Sec Monitor or TV & Recommended Video Card...

Kevmiami wrote on 1/27/2003, 8:13 AM
Hello,
Using VV3 for 60 days - LOVE IT (Had Premiere for three years - never could figure it out :) Putting together new video rig: P4 2.4GHz 533FSB / ASUS MB p4b533-E (includes USB 2.0, LAN, IEEE, RAID & 6.1 sound)/ 1gb 266MHz 2100 memory / two 120gb 7200rpm drives as RAID-0 & 80gb 5400rpm as system/software drive w/XP Pro. Currently have ViewsSonic 19" A90 for primary monitor Questions:

1. Unsure if 13" TV with S-Video for preview is best way to go, or should I get a second 15" LCD /17" CRT for increased workspace?

2. What is a good card (think I prefer Radeon series - perhaps AIW 8500DV; but open) to drive ViewSonic and TV or two monitors? Literature/reviews are fairly criptic - can't tell if I would see the same image on two monitors (mirroring), or can I infact see timeline on the Monitor and get a "good quality" preview on the TV.

3. Should the 120gb RAID drive be partioned into 60/30gb drives for defrag, etc.?

Thanks for your help - This is one of the best Forums - VV3 ROCKS (now if we could just get the PC press to quit calling Premiere the Industry Standard; or at least be more accurate: The Industry Standard, nobody can figure out how to use :)

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 1/27/2003, 9:19 AM
If your interest in a second monitor is for previewing your video project then don't use a video card for this purpose. The best way to monitor the preview on a TV is to use the firewire output and some sort of DV -> A/V converter. Only use a second monitor for expanding the desktop workspace, not for previewing.
Kevmiami wrote on 1/27/2003, 10:27 AM
Thanks for the feedback; I always enjoy reading your posts! What converter would you recomend - prefer lower price point; home use only - Thanks again, Kevin.
mikkie wrote on 1/27/2003, 10:30 AM
As just posted, you will find some problems with the TV out on a lot of video cards - in my experience, ati for one doesn't output an overscanned picture that the TV needs, but just clones the existing desktop. At the same time, on some of their cards the video out is designed for transferring video to tape or for TV viewing of a video stream on your hard drive - the display on your PC's monitor will then shrink so it's not something you'd leave on whilst working.

ATI does make a great card. Ironically the video out seems to be better on a non-aiw though if the DV solution isn't an option. If your final destination is VHS tape however, myself, I prefer fewer devices between the PC & the tape deck. [that might just be personal preference.]

I don't know if it's still true, but a 13" tv generally used to be the most accurate for previewing. This assumes that you want to see what your video will look like on the TV screen as opposed to your PC monitor - they are very different.

If you want the added screen real estate a 2nd monitor for your PC provides, not all software will take full advantage of it, but when it does, it's nice. The debate of LCD vs CRT still goes on. In my opinion you could use either as a 2nd monitor as the existing crt would tell you what things will look like on another crt if that is your project's destination (if your work is designed to be viewed on a computer monitor).

I can't see any immediate advantage to partitioning your larger hard drives. Fragmentation of data occurs regardless, and is much less a problem with today's faster drives. I would consider going to a faster main drive though - you'll find that it makes a difference with how fast things run. Vegas for example still has to access that main hard drive for it's program files, fx etc., and as everything goes through windows itself, the faster windows responds...
BillyBoy wrote on 1/27/2003, 10:38 AM
I've used a cheap little 13 inch Sharp TV from my local BestBuy as my external monitor for about a year and a half and it works great.

As I've said a few times in other threads even if you do a calibration to specs, what you see on your little TV used an an external monitor, may differ ever so slightly from how the video appears on some big screen TV. That can be adjusted by feeding both your big TV and your little one you use as an external monitor by running the signal throught a signal splitter/booster you can pick up at Radio Shack, elsewhere if you want them to match exactly.

This should not be confused with comparing how the video looks on your computer monitor as others have already pointed out. Trying to make color hue level adjustments using just your computer monitor is probably the biggest "amatuer' mistake. Don't do it!