk]

Wally,

I'm curious as to what your monitor/video card set-up is?

What model/size lcd are you using?

-Mark

[Tapeworm]

Mark,

I'm running my 19" Mags in dual independent mode off the Parhelia (1.0.004) at 1280 x 1024/75Hz on Win2K.

The drivers were a bit problematic, and the monitors don't seem to like more than 75Hz at the moment. They should be fine at 1600 x 1200/85Hz, but I haven't taken the time to debug, and Mag support is lacking (2.5 hrs on hold). The catch is that they work fine for what I'm doing, so I haven't tried to fix them yet.

The footprint on these CRTs is no deeper than my old 17" Sony's or NEC's, but I look forward to the day when I can have a pair of thin bezel 21s running 1600 x 1200.

Brooke